English
Monks, that ocean of water is a great mass of water, a great expanse of water. Monks, the eye is a man’s ocean; its current is of forms, of the sense-sphere of forms. For what reason? Because it is hard to fill, even when the object of blue and other forms, from the earth up to the Akanittha Brahma-world, converges upon it. In the beginningless samsara, by way of wandering, and by way of being hard to cross, the eye itself is the ocean. Of the immeasurable blue and other visible forms, by way of wandering with an immeasurable wave-like speed, the blue and other visible forms themselves are the current. Thus, by this passage of the discourse, this eye-ocean, and the form-current, which are defilement and the cause of defilement, are shown. Because it is to be said, "By whom is the Asekha shown?", "He who..." and so on, is said. He who, established in the fruit of arahantship, who is an Arahant, endures that form-current, not producing lust for pleasing forms, not producing hatred for unpleasing forms, not producing delusion in not discerning, but endures with equanimity, this Arahant, bhikkhus, is said to have crossed the eye-ocean with its waves, with its whirlpools, with its monsters, with its demons. He is said to have crossed over, gone to the far shore, and stands on dry land, a brahmin. Thus, by this passage of the discourse, this Asekha, who is the fruit of arahantship, is shown. Also in "The ear, bhikkhus," and so on, the meaning should be understood in this way, as appropriate. This discourse, beginning with "ocean," functions as both explaining and making known in the aspect of defilement and in the aspect of the Asekha. Therefore, it is called the discourse pertaining to defilement and pertaining to the Asekha. Because it is to be said, "Only this much," "These six..." and so on, is said. Bhikkhus, in the world, for the ruin, for the disadvantage, for the affliction of beings, these six hooks spoken by me exist. Which six? Bhikkhus, there are forms perceivable by the eye, cognizable by eye-consciousness, desirable, lovely, charming, pleasing, mind-delighting, dear, of a dear nature, connected with sensual desire, accompanied by defiling desire, enticing, forms like blue and so on, as objects. If a bhikkhu delights in such a form, he delights facing it with joyful craving. If he speaks of it, he speaks of it by way of craving, making him say, "Oh, what pleasure! Oh, what pleasure!" If he clings to it, he clings as if having swallowed it, as if having completely established it. When this happens, bhikkhus, this bhikkhu is "one who has swallowed the hook... ...bound for woe." is called 'this'. And here, though it is stated in the plural, "forms are desirable... ...enticing," due to their many kinds, such as blue and so on, and though it is stated in the singular, "that," it should be understood that this is because they do not exceed the single kind of being the sense-sphere of forms and the object of forms, and of being knowable by the eye-consciousness. In "There are, monks, what are knowable by the ear-consciousness," and so on, the meaning should be understood in the same way, as appropriate. Thus, by this passage of the Sutta, this six-fold snare, which is knowable by the eye-consciousness and so on, this defilement, the cause of defilement, is shown. Since it is to be asked, "By what is the Asekha shown?" "And there are," and so on, is stated. It was broken, it was shattered; it was thoroughly broken, it was shattered all around. Thus, by this passage of the Sutta, this Asekha, which is the fruit of Arahantship, is shown. This Sutta, "These six," and so on, is, as explained, a Sutta that is conducive to defilement and conducive to the Asekha. 109. The various Suttas conducive to defilement and conducive to the Asekha have been determined by the teacher, and understood by us. Since it is to be asked, "Which is the Sutta conducive to defilement, conducive to penetration, and conducive to the Asekha?" "Among these, which is the Sutta conducive to defilement, conducive to penetration, and conducive to the Asekha?" and so on, is stated. This world, the world of beings, is afflicted with suffering, afflicted with sorrow arising from the calamity of relatives and so on, and afflicted with burning pain arising from lust and so on. Overcome by contact, overwhelmed by many painful contacts, weeping, it speaks, lamenting. What does it say? Being unable to endure the suffering it has experienced, due to an undeveloped body, it weeps and laments, saying, "Oh, suffering! May such suffering not befall even my enemies!" and so on. Since it is to be asked, "Why does it speak thus?" "By whatever way they conceive of themselves," and so on, is stated. These beings, by whatever way, such as attachment to sensual pleasures, they conceive of a remedy for their suffering, from that way, in another way, by a different way, that suffering is indeed to be treated. Becoming otherwise