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The Six Fields of Experience

MN 137, the Saḷāyatanavibhaṅga Sutta — set 5, Advanced and Reference Texts

Reading time: about 14 min · 2,424 words

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Before you read

A systematic breakdown of experience through the senses: six internal fields, six external, six classes of knowing, six of contact, and then eighteen mental explorations and thirty-six positions built on top of those.

The useful part arrives after the enumeration. The instruction is to use one thing to give up another — the gladness of renunciation replaces the gladness of the senses, and then in its turn that is given up too.

It ends somewhere unexpected for a text this technical: three establishments of remembering that describe how a teacher stays steady whether or not the students actually listen.

Translation

The Setting

So I heard.

At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery.

There the Buddha addressed the bhikkhus: "Bhikkhus."

"Bhante," they replied.

The Buddha said this:

Summary of the Analysis

"Bhikkhus, I will teach you the analysis of the six fields. Listen carefully, attend well, and I will speak."

"Yes, bhante," the bhikkhus replied.

The Buddha said this:

"'The six internal sense fields are to be known, the six external sense fields are to be known, the six classes of knowing are to be known, the six classes of contact are to be known, the eighteen mental explorations are to be known, the thirty-six positions are to be known, and here, supported by this, you should give up that. And there are three establishments of sati that a noble person cultivates, cultivating which a teacher is fit to instruct a group.'

That is the summary of the analysis of the six fields.

The Six Internal Sense Fields

"'The six internal sense fields should be known' was said. Why was that said?

'The eye field, ear field, nose field, tongue field, body field, and mind field: these are the six internal sense fields to be known.'

That is why it was said.

The Six External Sense Fields

"'The six external sense fields should be known' was said. Why was that said?

'The form field, sound field, smell field, taste field, tangible field, and dhamma field: these are the six external sense fields to be known.'

That is why it was said.

The Six Classes of Knowing

"'The six classes of knowing should be known' was said. Why was that said?

'Eye-knowing, ear-knowing, nose-knowing, tongue-knowing, body-knowing, and mind-knowing: these are the six classes of knowing to be known.'

That is why it was said.

The Six Classes of Contact

"'The six classes of contact should be known' was said. Why was that said?

'Eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, and mind-contact: these are the six classes of contact to be known.'

That is why it was said.

The Eighteen Mental Explorations

"'The eighteen mental explorations should be known' was said. Why was that said?

When someone sees a form with the eye, they mentally explore a form that supports gladness, a form that supports distress, and a form that supports dynamic balance.

The same pattern applies for ear and sounds, nose and smells, tongue and tastes, and body and tangibles.

When someone knows a dhamma with the mind, they mentally explore a dhamma that supports gladness, a dhamma that supports distress, and a dhamma that supports dynamic balance.

So there are six explorations of gladness, six explorations of distress, and six explorations of dynamic balance. These are the eighteen mental explorations to be known.

That is why it was said.

The Thirty-Six Positions

"'The thirty-six positions should be known' was said. Why was that said?

There are six gladnesses tied to the household life, six gladnesses tied to renunciation, six distresses tied to the household life, six distresses tied to renunciation, six dynamic balances tied to the household life, and six dynamic balances tied to renunciation.

Household-Tied Gladness

And what are the six gladnesses tied to the household life?

For visible forms knowable by the eye that are wished for, loved, agreeable, delightful, charming, and bound up with worldly bait, gladness arises either when a person obtains them, when they reflect on having obtained them, or when they recall forms once obtained but now past, ended, and changed. That kind of gladness is called gladness tied to the household life.

The same pattern applies for sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles.

For dhammas knowable by the mind that are wished for, loved, agreeable, delightful, charming, and bound up with worldly bait, gladness arises either when a person obtains them, when they reflect on having obtained them, or when they recall dhammas once obtained but now past, ended, and changed. That kind of gladness is called gladness tied to the household life.

These are the six gladnesses tied to the household life.

Renunciation-Tied Gladness

And what are the six gladnesses tied to renunciation?

Knowing the inconstancy, change, fading, and quenching of forms, someone sees with right discernment as they have come to be: 'Forms before and forms now, all of them are inconstant, dissatisfactory, and subject to change.' Gladness arises from that. That kind of gladness is called gladness tied to renunciation.

The same pattern applies for sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles.

Knowing the inconstancy, change, fading, and quenching of dhammas, someone sees with right discernment as they have come to be: 'Dhammas before and dhammas now, all of them are inconstant, dissatisfactory, and subject to change.' Gladness arises from that. That kind of gladness is called gladness tied to renunciation.

These are the six gladnesses tied to renunciation.

Household-Tied Distress

And what are the six distresses tied to the household life?

For visible forms knowable by the eye that are wished for, loved, agreeable, delightful, charming, and bound up with worldly bait, distress arises either when a person does not obtain them, when they reflect on not having obtained them, or when they recall forms once obtained but now past, ended, and changed. That kind of distress is called distress tied to the household life.

The same pattern applies for sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles.

