At one time, the venerable Ānanda and the venerable Udāyī were dwelling in Kosambi, at Ghosita‘s park.
Then, after emerging from seclusion in the evening, the venerable Udāyī approached the venerable Ānanda; having approached, he greeted the venerable Ānanda warmly. After exchanging friendly and courteous words, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the venerable Udāyī spoke to the venerable Ānanda:
“Just as, friend Ānanda, this body has been thoroughly explained by the Blessed One in many aspects as not-self, revealing, clarifying, and detailing: ’Thus, this body is not-self,‘ can |consciousness::quality of awareness — subjective awareness of experiences and the knowing of objects through the six sense doors [sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mind] [viññāṇa]| likewise be explained as ’Thus, this consciousness is not-self‘?”
“Indeed, friend Udāyī, just as this body has been thoroughly explained by the Blessed One in many aspects as not-self, revealing, clarifying, and detailing: ’Thus, this body is not-self,‘ similarly, consciousness can be explained as ’Thus, this consciousness is not-self‘.”
“Friend, does |eye-consciousness::awareness of visible forms; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [cakkhuviññāṇa]| arise dependent on the eye and |forms::visible objects such as beautiful sights, faces, expressions, art, ornaments, possessions, status symbols, admired appearances, enticing scenery, or objects of desire and attachment [rūpe]|?”
“Yes, friend.”
“And, friend, if the cause and condition for the arising of eye-consciousness were to cease entirely, would eye-consciousness be discernible?”
“Not at all, friend.”
“By this method too, friend, it has been made clear by the Blessed One: ’Thus, this consciousness is not-self.‘
And, friend, does |ear-consciousness::auditory awareness; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [sotaviññāṇa]| arise dependent on the ear and |sounds::auditory objects such as various sounds, noises, melodic compositions, verbal expression, whether of praise, blame, honor, respect, disrespect [saddā]|?” “Indeed, friend.” “And if the cause and condition for the arising of ear-consciousness were to cease entirely, would ear-consciousness be discernible?” “Not at all, friend.” “By this method too, friend, it has been made clear by the Blessed One: ’Thus, this consciousness is not-self.‘
And, friend, does |nose-consciousness::olfactory awareness; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [ghānaviññāṇa]| arise dependent on the nose and |odors::smells, scents, fragrances, aromas, stench, perfumes, or natural fragrances such as of flowers, food, or earth [gandhā]|?” “Indeed, friend.” “And if the cause and condition for the arising of nose-consciousness were to cease entirely, would nose-consciousness be discernible?” “Not at all, friend.” “By this method too, friend, it has been made clear by the Blessed One: ’Thus, this consciousness is not-self.‘
And, friend, does |tongue-consciousness::gustatory awareness; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [jivhāviññāṇa]| arise dependent on the tongue and |tastes::flavors, tastes, sweetness, bitterness, sourness, saltiness, spiciness, richness, or subtle tastes such as umami or astringency [rasā]|?” “Indeed, friend.” “And if the cause and condition for the arising of tongue-consciousness were to cease entirely, would tongue-consciousness be discernible?” “Not at all, friend.” “By this method too, friend, it has been made clear by the Blessed One: ’Thus, this consciousness is not-self.‘
And, friend, does |body-consciousness::tactile awareness; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [kāyaviññāṇa]| arise dependent on the body and |tangibles::tangible objects such as physical surfaces, textures, fabrics, water, air, heat, cold, bodily pressure, or contact with living beings [phoṭṭhabbā]|?” “Indeed, friend.” “And if the cause and condition for the arising of body-consciousness were to cease entirely, would body-consciousness be discernible?” “Not at all, friend.” “By this method too, friend, it has been made clear by the Blessed One: ’Thus, this consciousness is not-self.‘
”And, friend, does |mind-consciousness::mental awareness; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [manoviññāṇa]| arise dependent on the mind and |mental objects::thoughts, ideas, memories, emotions, intentions, perceptions, concepts, beliefs, mental images, or fabrications arising from past experiences and future projections [dhammā]|?“
”Yes, friend.“
”And if the cause and condition for the arising of mind-consciousness were to cease entirely, would mind-consciousness be discernible?“
”Not at all, friend.“
”By this method too, friend, it has been made clear by the Blessed One: ’Thus, this consciousness is not-self‘.
Imagine, friend, a man in search of heartwood, seeking, and questing for heartwood, takes a sharp axe into the forest. He finds a large banana plant, straight, fresh, without any fruit-bud. He cuts it at the root, cuts off the top, and peels away the outer layers. Yet, in doing so, he would find neither heartwood nor sapwood, let alone heartwood.
Likewise, friend, a bhikkhu does not regard the six sense bases as self or as belonging to a self. With such perception, he does not cling to anything in the world. Without clinging, he is not perturbed. Without perturbation, he personally attains |Nibbāna::complete cooling, letting go of everything, deathless, freedom from calamity, the non-disintegrating [nibbāna]|.
He realizes: ’Birth is extinguished, the spiritual life has been lived, the task is done, there is nothing further for this state of being.'”