MN 1
Mulapariyaya Sutta
The Root Sequence
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: M i 1
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 1998 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 1998
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
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to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
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Translator's Introduction
The Buddha taught that clinging to views is one of the four forms of clinging
that tie the mind to the processes of suffering. He thus recommended that his
followers relinquish their clinging, not only to views in their full-blown form
as specific positions, but also in their rudimentary form as the categories &
relationships that the mind reads into experience. This is a point he makes in
the following discourse, which is apparently his response to a particular school
of Brahmanical thought that was developing in his time — the Samkhya, or
classification school.
This school had its beginnings in the thought of Uddalaka, a ninth-century B.C.
philosopher who posited a "root": an abstract principle out of which all things
emanated and which was immanent in all things. Philosophers who carried on this
line of thinking offered a variety of theories, based on logic and meditative
experience, about the nature of the ultimate root and about the hierarchy of the
emanation. Many of their theories were recorded in the Upanishads and eventually
developed into the classical Samkhya system around the time of the Buddha.
Although the present discourse says nothing about the background of the monks
listening to it, the Commentary states that before their ordination they were
brahmans, and that even after their ordination they continued to interpret the
Buddha's teachings in light of their previous training, which may well have been
proto-Samkhya. If this is so, then the Buddha's opening lines — "I will teach
you the sequence of the root of all phenomena" — would have them prepared to
hear his contribution to their line of thinking. And, in fact, the list of
topics he covers reads like a Buddhist Samkhya. Paralleling the classical
Samkhya, it contains 24 items, begins with the physical world (here, the four
physical properties), and leads back through ever more refined & inclusive
levels of being & experience, culminating with the ultimate Buddhist concept:
Unbinding (nibbana). In the pattern of Samkhya thought, Unbinding would thus be
the ultimate "root" or ground of being immanent in all things and out of which
they all emanate.
However, instead of following this pattern of thinking, the Buddha attacks it at
its very root: the notion of a principle in the abstract, the "in" (immanence) &
"out of" (emanation) superimposed on experience. Only an uninstructed, run of
the mill person, he says, would read experience in this way. In contrast, a
person in training should look for a different kind of "root" — the root of
suffering experienced in the present — and find it in the act of delight.
Developing dispassion for that delight, the trainee can then comprehend the
process of coming-into-being for what it is, drop all participation in it, and
thus achieve true Awakening.
If the listeners present at this discourse were indeed interested in fitting
Buddhist teachings into a Samkhyan mold, then it's small wonder that they were
displeased — one of the few places where we read of a negative reaction to the
Buddha's words. They had hoped to hear his contribution to their project, but
instead they hear their whole pattern of thinking & theorizing attacked as
ignorant & ill-informed. The Commentary tells us, though, they were later able
to overcome their displeasure and eventually attain Awakening on listening to
the discourse reported in AN 3.123.
Although at present we rarely think in the same terms as the Samkhya
philosophers, there has long been — and still is — a common tendency to create a
"Buddhist" metaphysics in which the experience of emptiness, the Unconditioned,
the Dharma-body, Buddha-nature, rigpa, etc., is said to function as the ground
of being from which the "All" — the entirety of our sensory & mental experience
— is said to spring and to which we return when we meditate. Some people think
that these theories are the inventions of scholars without any direct meditative
experience, but actually they have most often originated among meditators, who
label (or in the words of the discourse, "perceive") a particular meditative
experience as the ultimate goal, identify with it in a subtle way (as when we
are told that "we are the knowing"), and then view that level of experience as
the ground of being out of which all other experience comes.
Any teaching that follows these lines would be subject to the same criticism
that the Buddha directed against the monks who first heard this discourse.
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Ukkattha, in
the shade of a royal Sal tree in the Very Blessed Grove. There he addressed the
monks, "Monks!"
"Yes, lord," the monks responded.
The Blessed One said, "Monks, I will teach you the sequence of the root of all
phenomena [or: the root sequence of all phenomena]. Listen & pay close
attention. I will speak."
"As you say, sir," they responded.
The Blessed One said: "There is the case, monks, where an uninstructed
run-of-the-mill person — who has no regard for noble ones, is not well-versed or
disciplined in their Dhamma; who has no regard for men of integrity, is not
well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma — perceives earth as earth.
Perceiving earth as earth, he conceives [things] about earth, he conceives
[things] in earth, he conceives [things] coming out of earth, he conceives earth
as 'mine,' he delights in earth. Why is that? Because he has not comprehended
it, I tell you.
"He perceives water as water... fire as fire... wind as wind1 ... beings as
beings... gods as gods...Pajapati as Pajapati...Brahma as Brahma... the luminous
gods as luminous gods... the gods of refulgent glory as gods of refulgent
glory... the gods of abundant fruit as the gods of abundant fruit... the Great
Being as the Great Being2 ... the dimension of the infinitude of space as the
dimension of the infinitude of space... the dimension of the infinitude of
consciousness as the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness... the
dimension of nothingness as the dimension of nothingness... the dimension of
neither-perception-nor-non-perception as the dimension of
neither-perception-nor-non-perception3 ... the seen as the seen... the heard as
the heard... the sensed as the sensed... the cognized as the cognized4 ...
singleness as singleness... multiplicity as multiplicity5 ... the All as the
All6 ...