Because, wailing, he cries out, whatever way he thinks or wishes for his growth, through harming others and so on, from that way, otherwise, there is only non-growth. Indeed, because what is wished for becomes otherwise, becomes non-growth, therefore, wailing, he cries out, because of its nature to become otherwise what is thought and wished for. This world of beings, wailing, he cries out. To be asked, "What?" it is said, "The being of existence," and so on. The being of existence, attached, clinging to the existences of sense-desire and so on, the world delights in existence itself, in the existence of sense-desire and so on. That existence in which he delights, because it is bound by many misfortunes like old age and death, is fearful in its fearfulness. From which he fears, from old age and death and so on, that, being the basis of suffering, of old age and death and so on, is suffering, the basis of suffering. Thus, by this passage of the Sutta, this defilement, beginning with torment, the cause of defilement, is shown. Defilement is shown. Because it must be said, "By what is penetration shown?" it is said, "For the abandoning of existence," and so on. Indeed, for the abandoning of existence, for the giving up of existence, of sense-desire existence and so on, this path of holy life, attained by me, is lived. Thus, by this passage of the Sutta, this path, which is the holy life, penetration, is shown. By "For the abandoning of existence," and so on, the path leading to liberation, penetration, is shown by the teacher as exclusively leading to liberation, and understood by us. Because it must be asked, "Which is the path not leading to liberation?" it is said, "Whatever recluses," and so on. The word "hi" means a rhetorical embellishment. Whatever recluses or whatever brahmins declared liberation from existence, from sense-desire existence, by means of form-existence; they declared liberation from existence, from sense-desire existence and also form-existence, by means of formless-existence; all those recluses, all those brahmins, I say, are not liberated from existence, from existence of the kind described. "And those who declared liberation from existence, from sense-desire existence and so on, by means of form-existence and so on," it should be said. to show that they declared deliverance from existence through non-existence, it was said, “And whoever, etc.” And whoever recluses, and whoever brahmins, declared deliverance from existence, from the existence of transmigration, through non-existence, through the view of annihilation, all those recluses, all those brahmins, I say, are not delivered from existence, from the existence of transmigration. Because it is to be asked, “Why are they not delivered?” to show the reason for non-deliverance, it was said, “For attachment, etc.” This suffering, the suffering of transmigration, arises because of attachment, because of the attachments of aggregates, defilements, and volitional formations. Therefore, they are not delivered. Thus, by this passage of the Sutta, this defilement, called wrong view, is shown. Since defilement was shown by “whoever, etc.,” because it is to be asked, “By what is penetration shown?” it was said, “Through the destruction of all clinging, etc.” Through the destruction of all clinging, from the noble path, there is no arising of suffering, of the suffering of transmigration. Thus, by this passage of the Sutta, this noble path, penetration, is shown. To show that “the aforementioned kind is also shown in another Sutta passage,” it was said, “This world, etc.” My mind, you see this world, separate, distinct, overcome by ignorance, delighting in beings, delighting in each other among men and women, the five aggregates, not freed from existences. Whatever existences there were, whether short-lived existences, or long-lived existences, or pleasant existences, or unpleasant existences, the five aggregates, in all ways, “above, below, across,” in all these, by being everywhere, by the state of being everywhere, they were. All those existences of the aforementioned kind were impermanent, because they lacked permanence and stability; were suffering, because they were oppressed; were subject to change, because of their nature of change. Thus, by this passage of the Sutta, this defilement, beginning with ignorance, is shown. Since defilement was shown by “This world, etc.,” because it is to be asked, “By what is penetration shown?” it was said, “Thus this, etc.” Thus, in the aforementioned way, this One who sees the five aggregates as they truly are with right wisdom, with the wisdom of the path, or with the wisdom of insight, for that person, craving for existence is abandoned. Seeing the five aggregates as they truly are with right wisdom, one does not delight in or long for annihilation, the view of cutting off. For that person, through the complete destruction of cravings, there is cessation, complete fading away,