Thus I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living in the Sakka country at Kapilavatthu in Nigrodha’s Park.

Then it being morning, the Blessed One dressed, and taking his bowl and outer robe, he went into Kapilavatthu for alms. When he had wandered for alms in Kapilavatthu and had returned from his alms-round after the meal, he went to the Great Wood for the day’s abiding and went into the Great Wood and sat down at the root of a bilva sapling.

‘Stick-in-hand’ (Daṇḍapāṇi) the Sakyan also went to the Great Wood, walking and wandering for exercise, and when he had gone into the Great Wood, he went to the bilva sapling where the Blessed One was and exchanged greetings with him. When the courteous and amiable talk was finished, he stood at one side leaning on his stick. When he had done so, he asked the Blessed One: “What does the monk tell, what does he preach?”

“Friend, as one who tells that whereby he quarrels with no one in the world with its gods, its Māras and its Divinities, in this generation with its monks and divines, with its kings and its men, and who tells that whereby perceptions no more underlie that divine one when he abides dissociated from sensual desires, undoubting, shorn of worry, rid of craving for any kind of being—so do I tell, friend, so do I preach.”

When this was said, ‘Stick-in-hand’ the Sakyan shook his head, wagged his tongue and raised his eyebrows till his forehead was puckered in three lines. Then he departed, leaning on his stick.

Then when it was evening, the Blessed One rose from meditation, and he went to Nigrodha’s Park where he sat down on a seat prepared for him, when he had done so, he told the bhikkhus what had taken place. When this was said, a certain bhikkhu asked the Blessed One:

“But, venerable sir, what is it that the Blessed One tells whereby he has no quarrel with any one in the world with its gods, its Māras and its Divinities, in this generation with its monks and divines, with its kings and its men? And, venerable sir, how is it that perceptions no more underlie that divine one when he abides dissociated from sensual desires, undoubting, shorn of worry, rid of craving for any kind of being?”

“Bhikkhus, as to that with which as their source the evaluation of diversifying perceptions besets a man: if there is found to be nothing there to delight in, affirm or to accept, this is the end of underlying tendencies to lust, resistance, views, uncertainty, conceit, lust for being and ignorance; this is the end of resorting to sticks, resorting to weapons, quarrels, brawls, disputes, recrimination, malice and speech; here unprofitable dhammas cease without remainder.”

So the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Sublime One rose from his seat and went to his dwelling.

Then soon after the Blessed One had gone, the bhikkhus considered: “Now, friends, the Blessed One has risen from his seat and gone into his dwelling after giving a summary in brief without the detailed meaning, that is that is to say: ‘Bhikkhus, as to that with which as their source...unprofitabe dhammas cease without remainder.’ Now who will expound this in detail?” Then they considered: “The venerable Mahā-Kaccāna is praised and esteemed by the Blessed One and by companions in the the life divine. He is capable of doing that. Suppose we went to him and asked him the meaning of this?”

Then they went to the venerable Mahā-Kaccāna and exchanged greetings with him, and when the courteous and amiable talk was finished, they sat down at one side. When they had done so, they told him what had taken place; and they added: “Let the venerable Mahā-Kaccāna expound it to us.”

“Friends, it is as though a man needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, conceived that heartwood should be sought among the branches and leaves of a great tree standing possessed of heartwood, after passing over the root and the trunk. And so it is with you, venerable sirs, that you conceive that we should be asked about the meaning of this, after passing the Blessed One by when you were face-to-face with the Master. For, Knowing, the Blessed One knows; Seeing, he sees; he is the Eye, he is knowledge, he is the Dhamma, he is the Divine; the Tathāgata is the Sayer, the Proclaimer, the Elucidator of Meaning, the Giver of the Deathless. That was the time when you should have asked the Blessed One the meaning. As he told you so you should have remembered it.”

“Surely, friend Kaccāna, Knowing, the Blessed One knows; Seeing, he sees; surely he is the Eye, he is knowledge, he is the Dhamma, he is the Divine; surely the Tathāgata is the Sayer, the Proclaimer, the Elucidator of Meaning, the Giver of the Deathless. Surely that was the time when we should have asked the Blessed One the meaning; and as he told us so we should have remembered it. Yet the venerable Mahā-Kaccāna is praised and esteemed by the Blessed One and by companions in the life divine. The venerable Maha-Kaccana is capable of expounding the detailed meaning of this summary given in brief by the Blessed One without expounding the detailed meaning. Let the venerable Mahā-Kaccāna expound it without finding it troublesome.”

“Then listen friends, and heed well what I shall I say.”

