The Exposition on BurningĀdittapariyāyasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you an exposition of the teaching on burning.“Ādittapariyāyaṁ vo, bhikkhave, dhammapariyāyaṁ desessāmi. Listen …Taṁ suṇātha.

And what is the exposition of the teaching on burning?Katamo ca, bhikkhave, ādittapariyāyo, dhammapariyāyo?

You’d be better off mutilating your eye faculty with a red-hot iron nail, burning, blazing, and glowing, than getting caught up in the features by way of the details in sights known by the eye.Varaṁ, bhikkhave, tattāya ayosalākāya ādittāya sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya cakkhundriyaṁ sampalimaṭṭhaṁ, na tveva cakkhuviññeyyesu rūpesu anubyañjanaso nimittaggāho. Should consciousness tied to gratification in the features or details continue to remain, and you were to die at that time, it’s possible you would go to one of two destinations:Nimittassādagathitaṁ vā, bhikkhave, viññāṇaṁ tiṭṭhamānaṁ tiṭṭheyya, anubyañjanassādagathitaṁ vā tasmiñce samaye kālaṁ kareyya, ṭhānametaṁ vijjati, yaṁ dvinnaṁ gatīnaṁ aññataraṁ gatiṁ gaccheyya— hell or the animal realm.nirayaṁ vā, tiracchānayoniṁ vā. I speak having seen this drawback.Imaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, ādīnavaṁ disvā evaṁ vadāmi.

You’d be better off mutilating your ear faculty with a sharp iron spike …Varaṁ, bhikkhave, tiṇhena ayosaṅkunā ādittena sampajjalitena sajotibhūtena sotindriyaṁ sampalimaṭṭhaṁ, na tveva sotaviññeyyesu saddesu anubyañjanaso nimittaggāho.

You’d be better off mutilating your nose faculty with a sharp nail cutter …Varaṁ, bhikkhave, tiṇhena nakhacchedanena ādittena sampajjalitena sajotibhūtena ghānindriyaṁ sampalimaṭṭhaṁ, na tveva ghānaviññeyyesu gandhesu anubyañjanaso nimittaggāho.

You’d be better off mutilating your tongue faculty with a sharp razor …Varaṁ, bhikkhave, tiṇhena khurena ādittena sampajjalitena sajotibhūtena jivhindriyaṁ sampalimaṭṭhaṁ, na tveva jivhāviññeyyesu rasesu anubyañjanaso nimittaggāho.

You’d be better off mutilating your body faculty with a sharp spear, burning, blazing, and glowing, than getting caught up in the features by way of the details in touches known by the body.Varaṁ, bhikkhave, tiṇhāya sattiyā ādittāya sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya kāyindriyaṁ sampalimaṭṭhaṁ, na tveva kāyaviññeyyesu phoṭṭhabbesu anubyañjanaso nimittaggāho. Should consciousness tied to gratification in the features or details continue to remain, and you were to die at that time, it’s possible you would go to one of two destinations:Nimittassādagathitaṁ vā, bhikkhave, viññāṇaṁ tiṭṭhamānaṁ tiṭṭheyya, anubyañjanassādagathitaṁ vā tasmiñce samaye kālaṁ kareyya. hell or the animal realm.nirayaṁ vā tiracchānayoniṁ vā. I speak having seen this drawback.Imaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, ādīnavaṁ disvā evaṁ vadāmi.

You’d be better off sleeping.Varaṁ, bhikkhave, sottaṁ. For I say that sleep is useless, fruitless, and folly for the living. But while you’re asleep you won’t fall under the sway of such thoughts that would make you create a schism in the Saṅgha.Sottaṁ kho panāhaṁ, bhikkhave, vañjhaṁ jīvitānaṁ vadāmi, aphalaṁ jīvitānaṁ vadāmi, momūhaṁ jīvitānaṁ vadāmi, na tveva tathārūpe vitakke vitakkeyya yathārūpānaṁ vitakkānaṁ vasaṁ gato saṅghaṁ bhindeyya. I speak having seen this drawback.Imaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, vañjhaṁ jīvitānaṁ ādīnavaṁ disvā evaṁ vadāmi.

