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Homage to the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. The Connected Discourses The Chapter of the Aggregates 1. The Connected Discourses on the Aggregates 1. The Chapter on Nakulapita 1. The Discourse to Nakulapita Thus have I heard: On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Bhaggas, in the Bhesakaḷāvana at Susumāragira, in the Deer Park. Then Nakulapita the householder approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, Nakulapita the householder said to the Blessed One: “I am, venerable sir, old, aged, advanced in years, having reached the end of my life, my body is ailing, constantly afflicted. And I am, venerable sir, one who rarely sees the Blessed One and the bhikkhus who are dear to my mind. Let the Blessed One advise me, venerable sir; let the Blessed One instruct me, venerable sir; for my long-term welfare and happiness.” “So it is, householder, so it is, householder! This body, householder, is ailing, like an egg, wrapped up. For whoever, householder, maintaining this body, would claim health even for a moment, what is that but foolishness? Therefore, householder, you should train yourselves thus: ‘Though my body is ailing, my mind will be unailing.’ Thus, householder, you should train yourselves.” Then Nakulapita the householder, having delighted in and approved of the Blessed One’s words, rose from his seat, paid homage to the Blessed One, circumambulated him, and then approached the Venerable Sāriputta; having approached and paid homage to the Venerable Sāriputta, he sat down to one side. The Venerable Sāriputta said to Nakulapita the householder, seated to one side: “Your faculties, householder, are clear; your complexion is pure and bright. Did you, today, obtain a discourse on the Dhamma in the presence of the Blessed One?” “How could it not be so, venerable sir! Just now, venerable sir, I was sprinkled with the deathless by the Blessed One with a discourse on the Dhamma.” “How “How, householder, were you anointed with the deathless by the Blessed One with a discourse on Dhamma?” “Here, venerable sir, I approached the Blessed One; having approached, having saluted the Blessed One, I sat down to one side. Seated to one side, venerable sir, I said to the Blessed One: ‘I am, venerable sir, aged, old, advanced in years, having reached the end of my life, my body is afflicted, constantly ailing. And I, venerable sir, rarely see the Blessed One and the bhikkhus who are dear to the mind. May the Blessed One, venerable sir, admonish me; may the Blessed One, venerable sir, instruct me; for my long-term welfare and happiness.’ When this was said, venerable sir, the Blessed One said to me: ‘So it is, householder, so it is, householder! This body, householder, is afflicted, like an egg, enveloped. Whoever, householder, nurturing this body, would claim even for a moment to be healthy, what else but folly? Therefore, householder, you should train thus: “Though my body is afflicted, my mind will be unafflicted.” Thus, householder, you should train.’ Thus, venerable sir, was I anointed with the deathless by the Blessed One with a discourse on Dhamma.” “Did it not occur to you, householder, to question the Blessed One further: ‘To what extent, venerable sir, is one afflicted in body and afflicted in mind? And to what extent is one afflicted in body but not afflicted in mind?’” “From afar, venerable sir, we would come to the Venerable Sāriputta to understand the meaning of this statement. It would be good if it occurred to the Venerable Sāriputta himself to explain the meaning of this statement.” “In that case, householder, listen, pay careful attention; I shall speak.” “Yes, venerable sir,” the householder Nakulapitā replied to the Venerable Sāriputta. The Venerable Sāriputta said this: “And how, householder, is one afflicted in body and afflicted in mind? Here, Householder, the uninstructed ordinary person, not seeing the noble ones, unskilled in the noble Dhamma, undisciplined in the noble Dhamma, not seeing the true persons, unskilled in the Dhamma of true persons, undisciplined in the Dhamma of true persons, regards form as self, or self as possessing form, or form as in self, or self as in form. He is obsessed with 'I am form, form is mine.' For him, thus obsessed with 'I am form, form is mine,' that form changes, becomes otherwise. From the change and otherwise-becoming of that form, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise. He regards feeling as self, or self as possessing feeling, or feeling as in self, or self as in feeling. He is obsessed with 'I am feeling, feeling is mine.' For him, thus obsessed with 'I am feeling, feeling is mine,' that feeling changes, becomes otherwise. From the change and otherwise-becoming of that feeling, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise. He regards perception as self, or self as possessing perception, or