SN 35.150

Nibbānasappāyapaṭipadāsutta

“Nibbānasappāyaṁ vo, bhikkhave, paṭipadaṁ desessāmi. Taṁ suṇātha …pe… katamā ca sā, bhikkhave, nibbānasappāyā paṭipadā? Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, cakkhu niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?

A Practice Conducive to Extinguishment

“Mendicants, I will teach you a practice that’s conducive to extinguishment. Listen … And what is that practice that’s conducive to extinguishment? What do you think, mendicants? Is the eye permanent or impermanent?”

“Aniccaṁ, bhante”.

“Impermanent, sir.”

“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vā taṁ sukhaṁ vā”ti?

“But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?”

“Dukkhaṁ, bhante”.

“Suffering, sir.”

“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, kallaṁ nu taṁ samanupassituṁ: ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’”ti?

“But if it’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, is it fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Rūpā niccā vā aniccā vā”ti? “Aniccā, bhante”.

“Are sights …

“Cakkhuviññāṇaṁ … cakkhusamphasso …pe… yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?

eye consciousness … eye contact … The pleasant, painful, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact: is that permanent or impermanent?”

“Aniccaṁ, bhante”.

“Impermanent, sir.”

“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vā taṁ sukhaṁ vā”ti?

“But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?”

“Dukkhaṁ, bhante”.

“Suffering, sir.”

“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, kallaṁ nu taṁ samanupassituṁ: ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’”ti?

“But if it’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, is it fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Evaṁ passaṁ, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako cakkhusmimpi nibbindati, rūpesupi nibbindati, cakkhuviññāṇepi nibbindati, cakkhusamphassepi nibbindati …pe… yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tasmimpi nibbindati. Nibbindaṁ virajjati; virāgā vimuccati …pe… nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāti. Ayaṁ kho sā, bhikkhave, nibbānasappāyā paṭipadā”ti.

“Seeing this, a learned noble disciple grows disillusioned with the eye, sights, eye consciousness, and eye contact. And they grow disillusioned with the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on eye contact. They grow disillusioned with the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind … painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact. Being disillusioned, desire fades away. When desire fades away they’re freed. … They understand: ‘… there is nothing further for this place.’ This is that practice that’s conducive to extinguishment.”