Aṅguttara Nikāya
Chakka Nipāta
V. Dhammika Vagga

The Book of the Sixes

Chapter V: Dhammika

Indriya Saṅvara Suttaṃ

Sutta 50

The Senses

 

---

[256]

Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.

There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:

"Monks,¹ when sense-control is not,
virtue perforce² is destroyed
in him who has fallen³ away
from sense-control;

when virtue is not,
right concentration is perforce destroyed
in him who has fallen away
from virtue;

when concentration is not,
true knowledge and insight are perforce destroyed
in him who has fallen away
from concentration;

when true knowledge and insight are not,
aversion and dispassion are perforce destroyed
in him who has fallen away
from knowledge and insight;

when aversion and dispassion are not,
emancipated knowledge and insight are perforce destroyed
in him who has fallen away
from aversion and dispassion.

■

Monks, imagine a tree
with branches and leaves fallen away:

Its buds come not to maturity,
nor its bark,
sapwood

■

Even so, monks,
when the sense-control is not,
virtue perforce is destroyed
in him who has fallen away
from sense-control;

when virtue is not,
right concentration is perforce destroyed
in him who has fallen away
from virtue;

when concentration is not,
true knowledge and insight are perforce destroyed
in him who has fallen away
from concentration;

when true knowledge and insight are not,
aversion and dispassion are perforce destroyed
in him who has fallen away
from knowledge and insight;

when aversion and dispassion are not,
emancipated knowledge and insight are perforce destroyed
in him who has fallen away
from aversion and dispassion.

 

§

 

Monks, when there is sense-control,
virtue perforce thrives⁴
in him thriving in sense-control;

when there is virtue,
concentration perforce thrives
in him thriving in virtue;

when there is concentration,
true knowledge and insight perforce thrives
in him thriving in concentration;

when there is true knowledge and insight,
aversion and dispassion perforce thrives
in him thriving in true knowledge and insight;

when there is aversion and dispassion,
emancipated knowledge and insight perforce thrives
in him thriving in aversion and dispassion.

■

Monks, imagine a tree
with thriving branches and leaves:

Its buds,
bark,
sapwood
and heart
come to maturity.

■

Even so, monks, when there is sense-control,
virtue perforce thrives in him thriving in sense-control;

when there is virtue,
concentration perforce thrives
in him thriving in virtue;

when there is concentration,
true knowledge and insight perforce thrives
in him thriving in concentration;

when there is true knowledge and insight,
aversion and dispassion perforce thrives
in him thriving in true knowledge and insight;

when there is aversion and dispassion,
emancipated knowledge and insight perforce thrives
in him thriving in aversion and dispassion.

 

---

¹ See above V, § 24 and references there.

² Hat'upanisaṃ. Comy. -upanissayarjṃ On A. iv, 99: chinna-paceayo.

³ Vi-panna, from √pad, to fall.

⁴ Sampanna.