4-35-2-1 Avijjāvaggo | Samyutta

Division II
The Second Fifty

I. Ignorance

53 (1) Abandoning Ignorance

At Sāvatthī.

Then a certain Bhikkhu approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:

Venerable sir, how should one know, how should one see, for ignorance to be abandoned and true knowledge to arise?

Bhikkhu, when one knows and sees the eye as impermanent, ignorance is abandoned and true knowledge arises.

When one knows and sees forms as impermanent …

When one knows and sees as impermanent whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition—whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor- pleasant

—ignorance is abandoned and true knowledge arises.

When one knows and sees thus, Bhikkhu, ignorance is abandoned and true knowledge arises.

54 (2) Abandoning the Fetters

Venerable sir, how should one know, how should one see, for the fetters to be abandoned?

(The Buddha’s reply is as above.)

55 (3) Uprooting the Fetters

Venerable sir, how should one know, how should one see, for the fetters to be uprooted?

Bhikkhu, when one knows and sees the eye as non-self, the fetters are uprooted.

When one knows and sees forms as non-self … (all as above) …

When one knows and sees thus, Bhikkhu, the fetters are uprooted.

56 (4)–59 (7) Abandoning the Taints, Etc.

Venerable sir, how should one know, how should one see, for the taints to be abandoned?… for the taints to be uprooted?… for the underlying tendencies to be abandoned?… for the underlying tendencies to be uprooted?

Bhikkhu, when one knows and sees the eye as non-self, the underlying tendencies are uprooted.

When one knows and sees forms as non-self … (all as above) …

When one knows and sees thus, Bhikkhu, the underlying tendencies are uprooted.

60 (8) The Full Understanding of All Clinging

Bhikkhus, I will teach you the Dhamma for the full understanding of all clinging. Listen to that….

And what, Bhikkhus, is the Dhamma for the full understanding of all clinging?

In dependence on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises.
The meeting of the 3 is contact.
With contact as condition, feeling [comes to be].

Seeing thus, the instructed noble disciple experiences revulsion towards the eye, towards forms, towards eye-consciousness, towards eye-contact, towards feeling.

Experiencing revulsion, he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion [the mind] is liberated. With its deliverance he understands: ‘Clinging has been fully understood by me.’

In dependence on the ear and sounds … In dependence on the mind and mental phenomena, mind-consciousness arises. The meeting of the 3 is contact. With contact as condition, feeling [comes to be].

Seeing thus, the instructed noble disciple experiences revulsion towards the mind, towards mental phenomena, towards mind-consciousness, towards mind-contact, towards feeling.

Experiencing revulsion, he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion [the mind] is liberated. With its deliverance he understands: ‘Clinging has been fully understood by me.’

This, Bhikkhus, is the Dhamma for the full understanding of all clinging.

61 (9) The Exhaustion of All Clinging (1)

Bhikkhus, I will teach you the Dhamma for the exhaustion of all clinging. Listen to that….

And what, Bhikkhus, is the Dhamma for the exhaustion of all clinging?

In dependence on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises…. (as above) …

With its deliverance he understands: ‘Clinging has been exhausted by me.’

In dependence on the ear and sounds … the mind and mental phenomena, mind-consciousness arises…. … With its deliverance he understands: ‘Clinging has been exhausted by me.’

This, Bhikkhus, is the Dhamma for the exhaustion of all clinging.

62 (10) The Exhaustion of All Clinging (2)

Bhikkhus, I will teach you the Dhamma for the exhaustion of all clinging. Listen to that….

And what, Bhikkhus, is the Dhamma for the exhaustion of all clinging?

What do you think, Bhikkhus, is the eye permanent or impermanent?

… (To be completed as in §32) …

This, Bhikkhus, is the Dhamma for the exhaustion of all clinging.