perception as in self, or self as in perception. He is obsessed with 'I am perception, perception is mine.' For him, thus obsessed with 'I am perception, perception is mine,' that perception changes, becomes otherwise. From the change and otherwise-becoming of that perception, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise. He regards formations as self, or self as possessing formations, or formations as in self, or self as in formations. He is obsessed with 'I am formations, formations are mine.' For him, thus obsessed with 'I am formations, formations are mine,' those formations change, become otherwise. From the change and otherwise-becoming of those formations, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise. He regards consciousness as self, or self as possessing consciousness, or consciousness as in self, or self as in consciousness. He is obsessed with 'I am consciousness, consciousness is mine.' For him, who is obsessed with 'I am consciousness, consciousness is mine', that consciousness changes, becomes otherwise. From that change and becoming otherwise of consciousness, there arise sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. Thus, indeed, householder, he is afflicted in body and afflicted in mind. "And how, householder, is one afflicted in body but not afflicted in mind? Here, householder, a well-taught noble disciple, who sees the noble ones, is skilled in the noble Dhamma, well-trained in the noble Dhamma; who sees the good people, is skilled in the Dhamma of good people, well-trained in the Dhamma of good people, does not regard form as self, nor self as possessing form; nor form as in self, nor self as in form. He is not obsessed with 'I am form, form is mine'. For him, who is not obsessed with 'I am form, form is mine', that form changes, becomes otherwise. From that change and becoming otherwise of form, there do not arise sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. He does not regard feeling as self, nor self as possessing feeling; nor feeling as in self, nor self as in feeling. He is not obsessed with 'I am feeling, feeling is mine'. For him, who is not obsessed with 'I am feeling, feeling is mine', that feeling changes, becomes otherwise. From that change and becoming otherwise of feeling, there do not arise sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. He does not regard perception as self, nor self as possessing perception; nor perception as in self, nor self as in perception. He is not obsessed with 'I am perception, perception is mine'. For him, who is not obsessed with 'I am perception, perception is mine', that perception changes, becomes otherwise. From that change and becoming otherwise of perception, there do not arise sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. He does not regard volitional formations as self, nor self as possessing volitional formations; nor volitional formations as in self, nor self as in volitional formations. He is not obsessed with 'I am volitional formations, volitional formations are mine'. he does not abide obsessed with 'I am formations.' For him, who does not abide obsessed with 'I am formations, my formations,' those formations change, they become otherwise. From the change and otherwise-becoming of those formations, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair do not arise. He does not regard consciousness as self, nor self as possessing consciousness; nor consciousness as in self, nor self as in consciousness. He does not abide obsessed with 'I am consciousness, my consciousness.' For him, who does not abide obsessed with 'I am consciousness, my consciousness,' that consciousness changes, it becomes otherwise. From the change and otherwise-becoming of that consciousness, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair do not arise. Thus, householder, one is sick in body, but not sick in mind." This is what Venerable Sāriputta said. The householder Nakulapitā, delighted, rejoiced in the words of Venerable Sāriputta. The First. 2. The Devadaha Sutta 2. Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was dwelling among the Sakyans, in a Sakyan town called Devadaha. Then a number of monks from the western region approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, they sat down to one side. Seated to one side, those monks said to the Blessed One: "We wish, Venerable Sir, to go to the western region, to reside in the western region." "Have you taken leave of Sāriputta, monks?" "No, Venerable Sir, we have not taken leave of Venerable Sāriputta." "Take leave of Sāriputta, monks. Sāriputta, monks, is wise, a helper of monks, of fellow practitioners." "Yes, Venerable Sir," those monks replied to the Blessed One. Now at that time, Venerable Sāriputta was sitting not far from the Blessed One in a certain Eḷagala thicket. Then those monks, having rejoiced in and approved of the Blessed One's words, rose up Rising from their seats,