Identity and Experience_Hamilton_1996

The attitude towards the body
SN.1.131; MN.II.65; SN.1.131, 111.120.
SN.1.131: IminiipitikQena bhindanenapabhatigunii . .. ; Dhammapada 148: bh&atipihandeh.
SN.III.120: . . . imincipftika>ena . . . Tam kim man"n"(7ri Vhkkali: nipam nucam vii aniccap vii ti?. The
use of nipa and not kqa in the second part of this passage is not, in my opinion, significant:
impermanence is, after all, an attribute of all aspects of nipa, not just the body. Nor do I
consider that the fact that the teaching given to Vakkali in this passage is usually
considered to be ad hominem affects the point I am making here.
AN.IV.386.
By extension, the term kusala has the sense of 'skilful', referring to spiritually beneficial
activites. This was extensively developed by Mahayana Buddhism where the frequently
used expression 'skill in means' (Sanskrit: upqa kauiaha) refers to activities which are
beneficial either to one's own spiritual progress or, in the case of a bodhisattva, in the
assisting of others to salvation. This led to the suggestion by some Mahayana Buddhists
that the Buddha's life as Gotama and his early teaching were but part of his upliya kadalya
to help all beings out of sapsira in a way they could understand at that time, the later form
of them being superior or more complete.
Sn 240-1: Yad admmcino sukatam sunittham parehi dinnam payatam pa@tam . . . paribhufijamiino . . .
nu iimagandho mama ka@ati ti. Tainted fare' is Norman's translation (Th Group ofDircourses,
'992, p.27).
Sn 242.
Sn 243, 248, 245. A lengthy description in the Samyutta Aiikqa of what each stage of the
noble Eightfold Path means refers to qualities similar to those in the Sutta Mpita passage
discussed here (SN.V.8fl). cf also Dhammafiada, chapter XXVI (383fl).
Sn 249: Na macchamapsam nZn&akattam na -yam rnudeam ja@jab kharcsjkini tllig-gthuttm'
uparevanii vayiiye vii pi lob amari bahi tap5 mankihutiyaiiiia-m-uhi~arevanii sodhenti maccam ... . I
have followed Norman's translation. I shall refer to his use of round brackets below.
Sn 250: Sottsu gutto vijitindriyo care dhamme fiito ajavamaddave rato satigatgo sabbadukkhaflahino nu
lij$ati dittharutesu dhiro. I have followed Norman's translation except for relocating 'One
should wander' at the beginning of the verse for easier reading.
AN.IV.386: Anitnrcchiidana-panmaddana-bhedana-v-mma.
GS.IV.258.
I will discuss the term nibbidE below.
SN.V.320.
Vin.III.68f:
Vin.III.68; SN.V.32of: Tm kho panu samayena bhagavii bhikkhham a&panyCrym arubhakatJzam
kahti. Asubhl?ya vagam bhisati; asubhabhiivan*a vacm bhcisati; adirra iidirra asubhmamtSpatCiyii
vapnam bhisati. Asubha can also be translated as 'what is not beautiful' (Woodward's
translation of SN.V.32o uses 'unlovely': KS.V.284). This translation has the same
implication of impermanence as 'impure' does.
Te anekc7kiiravokiiram ancbhabhiivaniinuyogam anuyutki viharanti, te sakena kgena attiyanti jarciyanti
j&ucchanti.
Vin.III.68: Sgyathiipi niima itthi vi puriro vii daharoyuvii madanakajitiko siiam nhrito ahikupzpena
vii kukkurakupzpena vii manussakupzfiena vii ka@e Zsattena a#jeyya har@eyya jigucchgya.
Evam eva te bhikkhg sakena kqena a@yantii harc?yantij@cchantii attaniipi atkinam jivitci voropenti
aiifiamairiram pijivitii voropenti.
Vin.III.6gc sN.V321.
Vin.111.71: Ygarahi buddho bhagavii. Ananucchauiyam bhikkhave tesam bhikkhQ~ ananulomi(cam
uppatinipam asrcimayakam akapfiyam akara@yam.
Satthahiiraka: bringing a knife so that a bhiWchu can kill himself.
Ibid.: Yo pana bhikkhu saircicca manussav&jaham jivitii vorofigrya satthahiirakam vka panyeseyya,
ayam pi pir@iko hoti aamviiSO 'ti.
sN.V.321: Siidhu bhnte bhagavi an"tZam pany(7vam Watu tathiiyathl7yam bhikkhuratigho aAR(7ra
sa~ahgya ti.
There are other accounts of bhikWlus committing suicide in the Sutta Wka (for example at
SN.I:12ofi SN.III.I~~~), but they are not attributable to misunderstanding the nature of the
body. The purpose of such passages, and the Vinaya passage discussed here, may have been
primarily to indicate that one should not commit suicide. This does not, however,
invalidate the point I have made.
Norman (trans.), 1992, p.30.