Saṁyutta Nikāya:
III. Khandha Vagga:
22: Khandha Saṁyutta
2.5. Puppha Vagga
III: The Book Called The Khandhā-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings
on the Elements of Sensory Existence
and Other Subjects
XXII: Kindred Sayings on Elements (Khandhā)
2.5: On Flowers
Sutta 94
Puppha Suttaṁ
The Flower (or Growth)
[138] [117]
Thus have I heard:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī
at the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
And there the Exalted One addressed the brethren, saying:
"Brethren!"
"Master!" responded those brethren.
The Exalted One said:
"I quarrel not with the world,1 brethren.
It is the world that quarrels with me.
No preacher of the Norm, brethren,
quarrels with anyone in the world.
That which is not upheld, brethren,
in the world of sages,2
of that I declare:
'It is not.'
That which is upheld, brethren,
in the world of the sages,
of that I declare:
'It is so.'
And what, brethren,
is not upheld in the world of the sages,
of which I declare:
'It is not?'
That body is permanent,
stable,
eternal,
not subject to decay.
That is not upheld in the world of the sages,
and of that I declare:
'It is not.'
That feeling is permanent,
stable,
eternal,
not subject to decay.
That is not upheld in the world of the sages,
and of that I declare:
'It is not.'
That perception is permanent,
stable,
eternal,
not subject to decay.
That is not upheld in the world of the sages,
and of that I declare:
'It is not.'
That the activities is permanent,
stable,
eternal,
not subject to decay.
That is not upheld in the world of the sages,
and of that I declare:
'It is not.'
That consciousness is permanent,
stable,
eternal,
not subject to decay.
That is not upheld in the world of the sages,
and of that I declare:
'It is not.'
But what, brethren, is upheld in the world of the sages?
Of what do I declare that it is so?
Body is impermanent,
woeful
and subject to decay.
That, brethren, is upheld in the world of the sages,
and of that do I declare:
'It is so.'
Feeling is impermanent,
woeful
and subject to decay.
That, brethren, is upheld in the world of the sages,
and of that do I declare:
'It is so.'
Perception is impermanent,
woeful
and subject to decay.
That, brethren, is upheld in the world of the sages,
and of that do I declare:
'It is so.'
The activities is impermanent,
woeful
and subject to decay.
That, brethren, is upheld in the world of the sages,
and of that do I declare:
'It is so.'
Consciousness is impermanent,
woeful
and subject to decay.
That, brethren, is upheld in the world of the sages,
and of that do I declare:
'It is so.'
There is, brethren, in the world3
a world-condition4
which the Tathāgata has thoroughly penetrated and realized.|| ||
Having thoroughly penetrated and realized it,
he declares,
teaches
and defines it,
opens it up
and analyses it.
[118] And what, brethren, is that world-condition in the world
which the Tathāgata has thoroughly penetrated and realized,
and, having thoroughly penetrated and realized it,
what does he declare,
teach,
define,
open up
and analyse?
Body, brethren,
is that world-condition in the world
which the Tathāgata has thoroughly penetrated and realized,
and, having thoroughly penetrated and realized it,
he declares,
teaches,
defines,
opens up
and analyses.
And whosoever, brethren,
understands not
and sees not
when the Tathāgata declares,
teaches,
defines,
opens up
and analyses,
him, brethren, do I set at naught5
as a foolish worldling,
blind,
without vision,
unknowing,
unseeing.
Feeling, brethren,
is that world-condition in the world
which the Tathāgata has thoroughly penetrated and realized,
and, having thoroughly penetrated and realized it,
he declares,
teaches,
defines,
opens up
and analyses.
And whosoever, brethren,
understands not
and sees not
when the Tathāgata declares,
teaches,
defines,
opens up
and analyses,
him, brethren, do I set at naught
as a foolish worldling,
blind,
without vision,
unknowing,
unseeing.
Perception, brethren,
is that world-condition in the world
which the Tathāgata has thoroughly penetrated and realized,
and, having thoroughly penetrated and realized it,
he declares,
teaches,
defines,
opens up
and analyses.
And whosoever, brethren,
understands not
and sees not
when the Tathāgata declares,
teaches,
defines,
opens up
and analyses,
him, brethren, do I set at naught
as a foolish worldling,
blind,
without vision,
unknowing,
unseeing.
The activities, brethren,
is that world-condition in the world
which the Tathāgata has thoroughly penetrated and realized,
and, having thoroughly penetrated and realized it,
he declares,
teaches,
defines,
opens up
and analyses.
And whosoever, brethren,
understands not
and sees not
when the Tathāgata declares,
teaches,
defines,
opens up
and analyses,
him, brethren, do I set at naught
as a foolish worldling,
blind,
without vision,
unknowing,
unseeing.
consciousness, brethren,
is that world-condition in the world
which the Tathāgata has thoroughly penetrated and realized,
and, having thoroughly penetrated and realized it,
he declares,
teaches,
defines,
opens up
and analyses.
And whosoever, brethren,
understands not
and sees not
when the Tathāgata declares,
teaches,
defines,
opens up
and analyses,
him, brethren, do I set at naught
as a foolish worldling,
blind,
without vision,
unknowing,
unseeing.
Just as, brethren, a dark blue lotus
or a white lotus,
born in the water,
come to full growth in the water,
rises to the surface
and stands unspotted by the water,
even so, brethren, the Tathāgata
[having been born in the world]
having come to full growth in the world,6
passing beyond the world,
abides unspotted by the world."
1 [Satta-]loke,' 'the world of beings.' Comy. assigns three meanings to loke in this section, of which this is the first.
2 De La Vallée Poussin. (Journal Asiatique, 1902, p. 257) compares the passage in Madhyamakav.rtti, 111 (Candrakirti), and says the Pali version 'inserts' the word paṇḍitānaṅ here.
3 loke = saṅkhāraloke. Comy.
4 Lokadhammo. Comy. 'the five groups.' So called from lujjana, breaking, crumbling, a derivation discussed at Expos.. 63. At V.M. 683 eight loka-dhammā arc described.
5 (Kinti Karomi. 'Can anything be done with such a man? No.' Dr. Stede suggested the selected rendering. - (Original Ed.)
6 okāsa-loke. Comy. Loke jāto is omitted here in the text, but it is found at K.V. xviii, 1 (Pts. of Controv., p. 324), where we find loke sambuddho for our loke saṅvaddho.