Name And Form

On one occasion the Blessed One entered the assembly hall and the

brethren hushed their conversation.



When they had greeted him with clasped hands, they sat down and

became composed. Then the Blessed One said: "Your minds are

inflamed with intense interest; what was the topic of your

discussion?"



And Sariput a rose and spake: "World-honored master, we were

discussing the nature of man's own existence. We were trying to

grasp the mixture of our own being which is called Name and Form.

Every human being consists of conformations, and there are three

groups which are not corporeal. They are sensation, perception,

and the dispositions, all three constitute consciousness and

mind, being comprised under the term Name. And there are four

elements, the earthy element, the watery element, the fiery

element, and the gaseous element, and these four elements

constitute man's bodily form, being held together so that this

machine moves like a puppet. How does this name and form endure

and how can it live?"



Said the Blessed One: "Life is instantaneous and living is dying.

Just as a chariot-wheel in rolling rolls only at one point of the

tire, and in resting rests only at one point; in exactly the same

way, the life of a living being lasts only for the period of one

thought. As soon as that thought has ceased the being is said to

have ceased.



"As it has been said:--'The being of a past moment of thought has

lived, but does not live, nor will it live. The being of a future

moment of thought will live, but has not lived, nor does it live.

The being of the present moment of thought does live, but has not

lived, nor will it live.'"



"As to Name and Form we must understand how they interact. Name

has no power of its own, nor can it go on of its own impulse,

either to eat, or to drink, or to utter sounds, or to make a

movement. Form also is without power and cannot go on of its own

impulse. It has no desire to eat, or to drink, or to utter

sounds, or to make a movement. But Form goes on when supported by

Name, and Name when supported by Form. When Name has a desire to

eat, or to drink, or to utter sounds, or to make a movement, then

Form eats, drinks, utters sounds, makes a movement.



"It is as if two men, the one blind from birth and the other a

cripple, were desirous of going traveling, and the man blind from

birth were to say to the cripple as follows: 'See here! I am able

to use my legs, but I have no eyes with which to see the rough

and the smooth places in the road.'



"And the cripple were to say to the man blind from birth as

follows: 'See here! I am able to use my eyes, but I have no legs

with which to go forward and back.'



"And the man blind from birth, pleased and delighted, were to

mount the cripple on his shoulders. And the cripple sitting on

the shoulders of the man blind from birth were to direct him,

saying, 'Leave the left and go to the right; leave the right and

go to the left.'



"Here the man blind from birth is without power of his own, and

weak, and cannot go of his own impulse or might. The cripple also

is without power of his own, and weak, and cannot go of his own

impulse or might. Yet when they mutually support one another it

is not impossible for them to go.



"In exactly the same way Name is without power of its own, and

cannot spring up of its own might, nor perform this or that

action. Form also is without power of its own, and cannot spring

up of its own might, nor perform this or that action. Yet when

they mutually support one another it is not impossible for them

to spring up and go on.



"There is no material that exists for the production of Name and

Form; and when Name and Form cease, they do not go anywhither in

space. After Name and Form have ceased, they do not exist

anywhere in the shape of heaped-up music material. Thus when a

lute is played upon, there is no previous store of sound; and

when the music ceases it does not go anywhither in space. When it

has ceased, it exists nowhere in a stored-up state. Having

previously been non-existent, it came into existence on account

of the structure and stem of the lute and the exertions of the

performer; and as it came into existence so it passes away. In

exactly the same way, all the elements of being, both corporeal

and non-corporeal come into existence after having previously

been non-existent; and having come into existence pass away.



"There is not a self residing in Name and Form, but the

cooperation of the conformations produces what people call a man.



"Just as the word 'chariot' is but a mode of expression for axle,

wheels, the chariot-body and other constituents in their proper

combination, so a living being is the appearance of the groups

with the four elements as they are joined in a unit. There is no

self in the carriage and there is no self in man.



"O bhikkhus, this doctrine is sure and an eternal truth, that

there is no self outside of its parts. This self of ours which

constitutes Name and Form is a combination of the groups with the

four elements, but there is no ego entity, no self in itself.



"Paradoxical though it may sound: There is a path to walk on,

there is walking being done, but there is no traveler. There are

deeds being done, but there is no doer. There is a blowing of the

air, but there is no wind that does the blowing. The thought of

self is an error and all existences are as hollow as the plantain

tree and as empty as twirling water bubbles.



"Therefore, O bhikkhus, as there is no self, there is no

transmigration of a self; but there are deeds and the continued

effect of deeds. There is a rebirth of karma; there is

reincarnation. This rebirth, this reincarnation, this

reappearance of the conformations is continuous and depends on

the law of cause and effect. Just as a seal is impressed upon the

wax reproducing the configurations of its device, so the thoughts

of men, their characters, their aspirations are impressed upon

others in continuous transference and continue their karma, and

good deeds will continue in blessings while bad deeds will

continue in curses.



"There is no entity here that migrates, no self is transferred

from one place to another; but there is a voice uttered here and

the echo of it comes back. The teacher pronounces a stanza and

the disciple who attentively listens to his teacher's

instruction, repeats the stanza. Thus the stanza is reborn in the

mind of the disciple.



"The body is a compound of perishable organs. It is subject to

decay; and we should take care of it as of a wound or a sore; we

should attend to its needs without being attached to it, or

loving it.



"The body is like a machine, and there is no self in it that

makes it walk or act, but the thoughts of it, as the windy

elements, cause the machine to work.



"The body moves about like a cart. Therefore 'tis said:



"As ships are by the wind impelled,

As arrows from their bowstrings speed,

So likewise when the body moves

The windy element must lead.



"Machines are geared to work by ropes;

So too this body is, in fact,

Directed by a mental pull

Whene'er it stand or sit or act.



"No independent self is here

That could intrinsic forces prove

To make man act without a cause,

To make him stand or walk or move.



"He only who utterly abandons all thought of the ego escapes the

snares of the Evil One; he is out of the reach of Mara.



"Thus says the pleasure-promising tempter:



"So long as to the things

Called 'mine' and 'I' and 'me'

Thine anxious heart still clings,

My snares thou canst not flee."



"The faithful disciple replies:



"Naught's mine and naught of me,

The self I do not mind!

Thus Mara, I tell thee,

My path thou canst not find."



"Dismiss the error of the self and do not cling to possessions

which are transient but perform deeds that are good, for deeds

are enduring and in deeds your karma continues.



"Since then, O bhikkhus, there is no self, there can not be any

after life of a self. Therefore abandon all thought of self. But

since there are deeds and since deeds continue, be careful with

your deeds.



"All beings have karma as their portion: they are heirs of their

karma; they are sprung from their karma; their karma is their

kinsman; their karma is their refuge; karma allots beings to

meanness or to greatness.



"Assailed by death in life's last throes On quitting all thy joys

and woes What is thine own, thy recompense? What stays with thee

when passing hence? What like a shadow follows thee And will

Beyond thine heirloom be? 3



"T'is deeds, thy deeds, both good and bad; Naught else can after

death be had. Thy deeds are thine, thy recompense; They are thine

own when going hence; They like a shadow follow thee And will

Beyond thine heirloom be.



"Let all then here perform good deeds, For future weal a treasure

store; There to reap crops from noble seeds, A bliss increasing

evermore."