Ānandasutta

Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Tatra kho āyasmā ānando bhikkhū āmantesi: “āvuso bhikkhave”ti. “Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato ānandassa paccassosuṁ. Āyasmā ānando etadavoca:

At Sāvatthī. There Ānanda addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!” “Reverend,” they replied. Ānanda said this:

“Puṇṇo nāma, āvuso, āyasmā mantāṇiputto amhākaṁ navakānaṁ sataṁ bahūpakāro hoti. So amhe iminā ovādena ovadati: ‘upādāya, āvuso ānanda, asmīti hoti, no anupādāya. Kiñca upādāya asmīti hoti, no anupādāya? Rūpaṁ upādāya asmīti hoti, no anupādāya. Vedanaṁ … saññaṁ … saṅkhāre … viññāṇaṁ upādāya asmīti hoti, no anupādāya.

“Reverends, the venerable named Puṇṇa son of Mantāṇī was very helpful to me when I was just ordained. He gave me this advice: ‘Reverend Ānanda, the thought “I am” occurs because of grasping, not without grasping. Grasping what? The thought “I am” occurs because of grasping form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness, not without grasping.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso ānanda, itthī vā puriso vā daharo yuvā maṇḍanakajātiko ādāse vā parisuddhe pariyodāte acche vā udakapatte sakaṁ mukhanimittaṁ paccavekkhamāno upādāya passeyya, no anupādāya; evameva kho, āvuso ānanda, rūpaṁ upādāya asmīti hoti, no anupādāya. Vedanaṁ … saññaṁ … saṅkhāre … viññāṇaṁ upādāya asmīti hoti, no anupādāya.

Suppose there was a woman or man who was young, youthful, and fond of adornments, and they check their own reflection in a clean bright mirror or a clear bowl of water. They’d look because of grasping, not without grasping. In the same way, the thought “I am” occurs because of grasping form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness, not without grasping.

Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, āvuso ānanda, rūpaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā’ti? ‘Aniccaṁ, āvuso’. ‘Vedanā … saññā … saṅkhārā … viññāṇaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā’ti? ‘Aniccaṁ, āvuso’ …pe…. Tasmātiha …pe… evaṁ passaṁ …pe… nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānātīti. Puṇṇo nāma, āvuso, āyasmā mantāṇiputto amhākaṁ navakānaṁ sataṁ bahūpakāro hoti. So amhe iminā ovādena ovadati. Idañca pana me āyasmato puṇṇassa mantāṇiputtassa dhammadesanaṁ sutvā dhammo abhisamito”ti. Paṭhamaṁ.

What do you think, Reverend Ānanda? Is form permanent or impermanent?’ ‘Impermanent, reverend.’ ‘Is feeling … perception … choices … consciousness permanent or impermanent?’ ‘Impermanent, reverend.’ … ‘So you should truly see … Seeing this … They understand: “… there is nothing further for this place.”’ Reverends, the venerable named Puṇṇa son of Mantāṇī was very helpful to me when I was just ordained. He gave me this advice. And when I heard this teaching from Venerable Puṇṇa son of Mantāṇī, I comprehended the teaching.”