Samyukta Āgama (292), Part Five

(5) Original text: 复次。比丘思量观察正尽苦。究竟苦边时。思量彼六入处。何因何集。何生何触。知彼六入处。名色因。名色集。名色生。名色触。名色永灭无余。则六入处灭。彼所乘名色灭道迹。如实知。修习彼向次法。是名比丘向正尽苦。究竟苦边。所谓名色灭。

Explanation: Furthermore, when a bhikkhu deliberates and contemplates the complete cessation of suffering and wishes to reach the ultimate end of suffering, he must deliberate on the six sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana): by what cause do they arise, from what aggregation are they born, from what arising do they arise in succession, and from what contact do they arise in succession? At this time he should know that the six sense bases are produced through the condition of nāma-rūpa (name-and-form), are produced from the aggregation of nāma-rūpa, that the arising of nāma-rūpa leads to the arising of the six sense bases in succession, and that contact with nāma-rūpa gives rise to the birth of the six sense bases. When nāma-rūpa has been extinguished entirely without remainder, the six sense bases are thereby extinguished. Bhikkhus should understand as it truly is the path of the extinction of nāma-rūpa that they themselves practice, and they should cultivate the path-leading dharma and the secondary supporting dharmas. This is called a bhikkhu heading toward the complete cessation of suffering and reaching the ultimate end of suffering—namely, the complete extinction of nāma-rūpa.

Where there is nāma-rūpa, the five aggregates, there are the six sense bases; where there are sentient beings, there are the six sense bases—unless the six faculties are incomplete. The condition for the appearance of the six sense bases is precisely the existence of nāma-rūpa. When does nāma-rūpa begin? It begins from the fertilized embryo and continues through emerging from the mother's womb, growing into a physical body, until death—this entire stage. The five aggregates are form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness: form is the body, and name refers to the seven consciousnesses and the functions and activities of the seven consciousnesses. The five aggregates constitute a sentient being; a sentient being is called nāma-rūpa, and nāma-rūpa is also called the five aggregates. When there is nāma-rūpa, a fertilized embryo, the five faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body will grow; once the five faculties have grown, there is contact; with contact there is feeling; with feeling there is craving; after craving there is grasping; with grasping there is existence; with existence there is birth; and after birth there is aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress (śoka-parideva-duḥkha-daurmanasyopāyāsa)—this is the chain of causes and conditions of birth and death. The bhikkhu then deliberates on how to extinguish suffering in order to reach the ultimate end of suffering. The cause of the six sense bases is all due to nāma-rūpa: when nāma-rūpa aggregates, the six sense bases aggregate; when nāma-rūpa arises, the six sense bases arise; when nāma-rūpa makes contact, the six sense bases make contact. When nāma-rūpa is extinguished entirely without remainder, the six sense bases are extinguished. So how does one extinguish nāma-rūpa? One must cultivate the path-leading dharma, the secondary dharma, and the supporting dharmas; after cultivating them, through contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) one can extinguish nāma-rūpa and extinguish the five aggregates. As for the method of extinguishing the five aggregates, no one would come to learn it—and since we make the vow to become Buddhas, you are not required to extinguish the five aggregates, so you need not be afraid.