Satta saññā sutta: Discourse on seven perceptions
By Dr. Ari Ubeysekara
Introduction
All of the discourses delivered by the Lord Gautama Buddha, who lived and preached in India during the 6th and 5th century BC, were grouped into five collections at the first Buddhist council that was held three months after the passing away of the Buddha in 483 BC.
- Collection of long discourses (dīgha nikāya)
- Collection of middle length discourses (majjhima nikāya)
- Collection of connected discourses (samyutta nikāya)
- Collection of numerical discourses (anguttara nikāya)
- Collection of minor discourses (khuddaka nikāya)
Collection of numerical discourses (anguttara nikāya) contain the discourses in eleven groups (nipātas), grouped numerically from one to eleven, based on the number of facts discussed by the Buddha in each discourse. Satta saññā sutta is included in the Mahāyañña vagga of the seventh group of the discourses in the Anguttara Nikāya. (1)
Content of Satta saññā sutta
“Monks, these seven perceptions, when cultivated and pursued, are of great fruit, of great benefit. They gain a footing in the Deathless, have the Deathless as the final end.”
“What seven?”
“The perception of foulness, the perception of death, the perception of loathsomeness in food, the perception of not delighting in all the world, the perception of impermanence, the perception of suffering in the impermanent, the perception of not-self in the suffering.”
“Monks, when the perception of foulness is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; for what reason was it said?”
“Monks, when a monk attends to the perception of foulness continuously, his mind shrinks away from sexual intercourse, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it. Either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him. Monks, just as a cock’s feather or a piece of tendon, when thrown into a fire, shrinks away from it, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it, in the same way, when a monk attends to the perception of foulness continuously, his mind shrinks away from sexual intercourse, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it. Either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him.”
“However, monks, if a monk who attends to the perception of foulness continuously, his mind inclines to sexual intercourse, or if loathsomeness is not established towards it, then he should realise: ‘I have not developed the perception of foulness; there is no step by step distinction in me; I have not gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation.”
“But, monks, when a monk attends to the perception of foulness continuously, if his mind shrinks away from sexual intercourse, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it, and either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him, then he should realise: ‘I have developed the perception of foulness; there is step by step distinction in me; I have gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation. When perception of foulness is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; and this is why it was said.”
[In the Girimānanda sutta of the Anguttara Nikāya (collection of the Buddha’s numerical discourses), the Buddha has described reflection on foulness as follows:
“And what, Ānanda, is the perception of foulness? Herein, Ānanda, a monk contemplates this body upward from the soles of the feet, downward from the top of the hair, enclosed in skin, as being full of many kinds of impurities. In this body there are head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, stomach, faeces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, nasal mucous, synovial fluid and urine. Thus he remains focussed on contemplating on foulness of this body. This, Ānanda, is called the perception of foulness.”] (2)
“Monks, when the perception of death is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; for what reason was it said?”
“Monks, when a monk attends to the perception of death continuously, his mind shrinks away from the love of life, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it. Either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him. Monks, just as a cock’s feather or a piece of tendon, when thrown into a fire, shrinks away from it, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it, in the same way, when a monk attends to the perception of death continuously, his mind shrinks away from the love of life, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it. Either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him.”
“However, monks, if a monk who attends to the perception of death continuously, his mind inclines to the love of life, or if loathsomeness is not established towards it, then he should realise: ‘I have not developed the perception of death; there is no step by step distinction in me; I have not gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation.”
“But, monks, when a monk attends to the perception of death continuously, if his mind shrinks away from the love of life, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it, and either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him, then he should realise: ‘I have developed the perception of death; there is step by step distinction in me; I have gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation. When perception of death is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; and this is why it was said.”
[Meditation of reflecting on death is one of the oldest meditation practices in the Buddhist religious practice and is one of the forty meditation objects used in the practice of concentration meditation to develop concentration and tranquillity. From a Buddhist point of view, death is a universal and inevitable natural event subsequent to the birth of each and every living creature including human beings. One can reflect on the uncertainty, shortness and fragility of life and the certainty, inevitability and universality of death which can happen at any moment due to numerous causes. From a spiritual point of view, a significant positive effect of the practice of reflecting on death would be the development of spiritual urgency (saṁvega).]
