1 The Eye
At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus, desire and lust for the eye is a corruption of the mind.273 Desire and lust for the ear … for the nose … for the tongue … for the body … for the mind is a corruption of the mind. When a bhikkhu has abandoned the mental corruption in these six cases, his mind inclines to renunciation. A mind fortified by renunciation becomes wieldy in regard to those things that are to be realized by direct knowledge.”274
2 Forms
At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus, desire and lust for forms is a corruption of the mind. Desire and lust for sounds … for odours … for tastes … for tactile objects … for mental phenomena is a corruption of the mind. When a bhikkhu has abandoned the mental corruption in these six cases, his mind inclines to renunciation. A mind fortified by renunciation becomes wieldy in regard to those things that are to be realized by direct knowledge.”
3 Consciousness
“Bhikkhus, desire and lust for eye-consciousness … for mind-consciousness is a corruption of the mind. When a bhikkhu has abandoned the mental corruption in these six cases … [233] … [his mind] becomes wieldy in regard to those things that are to be realized by direct knowledge.”
4 Contact
“Bhikkhus, desire and lust for eye-contact … for mind-contact is a corruption of the mind. When a bhikkhu has abandoned the mental corruption in these six cases … [his mind] becomes wieldy in regard to those things that are to be realized by direct knowledge.”
5 Feeling
“Bhikkhus, desire and lust for feeling born of eye-contact … for feeling born of mind-contact is a corruption of the mind. When a bhikkhu has abandoned the mental corruption in these six cases … [his mind] becomes wieldy in regard to those things that are to be realized by direct knowledge.”
6 Perception
“Bhikkhus, desire and lust for perception of forms … for perception of mental phenomena is a corruption of the mind. When a bhikkhu has abandoned the mental corruption in these six cases … [his mind] becomes wieldy in regard to those things that are to be realized by direct knowledge.”
7 Volition
“Bhikkhus, desire and lust for volition regarding forms … [234] … for volition regarding mental phenomena is a corruption of the mind. When a bhikkhu has abandoned the mental corruption in these six cases … [his mind] becomes wieldy in regard to those things that are to be realized by direct knowledge.”
8 Craving
“Bhikkhus, desire and lust for craving for forms … for craving for mental phenomena is a corruption of the mind. When a bhikkhu has abandoned the mental corruption in these six cases … [his mind] becomes wieldy in regard to those things that are to be realized by direct knowledge.”
9 Elements
“Bhikkhus, desire and lust for the earth element … for the water element … for the heat element … for the air element … for the space element … for the consciousness element is a corruption of the mind. When a bhikkhu has abandoned the mental corruption in these six cases … [his mind] becomes wieldy in regard to those things that are to be realized by direct knowledge.”
10 Aggregates
“Bhikkhus, desire and lust for form … for feeling … for perception … for volitional formations … for consciousness is a corruption of the mind. When a bhikkhu has abandoned the mental corruption in these five cases, his mind inclines to renunciation. A mind fortified by renunciation becomes wieldy in regard to those things that are to be realized by direct knowledge.”
[235]
273 Cittass’ eso upakkileso. Spk: A corruption of what mind? The mind of the four planes. Admittedly, it is so for the mind of the three (mundane) planes, but how is it a corruption of the supramundane mind? By obstructing its arising. For it is a corruption because it does not allow that mind to arise.
Although the title of the chapter has kilesa, which I render “defilement,” the body of the text uses upakkilesa, which I render “corruption.” MN I 36-37 enumerates sixteen “corruptions of mind,” while 46:33 applies this designation to the five hindrances.
274 Spk: His mind inclines to renunciation (nekkhammaninnaṃ c’ assa cittaṃ hoti): The mind of serenity and insight inclines to the nine supramundane states. Those things to be realized by direct knowledge (abhiññā sacchikaraṇīyesu dhammesu): the things pertaining to the six direct knowledges. Spk does not gloss the verb khāyati, lit. “appears.”