A learned noble disciple reflects on this:Tattha, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako iti paṭisañcikkhati: ‘Forget mutilating the eye faculty with a red-hot iron nail, burning, blazing, and glowing!‘tiṭṭhatu tāva tattāya ayosalākāya ādittāya sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya cakkhundriyaṁ sampalimaṭṭhaṁ. I’d better focus on the fact thatHandāhaṁ idameva manasi karomi— the eye, sights, eye consciousness, and eye contact are impermanent. And the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on eye contact is also impermanent.iti cakkhu aniccaṁ, rūpā aniccā, cakkhuviññāṇaṁ aniccaṁ, cakkhusamphasso anicco, yampidaṁ cakkhusamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi aniccaṁ’.

Forget mutilating the ear faculty with a sharp iron spike, burning, blazing, and glowing!Tiṭṭhatu tāva tiṇhena ayosaṅkunā ādittena sampajjalitena sajotibhūtena sotindriyaṁ sampalimaṭṭhaṁ. I’d better focus on the fact thatHandāhaṁ idameva manasi karomi— the ear, sounds, ear consciousness, and ear contact are impermanent. And the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on ear contact is also impermanent.iti sotaṁ aniccaṁ, saddā aniccā, sotaviññāṇaṁ aniccaṁ, sotasamphasso anicco, yampidaṁ sotasamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi aniccaṁ.

Forget mutilating the nose faculty with a sharp nail cutter, burning, blazing, and glowing!Tiṭṭhatu tāva tiṇhena nakhacchedanena ādittena sampajjalitena sajotibhūtena ghānindriyaṁ sampalimaṭṭhaṁ. I’d better focus on the fact thatHandāhaṁ idameva manasi karomi— the nose, smells, nose consciousness, and nose contact are impermanent. And the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on nose contact is also impermanent.iti ghānaṁ aniccaṁ, gandhā aniccā, ghānaviññāṇaṁ aniccaṁ, ghānasamphasso anicco, yampidaṁ ghānasamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ …pe… tampi aniccaṁ.

Forget mutilating the tongue faculty with a sharp razor, burning, blazing, and glowing!Tiṭṭhatu tāva tiṇhena khurena ādittena sampajjalitena sajotibhūtena jivhindriyaṁ sampalimaṭṭhaṁ. I’d better focus on the fact thatHandāhaṁ idameva manasi karomi— the tongue, tastes, tongue consciousness, and tongue contact are impermanent. And the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on tongue contact is also impermanent.iti jivhā aniccā, rasā aniccā, jivhāviññāṇaṁ aniccaṁ, jivhāsamphasso anicco, yampidaṁ jivhāsamphassapaccayā uppajjati …pe… tampi aniccaṁ.

Forget mutilating the body faculty with a sharp spear, burning, blazing, and glowing!Tiṭṭhatu tāva tiṇhāya sattiyā ādittāya sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya kāyindriyaṁ sampalimaṭṭhaṁ. I’d better focus on the fact thatHandāhaṁ idameva manasi karomi— the body, touches, body consciousness, and body contact are impermanent. And the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on body contact is also impermanent.iti kāyo anicco, phoṭṭhabbā aniccā, kāyaviññāṇaṁ aniccaṁ, kāyasamphasso anicco, yampidaṁ kāyasamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ …pe… tampi aniccaṁ.

Forget sleeping!Tiṭṭhatu tāva sottaṁ. I’d better focus on the fact thatHandāhaṁ idameva manasi karomi— the mind, ideas, mind consciousness, and mind contact are impermanent. And the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact is also impermanent.’iti mano anicco, dhammā aniccā, manoviññāṇaṁ aniccaṁ, manosamphasso anicco, yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi aniccaṁ’.

Seeing this, a learned noble disciple grows disillusioned with the eye, sights, eye consciousness, and eye contact. And they grow disillusioned with the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises conditioned by eye contact.Evaṁ passaṁ, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako cakkhusmimpi nibbindati, rūpesupi nibbindati, cakkhuviññāṇepi nibbindati, cakkhusamphassepi nibbindati …pe… They grow disillusioned with the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind … painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact.yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tasmimpi nibbindati.

Being disillusioned, desire fades away. When desire fades away they’re freed. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed.Nibbindaṁ virajjati; virāgā vimuccati; vimuttasmiṁ vimuttamiti ñāṇaṁ hoti.

They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānāti.

This is the exposition of the teaching on burning.”Ayaṁ kho, bhikkhave, ādittapariyāyo, dhammapariyāyo”ti.