The Buddha explains how the six sense bases and their objects are burning with the fires of passion, aversion, and delusion, and how to become disenchanted, dispassionate, and liberated.

Āditta sutta - Burning

At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling in Gaya, at Gaya's head, together with a thousand bhikkhus. There, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus:

"All is burning, bhikkhus. And what, bhikkhus, is all that is burning?

The eye, bhikkhus, is burning; forms are burning; eye-consciousness is burning; eye-contact is burning. Whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as condition whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, that too is burning. With what is it burning? 'It is burning with the fire of passion, with the fire of aversion, with the fire of delusion; it is burning with birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

The ear is burning; sounds are burning; ear-consciousness is burning; ear-contact is burning. Whatever feeling arises with ear-contact as condition whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, that too is burning. With what is it burning? 'It is burning with the fire of passion, with the fire of aversion, with the fire of delusion; it is burning with birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

The nose is burning; odors are burning; nose-consciousness is burning; nose-contact is burning. Whatever feeling arises with nose-contact as condition whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, that too is burning. With what is it burning? 'It is burning with the fire of passion, with the fire of aversion, with the fire of delusion; it is burning with birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

The tongue is burning; tastes are burning; tongue-consciousness is burning; tongue-contact is burning. Whatever feeling arises with tongue-contact as condition whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, that too is burning. With what is it burning? 'It is burning with the fire of passion, with the fire of aversion, with the fire of delusion; it is burning with birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

The body is burning; tactile sensations are burning; body-consciousness is burning; body-contact is burning. Whatever feeling arises with body-contact as condition whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, that too is burning. With what is it burning? 'It is burning with the fire of passion, with the fire of aversion, with the fire of delusion; it is burning with birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

The mind is burning; mental phenomena are burning; mind-consciousness is burning; mind-contact is burning. Whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, that too is burning. With what is it burning? 'It is burning with the fire of passion, with the fire of aversion, with the fire of delusion; it is burning with birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

Seeing thus, bhikkhus, the instructed noble disciple becomes disenchanted with the eye, with forms, with eye-consciousness, with eye-contact, and with whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as condition whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant; with that too, he becomes disenchanted.

With that too, he becomes disenchanted regarding whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant.

Becoming disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate; through dispassion, he liberated; when liberated, there is the insight: 'Liberated.'

He understands: 'Birth is ended, the spiritual life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.'"

This was said by the Blessed One. Delighted, those bhikkhus rejoiced in the Blessed One's words. And while this discourse was being given, the minds of the thousand bhikkhus were liberated from the taints through non-clinging.