Ahara as depicted in the Pancanikaya
by Le Chanh | 2010 | 101,328 words
This is a critical study of Ahara and its importance as depicted in the Pancanikaya (Pancha Nikaya).—The concept of Ahara (“food�) in the context of Buddhism encompasses both physical and mental nourishment. The Panca Nikaya represents the five collections (of discourses) of the Sutta Pitaka within Buddhist literature. The present study emphasizes ...
6. Moliyaphagguna-sutta
Text 6: Moliyaphaggunasutta "Savatthiyam viharati... pe "cattarome, bhikkhave, ahara bhatanam va sattanam thitiya sambhavesinam va anuggahaya. Katame cattaro? Kabalikaro aharo - olariko va sukhumo va, phasso dutiyo, manosancetana tatiya, vinnanam catuttham. Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattaro ahara bhutanam va sattanam thitiya sambhavesinam va anuggahaya" ti. Evam vutte, ayasma moliyaphagguno bhagavantam etadavoca - "ko nu kho, bhante, vinnanaharam ahareti" ti? "No kallo panho" ti bhagava avoca -"ahareti'ti aham na vadami. 'Ahareti'ti caham vadeyyam, tatrassa kallo panho - 'ko nu kho, bhante, ahareti'ti? Evam caham na vadami. Evam mam avadantam yo evam puccheyya 'kissa nu kho, bhante, vinnanaharo'ti, esa kallo panho. Tatra kallam veyyakaranam 'vinnanaharo ayatim punabbhavabhinibbattiya paccayo, tasmim bhute sati salayatanam, salayatanapaccaya phasso""ti. - "Ko nu kho, bhante, phusati"ti? "No kallo panho" ti bhagava avoca "'phusati'ti aham na vadami. 'Phusati'ti caham vadeyyam, tatrassa kallo panho - 'ko nu kho, bhante, phusati'ti? Evam caham na vadami. Evam mam avadantam yo evam puccheyya 'kimpaccaya nu kho, bhante, phasso'ti, esa kallo panho. Tatra kallam - veyyakaranam - 'salayatanapaccaya phasso, phassapaccaya vedana""'ti. "Ko nu kho, bhante, vedayati" ti? "No kallo panho" ti bhagava avoca "*vedayati' ti aham na vadami. 'Vedayati'ti caham vadeyyam, tatrassa kallo panho - 'ko nu kho, bhante, vedayati'ti? Evam caham na vadami. Evam mam avadantam yo evam puccheyya 'kimpaccaya nu kho, bhante, vedana'ti, esa kallo panho. Tatra kallam veyyakaranam - 'phassapaccaya vedana, vedanapaccaya tanha"" ti. 66 - " (Samyuttanikaya II, 12-13, Nidanavaggapali, Moliyaphaggunasutta No. 12.) Sustenances (The conditioned Nature of food) Near Savatthi... the Exalted One was teaching the doctrine of the four sustenances. And when he had named the the venerable Moliya Phagguna said to the Exalted One: Who now is it, lord, who feeds on the consciousness sustenance?
307 Not a fit question said the Exalted One. I am not saying someone feeds on. If I were saying so, to that the question would be a fit one. But I am not saying so. And I not saying so, if you were to ask me 'of what now, lord, is consciousness the sustenance?' this were a fir question. And the fit answer to it is: the consciousness sustenance is the cause of renewed becoming of rebirth in the future. When that is to come to pass, is present, the sixdold sense-sphere becomes, and conditioned by the sixfold sense-sphere contact becomes. Who now, lord, exercises contact? Not a fit question, said the Exalted One. I am not saying someone exercises contact. If I were saying so, the question would be a fit one. But I am not saying so. And I not saying so, if you were to ask thus: 'Conditioned now by what, lord, is contact?' this were a fit question. And the fit answer there would be: 'conditioned by the sixfold sense-sphere is contact; conditioned by contact is feeling,' Who now, lord, is it who feels? Not a fit question, said the Exalted One. I am not saying someone feels. If I were saying so, the question would be a fit one. But I am not saying so. And I not saying so, if you were to ask thus: 'Conditioned now by what, lord, is feeling?' this were a fit question. And the fit answer there would be: 'conditioned by contact is feeling, conditioned by feeling, is craving' Who now, lord, is it who craves? Not a fit question, said the Exalted One. I am not saying someone craves. If I were saying so, the question would be a fit one. But I am not saying so. And I not saying so, if you were to ask thus: 'Conditioned now by what, lord, is craving?" this were a fit question. And the fit answer there would be: 'Conditioned by feeling is craving. Conditioned by craving is grasping' Who now, lord, is it who grasps? Not a fit question, said the Exalted One. I am not saying someone grasps. If I were saying so, the question would be a fit one. But I am not saying so. And I not saying so, if you were to ask thus: 'Conditioned now by what, lord, is there grasping?' this were a fit question. And the fit answer there would be: 'conditioned by craving is is grasping. Conditioned by grasping is becoming.' And so on. Such is the uprising of this entire mass of ill. But from the utter fading away and cessation of the sixfold sphere of sense-contact, Phagguna, comes cessation of contact, from cessation of contact cessation of feeling,,
308 from cessation of feeling cessation of craving... of grasping... of becoming . . . of birth ... of decay and death, of grief, lamentation, suffering, unhappiness, despair. Such is the cessation of the entire mass of ill." (Tran. Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids, The Book of The Kindred Sayings, part II, PTS, pp. 9-10.)