SN 35.92 · Pali Canon (Tipiṭaka) – English & Pāli · Verses Across
Buddhism · Sutta Pitaka · Linked Discourses (Saṁyutta)
SN 35.92
A Duality (1st) · Paṭhamadvayasutta
EnglishEnglish
PāliPali
“Mendicants, I will teach you a duality. Listen … And what is a duality? It’s just the eye and sights, the ear and sounds, the nose and smells, the tongue and tastes, the body and touches, and the mind and ideas. This is called a duality.
“Dvayaṁ vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi. Taṁ suṇātha. Kiñca, bhikkhave, dvayaṁ? Cakkhuñceva rūpā ca, sotañceva saddā ca, ghānañceva gandhā ca, jivhā ceva rasā ca, kāyo ceva phoṭṭhabbā ca, mano ceva dhammā ca— idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, dvayaṁ.
Mendicants, suppose someone was to say: ‘I’ll deny this duality and describe another duality.’ They’d have no grounds for that claim, they’d be stumped by questions, and, in addition, they’d get frustrated. Why is that? Because they’re out of their element.”
