Reading guide
All past-life recollection reduces to the aggregates
The discourse opens with a claim structurally similar to SN 22.47's sweeping statement about self-view: whatever ascetics and brahmins recollect many kinds of past lives, all of them, without exception, are recollecting nothing but the five grasping aggregates or one of them — “I had such form in the past,” and so on. Past-life memory, however vivid or elaborate it seems, never exceeds this fivefold scope.
A folk etymology for each of the five names
The discourse's most distinctive passage explains why each aggregate bears its name: form (rūpa) is called so because it is deformed (ruppati) by cold, heat, hunger, thirst, and the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles; feeling (vedanā) because it feels (vedeti) pleasure, pain, and neutral; perception (saññā) because it perceives (sañjānāti) colors; choices (saṅkhārā) because they construct (saṅkharonti) conditioned phenomena — each of the five aggregates is itself named as a conditioned phenomenon that choices construct, including choices constructing choices themselves; and consciousness (viññāṇa) because it cognizes (vijānāti) tastes.
"Bitten" by each aggregate, past, present, and future
The discourse's title image follows directly: a learned noble disciple reflects, “currently I'm bitten by form. In the past I was also bitten by form just like now. If I were to look forward to enjoying form in the future, I'd be bitten by form in the future just as I am today.” This reflection, repeated for each aggregate, produces the same practical outcome as SN 22.9's earlier three-times argument — not being concerned with the past, not looking forward to the future, practicing for disillusionment regarding the present — but reached here through the visceral image of being gnawed at rather than through logical argument alone.
Two fourfold formulas, closing in the gods' own confusion
After the standard three-times/eleven-fold-scope argument, the discourse names a fourfold description of the liberated disciple — one who gets rid of and doesn't accumulate, gives up and doesn't grasp, unmeshes and doesn't enmesh, dissipates and doesn't get clouded — then a second, subtler variant describing one who does none of these things actively but simply “remains after” having already done them. The discourse closes with gods paying homage from afar in verse, confessing “we don't understand the basis of your absorption” — ending not in explanation but in an admission of incomprehension before the liberated mind.
Key terms
The text
§1“Mendicants, whatever ascetics and brahmins recollect many kinds of past lives, all recollect the five grasping aggregates, or one of them. What five? ‘I had such form in the past.’ Recollecting thus, it’s only form that they recollect. ‘I had such feeling …
§2choices … consciousness in the past.’ Recollecting thus, it’s only consciousness that they recollect.
§3And why do you call it form? It’s deformed; that’s why it’s called ‘form’. Deformed by what? Deformed by cold, heat, hunger, and thirst, and deformed by the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles. It’s deformed; that’s why it’s called ‘form’.
§4And why do you call it feeling? It feels; that’s why it’s called ‘feeling’. And what does it feel? It feels pleasure, pain, and neutral. It feels; that’s why it’s called ‘feeling’.
§5And why do you call it perception? It perceives; that’s why it’s called ‘perception’. And what does it perceive? It perceives blue, yellow, red, and white. It perceives; that’s why it’s called ‘perception’.
§6And why do you call them choices? Choices produce conditioned phenomena; that’s why they’re called ‘choices’. And what are the conditioned phenomena that they produce? Form is a conditioned phenomenon; choices are what make it into form. Feeling is a conditioned phenomenon; choices are what make it into feeling. Perception is a conditioned phenomenon; choices are what make it into perception. Choices are conditioned phenomena; choices are what make them into choices. Consciousness is a conditioned phenomenon; choices are what make it into consciousness. Choices produce conditioned phenomena; that’s why they’re called ‘choices’.
§7And why do you call it consciousness? It cognizes; that’s why it’s called ‘consciousness’. And what does it cognize? It cognizes sour, bitter, pungent, sweet, hot, mild, salty, and bland. It cognizes; that’s why it’s called ‘consciousness’.
§8A learned noble disciple reflects on this: ‘Currently I’m bitten by form. In the past I was also bitten by form just like now. If I were to look forward to enjoying form in the future, I’d be bitten by form in the future just as I am today.’ Reflecting like this they are not concerned with past form, they don’t look forward to enjoying future form, and they practice for disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding present form.
§9consciousness. In the past I was also bitten by consciousness just like now. If I were to look forward to enjoying consciousness in the future, I’d be bitten by consciousness in the future just as I am today.’ Reflecting like this they are not concerned with past consciousness, they don’t look forward to enjoying future consciousness, and they practice for disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding present consciousness.
§10“So you should truly see any kind of form at all—past, future, or present; internal or external; solid or subtle; inferior or superior; far or near: <em>all</em> form—with right understanding: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’ You should truly see any kind of feeling … perception … choices … consciousness at all—past, future, or present; internal or external; solid or subtle; inferior or superior; far or near: <em>all</em> consciousness—with right understanding: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’
§11This is called a noble disciple who gets rid of and doesn’t accumulate; who gives up and doesn’t grasp; who umeshes and doesn’t enmesh; who dissipates and doesn’t get clouded. And what things do they get rid of and not accumulate? They get rid of form and don’t accumulate it. They get rid of feeling … perception … choices … consciousness and don’t accumulate it.
§12Seeing this, a learned noble disciple grows disillusioned with form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. Being disillusioned, desire fades away. When desire fades away they’re freed. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed. They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’
§13This is called a mendicant who neither gets rid of nor accumulates, but remains after getting rid. They neither give up nor grasp, but remain after giving up. They neither unmesh nor enmesh, but remain after unmeshing. They neither dissipate nor get clouded, but remain after dissipating.
§14When a mendicant’s mind is freed like this, the gods together with Indra, the Divinity, and the Progenitor worship them from afar:
§15‘Homage to you, O thoroughbred! Homage to you, supreme among men! We don’t understand the basis of your absorption.’”
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