SN 22-34 The Group of Connected Discourses Beginning With the Aggregates – Khandhavaggasaṁyutta > SN 22 Connected Discourses on the Aggregates – Khandhasaṁyutta > SN 22.90 With Channa

Linked Discourses 22.90 – Saṁyutta Nikāya 22.90

9. Senior Bhikkhū – 9. Theravagga

SN 22.90 With Channa – Channasutta

At one time several senior bhikkhū were staying near Benares, in the deer park at Isipatana.

Ekaṁ samayaṁ sambahulā therā bhikkhū bārāṇasiyaṁ viharanti isipatane migadāye.

Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Channa came out of retreat. Taking a key, he went from dwelling to dwelling, going up to the senior bhikkhū and saying,

Atha kho āyasmā channo sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito avāpuraṇaṁ ādāya vihārena vihāraṁ upasaṅkamitvā there bhikkhū etadavoca:

“May the venerable senior bhikkhū advise me and instruct me! May they give me a Dhamma talk so that I can see the teaching!”

“ovadantu maṁ āyasmanto therā, anusāsantu maṁ āyasmanto therā, karontu me āyasmanto therā dhammiṁ kathaṁ, yathāhaṁ dhammaṁ passeyyan”ti.

When he said this, the senior bhikkhū said to Venerable Channa:

Evaṁ vutte, therā bhikkhū āyasmantaṁ channaṁ etadavocuṁ:

“Reverend Channa, form,

“rūpaṁ kho, āvuso channa, aniccaṁ;

feeling,

vedanā aniccā;

perception,

saññā aniccā;

saṅkhāra,

saṅkhārā aniccā;

and consciousness are anicca.

viññāṇaṁ aniccaṁ.

Form,

Rūpaṁ anattā;

feeling,

vedanā …

perception,

saññā …

saṅkhāra,

saṅkhārā …

and consciousness are not-self.

viññāṇaṁ anattā.

All conditions are anicca.

Sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā;

All things are not-self.”

sabbe dhammā anattā”ti.

Then Venerable Channa thought,

Atha kho āyasmato channassa etadahosi:

“I too think in this way. …

“mayhampi kho etaṁ evaṁ hoti:

‘rūpaṁ aniccaṁ, vedanā …

saññā …

saṅkhārā …

viññāṇaṁ aniccaṁ;

rūpaṁ anattā, vedanā …

saññā …

saṅkhārā …

viññāṇaṁ anattā.

Sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā, sabbe dhammā anattā’ti.

And yet my mind isn’t eager, confident, settled, and decided about the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment.

Atha ca pana me sabbasaṅkhārasamathe sabbūpadhipaṭinissagge taṇhākkhaye virāge nirodhe nibbāne cittaṁ na pakkhandati nappasīdati na santiṭṭhati nādhimuccati.

Anxiety and grasping arise.

Paritassanā upādānaṁ uppajjati;

And the mind reverts to thinking:

paccudāvattati mānasaṁ:

‘So then who exactly is my self?’

‘atha ko carahi me attā’ti?

But that doesn’t happen for someone who sees the teaching.

Na kho panevaṁ dhammaṁ passato hoti.

Who can teach me the Dhamma so that I can see the teaching?”

Ko nu kho me tathā dhammaṁ deseyya yathāhaṁ dhammaṁ passeyyan”ti.

Then Venerable Channa thought,

Atha kho āyasmato channassa etadahosi:

“The Venerable Ānanda is staying near Kosambi, in Ghosita’s Monastery. He’s praised by the Buddha and esteemed by his sensible spiritual companions. He’s quite capable of teaching me the Dhamma so that I can see the teaching.

“ayaṁ kho āyasmā ānando kosambiyaṁ viharati ghositārāme satthu ceva saṁvaṇṇito sambhāvito ca viññūnaṁ sabrahmacārīnaṁ, pahoti ca me āyasmā ānando tathā dhammaṁ desetuṁ yathāhaṁ dhammaṁ passeyyaṁ;

Since I have so much trust in Venerable Ānanda,

atthi ca me āyasmante ānande tāvatikā vissaṭṭhi.

why don’t I go to see him?”

Yannūnāhaṁ yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkameyyan”ti.

Then Channa set his lodgings in order and, taking his bowl and robe, set out for Kosambi. He went to see Ānanda in Ghosita’s Monastery, exchanged greetings with him, and told him what had happened. Then he said,

Atha kho āyasmā channo senāsanaṁ saṁsāmetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena kosambī ghositārāmo yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā ānandena saddhiṁ sammodi …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā channo āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca:

“Ekamidāhaṁ, āvuso ānanda, samayaṁ bārāṇasiyaṁ viharāmi isipatane migadāye.

Atha khvāhaṁ, āvuso, sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito avāpuraṇaṁ ādāya vihārena vihāraṁ upasaṅkamiṁ;

upasaṅkamitvā there bhikkhū etadavocaṁ:

‘ovadantu maṁ āyasmanto therā, anusāsantu maṁ āyasmanto therā, karontu me āyasmanto therā dhammiṁ kathaṁ yathāhaṁ dhammaṁ passeyyan’ti.

Evaṁ vutte, maṁ, āvuso, therā bhikkhū etadavocuṁ:

‘rūpaṁ kho, āvuso channa, aniccaṁ;

vedanā …

saññā …

saṅkhārā …

viññāṇaṁ aniccaṁ;

rūpaṁ anattā …pe…

viññāṇaṁ anattā.

Sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā, sabbe dhammā anattā’ti.

Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi:

‘mayhampi kho etaṁ evaṁ hoti—

rūpaṁ aniccaṁ …pe…

viññāṇaṁ aniccaṁ, rūpaṁ anattā, vedanā …

saññā …

saṅkhārā …

viññāṇaṁ anattā.

Sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā, sabbe dhammā anattā’ti.

Atha ca pana me sabbasaṅkhārasamathe sabbūpadhipaṭinissagge taṇhākkhaye virāge nirodhe nibbāne cittaṁ na pakkhandati nappasīdati na santiṭṭhati nādhimuccati.

Paritassanā upādānaṁ uppajjati;

paccudāvattati mānasaṁ:

‘atha ko carahi me attā’ti?

Na kho panevaṁ dhammaṁ passato hoti.

Ko nu kho me tathā dhammaṁ deseyya yathāhaṁ dhammaṁ passeyyanti.

Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi:

‘ayaṁ kho āyasmā ānando kosambiyaṁ viharati ghositārāme satthu ceva saṁvaṇṇito sambhāvito ca viññūnaṁ sabrahmacārīnaṁ, pahoti ca me āyasmā ānando tathā dhammaṁ desetuṁ yathāhaṁ dhammaṁ passeyyaṁ.

Atthi ca me āyasmante ānande tāvatikā vissaṭṭhi.

Yannūnāhaṁ yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkameyyan’ti.

“May Venerable Ānanda advise me and instruct me! May he give me a Dhamma talk so that I can see the teaching!”

Ovadatu maṁ, āyasmā ānando;

anusāsatu maṁ, āyasmā ānando;

karotu me, āyasmā ānando dhammiṁ kathaṁ yathāhaṁ dhammaṁ passeyyan”ti.

“I’m already delighted with Venerable Channa. Hopefully you’ve opened yourself up and cut through your emotional barrenness.

“Ettakenapi mayaṁ āyasmato channassa attamanā api nāma taṁ āyasmā channo āvi akāsi khīlaṁ chindi.

Listen well, Channa.

Odahāvuso channa, sotaṁ;

You are capable of understanding the teaching.”

bhabbosi dhammaṁ viññātun”ti.

Then right away Channa was filled with lofty rapture and joy,

Atha kho āyasmato channassa tāvatakeneva uḷāraṁ pītipāmojjaṁ uppajji:

“It seems I’m capable of understanding the teaching!”

“bhabbo kirasmi dhammaṁ viññātun”ti.

“Reverend Channa, I heard and learned in the presence of the Buddha his advice to the bhikkhu Kaccānagotta:

“Sammukhā metaṁ, āvuso channa, bhagavato sutaṁ, sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ kaccānagottaṁ bhikkhuṁ ovadantassa—

‘Kaccāna, this world mostly relies on the dual notions of existence and non-existence.

dvayanissito khvāyaṁ, kaccāna, loko yebhuyyena atthitañceva natthitañca.

But when you truly see the origin of the world with right understanding, you won’t have the notion of non-existence regarding the world.

Lokasamudayaṁ kho, kaccāna, yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya passato yā loke natthitā, sā na hoti.

And when you truly see the cessation of the world with right understanding, you won’t have the notion of existence regarding the world.

Lokanirodhaṁ kho, kaccāna, yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya passato yā loke atthitā, sā na hoti.

The world is for the most part shackled by attraction, grasping, and insisting.

Upayupādānābhinivesavinibandho khvāyaṁ, kaccāna, loko yebhuyyena

But if—when it comes to this attraction, grasping, mental fixation, insistence, and underlying tendency—you don’t get attracted, grasp, and commit to the notion “my self”,

taṁ cāyaṁ upayupādānaṁ cetaso adhiṭṭhānābhinivesānusayaṁ na upeti na upādiyati nādhiṭṭhāti ‘attā me’ti.

you’ll have no doubt or uncertainty that what arises is just suffering arising, and what ceases is just suffering ceasing.

Dukkhameva uppajjamānaṁ uppajjati, dukkhaṁ nirujjhamānaṁ nirujjhatīti na kaṅkhati na vicikicchati.

Your knowledge about this is independent of others.

Aparappaccayā ñāṇamevassa ettha hoti.

This is how right view is defined.

Ettāvatā kho, kaccāna, sammādiṭṭhi hoti.

“All exists”: this is one extreme.

Sabbamatthīti kho, kaccāna, ayameko anto.

“All doesn’t exist”: this is the second extreme.

Sabbaṁ natthīti ayaṁ dutiyo anto.

Avoiding these two extremes, the Realized One teaches by the middle way:

Ete te, kaccāna, ubho ante anupagamma majjhena tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti—

“Ignorance is a condition for saṅkhāra.

avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā;

Saṅkhāra are a condition for consciousness. …

saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṁ …pe…

That is how this entire mass of suffering originates.

evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.

When ignorance fades away and ceases with nothing left over, saṅkhāra cease. …

Avijjāya tveva asesavirāganirodhā saṅkhāranirodho …pe…

That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases.”’”

evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hotī”ti.

“Reverend Ānanda, this is how it is when you have such venerables as spiritual companions to advise and instruct you out of kindness and compassion.

“Evametaṁ, āvuso ānanda, hoti yesaṁ āyasmantānaṁ tādisā sabrahmacārayo anukampakā atthakāmā ovādakā anusāsakā.

And now that I’ve heard this teaching from Venerable Ānanda, I’ve comprehended the teaching.”

Idañca pana me āyasmato ānandassa dhammadesanaṁ sutvā dhammo abhisamito”ti.