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Buddhism

SN 35:110 · Clinging (Upādāna Sutta)

Thai temple painting: Prince Vessantara gives away the white elephant
Vessantara Jātaka, Chapter 2 (Himavanta Forest) · Thai, Rattanakosin, c. 1850–1870 · Walters Art Museum

Near Sāvatthī. There the Blessed One said, “Monks, I will teach you clingable phenomena & clinging. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak.”

“As you say, lord,” the monks responded to him.

The Blessed One said, “And which, monks, are clingable phenomena? Which is the clinging?

“The eye is a clingable phenomenon. Whatever desire-passion is there, that is the clinging there.

“The ear is a clingable phenomenon. Whatever desire-passion is there, that is the clinging there.

“The nose is a clingable phenomenon. Whatever desire-passion is there, that is the clinging there.

“The tongue is a clingable phenomenon. Whatever desire-passion is there, that is the clinging there.

“The body is a clingable phenomenon. Whatever desire-passion is there, that is the clinging there.

“The intellect is a clingable phenomenon. Whatever desire-passion is there, that is the clinging there.

“These are called clingable phenomena. This is the clinging.”

See also: MN 44; MN 109; SN 22:48; SN 22:121; SN 27:1–10; SN 35:191


Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. © 2014 / rev. 2017 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu — released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 licence, for free distribution only. Source: dhammatalks.org (Metta Forest Monastery).

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