Avijjāpahānasutta
Giving Up Ignorance
A mendicant asks the Buddha how to see so as to give up ignorance. The Buddha says one should see the six interior and exterior sense fields as impermanent.
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Saṁyojanappahānasutta
Giving Up Fetters
A mendicant asks the Buddha how to see so as to give up the fetters. The Buddha says one should see the six interior and exterior sense fields as impermanent.
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Saṁyojanasamugghātasutta
Uprooting the Fetters
A mendicant asks the Buddha how to see so as to uproot the fetters. The Buddha says one should see the six interior and exterior sense fields as not-self.
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Āsavapahānasutta
Giving Up Defilements
A mendicant asks the Buddha how to see so as to give up the defilements. The Buddha says one should see the six interior and exterior sense fields as impermanent.
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Āsavasamugghātasutta
Uprooting Defilements
A mendicant asks the Buddha how to see so as to uproot the defilements. The Buddha says one should see the six interior and exterior sense fields as not-self.
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Anusayapahānasutta
Giving Up Tendencies
A mendicant asks the Buddha how to see so as to give up the underlying tendencies. The Buddha says one should see the six interior and exterior sense fields as impermanent.
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Anusayasamugghātasutta
Uprooting Tendencies
A mendicant asks the Buddha how to see so as to uproot the underlying tendencies. The Buddha says one should see the six interior and exterior sense fields as not-self.
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Sabbupādānapariññāsutta
The Complete Understanding of All Grasping
To fully understand grasping, see how sense experience gives rise to feeling.
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Paṭhamasabbupādānapariyādānasutta
The Depletion of All Fuel (1st)
To end grasping, see how sense experience gives rise to feeling.
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Dutiyasabbupādānapariyādānasutta
The Depletion of All Fuel (2nd)
To end grasping, investigate the six sense fields as impermanent, etc.
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Paṭhamamigajālasutta
With Migajāla (1st)
Venerable Migajāla asks how one lives alone, and how with a partner. The Buddha says that so long as one is bound by desire to the senses, one lives with a partner. A mendicant free of such desire dwells alone, even if they live in close association with worldly people.
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Dutiyamigajālasutta
With Migajāla (2nd)
Venerable Migajāla asks for a teaching to take on retreat. The Buddha teaches him that the senses are delightful, but if you hold to them you will suffer. Meditating on this while on retreat, Migajāla became awakened.
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Paṭhamasamiddhimārapañhāsutta
Samiddhi’s Question About Māra
Venerable Samiddhi asks the Buddha what Māra is. The Buddha says that Māra is present so long as the senses exist.
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Samiddhisattapañhāsutta
Samiddhi’s Question About a Sentient Being
Venerable Samiddhi asks the Buddha what a “sentient being” is. The Buddha says that a sentient being is present so long as the senses exist.
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Samiddhidukkhapañhāsutta
Samiddhi’s Question About Suffering
Venerable Samiddhi asks the Buddha what suffering is. The Buddha says that suffering is present so long as the senses exist.
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Samiddhilokapañhāsutta
Samiddhi’s Question About the World
Venerable Samiddhi asks the Buddha what the world is. The Buddha says that the world is present so long as the senses exist.
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Upasenaāsīvisasutta
Upasena and the Viper
A viper bit Venerable Upasena, but he remained poised, declaring that he had no identification with the six senses.
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Upavāṇasandiṭṭhikasutta
Upavāna on What is Apparent in the Present Life
The teaching that can be realized in this very life is the desire for the senses, and letting go of that desire.
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Paṭhamachaphassāyatanasutta
Six Fields of Contact (1st)
One who does not understand the six senses’ origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape is no true mendicant. A mendicant speaks up, saying that he does not truly understand these things, so the Buddha teaches him further.
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Dutiyachaphassāyatanasutta
Six Fields of Contact (2nd)
One who does not understand the six senses’ origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape is no true mendicant. A mendicant speaks up, saying that he does not truly understand these things, so the Buddha teaches him further.
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Tatiyachaphassāyatanasutta
Six Fields of Contact (3rd)
One who does not understand the six senses’ origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape is no true mendicant. A mendicant speaks up, saying that he does not truly understand these things, so the Buddha teaches him further.
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Paṭhamagilānasutta
Sick (1st)
Hearing that a newly-ordained mendicant was sick, the Buddha visited him to offer support and Dhamma encouragement.
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Dutiyagilānasutta
Sick (2nd)
Hearing that a newly-ordained mendicant was sick, the Buddha visited him to offer support and Dhamma encouragement.
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Rādhaaniccasutta
With Rādha on Impermanence
Venerable Rādha asks for a teaching to take on retreat. The Buddha told him to abandon desire for sense experience, which is impermanent.
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Rādhadukkhasutta
With Rādha on Suffering
Venerable Rādha asks for a teaching to take on retreat. The Buddha told him to abandon desire for sense experience, which is suffering.
