Siddhartha Gautama ( the Buddha )
SN 22.59
ANATTALAKKHANA SUTTA
translated from the french of Jeanne Schut by Romito Anacoreta
Orig. Ed. Dhamma de La Foret
One day, while the Buddha was staying in the Deer Park at Isipatana, near Benares, he addressed the five ascetics, his former companions, and said:
“Friends, form (the body) is not Self. If this form were ‘We’ or ours, it would not be a source of suffering and one could say of the form: ‘Let my body be like this! Let my body be like that!’ But it is precisely because the body is not self, that it is a source of suffering and no one can say: ‘Let my body be like this! Let my body be like that!’
Friends, feelings are not Self. If feelings were ‘We’ or ours, they would not be a source of suffering and one could say of feelings: ‘Let my feelings be like this! Let my feelings be like that!’ But it is precisely because feelings are not Self, that they are a source of suffering and no one can say: ‘Let my feelings be like this! Let my feelings be like that!’
Friends, perceptions are not Self. If perceptions were ‘We’ or ours, they would not be a source of suffering and one could say of perceptions: ‘Let my perceptions be like this! Let my memories be like that!’ But it is precisely because perceptions are not Self, that they are a source of suffering and no one can say: ‘Let my perceptions be like this! Let my memories be like that!’
Friends, mental formations are not Self. If mental formations were ‘We’ or ours, they would not be a source of suffering and one could say of mental formations: ‘Let my thoughts be like this! Let my intentions be like that!’ But it is precisely because mental formations are not Self, that they are a source of suffering and no one can say: ‘Let my thoughts be like this! Let my intentions be like that!’
Friends, sensory consciousness is not Self. If sensory consciousness were ‘We’ or ours, it would not be a source of suffering and one could say of sensory consciousness: ‘Let me be conscious of this! Let me be conscious of that!’ But it is precisely because sensory consciousness is not Self, that it is a source of suffering and no one can say: ‘Let me be conscious of this! Let me be conscious of that!’
What do you think, friends? Is form permanent or impermanent?
Form is impermanent, Venerable.
If something is impermanent, is it pleasant or unpleasant?
Unpleasant, Venerable.
Is it right to say of what is impermanent, unpleasant, and subject to change: ‘This is mine, this is me, this is what I am’?
Certainly not, Venerable.
What do you think, friends? Are feelings permanent or impermanent?
Feelings are impermanent, Venerable.
If something is impermanent, is it pleasant or unpleasant?
Unpleasant, Venerable.
Is it right to say of what is impermanent, unpleasant, and subject to change: ‘This is mine, this is me, this is what I am’?
Certainly not, Venerable.
What do you think, friends? Are perceptions permanent or impermanent?
Perceptions are impermanent, Venerable.
If something is impermanent, is it pleasant or unpleasant?
Unpleasant, Venerable.
Is it right to say of what is impermanent, unpleasant, and subject to change: ‘This is mine, this is me, this is what I am’?
Certainly not, Venerable.
What do you think, friends? Are mental formations permanent or impermanent?
Mental formations are impermanent, Venerable.
If something is impermanent, is it pleasant or unpleasant?
Unpleasant, Venerable.
Is it right to say of what is impermanent, unpleasant, and subject to change: ‘This is mine, this is me, this is what I am’?
Certainly not, Venerable.
What do you think, friends? Is sensory consciousness permanent or impermanent?
Sensory consciousness is impermanent, Venerable.
If something is impermanent, is it pleasant or unpleasant?
Unpleasant, Venerable.
Is it right to say of what is impermanent, unpleasant, and subject to change: ‘This is mine, this is me, this is what I am’?
Certainly not, Venerable.
It follows that any form, any body – past, future, or present, internal or external, coarse or subtle, ordinary or supreme, near or far – every body must be seen as it is, with proper discernment, thinking: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not what I am.’
It follows that any feeling – past, future, or present, internal or external, coarse or subtle, ordinary or supreme, near or far – every feeling must be seen as it is, with proper discernment, thinking: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not what I am.’
It follows that any perception – past, future, or present, internal or external, coarse or subtle, ordinary or supreme, near or far – every perception must be seen as it is, with proper discernment, thinking: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not what I am.’
It follows that any mental formation – past, future, or present, internal or external, coarse or subtle, ordinary or supreme, near or far – every mental formation must be seen as it is, with proper discernment, thinking: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not what I am.’
It follows that any form of sensory consciousness – past, future, or present, internal or external, coarse or subtle, ordinary or supreme, near or far – every form of sensory consciousness must be seen as it is, with proper discernment, thinking: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not what I am.’
Friends, considering things in this way, the disciple well-trained by the Noble Beings loses all interest in forms and the body, loses all interest in feelings, loses all interest in perceptions, loses all interest in mental formations, loses all interest in manifestations of sensory consciousness. Losing this interest, he is without attachment and, having no attachment, he is totally liberated.
With liberation comes the certainty: ‘Full liberation has been attained, and he knows: ‘There will be no more new birth, the life of practice has borne its fruits, the task has been accomplished, there is no longer any reason to return to existence.’”
Thus spoke the Buddha. The five friends greatly rejoiced in his teaching. Moreover, during the Buddha’s exposition, the hearts and minds of the five ascetics, compelled to let go completely, were liberated from all impurities.
From then on, there were six Arahants in the world.