Ādittapariyāya Sutta: The Fire Sermon

Buddha’s discourse on the burning entanglements of senses.

Sabbaṃ bhikkhave ādittaṃ. Monks, all is burning.

— SN 35:28

On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Gaya, on Gaya Head, together with a thousand monks. There the Blessed One addressed the monks thus:

“Monks, all is burning. And what, monks, is the all that is burning? The eye is burning, forms are burning, eye-consciousness is burning, eye-contact is burning, and whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as condition — whether pleasant or painful or neither painful nor pleasant — that too is burning. Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of delusion; burning with birth, aging, and death; with sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

“The ear is burning, sounds are burning, ear-consciousness is burning, ear-contact is burning, and whatever feeling arises with ear-contact as condition — whether pleasant or painful or neither painful nor pleasant — that too is burning. Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of delusion; burning with birth, aging, and death; with sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

“The nose is burning, odours are burning, nose-consciousness is burning, nose-contact is burning, and whatever feeling arises with nose-contact as condition — whether pleasant or painful or neither painful nor pleasant — that too is burning. Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of delusion; burning with birth, aging, and death; with sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

“The tongue is burning, tastes are burning, tongue-consciousness is burning, tongue-contact is burning, and whatever feeling arises with tongue-contact as condition — whether pleasant or painful or neither painful nor pleasant — that too is burning. Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of delusion; burning with birth, aging, and death; with sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

“The body is burning, tactile objects are burning, body-consciousness is burning, body-contact is burning, and whatever feeling arises with body-contact as condition — whether pleasant or painful or neither painful nor pleasant — that too is burning. Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of delusion; burning with birth, aging, and death; with sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

“The mind is burning, mental objects are burning, mind-consciousness is burning, mind-contact is burning, and whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition — whether pleasant or painful or neither painful nor pleasant — that too is burning. Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of delusion; burning with birth, aging, and death; with sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

“Seeing this, an instructed noble disciple grows disillusioned with the eye, sights, eye consciousness, and eye contact. And he grows disillusioned with the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on eye contact.

“He grows disillusioned with the ear, sounds, ear consciousness, and ear contact. And he grows disillusioned with the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on ear contact.

“He grows disillusioned with the nose, smells, nose consciousness, and nose contact. And he grows disillusioned with the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on nose contact.

“He grows disillusioned with the tongue, tastes, tongue consciousness, and tongue contact. And he grows disillusioned with the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on tongue contact.

“He grows disillusioned with the body, touches, body consciousness, and body contact. And he grows disillusioned with the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on body contact.

“He grows disillusioned with the mind, ideas, mind consciousness, and mind contact. And he grows disillusioned with the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact.

“Being disillusioned, desire fades away. When desire fades away he is freed. When he is freed, he knows he is freed. He understands: ‘Destroyed is birth, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being.’”

This is what the Blessed One said. Elated, those monks delighted in the Blessed One’s statement. And while this discourse was being spoken, the minds of the thousand monks were liberated from the taints by nonclinging.