Ānanda praises Venerable Puṇṇa Mantāniputta, and says that it was when hearing his teaching on the aggregates that he understood the Dhamma.At Sāvatthī. There Ānanda addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!” “Reverend,” they replied. Ānanda said this: “Reverends, the venerable named Puṇṇa Mantāniputta was very helpful to me when I was just ordained. He gave me this advice: ‘Reverend Ānanda, the notion “I am” occurs because of grasping, not by not grasping. [Read More]

On a sabbath day with the Sangha at Sāvatthi, the Buddha answers a series of ten questions on the aggregates.At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in the Eastern Monastery, the stilt longhouse of Migāra’s mother, together with a large Saṅgha of mendicants. Now, at that time it was the sabbath—the full moon on the fifteenth day—and the Buddha was sitting surrounded by the Saṅgha of monks. Then one of the mendicants got up from their seat, arranged their robe over one shoulder, raised their joined palms toward the Buddha, and said: “Sir, I’d like to ask the Buddha about a certain point, if you’d take the time to answer. [Read More]

Leaving behind the quarreling monks at Kosambi, the Buddha went to stay in the empty forest at Pārileyyaka. Ānanda brings some mendicants to receive a teaching, and one of them wonders how to see so as to end defilements in this very life. The Buddha teaches the 37 practices that lead to awakening, and then goes on to show that various ways of regarding the aggregates are conditioned phenomena.At one time the Buddha was staying near Kosambi, in Ghosita’s Monastery. [Read More]

While staying at Kapilavatthu the Buddha dismissed the the Sangha for misbehaving. Later he decided to support them for the sake of the young mendicants. He reminds them that their livelihood is considered a lowly one, and that one should let go of bad thoughts and wrong views, and see the aggregates as impermanent. At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sakyans, near Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Tree Monastery. [Read More]

One of the most extensive discourses in this collection begins with the Buddha saying that when anyone recollects a past life, all they are recollecting is the five aggregates. He then gives a distinctive set of definitions of the aggregates in terms of their functions, and discusses them from various aspects.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, whatever ascetics and brahmins recollect many kinds of past lives, all recollect the five grasping aggregates, or one of them. [Read More]