Thus I have heard: The Buddha was staying at the Kalandaka Bamboo Grove of Rājagṛha. At the time, Venerable Śāriputra was on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa.
There was then a prominent man’s son named Śroṇa who went for walks every day. He went to Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa and visited Venerable Śāriputra there. After bowing at his feet, Śroṇa withdrew to sit at one side.
Śāriputra said to Śroṇa, “Suppose ascetics or priests don’t truly know form, don’t truly know the formation of form, don’t truly know the cessation of form, don’t truly know the enjoyment of form, don’t truly know the trouble of form, and don’t truly know the escape from form. [Śroṇa, you should know that these ascetics or priests] aren’t capable of going beyond form. Suppose ascetics or priests don’t truly know feeling … conception … volition … awareness, don’t truly know the formation of awareness, don’t truly know the cessation of awareness, don’t truly know the enjoyment of awareness, don’t truly know the trouble of awareness, and don’t truly know the escape from awareness. These ascetics or priests aren’t capable of going beyond awareness.
“Suppose ascetics or priests do truly know form … the formation of form … the cessation of form … the enjoyment of form … the trouble of form … the escape from form. These ascetics or priests are capable of going beyond form. Suppose ascetics or priests do truly know feeling … conception … volition … awareness … the formation of awareness … the cessation of awareness … the enjoyment of awareness … the trouble of awareness … the escape from awareness. These ascetics or priests are capable of going beyond awareness.
“Śroṇa, what do you think? Is form permanent or impermanent?”
He replied, “Impermanent.”
“If something is impermanent, is that painful?”
He replied, “It’s painful.”
“Śroṇa, if form is impermanent and painful, it’s subject to change. Would a noble disciple see form as self, different than self, or either being present in the other?”
He replied, “No.”
“Śroṇa is feeling … conception … volition … awareness permanent or impermanent?”
He replied, “Impermanent.”
“If something is impermanent, is it painful?”
He replied, “It’s painful.”
“If [awareness] is impermanent and painful, then it’s subject to change. Would a noble disciple see awareness as self, different than self, or either being present in the other?”
He replied, “No.”
“Śroṇa, you should know that whether forms are past, future, or present, internal or external, crude or fine, beautiful or ugly, or distant or near, all those forms are not self, not different than self, and neither is present in the other. This is called truly knowing it.
“Śroṇa, whether feelings … conceptions … volitions … instances of awareness are past, future, or present, internal or external, crude or fine, beautiful or ugly, or distant or near, all those instances of awareness are not self, not different than self, and neither is present in the other. This is called truly knowing it.
“Śroṇa, a noble disciple correctly observes these five acquired aggregates as not self and not belonging to self. Correctly observing them in this way, they gather nothing from the world. Gathering nothing, they aren’t attached to anything. Not being attached to anything, they attain nirvāṇa for themselves: ‘My births have been ended, the religious life has been established, and the task has been accomplished. I myself know that I won’t be subject to another existence.’”
When Śroṇa heard what Śāriputra taught, he rejoiced and celebrated. He then bowed and departed.