SĀ 1.1 Impermanent

Introduction

SĀ 1.1 is a simple yet appropriate way to begin the Saṃyukta Āgama. As the first sutra, it serves as a clear and direct expression of the early Buddhist thesis: Liberation requires disengagement from desire and delight for impermanent experiences. When we are no longer impelled by delight and desire for them, it's tantamount to the mind's liberation, which is the ultimate goal of the religious life and the end of rebirth.

Here, five things serve as a catchall for any impermanent experience that's delightful and desired: Form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. By seeing the impermanence of these things, one becomes disillusioned with them. This causes delight and desire to fall away, which makes liberation from them possible. Essentially, the Buddha is describing an addiction treatment program, but the addiction is to impermanent experiences in general, not just obviously self-destructive ones. As we shall see in the next three sutras (SĀ 1.2-4: Painful, Empty, and Not Self), this is also true of things that are painful, empty, and not self. Strictly speaking, SĀ 1.1-4 can be regarding as a single sutra that characterizes these five categories with four attributes, as each sutra substitutes one of the four into the same sutra template. We shall see in sutras to follow that the painfulness, emptiness, and selflessness of these things were considered natural consequences of impermanence, and so these four attributes can be regarded as synonyms.

As the opening sutra for the Skandha Saṃyukta, these first four sutras define the context of the five aggregates in the Buddhist teaching without going into any detail about them. Indeed, we won't encounter the term "five acquired aggregates" until SĀ 1.19, and form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness won't be given technical (i.e., Abhidharma) definitions until SĀ 1.153. The general organization of this saṃyukta proceeds from the simplest sutras to more detailed and specific teachings, which has the effect of easing the reader into the sea of terms and ideas that are associated with the five aggregates. We're only getting our toes wet at this point.

Translation

§	Chinese	English Translation
	一；一（一）	SĀ 1.1 Impermanent (T99.1)
1.	如是我聞：一時，佛住舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園。	Thus I have heard: One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī.
2.	爾時，世尊告諸比丘：「當觀色無常，如是觀者，則為正見；正觀者則生厭離，厭離者喜貪盡，喜貪盡者說心解脫。	It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “You should observe that form is impermanent. Such observation then is right view. Correctly observing it then gives rise to disillusionment. Being disillusioned, delight and greed [for form] will end. When delight and greed [for form] have ended, that’s said to be the mind’s liberation.
3.	如是觀受⋯⋯想⋯⋯行⋯⋯識無常，如是觀者，則為正見；正觀者則生厭離，厭離者喜貪盡，喜貪盡者說心解脫。	“Thus, observe that feeling … perception … volition … consciousness is impermanent. Such observation then is right view. Correctly observing it then gives rise to disillusionment. Being disillusioned, delight and greed [for consciousness] will end. When delight and greed [for consciousness] have ended, that’s said to be the mind’s liberation.
4.	如是比丘！心解脫者，若欲自證，則能自證：『我生已盡，梵行已立，所作已作，自知不受後有』」。	“Thus, monks, someone wanting to realize the mind's liberation for themselves then can realize it: ‘My births have been ended, the religious practice has been established, and the task has been accomplished. I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.’”
5.	時諸比丘聞佛所說，歡喜奉行。	When the monks heard what the Buddha taught, they rejoiced and approved.

Parallels

When we compare this sutra to those found in Pali, we find that it closely matches SN 22.12 and 51. Specifically, the teaching about the aggregates closely matches what we find in SN 22.51, although it has been abbreviated and has a slightly simpler formula. SN 22.12 appears to be a more succinct version of the same teaching that separates the statement that the five aggregates are impermanent from the process of liberation. SN 22.12 also includes the stock passage describing self-realization that concludes SĀ 1.1. My conclusion is that this either an expanded variant of SN 22.12 or 22.51, or a single sutta was split into two in the Pali tradition. The close match of wording suggests that the material descends from the pre-sectarian period.

