Saṃyuktāgama, Volume 1, Number 5

The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: One who craves and delights in the aggregate of form is, in effect, craving and delighting in suffering; one who delights in suffering cannot be liberated from suffering, cannot eradicate ignorance, and cannot depart from craving and desire. One who craves and delights in the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of consciousness is one who craves and delights in suffering. One who craves and delights in suffering cannot attain liberation from suffering, cannot eradicate ignorance, and cannot depart from craving and desire. Why is one who craves and delights in the aggregate of form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness one who delights in suffering? Because craving and delighting is a defiled mind, not pure. When one craves and delights in the five aggregates, one is bound by the five aggregates, the mind is stuck fast, and one cannot attain liberation. Sentient beings' manas has the affliction of self-love; they cling to their own five aggregates and are unwilling to extinguish them. At the end of life, there will be the neutrino-body (antarā-bhava); within the neutrino-body, because the manas clings to self and wishes for a material body in a future life, it will go to take rebirth in a womb, and thus the five aggregates of the next life arise. Where there are the five aggregates, there is suffering; birth, old age, sickness, death, and boundless sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress (śoka-parideva-duḥkha-daurmanasyopāyāsa) appear without end. Therefore, craving and delighting in the five aggregates is delighting in suffering. The World-Honored One further told the bhikṣus: One who does not crave and delight in the aggregate of form is, in effect, not delighting in the feeling of suffering; one who does not delight in the feeling of suffering can attain liberation from the feeling of suffering. Likewise, one who does not crave and delight in the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of consciousness is one who does not delight in the feeling of suffering; one who does not delight in the feeling of suffering can be liberated from the feeling of suffering. The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: One who does not know and does not clearly understand the aggregate of form cannot depart from craving and desire; not departing from craving and desire, the mind cannot attain liberation. If craving is not eradicated and there is no liberation, then the feeling of suffering cannot be eradicated and one cannot be liberated from the feeling of suffering. Likewise, one who does not know and does not clearly understand the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of consciousness cannot depart from craving and desire; not departing from craving and desire, the mind cannot attain liberation, and with the mind not liberated, suffering cannot be eradicated. The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: If one can know and clearly understand the aggregate of form, one can depart from craving and desire; if one can depart from craving and desire, the mind can attain liberation, and one whose mind has attained liberation can eradicate suffering. Likewise, with regard to the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of consciousness, if one can know and clearly understand them, one can depart from craving and desire; if one can depart from craving and desire, the mind can attain liberation, and one whose mind has attained liberation can extinguish suffering.