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Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 35.94

Untamed, Unguarded

Adantaaguttasutta — Saḷavagga

Setting
At Sāvatthī
Speakers
The Buddha alone, no interlocutor named
Form
A prose statement in two mirrored halves — suffering when untamed, happiness when tamed — followed by the Buddha's own eight verses restating the same teaching
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
A rough counterpart may exist in the Chinese Saṃyukta-āgama (T99), though this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — a plain teaching, but the closing verses reward close reading

Why this discourse

This discourse opens Saḷavagga, this book's own tenth vagga — and, unlike Migajālavagga, Gilānavagga, or Channavagga just before it, this vagga is not named for a person. Sujato's own English renders it simply “The Sixes,” and this opening discourse supplies the reason: it turns on the six fields of contact (phassāyatana), untamed and unguarded on one hand, well tamed and well guarded on the other. The prose states the teaching twice, mirrored; the Buddha's own verses then restate it a third time, working through each sense field's own pair of pleasant and unpleasant objects in turn. One verse's own mention of “duality” — pleasant and painful touches held with equanimity — echoes the closing discourses of the vagga just finished, where a duality of eye and sights was shown giving rise to consciousness.

Reading guide

A vagga named for a number, not a person

Saḷavagga — “the six(es)” — breaks the pattern of Migajālavagga, Gilānavagga, and Channavagga, each named for a person met in its own first discourse. This vagga's own opening turns on the six fields of contact themselves, tamed or untamed, supplying the number that names it.

Suffering and happiness, mirrored

The prose gives the same structure twice: the six fields of contact (eye through mind) bring suffering when untamed, unguarded, unprotected, and unrestrained — and bring happiness when the same four qualities are reversed. Nothing else changes between the two halves but the outcome.

Eight verses, each sense in turn

The Buddha's own verses that follow work through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, each with the same instruction: neither cling to the pleasant nor hate the unpleasant. The touch verse's own mention of “duality” — looking with equanimity at pleasant and painful contacts together — picks up the same word Channavagga's own closing pair (SN 35.92–93) used for eye and sights giving rise to consciousness, bridging the two vaggas.

Proliferation and renunciation

The closing verses turn from the six senses individually to how perception in general is handled: people let perception proliferate (papañca, the same term MN 18 treats at length) and so become attracted, where the alternative is casting aside the mental constructions of domestic life and wandering intent on renunciation.

Key terms

phassāyatana — field of contact — this vagga's own namesake target, six in number
danta…gutta — tamed…guarded — the positive pair this discourse's own title negates
dvayaṁ — duality — named at the touch verse, echoing Channavagga's own closing pair
papañca — proliferation — treated at length in MN 18, named here as ordinary people's own habit with perception
nekkhamma — renunciation — what the closing verse sets against proliferation and domestic mental constructions

The text

The complete discourse: the prose teaching in two mirrored halves, followed by the Buddha's own eight verses. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, these six fields of contact bring suffering when they’re untamed, unguarded, unprotected, and unrestrained. What six? The field of eye contact brings suffering when it’s untamed, unguarded, unprotected, and unrestrained. The field of ear contact … nose contact … tongue contact … body contact … The field of mind contact brings suffering when it’s untamed, unguarded, unprotected, and unrestrained. These six fields of contact bring suffering when they’re untamed, unguarded, unprotected, and unrestrained.

§2These six fields of contact bring happiness when they’re well tamed, well guarded, well protected, and well restrained. What six? The field of eye contact brings happiness when it’s well tamed, well guarded, well protected, and well restrained. The field of ear contact … nose contact … tongue contact … body contact … The field of mind contact brings happiness when it’s well tamed, well guarded, well protected, and well restrained. These six fields of contact bring happiness when they’re well tamed, well guarded, well protected, and well restrained.” That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

§3“Mendicants, it’s just the six fields of contact that lead the unrestrained to suffering. Those who understand how to restrain them live with faith as partner, not festering.

§4When you’ve seen pleasant sights and unpleasant ones, too, get rid of all manner of desire for the pleasant, without hating what you don’t like.

§5When you’ve heard sounds both liked and disliked, don’t fall under the thrall of sounds you like, get rid of hate for the unliked, and don’t hurt your mind by thinking of what you don’t like.

§6When you’ve smelled a pleasant, fragrant scent, and one that’s foul and unpleasant, get rid of aversion for the unpleasant, while not yielding to desire for the pleasant.

§7When you’ve enjoyed a sweet, delicious taste, and sometimes those that are bitter, don’t be attached to enjoying sweet tastes, and don’t despise the bitter.

§8Don’t be intoxicated by a pleasant touch, and don’t tremble at a painful touch. Look with equanimity at the duality of pleasant and painful contacts, without favoring or opposing anything.

§9People generally let their perceptions proliferate; perceiving and proliferating, they are attracted. Casting aside all mental constructions of the domestic life, wander intent on renunciation.

§10When the mind is well developed like this regarding the six, it doesn’t waver at contacts at all. Mendicants, those who have mastered greed and hate go beyond birth and death.”

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Self-check quiz

5 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 5
What brings suffering when untamed, unguarded, unprotected, and unrestrained, according to this discourse's own opening?
Correct: A. Phassāyatana — the same target that gives this vagga its own name.
Question 2 of 5
What does Sujato's own English render this vagga's Pali name, Saḷavagga, as?
Correct: A. Unlike the person-named vaggas just before it, this one is named for a number.
Question 3 of 5
What word in the touch verse echoes Channavagga's own closing pair of discourses?
Correct: A. SN 35.92–93 used the same word for eye and sights giving rise to consciousness.
Question 4 of 5
What term does this discourse's closing verses use for how ordinary people handle perception, a term MN 18 treats at length?
Correct: A. Perceiving and proliferating, people become attracted — the alternative is renunciation.
Question 5 of 5
How many verses does the Buddha add after the mirrored prose teaching?
Correct: A. Restating the same teaching a third time, sense field by sense field.
Answered 0 of 5 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousSN 35.93 · A Duality (2nd)