§	SĀ 1.1	SN 22.51	SN 22.12
1.	如是我聞：一時，佛住舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園。	Sāvatthinidānaṃ.	evaṃ me sutaṃ— sāvatthiyaṃ.
2.	爾時，世尊告諸比丘：「當觀色無常，如是觀者，則為正見；正觀者則生厭離，厭離者喜貪盡，喜貪盡者說心解脫。	“Aniccaññeva, bhikkhave, bhikkhu rūpaṃ aniccanti passati. Sāssa hoti sammādiṭṭhi. Sammā passaṃ nibbindati. Nandikkhayā rāgakkhayo, rāgakkhayā nandikkhayo. Nandirāgakkhayā cittaṃ vimuttaṃ suvimuttanti vuccati.	“rūpaṃ, bhikkhave, aniccaṃ, vedanā aniccā, saññā aniccā, saṅkhārā aniccā, viññāṇaṃ aniccaṃ. Evaṃ passaṃ, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako rūpasmimpi nibbindati, vedanāyapi nibbindati, saññāyapi nibbindati, saṅkhāresupi nibbindati, viññāṇasmimpi nibbindati. Nibbindaṃ virajjati; virāgā vimuccati.
3.	如是觀受⋯⋯想⋯⋯行⋯⋯識無常，如是觀者，則為正見；正觀者則生厭離，厭離者喜貪盡，喜貪盡者說心解脫。	Aniccaññeva, bhikkhave, bhikkhu vedanaṃ aniccanti passati. Sāssa hoti sammādiṭṭhi. Sammā passaṃ nibbindati. Nandikkhayā rāgakkhayo, rāgakkhayā nandikkhayo. Nandirāgakkhayā cittaṃ vimuttaṃ suvimuttanti vuccati. Aniccaññeva, bhikkhave, bhikkhu saññaṃ aniccanti passati … pe … anicceyeva bhikkhave, bhikkhu saṅkhāre aniccāti passati. Sāssa hoti sammādiṭṭhi. Sammā passaṃ nibbindati. Nandikkhayā rāgakkhayo, rāgakkhayā nandikkhayo. Nandirāgakkhayā cittaṃ vimuttaṃ suvimuttanti vuccati. Aniccaññeva, bhikkhave, bhikkhu viññāṇaṃ aniccanti passati. Sāssa hoti sammādiṭṭhi. Sammā passaṃ nibbindati. Nandikkhayā rāgakkhayo, rāgakkhayā nandikkhayo. Nandirāgakkhayā cittaṃ vimuttaṃ suvimuttanti vuccatī”ti.
4.	如是比丘！心解脫者，若欲自證，則能自證：『我生已盡，梵行已立，所作已作，自知不受後有』」。	∅	Vimuttasmiṃ vimuttamiti ñāṇaṃ hoti. ‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṃ brahmacariyaṃ, kataṃ karaṇīyaṃ, nāparaṃ itthattāyā’ti pajānātī”ti.
5.	時諸比丘聞佛所說，歡喜奉行。	∅	∅

There's also an internal parallel to this sutra found at SĀ 2.1. In fact, the first four sutras of SĀ 2 use the same template as SĀ 1.1-4, applying it to the six sense fields instead of the five aggregates. Below is a table comparing SĀ 1.1 to SĀ 2.1. This comparison is also a good illustration of how the translation style of SĀ changes after the first couple fascicles. Grammatical differences, such as using 故 instead of 則 for the conditional clauses and making 我 explicit, are likely translator(s) choices. On the other hand, SĀ 2.1 probably varied from SĀ 1.1 in the abbreviation of §3-4 and the addition of 正 to 觀 and 解脫.

§	SĀ 1.1	SĀ 2.1
1.	如是我聞：一時，佛住舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園。	如是我聞：一時，佛住舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園。
2.	爾時，世尊告諸比丘：「當觀色無常，如是觀者，則為正見；正觀者則生厭離，厭離者喜貪盡，喜貪盡者說心解脫。	爾時，世尊告諸比丘：「當正觀察眼無常，如是觀者，是名正見。正觀故生厭，生厭故離喜、離貪；離喜、貪故，我說心正解脫。
3.	如是觀受⋯⋯想⋯⋯行⋯⋯識無常，如是觀者，則為正見；正觀者則生厭離，厭離者喜貪盡，喜貪盡者說心解脫。	如是耳⋯⋯鼻⋯⋯舌⋯⋯身⋯⋯意，離喜、離貪；離喜、貪故，比丘！我說心正解脫。
4.	如是比丘！心解脫者，若欲自證，則能自證：『我生已盡，梵行已立，所作已作，自知不受後有』」。	心正解脫者，能自記說：『我生已盡，梵行已立，所作已作，自知不受後有』」。
5.	時諸比丘聞佛所說，歡喜奉行。	佛說此經已，諸比丘聞佛所說，歡喜奉行。