Samyuktagama 39

Saṃyuktāgama 39

Taishō vol. 2 pp. 8c–9a Seeds

Thus have I heard. Once the Awakened One dwelt in Sravasti City, Jeta’s Grove, and Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. At that time the World Honoured One told the mendicants:

“There are five types of seeds. What are the five? They are: the root seed, the stalk seed, the node seed, the seed that falls by itself and the fruit seed.

“These five types of seeds, not cut off, not broken down, not decayed, and not carried away by the wind, but new, ripe, strong and true, if these seeds have the earth element, but not the water element, they will not grow and increase. If those seeds new, ripe, strong and true and not cut off, not broken down, not decayed and not carried away by the wind, have the water element, but do not have the earth element, they will also not grow and increase. If those seeds new, ripe, strong and true and not cut off, not broken down, not decayed and not carried away by the wind, have the water element and the earth element, they will grow and increase.

“Mendicants! Those five seeds are like the clinging aggregate of consciousness. The earth element is like the four abidings of consciousness. The water element is like passion and desire. There are four clingings causing consciousness to abide. What are the four? In the midst of forms consciousness abides. Clinging causes form and vigorous passionate desire to arise to grow and increase. Consciousness abides in feeling, concept and formulation. Clinging causes feeling, concept and formulation and vigorous passionate desire to arise to grow and increase.

“Mendicants! Consciousness with regard to the middle way may come, may go, may abide, may cease, may arise and grow and increase. Mendicants! If it leaves form, feeling, concept and formulation, consciousness is there, may be coming, going, abiding or arising, but then it is just a way of speaking. Asking and not knowing, increases confusion without limit.

“If one abandons desire for the form element, having left it, the ties that arise and block the mind in form are cut off. Having cut off the ties that blocked the mind that arise in form, then the cause of clinging is cut off. The cause of clinging having been cut off, that consciousness has no place to abide and there is no re-birth and growth and increase.

“If one abandons desire for feeling, concept and formulation elements, having left it, the ties that arise and block the mind in … formulation are cut off. Having cut off the ties that blocked the mind that arise in … formulation, then the cause of clinging is cut off. The cause of clinging having been cut off, that consciousness has no means by which to abide and there is no re-birth and growth and increase. Because there is no more birth, formulations are not created, not having created formulations, there is abiding. Having abided, there is contentment, there being contentment, there is liberation.

“Being liberated in the world there is no thing to which to cling and no thing to which to hold on. There being no thing to which to cling, or to which one is to hold on to, one realises extinguishment. One knows: ‘For me birth is finished. The Holy Life is established. Done is what had to be done.’ One knows: ‘I will not experience future becoming.’ I say this consciousness will not reach the four directions: north, south, east or west. It will also not reach above and below. There is nowhere that it goes to. I see only dhammas. Desire is extinct, calm, finished. Feeling is cooled. Feeling is pure. This is the real fruit.”

The Awakened One gave this discourse. The mendicants heard what the Awakened One said, were very happy and respectfully practised it.