THE ASSUTAVA SUTTA

SAMYUTTA NIKAYA 12.61

The Buddha was at the Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s monastery. There he addressed the assembled monks:

“Monks an uninstructed ordinary person might grow disenchanted with their body composed of the four great elements. They might grow dispassionate toward their body and gain release from clinging to it. How does this occur? Due to aging and decline, the impermanence of their body composed of the four great elements becomes apparent. In this way, the uninstructed ordinary person might grow disenchanted with their body and gain release from clinging to physical form.

“But what is often called mind, intellect, or consciousness, the uninstructed ordinary person is unable to develop disenchantment or develop dispassion towards thinking (rooted in ignorance of Four Noble Truths) and gain release from it. How does this occur? Once ignorance arises, the mind, intellect, or consciousness is relished, revered, grasped after, and clung to by the uninstructed ordinary person. They see this mind rooted in ignorance as ‘this is me, this is myself, this is what I am.’ From this self-referential view it is impossible to grow disenchanted or dispassionate towards the mind or to gain release from clinging to it.

“It would be more skillful for the uninstructed ordinary person to cling to their body more so than the mind as the self. Why is this? Because the body composed of the four elements can more easily be seen as impermanent and prone to decay. What is identified as mind, or intellect, or consciousness is seen as one thing that continues to attach to another thing? (E.G. constantly changing self-referential views resulting in confused views such as interdependence, interconnectedness, and inter-being) Just as a monkey swinging through the forest grabs one branch after another, in the same way, what is seen as mind, intellect, or consciousness constantly grasps after one thing or another.

“The well-instructed disciple of the Dhamma attends mindfully and appropriately to Dependent Origination:

• When this is, that is.
• From the arising of this comes the arising of that.
• When this isn’t, that isn’t.
• From the cessation of this comes to cessation of that.

“In other words,

• From ignorance as a requisite condition comes fabrications. (when this is that is)
• From fabrications as a requisite condition comes consciousness.
• From consciousness as a requisite condition comes Name-And-Form.
• From Name-And-Form as a requisite condition comes to Six Sense Base.
• From the Six Sense Base as a requisite condition comes contact.
• From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling.
• From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving.
• From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging and maintaining.
• From clinging and maintaining as a requisite condition comes becoming.
• From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth.
• From birth as the requisite condition comes sickness, aging, death, sorrow, regret, pain, distress, and despair. Such is the origination of the entire mass of confusion, deluded thinking, and suffering.

“Now from the complete cessation of ignorance of Four Noble truths comes the cessation of fabrication. (when this isn’t, that isn’t)

• From the cessation of fabrications comes the cessation of consciousness.
• From the cessation of consciousness comes a cessation of Name-And-Form.
• From the cessation of Name-And-Form comes the cessation of the Six Sense Base.
• From the cessation of the Six Sense Base comes the cessation of contact.
• from the cessation of contact comes the sensation of feeling.
• From the cessation of feeling comes the cessation of craving.
• From the cessation of craving comes the cessation of clinging/maintaining.
• From the cessation of clinging/maintaining comes the cessation of becoming.
• From the cessation of becoming comes the cessation of birth.
• From the cessation of birth comes the cessation of sickness, aging, death, sorrow, regret, pain, distress, and despair. From the cessation of birth comes the cessation of the entire mass of confusion, deluded thinking, and suffering.

“Understanding this clearly (and within the proper context) the well-instructed disciple of the Dhamma grows disenchanted with form, disenchanted with feelings, Disenchanted with perception, disenchanted with fabrications, disenchanted with consciousness. Disenchanted they become dispassionate. Through dispassion, they are fully released (from the Five Clinging Aggregates.) With complete release, they know they are fully released. They know that giving birth to additional views rooted in ignorance has ended. They know that a life well integrated within the Eightfold Path has been fulfilled and that the task is done. They know that clinging to the world has ended.”

End of Sutta