[345] "Bhikkhus, suppose a king or a king's chief minister had never before heard the sound of a vīṇā. He might hear the sound of a vīṇā and say: 'Say, good sirs, whose is that sound, so enticing, so compelling, so intoxicating, so entrancing, so captivating?' They would say to him: 'Sire, that is what is called a vīṇā, whose sound is so enticing, so compelling, so intoxicating, so entrancing, so captivating.' He would say: 'Go, sirs, bring me that vīṇā.' They would bring him that vīṇā and would say to him: 'Sire, this is that vīṇā whose sound is so enticing, so compelling, so intoxicating, so entrancing, so captivating.' He would say: 'Enough for me, sirs, with that vīṇā — bring me just that sound.' They would say to him: 'Sire, this thing called a vīṇā consists of many components, of a great many components; it functions when set in operation by its many components — that is to say: in dependence on the body, in dependence on the parchment, in dependence on the arm, in dependence on the head, in dependence on the strings, in dependence on the plectrum, and in dependence on the appropriate effort of a person — thus, Sire, does this thing called a vīṇā, consisting of many components, of a great many components, function when set in operation by its many components.'
"He would split that vīṇā into ten pieces or a hundred pieces; having split it into ten or a hundred pieces, he would reduce it to splinter after splinter; having reduced it to splinters, he would burn it in a fire; having burnt it in a fire, he would reduce it to ashes; having reduced it to ashes, he would winnow it in a strong wind or let it be carried away by a swiftly flowing river. He would say: 'A worthless thing indeed, good sirs, is this so-called vīṇā — whatever a vīṇā may be — yet over it these people have gone beyond all bounds and been beguiled!'
"Even so, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu investigates form (rūpa) as far as the range of form extends; he investigates feeling (vedanā) as far as the range of feeling extends; he investigates perception (saññā) as far as the range of perception extends; he investigates volitional formations (saṅkhārā) as far as the range of volitional formations extends; he investigates consciousness (viññāṇa) as far as the range of consciousness extends. As he investigates form as far as the range of form extends, as he investigates feeling … perception … volitional formations … as he investigates consciousness as far as the range of consciousness extends, whatever there was for him of 'I' or 'mine' or 'I am' — that too no longer exists for him."
The ninth [sutta].
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.