“Even so, friend,” the bhikkhus replied. The venerable Mahā-Kaccāna said this:

“Friends, when the Blessed One rose from his seat and went into his dwelling after giving a summary in brief without expounding the detailed meaning, that is to say: ‘Bhikkhus, as to that with which as their source the evaluation of diversifying perceptions besets a man: if there is found to be nothing there to delight in, to affirm or to accept, this is the end of underlying tendencies to lust, resistance, views, uncertainty, conceit, lust for being, and ignorance; this is the end of the use of sticks, the use of the weapons, quarrels, brawls, disputes, recrimination, malice and false speech; here evil, unprofitable dhammas cease without remainder,’ I understand the detailed meaning of it to be as follows:

“Dependent on eye and forms, eye consciousness arises. The coincidence of these three is contact. With contact as condition there is feeling. What a man feels that he perceives. What he perceives that he thinks about. What he thinks about that he diversifies. With what he has diversified as the source the evaluation of diversifying perceptions beset a man with respect to past, future and present forms cognizable by the eye.

“Dependent on ear and sounds… with respect to past, future and present sounds cognizable by the ear.

“Dependent on nose and odours… with respect to past, future and present odours cognizable by the nose.

“Dependent on tongue and flavours… with respect to past, future and present flavours cognizable by the tongue.

“Dependent on body and tangibles… with respect to past, future and present tangibles cognizable by the body.

“Dependent on mind and dhammas, mind consciousness arises. The coincidence of these three is contact. With contact as condition there is feeling. What a man feels that he perceives. What he perceives that he thinks about. What he thinks about that he diversifies. With what he has diversified as the source the evaluation of diversifiying perceptions beset a man with respect past, future and present dhammas cognizable by the mind.

“When there is eye and there is form and there is eye consciousness, it is possible that one will recognize that manifestation of contact. When there is the manifestation of contact, it is possible one will recognize the manifestation of feeling. When there is the manifestation of feeling, it is possible that one will recognize the manifestation of perception. When there is the manifestation of perception, it is possible that one will recognize the manifestation of thinking. When there is the manifestation of thinking, it is possible that one will recognize the manifestation of being beset by evaluation of diversifying perceptions.

“When there is ear and there is sound and there is ear consciousness…

“When there is nose and there is odour and there is nose consciousness…

“When there is tongue and there is flavour and there is tongue conciousness…

“When there is body and there is tangible and there is body consciousness…

“When there is mind and there is dhamma and there is mind consciousness… it is possible that one will recognize the manifestation of being beset by evaluation of diversifying perceptions.

“When there is no eye and there is no form and there is no eye consciousness, it is impossible that one will recognize the manifestation of contact. When there is no manifestation of contact, it is impossible that one will recognize the manifestation of feeling. When there is no manifestatión of feeling, it is impossible that one will recognize the manifestation of perception. When there is no manifestation of perception, it is impossible that one will recognize the manifestation of thinking. When there is no manifestion of thinking, it is impossible that one will recognize the manifestation of being beset by evaluation of diversifying perceptions.

“When there is no ear… nose… tongue… body…

“When there is no mind and there is no dhamma and there is no mind consciousness, it is impossible that one will recognize the manifestation of contact. When there is no manifestion of contact, it is impossible that one will recognize the manifestation of feeling. When there is no manifestation of feeling, it is impossible that one will recognize the manifestation of perception. When there is no manifestation of perception, it is impossible that one will recognize the manifestion of thinking. When there is no manfestation of thinking, it is impossible that one will recognize the manifestation of being beset by evaluation of diversifying perceptions.

“Friends, when the Blessed One rose from his seat and went into his dwelling after giving a summary in brief without expounding the detailed meaning, that is to say: ‘Bhikkhus, as to that with which as their source… (para. 8)… cease without remainder’, I understand the detailed meaning of it to be thus.

“Now, friends, if you wish, go to the Blessed One and ask him about the meaning of this. As the Blessed One tells you so should you remember it.”

Then the bhikkhus were satisfied, and delighting in the venerable Mahā-Kaccāna’s words, they rose from their seats and went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, they sat down at one side. When they had done so, they told him all that had taken place after the Blessed One had left, and they added: “Then, venerable sir, we went to the venerable Mahā-Kaccāna and asked him about the meaning. Venerable sir, the meaning has been expounded to us with these reasons, these phrases and these syllables.”

“Mahā-Kaccāna is wise, bhikkhus, Mahā-Kaccāna has great understanding. Had you asked me the meaning of this, I should have given you the same answer as Mahā-Kaccāna has given you. Such is the meaning and so should you remember it.”

When this was said, the venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, just as if a man exhausted by hunger and weakness came by a sweet morsel, he would, in the course of eating it, find a sweet, unadulterated flavour, so too, venerable sir, any able-minded bhikkhu would, in the course of scrutinizing with understanding the meaning of this discourse on the Dhamma, find satisfaction and confidence of heart. Venerable sir, what is the name of this discourse on the Dhamma?”

“As to that, Ānanda, you may remember this discourse on the Dhamma as ‘The Sweet-Morsel Discource’.”

That is what the Blessed One said. The venerable Ānanda was satisfied, and he delighted in the Blessed One's words.