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::visible objects such as beautiful sights, faces, expressions, art, ornaments, possessions, status symbols, admired appearances, enticing scenery, or objects of desire and attachment [rūpe]| are burning; |eye-consciousness::awareness of visible forms; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [cakkhuviññāṇa]| is burning; |eye-contact::the meeting of eye, form, and eye-consciousness, giving rise to a visual impression/impingement/intrusion [cakkhusamphassa]| is burning. Whatever |feeling::pleasant, neutral or painful sensation, the felt experience, second of the five aggregates [vedanā]| 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::intense desire, strong emotion, infatuation, obsession, lust [rāga]|, with the fire of |aversion::ill-will, hate, hatred, fault, resentment [dosa]|, with the fire of |illusion::delusion, hallucination, misperception, distorted view; that which fuels further confusion and doubt [moha]|; it is burning with birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.
The ear is burning; |sounds::auditory objects such as various sounds, noises, melodic compositions, verbal expression, whether of praise, blame, honor, respect, disrespect [saddā]| are burning; |ear-consciousness::auditory awareness; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [sotaviññāṇa]| is burning; |ear-contact::the meeting of ear, sound, and ear-consciousness, giving rise to an auditory impression/impingement/intrusion [sotasamphassa]| 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::smells, scents, fragrances, aromas, stench, perfumes, or natural fragrances such as of flowers, food, or earth [gandhā]| are burning; |nose-consciousness::olfactory awareness; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [ghānaviññāṇa]| is burning; |nose-contact::the meeting of nose, odor, and nose-consciousness, giving rise to an olfactory impression/impingement/intrusion [ghānasamphassa]| 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::flavors, tastes, sweetness, bitterness, sourness, saltiness, spiciness, richness, or subtle tastes such as umami or astringency [rasā]| are burning; |tongue-consciousness::gustatory awareness; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [jivhāviññāṇa]| is burning; |tongue-contact::the meeting of tongue, taste, and tongue-consciousness, giving rise to a taste impression/impingement/intrusion [jivhāsamphassa]| 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;|tangibles::tangible objects such as physical surfaces, textures, fabrics, water, air, heat, cold, bodily pressure, or contact with living beings [phoṭṭhabbā]| is burning; |body-consciousness::tactile awareness; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [kāyaviññāṇa]| is burning; |body-contact::the meeting of body, touch, and body-consciousness, giving rise to a tactile impression/impingement/intrusion [kāyasamphassa]| 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 objects::thoughts, ideas, memories, emotions, intentions, perceptions, concepts, beliefs, mental images, or fabrications arising from past experiences and future projections [dhammā]| are burning; |mind-consciousness::mental awareness; it does not interpret or recognize meaning—only cognizes and distinguishes [manoviññāṇa]| is burning; |mind-contact::the meeting of mind, mental object, and mind-consciousness, giving rise to a mental impression/impingement/intrusion [manosamphassa]| 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::disinterested in, disillusioned with [nibbindati]| 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 |detached from::dispassionate towards [virajjati]| it; through |fading of desire::dispassion, detachment [virāga]|, he is |released from::freed from [vimuccati]| it; when released, there is the insight: ’Released.‘
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.