Atthi Raga Suthra: Samyutta Nikaya

The Buddha preached that knowing the four nutriments with wisdom (with insight) is the right view.

“Monks, there are these four nutriments for the maintenance of beings who have come into being or for the support of those beings who are searching to be born. Which four? Bodily or physical food; contact as the second, mental volition or intention the third, and consciousness the fourth. These are the four nutriments for the maintenance of beings who have come into being or for the support of those beings who are searching to be born.”

This teaching focuses on the cause and effect phenomena, reaching beyond the mundane self-view.

The Suthra discusses about the origin of the beings and their existence in samsara (the repetitive cycle of birth & death) and not about the origin of the physical body or its maintenance. It describes the four nutriments and the way they come to be and contribute to the continuity of existence. It also explains the way the self-view is abandoned when one transcends the mundane knowledge (of right view) and tread on the Noble Path.

Describing the Physical Nutriments for instance it is said,

“Where there is passion, delight, & craving for the nutriment of physical food, consciousness lands there and grows. Where consciousness lands and grows, there is the alighting of name-form. This is to be viewed as a momentary process without any time gap, conditioned due to causes, i.e. where there is a cause there is the effect (or fruit). It alludes to an interrelationship between consciousness and name- matter that is viewed as an interdependent process.”

Where a process between name-form and consciousness exists, there is the growth of fabrications. Where there is the growth of fabrications, there is the production of renewed becoming in the future. Where there is the production of renewed becoming in the future, there is future birth, aging, & death, together with sorrow, affliction, & despair. This is said to be caused due to delight and craving to physical nutriment which manifests the state of ignorance or not knowing the truth. Even though no reference is made to ignorance here, the fact that there is craving is proof for existence of a being, who has no knowledge of the truth.

Tathagata preached three forms of suffering or Dukkha. They are Suffering or pain (dukkha-dukkha); suffering that arise due to Impermanence or change (viparinama-dukkha); suffering that arise due to Conditioned states (sankhara-dukkha). 

When we begin our search for the truth by examining the suffering (dukkha-dukkha); that we experience, it unveils the process of cause and effect or in other words formation or fabrication (as a sankhara-dukkha) and therefore the impermanent, unsatisfactory nature and fallacy in taking as self. Clear comprehension of the cause and effect process results in abandonment of the ignorance of not knowing this Truth.

Atthiraga Suthra discusses the role of all four nutriments; as nutriments that conditions repetitive existence, not the body. It is to be noted that an Arahat (enlightened person) is free from repetitive cycle of existence (samsara) but maintains a body. Therefore, this explanation is not about maintenance of the body as conventionally interpreted.

This shouldn’t be further confused with the mundane view which refers to external nutriments. The worldly understanding is that there is ‘I’ that exist and nutriments that exist externally to which I have a craving for. Therefore, ‘I’ make an attempt to discard the craving that I have to the external. We make an effort to stay away from external objects while the notion of ‘I’ still exists. Teachings reveal the falsehood of the notion of ‘me’ or ‘I’ and when one comprehends that, the notions of belonging; things that I own and things that belong to me, do not hold ground.

There are few other Suthras that discuss nutriments such as Ahara Suthra, Puttha Mansa Suthra and Maha Thanha Sankaya Suthra. The explanations given in Ahara Suthra and Thanha Sankaya Suthra in particular are different. These Suthras describe how craving causes nutriments whereas in Atthiraga Suthra it is explained how the passion and delight for nutriments supports existence. The above two Suthras refer to the way Nutriments originate for the maintenance of beings who are born or for the support of those beings who are searching to be born due to craving, conditioned by ignorance, and ubject to the process of formation (dependent origination process).

The interesting point is that when there is no passion for physical nutriment, a formation (fabrication) or an existence does not occur while it is also said that physical nutriment is not formed when there is no craving for physical nutriment. The state of the continuous existence built upon the inseparable inter-dependency observed here is noteworthy. The delight and craving for the physical nutriment results in origination and on the other hand craving is said to be causing physical nutriment. It confirms with the statement, influxes (Asrava) are caused by ignorance and ignorance in turn is caused by influxes. One requires high level of wisdom to realise this.

The Suthra further describes how the Nutriment of contact conditions origin of the beings and their continuity or the repetitive existence.

“Where there is passion, delight, & craving for the nutriment of contact, consciousness lands there and grows. Where consciousness lands and grows, there is the alighting of name-form. Where there is alighting of name-form, there is growth of fabrications. Where there is growth of fabrications, there is production of renewed becoming in the future. Where there is production of renewed becoming in the future, there is future birth, aging, & death. That, I tell you, has no sorrow, affliction, or despair.”

