The Buddha's Second Talk: the original, side by side

At one time the Buddha was staying near Varanasi, in the deer park at Isipatana. There the Buddha addressed the group of five mendicants: “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

The Buddha was still at the deer park near Varanasi, and he turned to the five seekers and said:

“Mendicants, form is not-self. For if form were self, it wouldn’t lead to affliction. And you could compel form: ‘May my form be like this! May it not be like that!’ But because form is not-self, it leads to affliction. And you can’t compel form: ‘May my form be like this! May it not be like that!’

Here's something to look at closely. The body isn't you. If the body really were you — your self, the thing you actually are — then it would never let you down, and you'd be able to tell it: 'Be like this, don't be like that,' and it would obey. But you can't. The body gets sick, ages, falls apart, ignores your wishes completely. That is why it cannot be self.

Feeling is not-self … Perception is not-self … Choices are not-self … Consciousness is not-self. For if consciousness were self, it wouldn’t lead to affliction. And you could compel consciousness: ‘May my consciousness be like this! May it not be like that!’ But because consciousness is not-self, it leads to affliction. And you can’t compel consciousness: ‘May my consciousness be like this! May it not be like that!’

And the same goes for the rest of what you take yourself to be: the body isn't you; your feelings — pleasant, unpleasant, neutral — aren't you; your perceptions — the way you recognize and label things — aren't you; your impulses — the mental formations that drive what you do — aren't you; your awareness itself — the knowing that's happening — isn't you. For every one of them, it's the same test: if it were truly you, it would do what you say and never cause you grief. But none of them do. They all break down, shift, and run on their own. So none of them are you. (These five are traditionally called the Five Aggregates — in canonical translation: form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness.)

What do you think, mendicants? Is form permanent or impermanent?” “Impermanent, sir.” “But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?” “Suffering, sir.” “But if it’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, is it fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?” “No, sir.” “Is feeling permanent or impermanent?” … “Is perception permanent or impermanent?” … “Are choices permanent or impermanent?” … “Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?” “Impermanent, sir.” “But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?” “Suffering, sir.” “But if it’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, is it fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?” “No, sir.”

Then the Buddha walked them through it directly. Tell me — is the body something that lasts, or something that changes? It changes, they said. And something that's always changing — does that bring ease, or does it bring suffering? Suffering. So does it make any sense to look at something that's always changing, that brings suffering, that won't hold still — and say, 'This is mine, this is what I am, this is my self'? No. It doesn't. He ran the same three questions through all five — body, feelings, perceptions, impulses, awareness — and every time the answer came back the same: always changing, never reliable, not worth calling me.

“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.’ Any kind of feeling at all … Any kind of perception at all … Any kind of choices at all … You should truly see any kind of 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.’

So here's how to see it. Any body at all — past, future, or right now; your own or someone else's; near or far; big or small; disgusting or magnificent — look at it honestly and you'll see: this isn't mine, this isn't what I am, this isn't my self. And the same for every feeling, every perception, every impulse, every flicker of awareness — all of it: not mine, not me, not myself.

Seeing 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.’”

When you really see this, you stop being so gripped by all of it. You stop clinging to the body, to feelings, to perceptions, to impulses, to awareness. And when the grip lets go, you're free. And once you're free, you know you're free — you can feel it directly: Birth is ended, the holy life has been lived, the task is done, there is no more becoming.

That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the group of five mendicants approved what the Buddha said.

That's what the Buddha said, and the five of them were glad to hear it.

And while this discourse was being spoken, the minds of the group of five mendicants were freed from defilements by not grasping.

And while he was speaking, something completed in all five of them at once. Letting go of every last bit of grasping, their minds came fully free. At that point there were six fully awakened people in the world — the five of them, and the Buddha.