With KoṭṭhitaKoṭṭhikasutta

At one time Venerable Sāriputta and Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita were staying near Varanasi in the deer park at Isipatana.Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahākoṭṭhiko bārāṇasiyaṁ viharanti isipatane migadāye. Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita came out of retreat, went to Venerable Sāriputta, and exchanged greetings with him.Atha kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā sāriputtena saddhiṁ sammodi. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to Sāriputta:Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

“Reverend Sāriputta, which is it? Is the eye the fetter of sights, or are sights the fetter of the eye?“Kiṁ nu kho, āvuso sāriputta, cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ …pe… Is the ear … nose … tongue … body …jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, rasā jivhāya saṁyojanaṁ …pe… mind the fetter of ideas, or are ideas the fetter of the mind?”mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, dhammā manassa saṁyojanan”ti?

“Reverend Koṭṭhita, the eye is not the fetter of sights, nor are sights the fetter of the eye.“Na kho, āvuso koṭṭhika, cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them.Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ …pe… The ear … nose … tongue … body …na jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rasā jivhāya saṁyojanaṁ. mind is not the fetter of ideas, nor are ideas the fetter of the mind.na mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na dhammā manassa saṁyojanaṁ. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them.Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ.

Suppose there was a black ox and a white ox yoked by a single harness or yoke.Seyyathāpi, āvuso, kāḷo ca balībaddo odāto ca balībaddo ekena dāmena vā yottena vā saṁyuttā assu. Would it be right to say thatYo nu kho evaṁ vadeyya: the black ox is the yoke of the white ox, or the white ox is the yoke of the black ox?”‘kāḷo balībaddo odātassa balībaddassa saṁyojanaṁ, odāto balībaddo kāḷassa balībaddassa saṁyojanan’ti, sammā nu kho so vadamāno vadeyyā”ti?

“No, reverend.“No hetaṁ, āvuso”. The black ox is not the yoke of the white ox, nor is the white ox the yoke of the black ox.“Na kho, āvuso, kāḷo balībaddo odātassa balībaddassa saṁyojanaṁ, na odāto balībaddo kāḷassa balībaddassa saṁyojanaṁ. The yoke there is the single harness or yoke that they’re yoked by.”Yena ca kho te ekena dāmena vā yottena vā saṁyuttā taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ.

“In the same way, the eye is not the fetter of sights, nor are sights the fetter of the eye.Evameva kho, āvuso, na cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them.Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ …pe… The ear … nose … tongue … body …na jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ …pe… mind is not the fetter of ideas, nor are ideas the fetter of the mind.na mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na dhammā manassa saṁyojanaṁ. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them.Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ.

If the eye were the fetter of sights, or if sights were the fetter of the eye, this living of the spiritual life for the complete ending of suffering would not be found.Cakkhu vā, āvuso, rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ abhavissa, rūpā vā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ, nayidaṁ brahmacariyavāso paññāyetha sammā dukkhakkhayāya. However, since this is not the case, butYasmā ca kho, āvuso, na cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ; the fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them, this living of the spiritual life for the complete ending of suffering is found.yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ, tasmā brahmacariyavāso paññāyati sammā dukkhakkhayāya …pe….

If the ear … nose … tongue … body …Jivhā, āvuso, rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ abhavissa, rasā vā jivhāya saṁyojanaṁ, nayidaṁ brahmacariyavāso paññāyetha sammā dukkhakkhayāya. mind were the fetter of ideas, or if ideas were the fetter of the mind, this living of the spiritual life for the complete ending of suffering would not be found.Mano vā, āvuso, dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ abhavissa, dhammā vā manassa saṁyojanaṁ, nayidaṁ brahmacariyavāso paññāyetha sammā dukkhakkhayāya. However, since this is not the case, butYasmā ca kho, āvuso, na mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na dhammā manassa saṁyojanaṁ; the fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them, this living of the spiritual life for the complete ending of suffering is found.yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ, tasmā brahmacariyavāso paññāyati sammā dukkhakkhayāya.

This too is a way to understand how this is so.Imināpetaṁ, āvuso, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā na cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ.

The Buddha has an eyeSaṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato cakkhu. with which he sees a sight.Passati bhagavā cakkhunā rūpaṁ. But he has no desire and greed,Chandarāgo bhagavato natthi. for his mind is well freed.Suvimuttacitto bhagavā. The Buddha has an ear …Saṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato sotaṁ. nose …Saṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato ghānaṁ. tongue …Saṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato jivhā. The Buddha has a bodySaṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato kāyo. with which he senses touch.Phusati bhagavā kāyena phoṭṭhabbaṁ. But he has no desire and greed,Chandarāgo bhagavato natthi. for his mind is well freed.Suvimuttacitto bhagavā. The Buddha has a mindSaṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato mano.

with which he knows ideas.Vijānāti bhagavā manasā dhammaṁ. But he has no desire and greed,Chandarāgo bhagavato natthi. for his mind is well freed.Suvimuttacitto bhagavā.

This too is a way to understand how the eye is not the fetter of sights, nor are sights the fetter of the eye.Iminā kho etaṁ, āvuso, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā na cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ; The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them.yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ. The ear …Na sotaṁ … nose …na ghānaṁ … tongue …na jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rasā jivhāya saṁyojanaṁ; body …Na kāyo … mind is not the fetter of ideas, nor are ideas the fetter of the mind.na mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na dhammā manassa saṁyojanaṁ; The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them.”yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanan”ti.