I had a look at the Sunnataloka sutta ( SuttaCentral ), and I’m curious about the following potion, with respect to the ellipses:
Forms are empty of self and of what belongs to self. Eye-consciousness is empty of self and of what belongs to self. Eye-contact is empty of self and of what belongs to self…. Whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition—whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant—that too is empty of self and of what belongs to self.
My understanding is that when suttas have the 5 aggregates or the 6 sense bases, and there is repetition with respect to the other words, at least the first aggregate or sense base (typically involving form/eyes) is laid out in full, and the other aggregates or sense bases are laid out in ellipses.
In the Sunnataloka sutta, it appears to me, that if the above pattern were to be followed, the following sentence would also be included?
Whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as condition—whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant—that too is empty of self and of what belongs to self
Currently, in the Sunnataloka sutta, the above appears to be left out, with ellipses following and ending with the last portion of the last sense base (mind/mind-objects), thus leading to my doubt.
Could anyone confirm my understanding that the portion indicated in italics is indeed part of the sutta?
@Adutiya I don’t think this post is an error notification. Dhamma-learning is asking that in the sutta (even in the Pāli version), the segment starts with “Eye”, and ends with “Mind”:
@dhamma_learning: Feel free to consider that all 6 senses are applied to the complete segment here. It’s just an interesting segmentation on the part of the redactors, indeed.
I was just about to reply in the old place when suddenly the post had disappeared!
Indeed, @Adutiya , this is not an error, as already noted by Dogen.
So here my reply:
Yes. Usually it is helpful to look at the preceding sutta(s) or at the first one in the relevant chapter. In the case of your sutta SN35.85, the preceding one, SN35.84, is the first one in the chapter, and although it is already abbreviated (it is in a highly abbreviated section), it gives you a better idea of the whole pattern. Where SN35.85 has “empty”, SN35.84 has “liable to wear out”, but otherwise is the same.
The eye is liable to wear out. Sights … eye consciousness … eye contact is liable to wear out. The painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on eye contact is also liable to wear out.
The ear … nose … tongue … body …
The mind … ideas … mind consciousness … mind contact is liable to wear out. The painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact is also liable to wear out.
Dhamma-learning is asking that in the sutta (even in the Pāli version), the segment starts with “Eye”, and ends with “Mind”: