At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, there are these seven elements. What seven? The light element, the beauty element, the base of the infinity of space element, the base of the infinity of consciousness element, the base of nothingness element, the base of neither-perception-nor-nonperception element, the cessation of perception and feeling element. These are the seven elements.” When this was said, a certain Bhikkhu asked the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, as to the light element … the cessation of perception and feeling element: in dependence on what are these elements discerned?”
“Bhikkhu, the light element is discerned in dependence on darkness. The beauty element is discerned in dependence on foulness. The base of the infinity of space element is discerned in dependence on form. The base of the infinity of consciousness element is discerned in dependence on the base of the infinity of space. The base of nothingness element is discerned in dependence on the base of the infinity of consciousness. The base of neither-perception-nor-nonperception element is discerned in dependence on the base of nothingness. The cessation of perception and feeling element is discerned in dependence on cessation.” “But, venerable sir, as to the light element … the cessation of perception and feeling element: how is the attainment of these elements to be attained?”
“The light element, the beauty element, the base of the infinity of space element, the base of the infinity of consciousness element, and the base of nothingness element: these elements are to be attained as attainments with perception. The base of neither-perception-nor-nonperception element: this element is to be attained as an attainment with a residue of formations. The cessation of perception and feeling element: this element is to be attained as an attainment of cessation.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, sensual thought arises with a source, not without a source; thought of ill will arises with a source, not without a source; thought of harming arises with a source, not without a source. And how is this so?
“In dependence on the sensuality element there arises sensual perception; in dependence on sensual perception there arises sensual intention; in dependence on sensual intention there arises sensual desire; in dependence on sensual desire there arises sensual passion; in dependence on sensual passion there arises a sensual quest. Engaged in a sensual quest, the uninstructed worldling conducts himself wrongly in three ways — with body, speech, and mind.
“In dependence on the ill will element there arises perception of ill will; in dependence on perception of ill will there arises intention of ill will; in dependence on intention of ill will there arises desire [driven by] ill will; in dependence on desire [driven by] ill will there arises passion [driven by] ill will; in dependence on passion [driven by] ill will there arises a quest [driven by] ill will. Engaged in a quest [driven by] ill will, the uninstructed worldling conducts himself wrongly in three ways — with body, speech, and mind.
“In dependence on the harmfulness element there arises perception of harming; in dependence on perception of harming there arises intention to harm; in dependence on intention to harm there arises desire to harm; in dependence on desire to harm there arises passion to harm; in dependence on passion to harm there arises a quest to harm. Engaged in a quest to harm, the uninstructed worldling conducts himself wrongly in three ways — with body, speech, and mind.
“Suppose, Bhikkhus, a man would drop a blazing grass torch into a thicket of dry grass. If he does not quickly extinguish it with his hands and feet, the creatures living in the grass and wood will meet with calamity and disaster. So too, if any ascetic or brahmin does not quickly abandon, dispel, obliterate, and annihilate the unrighteous perceptions that have arisen in him, he dwells in suffering in this very life, with vexation, despair, and fever; and with the breakup of the body, after death, a bad destination may be expected for him.
“Bhikkhus, thought of renunciation arises with a source, not without a source; thought of non-ill will arises with a source, not without a source; thought of harmlessness arises with a source, not without a source. And how is this so?
“In dependence on the renunciation element there arises perception of renunciation; in dependence on perception of renunciation there arises intention of renunciation; in dependence on intention of renunciation there arises desire for renunciation; in dependence on desire for renunciation there arises passion for renunciation; in dependence on passion for renunciation there arises a quest for renunciation. Engaged in a quest for renunciation, the instructed noble disciple conducts himself rightly in three ways — with body, speech, and mind.
“In dependence on the non-ill will element there arises perception of non-ill will; in dependence on perception of non-ill will there arises intention of non-ill will; in dependence on intention of non-ill will there arises desire [guided by] non-ill will; in dependence on desire [guided by] non-ill will there arises passion [guided by] non-ill will; in dependence on passion [guided by] non-ill will there arises a quest [guided by] non-ill will. Engaged in a quest [guided by] non-ill will, the instructed noble disciple conducts himself rightly in three ways — with body, speech, and mind.
“In dependence on the harmlessness element there arises perception of harmlessness; in dependence on perception of harmlessness there arises intention of harmlessness; in dependence on intention of harmlessness there arises desire for harmlessness; in dependence on desire for harmlessness there arises passion for harmlessness; in dependence on passion for harmlessness there arises a quest for harmlessness. Engaged in a quest for harmlessness, the instructed noble disciple conducts himself rightly in three ways — with body, speech, and mind.
