SN 35.233

Kāmabhūsutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca ānando āyasmā ca kāmabhū kosambiyaṁ viharanti ghositārāme. Atha kho āyasmā kāmabhū sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā ānandena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā kāmabhū āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca:

With Kāmabhū

At one time the venerables Ānanda and Kāmabhū were staying near Kosambī in Ghosita’s monastery. Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Kāmabhū came out of retreat, went to Venerable Ānanda, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to Ānanda:

“Kiṁ nu kho, āvuso ānanda, cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ …pe… jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, rasā jivhāya saṁyojanaṁ …pe… mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, dhammā manassa saṁyojanan”ti?

“Reverend Ānanda, which is it? Is the eye the fetter of sights, or are sights the fetter of the eye? Is the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind the fetter of ideas, or are ideas the fetter of the mind?”

“Na kho, āvuso kāmabhū, cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ. Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ …pe… na jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rasā jivhāya saṁyojanaṁ …pe… na mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na dhammā manassa saṁyojanaṁ. Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ.

“Reverend Kāmabhū, the eye is not the fetter of sights, nor are sights the fetter of the eye. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them. The ear … nose … tongue … body … mind is not the fetter of ideas, nor are ideas the fetter of the mind. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, kāḷo ca balībaddo odāto ca balībaddo ekena dāmena vā yottena vā saṁyuttā assu. Yo nu kho evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kāḷo balībaddo odātassa balībaddassa saṁyojanaṁ, odāto balībaddo kāḷassa balībaddassa saṁyojanan’ti, sammā nu kho so vadamāno vadeyyā”ti? “No hetaṁ, āvuso”. “Na kho, āvuso, kāḷo balībaddo odātassa balībaddassa saṁyojanaṁ, napi odāto balībaddo kāḷassa balībaddassa saṁyojanaṁ. Yena ca kho te ekena dāmena vā yottena vā saṁyuttā, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ. Evameva kho, āvuso, na cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ …pe… na jivhā …pe… na mano …pe… yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanan”ti.

Suppose there was a black ox and a white ox yoked by a single harness or yoke. Would it be right to say that the black ox is the yoke of the white ox, or the white ox is the yoke of the black ox?” “No, reverend. The black ox is not the yoke of the white ox, nor is the white ox the yoke of the black ox. The yoke there is the single harness or yoke that they’re yoked by.” “In the same way, the eye is not the fetter of sights, nor are sights the fetter of the eye. The ear … nose … tongue … body … mind is not the fetter of ideas, nor are ideas the fetter of the mind. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them.”