"He perceives Unbinding as Unbinding.7 Perceiving Unbinding as Unbinding, he
conceives things about Unbinding, he conceives things in Unbinding, he conceives
things coming out of Unbinding, he conceives Unbinding as 'mine,' he delights in
Unbinding. Why is that? Because he has not comprehended it, I tell you.
The Trainee
"A monk who is a trainee — yearning for the unexcelled relief from bondage, his
aspirations as yet unfulfilled — directly knows earth as earth. Directly knowing
earth as earth, let him not conceive things about earth, let him not conceive
things in earth, let him not conceive things coming out of earth, let him not
conceive earth as 'mine,' let him not delight in earth. Why is that? So that he
may comprehend it, I tell you.
"He directly knows water as water... fire as fire... wind as wind... beings as
beings... gods as gods... Pajapati as Pajapati... Brahma as Brahma... the
luminous gods as luminous gods... the gods of refulgent glory as gods of
refulgent glory... the gods of abundant fruit as the gods of abundant fruit...
the Great Being as the Great Being... the dimension of the infinitude of space
as the dimension of the infinitude of space... the dimension of the infinitude
of consciousness as the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness... the
dimension of nothingness as the dimension of nothingness... the dimension of
neither-perception-nor-non-perception as the dimension of
neither-perception-nor-non-perception... the seen as the seen... the heard as
the heard... the sensed as the sensed... the cognized as the cognized...
singleness as singleness... multiplicity as multiplicity... the All as the
All...
"He directly knows Unbinding as Unbinding. Directly knowing Unbinding as
Unbinding, let him not conceive things about Unbinding, let him not conceive
things in Unbinding, let him not conceive things coming out of Unbinding, let
him not conceive Unbinding as 'mine,' let him not delight in Unbinding. Why is
that? So that he may comprehend it, I tell you.
The Arahant
"A monk who is a Worthy One, devoid of mental fermentations — who has attained
completion, finished the task, laid down the burden, attained the true goal,
destroyed the fetters of becoming, and is released through right knowledge —
directly knows earth as earth. Directly knowing earth as earth, he does not
conceive things about earth, does not conceive things in earth, does not
conceive things coming out of earth, does not conceive earth as 'mine,' does not
delight in earth. Why is that? Because he has comprehended it, I tell you.
"He directly knows water as water... fire as fire... wind as wind... beings as
beings... gods as gods... Pajapati as Pajapati... Brahma as Brahma... the
luminous gods as luminous gods... the gods of refulgent glory as gods of
refulgent glory... the gods of abundant fruit as the gods of abundant fruit...
the Great Being as the Great Being... the dimension of the infinitude of space
as the dimension of the infinitude of space... the dimension of the infinitude
of consciousness as the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness... the
dimension of nothingness as the dimension of nothingness... the dimension of
neither-perception-nor-non-perception as the dimension of
neither-perception-nor-non-perception... the seen as the seen... the heard as
the heard... the sensed as the sensed... the cognized as the cognized...
singleness as singleness... multiplicity as multiplicity... the All as the
All...
"He directly knows Unbinding as Unbinding. Directly knowing Unbinding as
Unbinding, he does not conceive things about Unbinding, does not conceive things
in Unbinding, does not conceive things coming out of Unbinding, does not
conceive Unbinding as 'mine,' does not delight in Unbinding. Why is that?
Because he has comprehended it, I tell you.
"A monk who is a Worthy One, devoid of mental fermentations... directly knows
earth as earth. Directly knowing earth as earth, he does not conceive things
about earth, does not conceive things in earth, does not conceive things coming
out of earth, does not conceive earth as 'mine,' does not delight in earth. Why
is that? Because, with the ending of passion, he is devoid of passion, I tell
you.
"He directly knows water as water... the All as the All...
"He directly knows Unbinding as Unbinding. Directly knowing Unbinding as
Unbinding, he does not conceive things about Unbinding, does not conceive things
in Unbinding, does not conceive things coming out of Unbinding, does not
conceive Unbinding as 'mine,' does not delight in Unbinding. Why is that?
Because, with the ending of passion, he is devoid of passion, I tell you.
"A monk who is a Worthy One, devoid of mental fermentations... directly knows
earth as earth. Directly knowing earth as earth, he does not conceive things
about earth, does not conceive things in earth, does not conceive things coming
out of earth, does not conceive earth as 'mine,' does not delight in earth. Why
is that? Because, with the ending of aversion, he is devoid of aversion, I tell
you.
"He directly knows water as water... the All as the All...
"He directly knows Unbinding as Unbinding. Directly knowing Unbinding as
Unbinding, he does not conceive things about Unbinding, does not conceive things
in Unbinding, does not conceive things coming out of Unbinding, does not
conceive Unbinding as 'mine,' does not delight in Unbinding. Why is that?
