Thursday, May 2, 2019

The Buddha's second sutra (video)

Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Chanting; Ven. Yuttadhammo; Wiki edit


The Anatta-lakkhaṇa Sutta preserved in the ancient Pali language (Anātmalakṣaṇa Sūkta in Sanskrit), is traditionally recorded as the second sutra or discourse delivered by the historical Buddha.
The title translates into the "Not-Self Characteristic Discourse" but is also known as the Pañcavaggiya Sutta in Pali and Pañcavargīya Sūtra in Sanskrit, which means the "Group of Five Discourse."

(Ven. Yuttadhammo) The Not-Self Characteristic Discourse
 
Contents
Gold Buddha (nortonsimon.org)
In this discourse the Buddha analyzes the constituents of the individual's body and mind as "heaps" or "groups" (khandha) of constituents.

He then shows how they are each radically passing away (anicca) and disappointing (dukkha, unable to fulfill or satisfy) and are thus unfit to identify as a "self" (atta, atman). The Pali version of this discourse reads:

"Form... feeling... perception... mental formation... consciousness is not self. If consciousness were self, this consciousness would not lend itself to disease.

"It would be possible [to say] with regard to consciousness, 'Let my consciousness be thus. Let my consciousness not be thus.'

"But precisely because consciousness is not self, consciousness lends itself to disease. And it is impossible [to say] with regard to consciousness, 'Let my consciousness be thus. Let my consciousness be not thus [and have it just be that desired way].'...

"So, meditators, any form [physical object]... feeling... perception... formation... [or] consciousness whatsoever -- whether past, future, or present, internal or external, obvious or subtle, mundane or sublime, far or near -- is to be seen as it actually is with right view [proper insight] as: 'This is not mine. This is not myself. This is not I am.'

"Seeing things in this way, the well-instructed disciple of the noble [enlightened] ones grows disenchanted with form, disenchanted with feeling, disenchanted with perception, disenchanted with formations, disenchanted with consciousness.

"Disenchanted, one becomes dispassionate [lets go]. Through dispassion, one is fully released. With full release comes the knowledge, 'Fully released.' One discerns that 'Rebirth is ended, the supreme life has been fulfilled, the task is done. There is nothing further for this world.'" More

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