“Monks, when the perception of loathsomeness in food is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; for what reason was it said?”
“Monks, when a monk attends to the perception of loathsomeness in food continuously, his mind shrinks away from craving for taste, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it. Either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him. Monks, just as a cock’s feather or a piece of tendon, when thrown into a fire, shrinks away from it, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it, in the same way, when a monk attends to the perception of loathsomeness in food continuously, his mind shrinks away from craving for taste, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it. Either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him.”
“However, monks, if a monk who attends to the perception of loathsomeness in food continuously, his mind inclines to craving for taste, or if loathsomeness is not established towards it, then he should realise: ‘I have not developed the perception of loathsomeness in food; there is no step by step distinction in me; I have not gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation.”
“But, monks, when a monk attends to the perception of loathsomeness in food continuously, if his mind shrinks away from craving for taste, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it, and either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him, then he should realise: ‘I have developed the perception of loathsomeness in food; there is step by step distinction in me; I have gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation. When perception of loathsomeness in food is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; and this is why it was said.”
[In the Buddhist scriptures, four nutriments (satara āhāra) are mentioned: Physical food (kabalinkāhāra), sense impression (phassa), volitional thoughts (mano sancetanā) and consciousness (viññāna). In developing perception of loathsomeness of food, it is the physical or edible food that one reflects on.]
“Monks, when the perception of not delighting in all the world is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; for what reason was it said?”
“Monks, when a monk attends to the perception of not delighting in all the world continuously, his mind shrinks away from worldly thoughts, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it. Either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him. Monks, just as a cock’s feather or a piece of tendon, when thrown into a fire, shrinks away from it, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it, in the same way, when a monk attends to the perception of not delighting in all the world continuously, his mind shrinks away from worldly thoughts, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it. Either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him.”
“However, monks, if a monk who attends to the perception of not delighting in all the world continuously, his mind inclines to worldly thoughts, or if loathsomeness is not established towards it, then he should realise: ‘I have not developed the perception of not delighting in all the world; there is no step by step distinction in me; I have not gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation.”
“But, monks, when a monk attends to the perception of not delighting in all the world continuously, if his mind shrinks away from worldly thoughts, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it, and either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him, then he should realise: ‘I have developed the perception of not delighting in all the world; there is step by step distinction in me; I have gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation. When perception of not delighting in all the world is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; and this is why it was said.”
[All the world refers to the three world systems of sensual world (kāma loka), fine material world (rūpa loka) and the formless immaterial world (arūpa loka). In the Girimānanda sutta, the Buddha has described development of perception of not delighting in all the world as follows:
“And what, Ānanda, is the perception of distaste for every world? Herein, Ānanda, a monk, lives by abandoning any concern and clinging to this world, by abandoning mental prejudices, wrong beliefs, and latent tendencies concerning this world, not grasping them but becomes detached by giving them up. This, Ānanda, is called the perception of distaste for every world.”]
“Monks, when the perception of impermanence is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; for what reason was it said?”
“Monks, when a monk attends to the perception of impermanence continuously, his mind shrinks away from gains, offerings and fame, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to them. Either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him. Monks, just as a cock’s feather or a piece of tendon, when thrown into a fire, shrinks away from it, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to it, in the same way, when a monk attends to the perception of impermanence continuously, his mind shrinks away from gains, offerings and fame, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to them. Either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him.”
“However, monks, if a monk who attends to the perception of impermanence continuously, his mind inclines to gains, offerings and fame, or if loathsomeness is not established towards them, then he should realise: ‘I have not developed the perception of impermanence; there is no step by step distinction in me; I have not gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation.”
“But, monks, when a monk attends to the perception of impermanence continuously, if his mind shrinks away from gains, offerings and fame, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn to them, and either equanimity or loathsomeness is established in him, then he should realise: ‘I have developed the perception of impermanence; there is step by step distinction in me; I have gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation. When perception of impermanence is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; and this is why it was said.”