For dhammas knowable by the mind that are wished for, loved, agreeable, delightful, charming, and bound up with worldly bait, distress arises either when a person does not obtain them, when they reflect on not having obtained them, or when they recall dhammas once obtained but now past, ended, and changed. That kind of distress is called distress tied to the household life.

These are the six distresses tied to the household life.

Renunciation-Tied Distress

And what are the six distresses tied to renunciation?

Knowing the inconstancy, change, fading, and quenching of forms, someone sees with right discernment as they have come to be: 'Forms before and forms now, all of them are inconstant, dissatisfactory, and subject to change.' Then they arouse longing for the unsurpassed releases: 'When will I enter and remain in that field where the noble ones now enter and remain?'

While they are arousing longing for the unsurpassed releases, distress arises because of that longing. That kind of distress is called distress tied to renunciation.

The same pattern applies for sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles.

Knowing the inconstancy, change, fading, and quenching of dhammas, someone sees with right discernment as they have come to be: 'Dhammas before and dhammas now, all of them are inconstant, dissatisfactory, and subject to change.' Then they arouse longing for the unsurpassed releases: 'When will I enter and remain in that field where the noble ones now enter and remain?'

While they are arousing longing for the unsurpassed releases, distress arises because of that longing. That kind of distress is called distress tied to renunciation.

These are the six distresses tied to renunciation.

Household-Tied Dynamic Balance

And what are the six dynamic balances tied to the household life?

Seeing a form with the eye, dynamic balance arises in a foolish, confused, ordinary, unlearned person who has not conquered the bounds or the results and does not see the danger. That dynamic balance does not go beyond the form. So it is called dynamic balance tied to the household life.

The same pattern applies for sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles.

Knowing a dhamma with the mind, dynamic balance arises in a foolish, confused, ordinary, unlearned person who has not conquered the bounds or the results and does not see the danger. That dynamic balance does not go beyond the dhamma. So it is called dynamic balance tied to the household life.

These are the six dynamic balances tied to the household life.

Renunciation-Tied Dynamic Balance

And what are the six dynamic balances tied to renunciation?

Knowing the inconstancy, change, fading, and quenching of forms, someone sees with right discernment as they have come to be: 'Forms before and forms now, all of them are inconstant, dissatisfactory, and subject to change.' Dynamic balance arises from that. That dynamic balance goes beyond the form. So it is called dynamic balance tied to renunciation.

The same pattern applies for sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles.

Knowing the inconstancy, change, fading, and quenching of dhammas, someone sees with right discernment as they have come to be: 'Dhammas before and dhammas now, all of them are inconstant, dissatisfactory, and subject to change.' Dynamic balance arises from that. That dynamic balance goes beyond the dhamma. So it is called dynamic balance tied to renunciation.

These are the six dynamic balances tied to renunciation.

That is why it was said.

Supported by This, Give Up That

"'Here, supported by this, give up that' was said. Why was that said?

Bhikkhus, supported by the six gladnesses tied to renunciation, give up and go beyond the six gladnesses tied to the household life. That is how they are given up. That is how they are gone beyond.

Supported by the six distresses tied to renunciation, give up and go beyond the six distresses tied to the household life. That is how they are given up. That is how they are gone beyond.

Supported by the six dynamic balances tied to renunciation, give up and go beyond the six dynamic balances tied to the household life. That is how they are given up. That is how they are gone beyond.

Supported by the six gladnesses tied to renunciation, give up and go beyond the six distresses tied to renunciation. That is how they are given up. That is how they are gone beyond.

Supported by the six dynamic balances tied to renunciation, give up and go beyond the six gladnesses tied to renunciation. That is how they are given up. That is how they are gone beyond.

There is a dynamic balance that is tied to diversity, and there is a dynamic balance that is tied to oneness.

And what is the dynamic balance tied to diversity?

There is dynamic balance for forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles. This is called dynamic balance tied to diversity.

And what is the dynamic balance tied to oneness?

There is dynamic balance supported by the sphere of boundless space, dynamic balance supported by the sphere of boundless knowing, dynamic balance supported by the sphere of nothingness, and dynamic balance supported by the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-non-recognition. This is called dynamic balance tied to oneness.

Supported by the dynamic balance tied to oneness, give up and go beyond the dynamic balance tied to diversity. That is how it is given up. That is how it is gone beyond.

Supported by non-identification, grounded in non-identification, give up and go beyond the dynamic balance tied to oneness. That is how it is given up. That is how it is gone beyond.

That is why it was said.

Three Establishments of Sati

"'There are three establishments of sati that a noble person cultivates, cultivating which a teacher is fit to instruct a group' was said. Why was that said?

Bhikkhus, out of compassion and seeking their welfare, a teacher teaches the Dhamma to disciples: 'This is for your benefit; this is for your happiness.'

But the disciples do not listen, do not lend an ear, do not apply their minds to knowing, and they practice turning away from the teacher's instruction.

Then the Tathāgata is neither upset nor does he experience upset. He stays untroubled, remembering, with clear knowing.

This is called the first establishment of sati that a noble person cultivates, cultivating which a teacher is fit to instruct a group.

