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 Sariputta rose and spake: "World-honored master, were 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 any whither in

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

any more than there is heaped-up music material. When a lute is played

upon, there is no previous store of sound; and when the music ceases

it does not go any whither 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 stern 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 blown by wind on sails,

          As arrows fly from twanging bow,

          So, when the force of thought directs,

          The body, following, must go.

          "Just as machines are worked by ropes,

          So are the body's gear and groove;

          Obedient to the pull of mind,

          Our muscles and our members move.

          "No independent 'I' is here,

          But many gathered mobile forces;

          Our chariot is manned by mind,

          And our karma is our horses.

  "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 those things

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

          Your hungry heart still clings -

          My snares you cannot 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 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?

          "'Tis 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."