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Tidipa

Upādānaparipavattasutta (The Discourse on the Turnings Regarding Fuel)

· 36 min read

13S3/1.2.1.4, at Sāvatthī: the Bhagavā's claim to perfect awakening rests on knowing the five collections of fuel in four turnings, each collection defined with its origin, its cessation and the path to its cessation.

Original text: 13S3/1.2.1.4 Upādānaparipavattasutta 256–271 in the World Tipitaka Edition

Summary

Section titled “Summary”

At Sāvatthī the Bhagavā grounds his claim to perfect awakening in having experientially understood the five collections of fuel in four turnings: each collection, its origin, its cessation and the path leading to its cessation. Form, feeling, apperception, mental constructions and consciousness are each defined, with food, contact or phenomenal objects as their origin and the eightfold path as the way to their cessation. Those who practise for disenchantment with them find a footing in the Dhamma and Discipline; those liberated without grasping are perfected, with no round by which to describe them.

Diagram

Section titled “Diagram”
flowchart TB
    U["five collections of fuel"] --> F["form"] & V["feeling"] & S["apperception"] & M["mental constructions"] & C["consciousness"]
    subgraph T["the four turnings"]
        T1["the collection"] --> T2["its origin"] --> T3["its cessation"] --> T4["the path to its cessation"]
    end
    F & V & S & M & C --> T
    T --> P1["practising for disenchantment"] --> Q1["a footing in the Dhamma and Discipline"]
    T --> P2["liberated without grasping"] --> Q2["perfected, no round to describe them"]

Text

Section titled “Text”

(56.)

256. [The Bhagavā] was dwelling at Sāvatthī. “There are, Bhikkhave, these five upādānakkhandha (collections of fuel). What five? The collection of form as fuel, the collection of feeling as fuel, the collection of apperception as fuel, the collection of mental constructions as fuel, the collection of consciousness as fuel. And as long as, Bhikkhave, I did not experientially understand these five collections of fuel in four turnings yathābhūta (in reality), then, Bhikkhave, I did not claim to have abhisambuddha anuttara sammāsambodhi (fully awakened to the perfect awakening unsurpassed by anything) in this world having devas, Māra, Brahmā, religious practitioners, pajā (living beings), sadevamanussa (devas and humans). But when, Bhikkhave, I experientially understood these five collections of fuel in four turnings yathābhūta (in reality), then, Bhikkhave, I claimed to have abhisambuddha anuttara sammāsambodhi (fully awakened to the perfect awakening unsurpassed by anything) in this world having devas … and so on … sadevamanussa (devas and humans).

257. And how in four turnings? I experientially understood form, I experientially understood the origin of form, I experientially understood the cessation of form, I experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of form; feeling … apperception … mental constructions … I experientially understood consciousness, I experientially understood the origin of consciousness, I experientially understood the cessation of consciousness, I experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of consciousness.

258. And what, Bhikkhave, is form? The four great elements and form derived from the four great elements. This, Bhikkhave, is called form. With the origin of food comes the origin of form; with the cessation of food comes the cessation of form. This very ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo (Eightfold Path) is the path leading to the cessation of form, that is to say: right view … and so on … right focus.

259. Whatever wanderers or brahmins, Bhikkhave, having thus experientially understood form, having thus experientially understood the origin of form, having thus experientially understood the cessation of form, having thus experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of form, are practising for disenchantment with form, for detachment, for cessation, they are practising well. Those who are practising well find a footing in this Dhamma and Discipline.

260. But whatever wanderers or brahmins, Bhikkhave, having thus experientially understood form … and so on … having thus experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of form, are liberated through disenchantment with form, through detachment, through cessation, not grasping, they are well liberated. Those who are well liberated are perfected. For those who are perfected there is no round for describing [them].

261. And what, Bhikkhave, is feeling? There are, Bhikkhave, these six classes of feeling: feeling arisen from eye-contact, feeling arisen from ear-contact, feeling arisen from nose-contact, feeling arisen from tongue-contact, feeling arisen from body-contact, and feeling arisen from mind-contact. This, Bhikkhave, is called feeling. With the origin of contact comes the origin of feeling; with the cessation of contact comes the cessation of feeling. This very ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo (Eightfold Path) is the path leading to the cessation of feeling, that is to say: right view … and so on … right focus.

262. Whatever wanderers or brahmins, Bhikkhave, having thus experientially understood feeling, having thus experientially understood the origin of feeling, having thus experientially understood the cessation of feeling, having thus experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of feeling, are practising for disenchantment with feeling, for detachment, for cessation, they are practising well. Those who are practising well find a footing in this Dhamma and Discipline.

263. But whatever wanderers or brahmins, Bhikkhave, having thus experientially understood feeling … and so on … having thus experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of feeling … and so on … for them there is no round for describing [them].

264. And what, Bhikkhave, is apperception? There are, Bhikkhave, these six classes of apperception: apperception of forms, apperception of sounds, apperception of smells, apperception of tastes, apperception of tangibles, and apperception of mental characteristics. This, Bhikkhave, is called apperception. With the origin of contact comes the origin of apperception; with the cessation of contact comes the cessation of apperception. This very ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo (Eightfold Path) is the path leading to the cessation of apperception, that is to say: right view … and so on … right focus … and so on … for them there is no round for describing [them].

265. And what, Bhikkhave, are mental constructions? There are, Bhikkhave, these six classes of volitional thoughts (intentions): thoughts about forms, thoughts about sounds, thoughts about smells, thoughts about tastes, thoughts about contacts, and thoughts about mental characteristics. These, Bhikkhave, are called mental constructions. With the origin of contact comes the origin of mental constructions; with the cessation of contact comes the cessation of mental constructions. This very ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo (Eightfold Path) is the path leading to the cessation of mental constructions, that is to say: right view … and so on … right focus.