“Suppose, Bhikkhus, a man would drop a blazing grass torch into a thicket of dry grass. If he quickly extinguishes it with his hands and feet, the creatures living in the grass and wood will not meet with calamity and disaster. So too, if any ascetic or brahmin quickly abandons, dispels, obliterates, and annihilates the unrighteous perceptions that have arisen in him, he dwells happily in this very life, without vexation, despair, and fever; and with the breakup of the body, after death, a good destination may be expected for him.”
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Ñātika in the Brick Hall. There the Blessed One addressed the Bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus!”
“Venerable sir!” those Bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
“Bhikkhus, in dependence on an element there arises a perception, there arises a view, there arises a thought.”
When this was said, the Venerable Saddha Kaccāyana said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, when, in regard to those who are not perfectly enlightened, the view arises, ‘These are Perfectly Enlightened Ones,’ in dependence on what is this view discerned?”
“Mighty, Kaccāyana, is this element, the element of ignorance. In dependence on an inferior element, Kaccāyana, there arises an inferior perception, an inferior view, inferior thought, inferior volition, inferior longing, an inferior wish, an inferior person, inferior speech. He explains, teaches, proclaims, establishes, discloses, analyses, and elucidates the inferior. His rebirth, I say, is inferior.
“In dependence on a middling element, Kaccāyana, there arises a middling perception, a middling view, middling thought, middling volition, middling longing, a middling wish, a middling person, middling speech. He explains, teaches, proclaims, establishes, discloses, analyses, and elucidates the middling. His rebirth, I say, is middling.
“In dependence on a superior element, Kaccāyana, there arises a superior perception, a superior view, superior thought, superior volition, superior longing, a superior wish, a superior person, superior speech. He explains, teaches, proclaims, establishes, discloses, analyses, and elucidates the superior. His rebirth, I say, is superior.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite. Those of an inferior disposition come together and unite with those of an inferior disposition; those of a good disposition come together and unite with those of a good disposition. In the past, by way of elements, beings came together and united…. In the future, too, by way of elements, beings will come together and unite…. Now too, at present, by way of elements, beings come together and unite. Those of an inferior disposition come together and unite with those of an inferior disposition; those of a good disposition come together and unite with those of a good disposition.”
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha on Mount Vulture Peak. Now on that occasion, not far from the Blessed One, the Venerable Sāriputta was walking back and forth with a number of Bhikkhus; the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna … the Venerable Mahā-Kassapa … the Venerable Anuruddha … the Venerable Puṇṇa Mantāniputta … the Venerable Upāli … the Venerable Ānanda was walking back and forth with a number of Bhikkhus. And not far from the Blessed One, Devadatta too was walking back and forth with a number of Bhikkhus.
Then the Blessed One addressed the Bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus, do you see Sāriputta walking back and forth with a number of Bhikkhus?”
“Yes, venerable sir.”
“All those Bhikkhus are of great wisdom. Do you see Moggallāna walking back and forth with a number of Bhikkhus?”
“Yes, venerable sir.”
“All those Bhikkhus have great spiritual power. Do you see Kassapa walking back and forth with a number of Bhikkhus?”
“Yes, venerable sir.”
“All those Bhikkhus are proponents of the ascetic practices. Do you see Anuruddha walking back and forth with a number of Bhikkhus?”
“Yes, venerable sir.”
“All those Bhikkhus possess the divine eye. Do you see Puṇṇa Mantāniputta walking back and forth with a number of Bhikkhus?”
“Yes, venerable sir.”
“All those Bhikkhus are speakers on the Dhamma. Do you see Upāli walking back and forth with a number of Bhikkhus?”
“Yes, venerable sir.”
“All those Bhikkhus are upholders of the Discipline. Do you see Ānanda walking back and forth with a number of Bhikkhus?”
“Yes, venerable sir.”
“All those Bhikkhus are highly learned. Do you see Devadatta walking back and forth with a number of Bhikkhus?”
“Yes, venerable sir.”
“All those Bhikkhus have evil wishes.
“Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite. Those of an inferior disposition come together and unite with those of an inferior disposition; those of a good disposition come together and unite with those of a good disposition. In the past they did so, in the future they will do so, and now at present they do so too.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite: those of an inferior disposition come together and unite with those of an inferior disposition. In the past they did so, in the future they will do so, and now at present they do so too.
