Thus I have heard: One time, the Buddha was staying at the Kalandaka Bamboo Grove of Rājagṛha.
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 this body of awareness and all the signs of the external world such that I’ll have no binding attachments to views of self and what belongs to self or to the tendency of self pride?”
The Bhagavān then said to Rāhula, “Good! It’s good that you can ask the Tathāgata, ‘How do I know and how do I see this body of awareness and all the signs of the external world such that I’ll have no binding attachments to views of self and what belongs to self or to the tendency of self pride?’! [Is that what you asked?]”
Rāhula said to the Buddha, “Yes, Bhagavān.”
The Buddha told Rāhula, “Good! Listen closely! listen closely, and consider it well. I will explain this for you. Rāhula, you should observe that whatever forms there are, whether they are past, future, or present, internal or external, crude or fine, beautiful or ugly, or distant or near, they are all not self, not different than self, and neither are present in the other. They are correctly observed with equitable wisdom in this way.
“Thus, whatever feelings … conceptions … volitions … instances of awareness there are, whether they are past, future, or present, internal or external, crude or fine, beautiful or ugly, or distant or near, they are all not self, not different than self, and neither are present in the other. They are correctly observed with equitable wisdom in this way.
“Thus, Rāhula, a monk who knows and sees this body of awareness and all the signs of the external world in this way will have no binding attachments to views of self and what belongs to self or to the tendency of self pride.
“Rāhula, if a monk has no binding attachments to views of self and what belongs to self or to the tendency of self pride regarding this body of awareness and all the signs of the external world, that monk is called one who has stopped craving desires and turned away from the bonds. Right at that moment, he reaches the final end of suffering.”
When Rāhula heard what the Buddha taught, he rejoiced and approved.