The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [542]
“If anyone says, ‘Mind-objects are self,’…‘Mind-consciousness is self,’…‘Mind-contact is self,’…‘Feeling is self,’…[284]… ‘Craving is self’…That is why it is not tenable for anyone to say, ‘Craving is self.’ Thus the mind is not self, mind-objects are not self, mind-consciousness is not self, mind-contact is not self, feeling is not self, craving is not self.
(THE ORIGINATION OF IDENTITY)
16. “Now, bhikkhus, this is the way leading to the origination of identity.1333 (i) One regards the eye thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self.’ One regards forms thus…One regards eye-consciousness thus...One regards eye-contact thus...One regards feeling thus...One regards craving thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self.’
17–21. (ii–vi) “One regards the ear thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self.’…One regards the nose thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self.’…One regards the tongue thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self.’…One regards the body thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self.’…One regards the mind thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self.’ One regards mind-objects thus…One regards mind-consciousness thus…One regards mind-contact thus…One regards feeling thus…One regards craving thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self.’
(THE CESSATION OF IDENTITY)
22. “Now, bhikkhus, this is the way leading to the cessation of identity.1334 (i) One regards the eye thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ One regards forms thus…One regards eye-consciousness thus...One regards eye-contact thus…One regards feeling thus…One regards craving thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’
23–27. (ii–vi) “One regards the ear thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’…One regards the nose thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’…One regards the tongue thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’…One regards the body thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’…One regards the mind thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ One regards mind-objects thus…One regards mind-consciousness thus…One regards mind-contact thus…One regards feeling [285] thus…One regards craving thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’
(THE UNDERLYING TENDENCIES)
28. (i) “Bhikkhus, dependent on the eye and forms,1335 eye-consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there arises [a feeling] felt as pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant. When one is touched by a pleasant feeling, if one delights in it, welcomes it, and remains holding to it, then the underlying tendency to lust lies within one. When one is touched by a painful feeling, if one sorrows, grieves and laments, weeps beating one’s breast and becomes distraught, then the underlying tendency to aversion lies within one. When one is touched by a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, if one does not understand as it actually is the origination, the disappearance, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in regard to that feeling, then the underlying tendency to ignorance lies within one. Bhikkhus, that one shall here and now make an end of suffering without abandoning the underlying tendency to lust for pleasant feeling, without abolishing the underlying tendency to aversion towards painful feeling, without extirpating the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, without abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge1336—this is impossible.
29–33. (ii–vi) “Bhikkhus, dependent on the ear and sounds, ear-consciousness arises…Dependent on the mind and mind-objects, mind-consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there arises [a feeling] felt as pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant…Bhikkhus, that one should here and now make an end of suffering