The Way You Should Practice

atha kho bāhiyo dārucīriyo taramānarūpo jetavanā nikkhamitvā sāvatthiṃ pavisitvā addasa bhagavantaṃ sāvatthiyaṃ piṇḍāya carantaṃ pāsādikaṃ pasādanīyaṃ santindriyaṃ santamānasaṃ uttamadamathasamathamanuppattaṃ dantaṃ guttaṃ yatindriyaṃ nāgaṃ. disvāna yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato pāde sirasā nipatitvā bhagavantaṃ etadavoca — “desetu me, bhante bhagavā, dhammaṃ; desetu, sugato, dhammaṃ, yaṃ mamassa dīgharattaṃ hitāya sukhāyā”ti. evaṃ vutte, bhagavā bāhiyaṃ dārucīriyaṃ etadavoca — “akālo kho tāva, bāhiya, antaragharaṃ paviṭṭhamhā piṇḍāyā”ti.

dutiyampi kho bāhiyo dārucīriyo bhagavantaṃ etadavoca — “dujjānaṃ kho panetaṃ, bhante, bhagavato vā jīvitantarāyānaṃ, mayhaṃ vā jīvitantarāyānaṃ. desetu me, bhante bhagavā, dhammaṃ; desetu, sugato, dhammaṃ, yaṃ mamassa dīgharattaṃ hitāya sukhāyā”ti. dutiyampi kho bhagavā bāhiyaṃ dārucīriyaṃ etadavoca — “akālo kho tāva, bāhiya, antaragharaṃ paviṭṭhamhā piṇḍāyā”ti. …

“tasmātiha te, bāhiya, evaṃ sikkhitabbaṃ — ‘diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṃ bhavissati, sute sutamattaṃ bhavissati, mute mutamattaṃ bhavissati, viññāte viññātamattaṃ bhavissatī’ti. evañhi te, bāhiya, sikkhitabbaṃ. yato kho te, bāhiya, diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṃ bhavissati, sute sutamattaṃ bhavissati, mute mutamattaṃ bhavissati, viññāte viññātamattaṃ bhavissati, tato tvaṃ, bāhiya, na tena; yato tvaṃ, bāhiya, na tena tato tvaṃ, bāhiya, na tattha; yato tvaṃ, bāhiya, na tattha, tato tvaṃ, bāhiya, nevidha na huraṃ na ubhayamantarena. esevanto dukkhassā”ti.

Then indeed Bahiya the bark-clothed left Jetavana, and having gone into Sāvatthi he saw the Blessed One in Sāvatthi walking on alms round, looking pleasant, happy, calmed in senses and tranquil in mind, having attained the highest mastery and greatest serenity, trained, mindful, controlled in senses, stately as an elephant. Seeing him, he approached the Blessed One, and having come up to him, he fell down at his feet and said this: “Teach me, venerable and blessed one, the Dhamma; teach the Dhamma well-gone one, for my enduring benefit and happiness!” When he had said this, the Blessed One replied to Bahiya the bark-clothed, “This isn’t a good time, Bahiya; we have entered the village on alms round.”

Then a second time Bahiya the bark-clothed said to the Blessed One, “But it’s hard to know what may cut short the life of the Blessed One, or what will cut short my own life!  Teach me, venerable and blessed one, the Dhamma; teach the Dhamma well-gone one, for my enduring benefit and happiness…”

[After the third request the Blessed One replies:] “Well, then, Bahiya, you should practice in this way: ‘Sights are just sights; sounds are just sounds; sensations are just sensations; thoughts are just thoughts.’ That’s the way you should practice, Bahiya. When sights are just sights, sounds are just sounds, sensations are just sensations, and thoughts are just thoughts, then there is no you, and because there is no you, there is no you there, and because there is no you and there is no you there, you are neither in this world nor the next world nor in between. Right there, suffering ends.”

Bāhiya Sutta, KN 3.10