Thus I have heard: One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī.
It was then that Venerable Rāhula visited the Buddha. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to sit at one side, and said, “Bhagavān, how do I know and how do I see [41] my body of inner awareness … [42] the outer senses of forms, sounds, odors, flavors, touches, and ideas … [43] visual awareness … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and mental awareness … [44] visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and mental contact … [45] feelings that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and feelings that arise from mental contact … [46] notions that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and notions that arise from mental contact … [47] intentions that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and intentions that arise from mental contact … [48] cravings that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and cravings that arise from mental contact and all external signs such that binding attachments to self, what belongs to self, and the tendency of self pride won’t arise?”
The Bhagavān then told Rāhula, “It’s good, Rāhula, that you can ask the Tathāgata about such a profound subject!”
The Buddha told Rāhula, “Whether it’s past, future, or present, internal or external, crude or fine, beautiful or ugly, or distant or near, the eye … form … visual awareness … visual contact … feelings that arise from visual contact … notions that arise from visual contact … intentions that arise from visual contact … or cravings that arise from visual contact, it’s all not self, not different than self, and the two aren’t present in each other when truly known. The ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are likewise.
“Rāhula, you should thus know and see: ‘My body of inner awareness and so on as above and all external signs will not cause the arising of binding attachments to self, what belongs to self, and the tendency of self pride.’ Rāhula, one prevents the arising of binding attachments to self, what belongs to self, and the tendency of self pride in this way. Rāhula, this is called ending the defilement of craving and seeing right then the final end of suffering.”
After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.
Like the inner senses, thus “the outer senses of forms, sounds, odors, flavors, touches, and ideas;” “visual awareness … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and mental awareness;” “visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and mental contact;” “feelings that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and feelings that arise from mental contact;” “notions that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and notions that arise from mental contact;” “intentions that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and intentions that arise from mental contact;” and “cravings that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and cravings that arise from mental contact” were also taught as above.