Because, with the ending of aversion, he is devoid of aversion, I tell you.
"A monk who is a Worthy One, devoid of mental fermentations... directly knows
earth as earth. Directly knowing earth as earth, he does not conceive things
about earth, does not conceive things in earth, does not conceive things coming
out of earth, does not conceive earth as 'mine,' does not delight in earth. Why
is that? Because, with the ending of delusion, he is devoid of delusion, I tell
you.
"He directly knows water as water... the All as the All...
"He directly knows Unbinding as Unbinding. Directly knowing Unbinding as
Unbinding, he does not conceive things about Unbinding, does not conceive things
in Unbinding, does not conceive things coming out of Unbinding, does not
conceive Unbinding as 'mine,' does not delight in Unbinding. Why is that?
Because, with the ending of delusion, he is devoid of delusion, I tell you.
The Tathagata
"The Tathagata — a worthy one, rightly self-awakened — directly knows earth as
earth. Directly knowing earth as earth, he does not conceive things about earth,
does not conceive things in earth, does not conceive things coming out of earth,
does not conceive earth as 'mine,' does not delight in earth. Why is that?
Because the Tathagata has comprehended it to the end, I tell you.
"He directly knows water as water... fire as fire... wind as wind... beings as
beings... gods as gods... Pajapati as Pajapati... Brahma as Brahma... the
luminous gods as luminous gods... the gods of refulgent glory as gods of
refulgent glory... the gods of abundant fruit as the gods of abundant fruit...
the Great Being as the Great Being... the dimension of the infinitude of space
as the dimension of the infinitude of space... the dimension of the infinitude
of consciousness as the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness... the
dimension of nothingness as the dimension of nothingness... the dimension of
neither-perception-nor-non-perception as the dimension of
neither-perception-nor-non-perception... the seen as the seen... the heard as
the heard... the sensed as the sensed... the cognized as the cognized...
singleness as singleness... multiplicity as multiplicity... the All as the
All...
"He directly knows Unbinding as Unbinding. Directly knowing Unbinding as
Unbinding, he does not conceive things about Unbinding, does not conceive things
in Unbinding, does not conceive things coming out of Unbinding, does not
conceive Unbinding as 'mine,' does not delight in Unbinding. Why is that?
Because the Tathagata has comprehended it to the end, I tell you.
"The Tathagata — a worthy one, rightly self-awakened — directly knows earth as
earth. Directly knowing earth as earth, he does not conceive things about earth,
does not conceive things in earth, does not conceive things coming out of earth,
does not conceive earth as 'mine,' does not delight in earth. Why is that?
Because he has known that delight is the root of suffering & stress, that from
coming-into-being there is birth, and that for what has come into being there is
aging & death. Therefore, with the total ending, fading away, cessation, letting
go, relinquishment of craving, the Tathagata has totally awakened to the
unexcelled right self-awakening, I tell you.
"He directly knows water as water... the All as the All...
"He directly knows Unbinding as Unbinding. Directly knowing Unbinding as
Unbinding, he does not conceive things about Unbinding, does not conceive things
in Unbinding, does not conceive things coming out of Unbinding, does not
conceive Unbinding as 'mine,' does not delight in Unbinding. Why is that?
Because he has known that delight is the root of suffering & stress, that from
coming-into-being there is birth, and that for what has come into being there is
aging & death. Therefore, with the total ending, fading away, cessation, letting
go, relinquishment of craving, the Tathagata has totally awakened to the
unexcelled right self-awakening, I tell you."
That is what the Blessed One said. Displeased, the monks did not delight in the
Blessed One's words.
Notes
1. Earth, water, fire, and wind are the four properties that comprise the
experience of physical form.
2. In this section of the list, "beings" denotes all living beings below the
level of the gods. "Gods" denotes the beings in the sensual heavens. The
remaining terms — Pajapati, Brahma, the luminous gods, the gods of refulgent
glory, the gods of abundant fruit, & the Great Being — denote gods in the
heavens of form & formlessness.
3. The dimension of the infinitude of space, the dimension of the infinitude of
consciousness, the dimension of nothingness, & the dimension of
neither-perception-nor-non-perception are four formless states that can be
attained in concentration.
4. "The seen, the heard, the sensed, & the cognized" is a set of terms to cover
all things experienced through the six senses.
5. Singleness = experience in states of intense concentration (jhana).
Multiplicity = experience via the six senses.
6. "What is the All? Simply the eye & forms, ear & sounds, nose & aromas, tongue
& flavors, body & tactile sensations, intellect & ideas. This is termed the All.
Anyone who would say, 'Repudiating this All, I will describe another,' if
questioned on what exactly might be the grounds for his assertion, would be
unable to explain, and furthermore, would be put to grief. Why is that? Because
it lies beyond range." — SN 35.23 For more on this topic, see The Mind Like Fire
Unbound, Chapter 1.
7. Unbinding = nibbana (nirvana).
See also: AN 10.58
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