SN 35.82

Lokapañhāsutta

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

A Question On the World

Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha … and said to him:

“‘Loko, loko’ti, bhante, vuccati. Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, lokoti vuccatī”ti? “‘Lujjatī’ti kho, bhikkhu, tasmā lokoti vuccati. Kiñca lujjati? Cakkhu kho, bhikkhu, lujjati. Rūpā lujjanti, cakkhuviññāṇaṁ lujjati, cakkhusamphasso lujjati, yampidaṁ cakkhusamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi lujjati …pe… jivhā lujjati …pe… mano lujjati, dhammā lujjanti, manoviññāṇaṁ lujjati, manosamphasso lujjati, yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi lujjati. Lujjatīti kho, bhikkhu, tasmā lokoti vuccatī”ti.

“Sir, they speak of this thing called ‘the world’. How is the world defined?” “It wears away, mendicant, that’s why it’s called ‘the world’. And what is wearing away? The eye is wearing away. Sights … eye consciousness … eye contact is wearing away. The painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on eye contact is also wearing away. The ear … nose … tongue … body …. The mind … ideas … mind consciousness … mind contact is wearing away. The painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact is also wearing away. It wears away, mendicant, that’s why it’s called ‘the world’.”