The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [431]
“‘Friend, there are these five aggregates affected by clinging, rightly proclaimed by the Blessed One who knows and sees, accomplished and fully enlightened. What five? They are the material form aggregate affected by clinging, the feeling aggregate affected by clinging, the perception aggregate affected by clinging, the formations aggregate affected by clinging, and the consciousness aggregate affected by clinging. These, friend, are the five aggregates affected by clinging, rightly proclaimed by the Blessed One who knows and sees, accomplished and fully enlightened. How does the venerable one know, how does he see, regarding these five aggregates affected by clinging, so that through not clinging his mind is liberated from the taints?’
6. “Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu is one with taints destroyed… and is completely liberated through final knowledge, this is the natural way for him to answer.
“‘Friends, having known material form to be feeble, fading away, and comfortless, [31] with the destruction, fading away, cessation, giving up, and relinquishing of attraction and clinging regarding material form, of mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies regarding material form,1058 I have understood that my mind is liberated.
“‘Friends, having known feeling…Having known perception…Having known formations…Having known consciousness to be feeble, fading away, and comfortless, with the destruction, fading away, cessation, giving up, and relinquishing of attraction and clinging regarding consciousness, of mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies regarding consciousness, I have understood that my mind is liberated.
“‘It is by knowing thus, seeing thus, regarding these five aggregates affected by clinging, that through not clinging my mind is liberated from the taints.’
7. “Saying ‘good,’ one may delight and rejoice in that bhikkhu’s words. Having done so, a further question may be put thus:
“‘Friend, there are these six elements rightly proclaimed by the Blessed One who knows and sees, accomplished and fully enlightened. What six? They are the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the air element, the space element, and the consciousness element. These, friend, are the six elements rightly proclaimed by the Blessed One who knows and sees, accomplished and fully enlightened. How does the venerable one know, how does he see, regarding these six elements, so that through not clinging his mind is liberated from the taints?’
8. “Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu is one with taints destroyed… and is completely liberated through final knowledge, this is the natural way for him to answer.
“‘Friends, I have treated the earth element as not self, with no self based on the earth element.1059 And with the destruction, fading away, cessation, giving up, and relinquishing of attraction and clinging based on the earth element, of mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies based on the earth element, I have understood that my mind is liberated.
“‘Friends, I have treated the water element…the fire element…the air element…the space element…the consciousness element as not self, with no self based on the consciousness element. And with the destruction, fading away, cessation, giving up, and relinquishing of attraction and clinging based on the consciousness element, of mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies based on the consciousness element, I have understood that my mind is liberated.
“‘It is by knowing thus, seeing thus, regarding these six elements, that through not clinging my mind is liberated from the taints.’
9. “Saying ‘good,’ [32] one may delight and rejoice in that bhikkhu’s words. Having done so, a further question may be put thus:
“‘But, friend, there are these six internal and external bases rightly proclaimed by the Blessed One who knows and sees, accomplished and fully enlightened. What six? They are the eye and forms, the ear and sounds, the nose and odours, the tongue and flavours,