Shorter Advice to Rahula
MN 147 Cūḷa Rāhulovāda Sutta: Shorter Advice to Rāhula
At Anāthapiṇḍikovāda’s monastery one morning the Buddha thinks to himself that his son is ready and ripe to become enlightened so he takes him off for a talk in the Grove of the Blind. He asks him:
“Is the eye permanent or impermanent?” - “Impermanent, Lord”.
“Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?” - “Suffering, Lord”.
“Is what is impermanent, suffering and subject to change fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is myself’?” - “No, Lord”.
These questions are repeated for forms, eye-consciousness, eye-contact, and any feeling, perception, formation or consciousness that arises based upon them.
The whole set is repeated for the ear, nose, tongue, body and ‘mind-objects’.
“Seeing thus, Rāhula, a well taught noble disciple becomes disenchanted with (all of the above). Being disenchanted he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion he is fully released”.
During the talk Rāhula realises full enlightenment!