“Just as excrement comes together and unites with excrement, urine with urine, spittle with spittle, pus with pus, and blood with blood, so too, Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite: those of an inferior disposition come together and unite with those of an inferior disposition. In the past they did so, in the future they will do so, and now at present they do so too.
“Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite: those of a good disposition come together and unite with those of a good disposition. In the past they did so, in the future they will do so, and now at present they do so too.
“Just as milk comes together and unites with milk, oil with oil, ghee with ghee, honey with honey, and molasses with molasses, so too, Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite: those of a good disposition come together and unite with those of a good disposition. In the past they did so, in the future they will do so, and now at present they do so too.” This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the
Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this:
“From association the woods of lust is born,
By nonassociation the woods is cut.
Just as one who has mounted a wooden plank
Would sink upon the mighty sea,
So one of virtuous living sinks
By consorting with a lethargic person.
“Thus one should avoid such a person —
One lethargic, devoid of energy.
Keep company with the wise,
With resolute meditators,
With the noble ones who dwell secluded,
Their energy constantly aroused.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite. Those lacking faith come together and unite with those lacking faith, the shameless with the shameless, those unafraid of wrongdoing with those unafraid of wrongdoing, the unlearned with the unlearned, the lazy with the lazy, the muddle-minded with the muddle-minded, the unwise with the unwise. In the past it was so; in the future it will be so; and now too at present it is so.
“Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite. Those having faith come together and unite with those having faith, those having a sense of shame with those having a sense of shame, those afraid of wrongdoing with those afraid of wrongdoing, the learned with the learned, the energetic with the energetic, the mindful with the mindful, the wise with the wise. In the past it was so; in the future it will be so; and now too at present it is so.”
18 (8) Rooted in those Lacking Faith
(i)
“Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite. Those lacking faith come together and unite with those lacking faith, the shameless with the shameless, the unwise with the unwise. Those having faith come together and unite with those having faith, those having a sense of shame with those having a sense of shame, the wise with the wise. In the past it was so; in the future it will be so; and now too at present it is so.”
(The next four parts of this sutta substitute the following in the second place, instead of “the shameless,” and “those having a sense of shame”:)
(ii) those unafraid of wrongdoing, those afraid of wrongdoing;
(iii) the unlearned, the learned;
(iv) the lazy, the energetic;
(v) the muddle-minded, the mindful.
19 (9) Rooted in the Shameless
(i)
“Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite. The shameless come together and unite with the shameless, those unafraid of wrongdoing with those unafraid of wrongdoing, the unwise with the unwise. Those having a sense of shame come together and unite with those having a sense of shame, those afraid of wrongdoing with those afraid of wrongdoing, the wise with the wise. [In the past it was so; in the future it will be so; and now too at present it is so.]”
(The next three parts of this sutta substitute the following in the second place, instead of “those unafraid of wrongdoing,” and “those afraid of wrongdoing”:)
(ii) the unlearned, the learned;
(iii) the lazy, the energetic;
(iv) the muddle-minded, the mindful.
20 (10) Rooted in those Unafraid of Wrongdoing
(i)
“Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite. Those unafraid of wrongdoing come together and unite with those unafraid of wrongdoing, the unlearned with the unlearned, the unwise with the unwise. Those afraid of wrongdoing come together and unite with those afraid of wrongdoing, the learned with the learned, the wise with the wise. In the past it was so; in the future it will be so; and now too at present it is so.”
(The next two parts of this sutta substitute the following in the second place, instead of “the unlearned,” and “the learned”:)
(ii) the lazy, the energetic;
(iii) the muddle-minded, the mindful.
21 (11) Rooted in the Unlearned
(i)
“Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite. The unlearned come together and unite with the unlearned, the lazy with the lazy, the unwise with the unwise. The learned come together and unite with the learned, the energetic with the energetic, the wise with the wise. In the past it was so; in the future it will be so; and now too at present it is so.”
(ii)
“The unlearned come together and unite with the unlearned, the muddle-minded with the muddle-minded, the unwise with the unwise. The learned come together and unite with the learned, the mindful with the mindful, the wise with the wise. In the past it was so; in the future it will be so; and now too at present it is so.”
“Bhikkhus, it is by way of elements that beings come together and unite. The lazy come together and unite with the lazy, the muddle-minded with the muddle-minded, the unwise with the unwise. The energetic come together and unite with the energetic, the mindful with the mindful, the wise with the wise. In the past it was so; in the future it will be so; and now too at present it is so.”