From Naming to Action: The Wisdom of the Khajjaneeya Sutta

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A discussion by Venerable Alawwe Anomadassi Thero

This reflection explores the Khajjaneeya Sutta (SN 22.79) and the radical shift it demands: moving from seeing "things" (nouns) to seeing "processes" (verbs). By understanding how the mind constructs a "self" out of simple occurrences, we can dismantle the duality of internal/external.

1. The Nature of Naming: "Tasmā" (Therefore)

In the Khajjaneeya Sutta, the Buddha defines the Five Aggregates through their function. For example:

“Ruppatīti kho bhikkhave, tasmā rūpanti vuccathi”

(It is afflicted, monks; therefore, it is called ‘form’.)

The word Tasmā is the key. It tells us that a "Name" (like Form or Rupa) is only a label for an action that is already happening. We cannot have a name without a Siduweema (occurrence); we cannot say "cold" without a sensation. A name is never independent; it is always tied to an occurrence.

2. The Mechanics of Experience: Siduweema, Yedeema, and Labeema

To dismantle the illusion of a solid self (Sakkaya), we must see how the "Me" is manufactured through three stages:

  • Siduweema (The Occurrence): The raw "happening" of sensory contact. At this stage, there is no "me," only a natural circumstance.

  • Yedeema (The Engagement): As taught by the Buddha, the mind then applies itself to the occurrence. This is the functional "verb" stage where the mind labels and processes the data through the aggregates.

  • Labeema (The Gaining/Obtaining): Once the mind engages (Yedeema), it seeks to "gain" the result. This Labeema creates the illusion of an "Owner" who has gained a possession.

3. Transcending Form vs. Transcending Clinging

Ancient contemporary teachers taught how to remove "Form" (Rupa) one by one to reach Formless states (Arupa), such as Infinite Space, Infinite Consciousness, Nothingness, and Neither Perception nor Non-Perception.

However, these states often involve Uccheda (annihilationism)—the attempt to "remove" one state to get to the next, having assumed they existed as solid entities in the first place. This keeps the practitioner trapped between the extremes of "existence" and "non-existence."

A Sekha (a practitioner in training) does not just try to "remove" form. They understand that even formless states are part of Sakkaya. To truly transcend form, one must first recognize that "Form" is actually Rupa-upadana-khanda (clinging to form). The Buddha did not teach "No-form" (Na-rupa); he showed that when form is grasped, it exists as a product of ignorance.

4. Summary Table: From Duality to Circumstance

The following table summarizes the shift from the traditional world-view of "Existing Nouns" to the Buddha's view of "Dynamic Circumstances."

AggregateThe Noun View (Duality/Sakkaya)The Verb View (Circumstance/Sankhara)The Nature of the Gain (Labeema)
RupaA "Body" exists out there.Ruppati: The process of being afflicted.Gaining a "thing" to protect.
VedanaA "Feeling" I am having.Vediyati: The experiencing of a flavor.Gaining a "pleasure" to keep.
SannaA "Memory" I possess.Sanjānāti: The action of marking/identifying.Gaining a "view" to defend.
Sankhara"My" intentions.Abhisankharonti: The happening of construction.Gaining an "act" to claim.
Vinnana"My" soul/observer.Vijanati: The act of cognizing.Gaining a "self" that observes.

5. The Trap of "Nothingness" (Akincanna)

As Venerable Anomadassi Thero points out, practitioners who say "the object is a myth; only the sensing is real" are still stuck in Labeema. They have traded the "gain" of an object for the "gain" of a sensory experience. True Wisdom sees that both the object and the sensing are parts of the same Siduweema—neither can be owned.

Conclusion: From Owner to Wisdom

When we see that "Form" is actually just a process of "Formation" (Saṅkhāra), the duality of "Me" and the "Object" collapses into the core insight:

"Sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā" — All formations are impermanent.

When the thirst for Labeema (possession) ceases, the "Owner" vanishes. This realization is Wisdom (Panna) itself seeing the process. By shifting from nouns to verbs, we move from the illusion of a solid self to the reality of an ever-changing process. In the seeing of the process, there is freedom.




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