The teachings relate the nature of consciousness to that of a seed that positions (on ground) and grows. Both Beeja Sutra and Kamma Suthras describe that fabrication (abhisankatha) lays the ground where consciousness lands and grows. The said formation of the five clinging aggregates suggests the existence of a process of name-form. Therefore the growth of the compounded (fabrication) is also evident. The state of continuous or repetitive existence noted here is seen as an ongoing process that conditions birth, decay and death. Nevertheless, it is not to be viewed as a sequential process, but one that occur concurrently keeping with the principle of Dependent Co Origination.

Tathagatha further explains the way the nutriment of mental volitions (mano sanchetana) and nutriment of consciousness conditions origin of beings and their continuity or the repetitive existence. The existence of the being is conditioned by the four nutriments, which in turn is conditioned due to craving for the four nutriments.

The Simile of the Painting

The Buddha takes the simile of a picture of a man or woman painted on a wall or a piece of cloth to explain the way suffering is conditioned due to craving for the physical nutriment. It further reveals how suffering from birth, decay & death occur.

We ought to observe, it is explained, that though we see a painting of a woman or a man it’s only a creation in the mind. We need to see it as a thing that originates due to causes and not as something that exists. We know that there is a cause for the physical nutriments, for instance, which is craving.

The formation of the five clinging aggregates is conditioned by ignorance and when there is delight and passion for it, consciousness lands on it and grows. Where we see a painting created with different colours we perceive a man or a woman. Contemplation on this reality helps to understand how passion to sensual pleasure results in formation that cause suffering through continuity in existence.  

In the same way the Buddha preached, “Where there is passion, delight, & craving for the physical nutriment, consciousness lands there and grows. Where consciousness lands and grows, there is the alighting of name-form. Where there is alighting of name-form, there is growth of fabrications. Where there is growth of fabrications, there is production of renewed becoming in the future. Where there is production of renewed becoming in the future, there is future birth, aging, & death.”

The passion ceases only when the ignorance is abandoned and by knowing that the formation is due to passion itself develops the knowledge that discards the delusion or ignorance. When delusion is no more craving for the physical nutriment is abandoned and therefore formation (sanskara) ends.

The Suthra goes on to say, “Where there is no passion for the nutriment of consciousness, where there is no delight, no craving, then consciousness does not land there or increase. Where consciousness does not land or increase, there is no alighting of name-&-form. Where there is no alighting of name-&-form, there is no growth of fabrications. Where there is no growth of fabrications, there is no production of renewed becoming in the future. Where there is no production of renewed becoming in the future, there is no future birth, aging, & death. That, I tell you, has no sorrow, affliction, or despair.”

It can be concluded, when there is no passion for all four nutriments consciousness does not land and grow. Suffering does not arise as Name-matter will not alight and hence fabrications will not occur. Suffering ends by seeing the truth.

The Buddha asked, “Monks, just as if there were a roofed house or a roofed hall having windows on the north, the south, or the east. When the sun rises, and a ray has entered by way of the window on the east, where does it land?"

"On the western wall, lord."
"And if there is no western wall, where does it land?"
"On the ground, lord."
"And if there is no ground, where does it land?"
"On the water, lord." "And if there is no water, where does it land?"
"It does not land, lord."
"In the same way, where there is no passion for the nutriment of physical food ... contact ... intellectual intention ... consciousness, where there is no delight, no craving, then consciousness does not land there or grow. Where consciousness does not land or grow, name-&-form does not alight. Where name-&-form does not alight, there is no growth of fabrications. Where there is no growth of fabrications, there is no production of renewed becoming in the future. Where there is no production of renewed becoming in the future, there is no future birth, aging, & death. That, I tell you, has no sorrow, affliction, or despair."

To see and experience the sunlight it should fall on something, it should land either on the wall or the floor or if not the water, if not it cannot be seen.

As it is widely seen today, practitioners are guided to remove greed or lust while ‘I’ am or the notion of self is still there. The notion of an external only exists to the extent that ‘I’ exists. As we cannot talk about light when there is no surface for it to land, we cannot talk about the external without ‘I’.

When there is no passion for nutriment (all four of them) we cannot talk about landing of consciousness. It transcends all that is taken as the world. Without delight and passion to nutriments consciousness doesn’t exist, similar to the sunlight. We cannot talk about sunlight when there is no wall or ground or water to fall onto. Not knowing this is due to the lack of wisdom.

- Excerpt from Dhamma Discourse by Ven Alawwe Anomadassi Thero.