[In the Girimānanda sutta, the Buddha has described development of the perception of impermanence as follows:
“And what, Ānanda, is the perception of impermanence? Herein, Ānanda, a monk, who has gone to the forest or to the foot of a tree, or to an empty place, contemplates thus, matter is impermanent, feeling is impermanent, perception is impermanent, formations are impermanent, consciousness is impermanent. Thus he remains focussed on impermanence of these five aggregates of clinging. This, Ānanda, is called the perception of impermanence.”]
“Monks, when the perception of suffering in the impermanent is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; for what reason was it said?”
“Monks, when a monk attends to the perception of suffering in the impermanent continuously, a keen perception of danger and fear is established in him towards lethargy, laziness, slackness, heedlessness, lack of commitment and lack of reflection, as if towards a murderer brandishing a sword.”
“However, monks, if a monk who attends to the perception of suffering in the impermanent continuously, a keen perception of danger and fear is not established in him towards lethargy, laziness, slackness, heedlessness, lack of commitment and lack of reflection, as if towards a murderer brandishing a sword, then he should realise: ‘I have not developed the perception of suffering in the impermanent; there is no step by step distinction in me; I have not gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation.”
“But, monks, when a monk attends to the perception of suffering in the impermanent continuously, a keen perception of danger and fear is established in him towards lethargy, laziness, slackness, heedlessness, lack of commitment and lack of reflection, as if towards a murderer brandishing a sword, then he should realise: ‘I have developed the perception of suffering in the impermanent, there is step by step distinction in me; I have gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation. When perception of suffering in the impermanent is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; and this is why it was said.”
“Monks, when the perception of not self in the suffering is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; for what reason was it said?”
“Monks, when a monk attends to the perception of not self in the suffering continuously, his mind is devoid of I-making, my-making, and conceit with regard to this conscious body, and all external signs. It has gone beyond any discrimination, and is peaceful and well liberated.
“However, monks, if a monk who attends to the perception of not self in the suffering continuously, his mind is not devoid of I-making, my-making, and conceit with regard to this conscious body, and all external signs. It has not gone beyond any discrimination, and is not peaceful or well liberated, then he should realise: ‘I have not developed the perception of not self in the suffering; there is no step by step distinction in me; I have not gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation.”
“But, monks, when a monk attends to the perception of not self in the suffering continuously, his mind is devoid of I-making, my-making, and conceit with regard to this conscious body, and all external signs. It has gone beyond any discrimination, and is peaceful and well liberated, then he should realise: ‘I have developed the perception of not self in the suffering, there is step by step distinction in me; I have gained the fruit of mental development’. Thus he is clearly aware of the situation. When perception of not self in the suffering is cultivated and developed, it is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as the final end. Thus it is said; and this is why it was said.”
[In the Girimānanda sutta, the Buddha has described development of the perception of not self as follows:
“And what, Ānanda, is the perception of not-self? Herein, Ānanda, a monk, who has gone to the forest or to the foot of a tree, or to an empty place, contemplates thus, the eye is not-self, visible objects are not-self, the ear is not-self, sounds are not-self, the nose is not-self, smells are not-self, the tongue is not-self, tastes are not-self, the body is not-self, tangible objects are not-self, the mind is not-self, mental objects are not-self. Thus, he remains focussed on contemplating not-self in these internal and external bases. This, Ānanda, is called the perception of not-self.”]
“Monks, these seven perceptions, when cultivated and pursued, are of great fruit, of great benefit. They gain a footing in the Deathless, have the Deathless as the final end.”
In the Satta saññā sutta, the Buddha has given a detailed description of how to develop seven perceptions which can eventually lead to liberation when they are cultivated and continuously developed. In this discourse, the term perception refers to a theme or a perceptual object rather than the general use of the word referring to perceiving an object through one of the sense bases and as one of the five aggregates of clinging. In the Buddhist scriptures, different sets of perceptions ranging from five perceptions to ten perceptions can be found in different discourses with some overlap. For example, the Buddha has described five perceptions in the Patama saññā sutta (3), and ten perceptions in the Girimānanda sutta, both of which can be found in the Anguttara Nikāya.
References
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 2012, Satta saññā sutta, The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, Anguttara Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 2012, Girimānanda sutta, The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, Anguttara Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 2012, Patama saññā sutta, The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, Anguttara Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
End.
drarisworld 