Dighanikaya 9.417

9.417

Idāni paribbājako yathā nāma gāmasūkaro gandhodakena nhāpetvā gandhehi anulimpitvā mālādāmaṃ piḷandhitvā sirisayane āropitopi sukhaṃ na vindati, vegena gūthaṭṭhānameva gantvā sukhaṃ vindati. Evameva bhagavatā saṇhasukhumatilakkhaṇabbhāhatāya desanāya nhāpitavilittamaṇḍitopi nirodhakathāsirisayanaṃ āropitopi tattha sukhaṃ na vindanto gūthaṭṭhānasadisaṃ attano laddhiṃ gahetvā tameva pucchanto ‘‘saññā nu kho, bhante, purisassa attā’’tiādimāha. Athassānumatiṃ gahetvā byākātukāmo bhagavā – ‘‘kaṃ pana tva’’ntiādimāha. Tato so ‘‘arūpī attā’’ti evaṃ laddhiko samānopi ‘‘bhagavā desanāya sukusalo, so me āditova laddhiṃ mā viddhaṃsetū’’ti cintetvā attano laddhiṃ pariharanto ‘‘oḷārikaṃ kho’’tiādimāha. Athassa bhagavā tattha dosaṃ dassento ‘‘oḷāriko ca hi te’’tiādimāha. Tattha evaṃ santanti evaṃ sante. Bhummatthe hi etaṃ upayogavacanaṃ. Evaṃ santaṃ attānaṃ paccāgacchato tavāti ayaṃ vā ettha attho. Catunnaṃ khandhānaṃ ekuppādekanirodhattā kiñcāpi yā saññā uppajjati, sāva nirujjhati. Aparāparaṃ upādāya pana ‘‘aññā ca saññā uppajjanti, aññā ca saññā nirujjhantī’’ti vuttaṃ.

Now, the wanderer was like a village pig: even if bathed with scented water, smeared with perfumes, adorned with a garland of flowers, and placed on a splendid couch, it finds no happiness, but running swiftly to a place of excrement it finds happiness. Just so, though he had been bathed, anointed, and adorned by the Blessed One with a teaching struck with the smooth, subtle three characteristics, and placed on the splendid couch of the discourse on cessation, he found no happiness there; taking up his own view, which was like a place of excrement, and asking about that very thing, he said: “Is perception, venerable sir, a person’s self...?” and so forth. Then the Blessed One, wishing to answer after getting his assent, said: “Which [self], now, do you [envisage]...?” and so forth. Then, although he held the view that “the self is formless,” he thought, “The Blessed One is very skilled in teaching; let him not demolish my view right from the beginning,” and protecting his own view, he said: “A gross [self]...” and so forth. Then the Blessed One, pointing out the fault in that, said: “If your [self] were gross...” and so forth. Therein, “so being” means when it is so. For this is an accusative expression in a locative sense. Or the meaning here is: “to you who have recourse to a self that is thus.” Since the four aggregates have a single arising and a single cessation, although the perception that arises is the very one that ceases, yet having recourse to succession, it is said: “perceptions arise as one thing, and perceptions cease as another.”