266. Whatever wanderers or brahmins, Bhikkhave, having thus experientially understood mental constructions, having thus experientially understood the origin of mental constructions, having thus experientially understood the cessation of mental constructions, having thus experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of mental constructions, are practising for disenchantment with mental constructions, for detachment, for cessation, they are practising well. Those who are practising well find a footing in this Dhamma and Discipline.

267. But whatever wanderers or brahmins, Bhikkhave, having thus experientially understood mental constructions, having thus experientially understood the origin of mental constructions, having thus experientially understood the cessation of mental constructions, having thus experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of mental constructions, are liberated through disenchantment with mental constructions, through detachment, through cessation, not grasping, they are well liberated. Those who are well liberated are perfected. For those who are perfected there is no round for describing [them].

268. And what, Bhikkhave, is consciousness? There are, Bhikkhave, these six classes of consciousness: eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, and mind-consciousness. This, Bhikkhave, is called consciousness. With the origin of phenomenal objects comes the origin of consciousness; with the cessation of phenomenal objects comes the cessation of consciousness. This very ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo (Eightfold Path) is the path leading to the cessation of consciousness, that is to say: right view … and so on … right focus.

269. Whatever wanderers or brahmins, Bhikkhave, having thus experientially understood consciousness, having thus experientially understood the origin of consciousness, having thus experientially understood the cessation of consciousness, having thus experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of consciousness, are practising for disenchantment with consciousness, for detachment, for cessation, they are practising well. Those who are practising well find a footing in this Dhamma and Discipline.

270. But whatever wanderers or brahmins, Bhikkhave, having thus experientially understood consciousness, having thus experientially understood the origin of consciousness, having thus experientially understood the cessation of consciousness, having thus experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of consciousness, are liberated through disenchantment with consciousness, through detachment, through cessation, not grasping, they are well liberated. Those who are well liberated are perfected. For those who are perfected there is no round for describing [them].”

271. The fourth [discourse of the chapter].

Commentary

Section titled “Commentary”
  • catuparivaṭṭa “four turnings” (parivaṭṭa “turning”): the collection, its origin, its cessation and the path, set against the three phases and twelve aspects of the Dhammacakka (3V/1.6, 79–80), whose claim-to-awakening sentence this page adapts.
  • upādānakkhandha “collection of fuel”, samudaya “origin”, nirodha “cessation”, the eightfold path “of the liberated”: the glossary’s renderings; the path’s eight parts are on buddhavacana’s Eightfold Path page.
  • āhāra “food” (the DPD’s first sense; also fuel, sustenance, nutriment) is the origin of form; contact is the origin of feeling, apperception and mental constructions, phenomenal objects of consciousness.
  • kevalī “perfected” and vaṭṭa “round”: the liberated have no round by which they could be described; the author’s reading of the round is on buddhavacana’s Dependent Origination page.
  • The definition of mental constructions (265) is the author’s own in the textbook’s bonus chapter, section 13; its wording stands here.

Parallels

Section titled “Parallels”

The Chinese parallel shares the frame and the order of the exposition: the Buddha at Jeta’s grove in Sāvatthī (舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園, p. 9b) names the five collections of fuel (五受陰) and his knowledge of them as they really are, then defines each in turn, form as the four great elements and form derived from them (一切四大及四大造色, p. 9b), feeling as the six classes born of contact through eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind (六受身, p. 9b), apperception as six classes (六想身, pp. 9b–c), mental constructions as the six classes of volition (六思身, p. 9c) and consciousness as the six classes of consciousness (六識身, p. 9c), with contact as the origin of feeling, apperception and volition and name-and-form (名色) as the origin of consciousness, and closes with the wanderers and brahmins who know and see the collections thus. The differences, read in CBETA’s text:

  • Five aspects, not four turnings. The Chinese knows each collection “in five ways” (五種如實知, p. 9b): the collection, its origin (集), its gratification (味), its danger (患) and the escape from it (離); the Pāḷi’s four turnings are the collection, its origin, its cessation and the path leading to its cessation, so the Chinese has neither the cessation nor the eightfold path, and the Pāḷi neither gratification, danger nor escape.
  • The origin of form. The Chinese gives “delight and love for form” (於色喜愛，是名色集, p. 9b); the Pāḷi gives food (āhāra, 258).
  • The claim to awakening. The Pāḷi opens with the two sentences on not claiming and claiming perfect awakening (256); the Chinese has only “I know these five collections of fuel in five ways as they really are” (我於此五受陰，五種如實知, p. 9b).
  • Gratification, danger and escape are each defined in the Chinese: the joy and happiness arising dependent on the collection, its being impermanent, suffering and of a nature to change, and the subduing, abandoning and overcoming of desire and lust for it (調伏欲貪、斷欲貪、越欲貪, pp. 9b–c); the Pāḷi has none of these.
  • The practitioners. The Chinese says that wanderers and brahmins who know and see form thus and incline to dispassion “incline rightly” and “enter” (離欲向，是名正向。若正向者，我說彼入, p. 9c), and that those disenchanted and freed from the defilements are “wholly one” (純一), have established the optimal life and are independent of others, “the end of suffering” (是名苦邊, p. 10a); the Pāḷi has a footing in the Dhamma and Discipline (259) and the perfected with no round by which to describe them (260).
  • Abbreviation. The Chinese gives every collection in full; the Pāḷi abbreviates the practitioners’ sections for feeling and apperception (263, 264) and the list of the path’s parts.
  • The close. The Chinese ends with the bhikkhū rejoicing (歡喜奉行, p. 10a); the Pāḷi ends with the chapter count.

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