At one time, the Venerable Ananda and the Venerable Udayi were living in Kosambi, in Ghosita’s Park. Then,in the evening, Venerable Udayi came out of solitary retreat, and came to see the Venerable Ananda. He exchanged greetings with the Venerable Ananda, and when they had finished their friendly greetings and politeness, he sat down to one side and said to him:
‘Friend Ananda, in many ways the nature of this body has been explained and revealed by the Blessed One: ‘for these reasons, the body is unowned and empty of self’. Is it possible to explain the nature of awareness in a similar way – to teach, set out, establish, reveal and analyse it to come to the point: ‘for this reason, this awareness is unowned and empty of self’?’
‘It is possible, friend Udayi. Doesn’t eye-awareness arise in dependence on the eye and colours?’
‘Yes, friend.’
‘If the conditions for eye-awareness, the things upon which it depends, would stop completely and totally with nothing remaining, would eye awareness still be found?’
‘No, friend.’
‘In this way, friend, the Blessed One has taught that for this reason, eye-awareness is unowned and empty of self.’
Doesn’t ear-awareness arise in dependence on the ear and sounds?’
‘Yes, friend.’
‘If the conditions for ear-awareness, the things upon which it depends, would stop completely and totally with nothing remaining, could ear-awareness still be found and recognised?’
‘No, friend.’
‘In this way, friend, the Blessed One has taught that for this reason, ear-awareness is unowned and empty of self.’
Doesn’t nose-awareness arise in dependence on the nose and odours?’
‘Yes, friend.’
‘If the conditions for nose-awareness, the things upon which it depends, would stop completely and totally with nothing remaining, could nose-awareness still be found and recognised?’
‘No, friend.’
‘In this way, friend, the Blessed One has taught that for this reason, nose-awareness is unowned and empty of self.’
Doesn’t tongue-awareness arise in dependence on the tongue and flavours?’
‘Yes, friend.’
‘If the conditions for tongue-awareness, the things upon which it depends, would stop completely and totally with nothing remaining, could tongue-awareness still be found and recognised?’
‘No, friend.’
‘In this way, friend, the Blessed One has taught that for this reason, tongue-awareness is unowned and empty of self.’
Doesn’t body-awareness arise in dependence on the body and physical sensations?’
‘Yes, friend.’
‘If the conditions for body-awareness, the things upon which it depends, would stop completely and totally with nothing remaining, could body-awareness still be found and recognised?’
‘No, friend.’
‘In this way, friend, the Blessed One has taught that for this reason, body-awareness is unowned and empty of self.’
Doesn’t mind-awareness arise in dependence on the mind and thoughts?’
‘Yes, friend.’
‘If the conditions for mind-awareness, the things upon which it depends, would stop completely and totally with nothing remaining, could mind-awareness still be found and recognised?’
‘No, friend.’
‘In this way, friend, the Blessed One has taught that for this reason, mind-awareness is unowned and empty of self.’
Suppose, friend, a man needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, would take a sharp axe and enter a forest. There he would see the trunk of a large plantain tree, straight and fresh, without a fruit-bud core. He would cut it down at the root, cut off the crown and unroll the coil. As he unrolls the coil, he would not even find softwood, let alone heartwood.
In the same way, a monk does not find either self-hood or anything that can belong to a self in these six bases for contact. Seeing this, he does not hold on to anything in the world. Not holding on, he is undisturbed. Being undisturbed, he himself is extinguished. He understands, birth is ended, the holy life is complete, the task is done, there is nothing further beyond this present life.’