Again, out of compassion and seeking their welfare, a teacher teaches the Dhamma to disciples: 'This is for your benefit; this is for your happiness.'

Some disciples do not listen, do not lend an ear, do not apply their minds to knowing, and they practice turning away from the teacher's instruction. But some disciples do listen, do lend an ear, do apply their minds to knowing, and they do not practice turning away from the teacher's instruction.

Then the Tathāgata is neither upset nor does he experience upset. But neither is he pleased nor does he experience pleasure. Leaving both displeasure and pleasure aside, he stays in dynamic balance, remembering, with clear knowing.

This is called the second establishment of sati that a noble person cultivates, cultivating which a teacher is fit to instruct a group.

Again, out of compassion and seeking their welfare, a teacher teaches the Dhamma to disciples: 'This is for your benefit; this is for your happiness.'

And the disciples do listen, do lend an ear, do apply their minds to knowing, and they do not practice turning away from the teacher's instruction.

Then the Tathāgata is pleased and experiences pleasure, yet he stays untroubled, remembering, with clear knowing.

This is called the third establishment of sati that a noble person cultivates, cultivating which a teacher is fit to instruct a group.

That is why it was said.

The Unsurpassed Trainer

"'They are called the unsurpassed trainer of trainable people' was said. Why was that said?

Bhikkhus, when an elephant is trained by an elephant trainer, it runs only in one direction: east, west, north, or south.

When a horse is trained by a horse trainer, it runs only in one direction: east, west, north, or south.

When an ox is trained by an ox trainer, it runs only in one direction: east, west, north, or south.

But when a person is trained by the Tathāgata, the arahant, the fully awakened Buddha, that person runs in eight directions:

  • perceiving form internally, they see external forms
  • not perceiving form internally, they see external forms
  • they are intent only on the beautiful
  • going beyond all form-recognition, with the ending of resistance-recognition and without attending to diversity-recognition, they enter and remain in the sphere of boundless space
  • going beyond the sphere of boundless space, they enter and remain in the sphere of boundless knowing
  • going beyond the sphere of boundless knowing, they enter and remain in the sphere of nothingness
  • going beyond the sphere of nothingness, they enter and remain in the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-non-recognition
  • going beyond the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-non-recognition, they enter and remain in the quenching of recognition and feeling

That is how a person trained by the Tathāgata runs in these eight directions.

So they are called the unsurpassed trainer of trainable people.

That is what the Buddha said. The bhikkhus were glad and welcomed what the Buddha had said.

Words used in this translation (23)
arahant
Someone who has completed the path and has nothing further to do. Left untranslated; "saint" and "perfected one" both mislead.
Bhante
A respectful way of addressing a senior monastic, roughly "venerable sir." Left untranslated because English has no natural equivalent.
bhikkhus
Buddhist monks -- those who have left household life to practise full time. The Buddha's usual way of addressing the assembly, roughly "friends" in force.
body
The physical body, as distinct from speech and the mental side of experience.
clear knowing
Knowing plainly what you are doing while you are doing it.
contact
This project's rendering of "phassa" -- the meeting of a sense, its object, and the knowing of it. A technical link in the dependent-arising sequence, not physical touch specifically.
dhamma
Depending on the sentence, either the Buddha's teaching or simply a thing, quality, or state of affairs. These texts use one word for both, and each passage makes clear which it means.
Dhamma
The Buddha's teaching taken as a whole -- both what he taught and the way things actually are, which the teaching describes.
dynamic balance
This project's rendering of "upekkhā" (often translated "equanimity") -- a steadiness that stays engaged rather than checking out, distinct from indifference.
fading
The fading away of attraction and investment in experience, as passion cools.
form
This project's rendering of "rūpa" -- the physical, material aspect of experience, one of the five heaps.
gladness
This project's rendering of "muditā", often translated "sympathetic joy". It means being truly glad at someone else's good fortune. You cultivate it as a practice; you do not assume it comes naturally.
knowing
This project's rendering of "viññāṇa" (often translated "consciousness") -- bare awareness of an object through one of the senses or the mind.
oneness
This project's rendering of "ekatta" in MN 121: the single recognition the mind rests on at each step, once it has set the coarser ones aside.
quenching
An extinguishing image for dissatisfaction and its causes going out. Different Pali words use this image on different pages, so the exact scope comes from the sentence.
recognition
This project's rendering of "saññā" (often translated "perception") -- the mind's act of identifying and labeling what it encounters.
remembering
This project's rendering of "sati". It means actively keeping what matters in mind and coming back to it when you lose it. It is not bare attention to whatever happens to be present.
resistance
A reflexive pushing-away from what's unwanted, arising automatically in response to unpleasant feeling.
right discernment
Seeing accurately how something actually came about, rather than holding a correct opinion about it.
sphere of boundless knowing
A deep meditative state in which awareness rests on knowing itself without limit.
sphere of boundless space
A deep meditative state in which awareness rests on space without limit.
sphere of nothingness
A deep meditative state in which awareness rests on there being nothing at all to take up.
Tathāgata
A title for the Buddha, traditionally left untranslated. It means roughly "the one who has arrived at things as they truly are."
Source and corrections