[389] 5.
Having seen a form, mindfulness (sati) is lost as he attends to the pleasing sign (piyanimitta);
with an impassioned mind he experiences it, and he remains clinging to it.
Manifold feelings (vedanā) born of form increase for him,
and covetousness (abhijjhā) and vexation (vihesā), whereby his mind (citta) is afflicted;
for one thus heaping up suffering (dukkha), Nibbāna is said to be far away.
Having heard a sound, mindfulness is lost as he attends to the pleasing sign;
with an impassioned mind he experiences it, and he remains clinging to it.
Manifold feelings born of sound increase for him,
and covetousness and vexation, whereby his mind is afflicted;
for one thus heaping up suffering, Nibbāna is said to be far away.
Having smelled an odour, mindfulness is lost as he attends to the pleasing sign;
with an impassioned mind he experiences it, and he remains clinging to it.
Manifold feelings born of odour increase for him,
and covetousness and vexation, whereby his mind is afflicted;
for one thus heaping up suffering, Nibbāna is said to be far away.
Having savoured a taste, mindfulness is lost as he attends to the pleasing sign;
with an impassioned mind he experiences it, and he remains clinging to it.
Manifold feelings born of taste increase for him,
and covetousness and vexation, whereby his mind is afflicted;
for one thus heaping up suffering, Nibbāna is said to be far away.
Having felt a contact (phassa), mindfulness is lost as he attends to the pleasing sign;
with an impassioned mind he experiences it, and he remains clinging to it.
Manifold feelings born of contact increase for him,
and covetousness and vexation, whereby his mind is afflicted;
for one thus heaping up suffering, Nibbāna is said to be far away.
Having cognized a mental phenomenon (dhamma), mindfulness is lost as he attends to the pleasing sign;
with an impassioned mind he experiences it, and he remains clinging to it.
Manifold feelings born of mental phenomena increase for him,
and covetousness and vexation, whereby his mind is afflicted;
for one thus heaping up suffering, Nibbāna is said to be far away.
He is not impassioned by forms: having seen a form, he is mindful;
with a dispassionate mind he experiences it, and he does not remain clinging to it.¹
As he sees the form, and even as he experiences the feeling,
[suffering] wears away and is not heaped up — thus he fares, mindful;
for one thus dismantling suffering, Nibbāna is said to be near.
He is not impassioned by sounds: having heard a sound, he is mindful;
with a dispassionate mind he experiences it, and he does not remain clinging to it.
As he hears the sound, and even as he experiences the feeling,
[suffering] wears away and is not heaped up — thus he fares, mindful;
for one thus dismantling suffering, Nibbāna is said to be near.
He is not impassioned by odours: having smelled an odour, he is mindful;
with a dispassionate mind he experiences it, and he does not remain clinging to it.
As he smells the odour, and even as he experiences the feeling,
[suffering] wears away and is not heaped up — thus he fares, mindful;
for one thus dismantling suffering, Nibbāna is said to be near.
He is not impassioned by tastes: having savoured a taste, he is mindful;
with a dispassionate mind he experiences it, and he does not remain clinging to it.
As he savours the taste, and even as he experiences the feeling,
[suffering] wears away and is not heaped up — thus he fares, mindful;
for one thus dismantling suffering, Nibbāna is said to be near.
He is not impassioned by contacts: having felt a contact, he is mindful;
with a dispassionate mind he experiences it, and he does not remain clinging to it.
As he feels the contact, and even as he experiences the feeling,
[suffering] wears away and is not heaped up — thus he fares, mindful;
for one thus dismantling suffering, Nibbāna is said to be near.
He is not impassioned by mental phenomena: having cognized a mental phenomenon, he is mindful;
with a dispassionate mind he experiences it, and he does not remain clinging to it.
As he cognizes the mental phenomenon, and even as he experiences the feeling,
[suffering] wears away and is not heaped up — thus he fares, mindful;
for one thus dismantling suffering, Nibbāna is said to be near.
The Elder Māluṅkyaputta.
¹ Variant (Yu., European edition): najjhosa … (and so throughout).
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.