Sacred Texts: Buddhism

Buddhism in Translations - § 23. The Origin and Cessation of the Human Being.

Henry Clarke WarrenPali Canon TranslationsTheravada Buddhism

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This is a selection of canonical Buddhist suttas from the Pali Canon (Samyutta Nikaya, Chapter 22), presented in the sutta dialogue format characteristic of Theravada scripture: the Buddha addresses monastics with structured teachings, often followed by verse summaries. The central argument is that human existence is constituted by the five "attachment-groups" (form, sensation, perception, predispositions, consciousness), and that clinging to these aggregates is what generates continued rebirth and suffering. The Buddha frames this through several complementary metaphors — the burden and its bearer, the support-structure of consciousness, the act of "seeking" — all converging on the same claim: existence arises through clinging and ceases through its abandonment. A notably precise technical claim appears regarding consciousness: it has no independent existence but depends entirely on the other four aggregates for its arising, growth, and continuity, meaning liberation requires severing attachment to all five simultaneously. The text is distinctive for how efficiently it moves from abstract doctrine to practical instruction, culminating in an account of a monk who immediately applies the teaching, attains liberation within his lifetime, and "was of the number of the saints." Readers interested in the core mechanics of Buddhist soteriology — specifically how desire, clinging, and the aggregates interlock — will find this a compact and representative primary source.

Buddhism in Translations - § 23. The Origin and Cessation of the Human Being.

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