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Rādhaanattasutta
With Rādha on Not-Self
Venerable Rādha asks for a teaching to take on retreat. The Buddha told him to abandon desire for sense experience, which is not-self.
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Paṭhamaavijjāpahānasutta
Giving Up Ignorance (1st)
Through giving up ignorance, knowledge arises. To do this, contemplate the six senses as impermanent.
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Dutiyaavijjāpahānasutta
Giving Up Ignorance (2nd)
Through giving up ignorance, knowledge arises. To do this, contemplate the six senses as impermanent. Then a mendicant truly understands, and sees everything differently.
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Sambahulabhikkhusutta
Several Mendicants
Some mendicants check with the Buddha that it’s correct to say that the spiritual life is lived to end suffering. The Buddha answers that it is, and explains what that suffering is: the process of sense experience.
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Lokapañhāsutta
A Question On the World
The “world” consisting of six sense experience is said to be falling apart.
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Phaggunapañhāsutta
Phagguna’s Question
The Buddhas of the past cannot be described in terms of the six senses.
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Palokadhammasutta
Liable to Wear Out
The Buddha tells Ānanda that in the training of the noble one the “world” consisting of six sense experience is liable to wear out.
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Suññatalokasutta
The World is Empty
The Buddha tells Ānanda that the “world” consisting of six sense experience is empty because it is empty of self and what belongs to self.
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Saṁkhittadhammasutta
A Teaching In Brief
Ānanda asks for a teaching to take on retreat. The Buddha teaches him that the senses are impermanent, etc.
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Channasutta
With Channa
Sāriputta and Mahācunda visit Channa, who is ill. Channa says that he lacks for no care, but is in such great pain that he wishes to take his own life, insisting that he will do so blamelessly. Sāriputta tries to dissuade him, and questions him closely about attachment to the six senses. Later Channa does take his own life, and the Buddha confirmed that, despite Sāriputta’s doubts, he was indeed blameless.
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Puṇṇasutta
With Puṇṇa
Venerable Puṇṇa goes to the Buddha and asks for a teaching before he departs to the foreign land of Sunāparanta. The Buddha warns him that folk there are fierce, and questions whether he is ready for such a difficult assignment.
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Bāhiyasutta
With Bāhiya
Venerable Bāhiya asks for a teaching to take on retreat. The Buddha teaches him that the senses are impermanent, etc.
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Paṭhamaejāsutta
Turbulence (1st)
Being stirred by craving is painful, so the Realized One lives unstirred, not identifying with any aspect of sense experience.
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Dutiyaejāsutta
Turbulence (2nd)
Being stirred by craving is painful, so the Realized One lives unstirred, not identifying with any aspect of sense experience, or indeed, with the entire scope of the aggregates, elements, and senses.
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Paṭhamadvayasutta
A Duality (1st)
The dyad is the interior sense organ with its corresponding exterior sense stimulus.
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Dutiyadvayasutta
A Duality (2nd)
Consciousness arises from the dyad of the interior sense organ with its corresponding exterior sense stimulus. All these things are conditioned, impermanent, and constantly falling apart.
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Adantaaguttasutta
Untamed, Unguarded
The six fields of contact lead to suffering if left unguarded, but if guarded lead to happiness. A lengthy set of verses illustrate this.
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Mālukyaputtasutta
Māluṅkyaputta
Venerable Māluṅkyaputta asks for a teaching to take on retreat. The Buddha wonders how to teach an old monk like him, then questions him on his desire for sense experience that has been or might be, and encourages him to simply let sense experience be. Māluṅkyaputta says he understands, and expands the Buddha’s teaching in a series of verses.
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Parihānadhammasutta
Liable to Decline
When a mendicant tolerates evil thoughts that arise from the senses, they are liable to decline. If they don’t tolerate them, they’re not liable to decline. When such thoughts not longer arise, they have mastered the senses.
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Pamādavihārīsutta
One Who Lives Negligently
When a mendicant lives without restraint regarding the senses, they are negligent. If they have restraint, they are diligent.
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Saṁvarasutta
Restraint
Non-restraint is delighting in the senses, restraint is not delighting in them.
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Samādhisutta
Immersion
Develop meditative immersion so as to truly understand the process of sense experience.
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Paṭisallānasutta
Retreat
Develop seclusion so as to truly understand the process of sense experience.
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Paṭhamanatumhākasutta
It’s Not Yours (1st)
Let go of what is not yours: the process of sense experience. You wouldn’t be upset if someone took the grass and sticks from the monastery grounds, so why worry over the aggregates?
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Dutiyanatumhākasutta
It’s Not Yours (2nd)
Let go of what is not yours: the process of sense experience.
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Udakasutta
About Uddaka
The Buddha’s former teacher Uddaka Rāmaputta claimed to be a knowledge master, a universal victor, who had excised the tumor. But a true knowledge master understands the senses, a victor is freed from them, and excising the tumor is being free from attachment to the body.