The “Nibbedhika Sutta” presents a systematic framework known as the penetrative exposition of the Dhamma (nibbedhikapariyāyo dhammapariyāyo). It outlines six core phenomena that a practitioner must deeply understand: sensuality, feelings, perceptions, taints, kamma, and suffering.
To achieve a penetrative understanding, the text instructs the practitioner to analyze six specific aspects for each of these phenomena: the phenomenon itself, its cause or origin, its diversity, its result, its cessation, and the path leading to its cessation.
Universally across all six phenomena, the path leading to their cessation is the Noble Eightfold Path (Right View, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration).
Here is an in-depth breakdown of the six phenomena and their aspects:
1. Sensuality (Kāmā)
Definition: While the five sensual objects (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches) exist in the world, true sensuality is defined as a person’s passionate resolve or intent (saṅkapparāgo).
Origin: It originates from contact (phasso).
Diversity & Result: Its diversity lies in the different desires for various sensory objects, and its result is the generation of corresponding states of existence, whether meritorious or demeritorious.
Cessation: Sensuality ceases when contact ceases.
2. Feelings (Vedanā)
Definition: There are three types of feelings: pleasant, painful, and neither-pleasant-nor-painful.
Origin: Feelings originate from contact.
Diversity & Result: Their diversity is categorized into carnal (sāmisā) and spiritual/non-carnal (nirāmisā) forms of the three types of feelings. The result is the generation of corresponding states of existence.
Cessation: Feelings cease when contact ceases.
3. Perceptions (Saññā)
Definition: There are six perceptions corresponding to the senses: forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mental phenomena.
Origin: Perceptions originate from contact.
Diversity & Result: Their diversity correlates to the various sensory objects. Uniquely, the result of perception is expression or speech (vohāravepakkaṁ); how one perceives something dictates how one describes and communicates it.
Cessation: Perceptions cease with the cessation of contact.
4. Taints/Fermentations (Āsavā)
Definition: There are three taints: the taint of sensuality, the taint of existence, and the taint of ignorance.
Origin: Unlike the previous phenomena, taints originate directly from ignorance (avijjā).
Diversity & Result: Their diversity leads beings to various realms (hell, the animal womb, the ghost realm, the human world, or the deva world) and their result is the generation of corresponding existences.
Cessation: Taints cease when ignorance ceases.
5. Action (Kamma)
Definition: Kamma is explicitly defined as volition or intention (cetanā), which is acted out through the body, speech, or mind.
Origin: It originates from contact.
Diversity & Result: Its diversity leads to experiences in various realms of existence. The result of kamma can be experienced in three timeframes: the present life, the next life, or in subsequent lives.
Cessation: Kamma ceases when contact ceases.
6. Suffering (Dukkha)
Definition: Suffering encompasses birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, despair, and not getting what one wants. In short, it is the five clinging-aggregates (pañcupādānakkhandhā).
Origin: It originates from craving (taṇhā).
Diversity & Result: Its diversity ranges from extreme to slight, and fading slowly to fading quickly. The result of suffering is twofold: it leads either to bewilderment and delusion (sammoha) or to a search for a way out of the suffering.
Cessation: Suffering ceases with the cessation of craving.
Nibbedhika Sutta: Penetrative Exposition of the Dhamma
