The One-Hundred-and-Eight Exposition
Aṭṭhasata Sutta (SN 36:22)
“Monks, I will teach you a one-hundred-and-eight exposition that is a Dhamma exposition. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak.”
“As you say, lord,” the monks responded to him.
The Blessed One said: “And which one-hundred-and-eight exposition is a Dhamma exposition? There is the exposition whereby I have spoken of two feelings, the exposition whereby I have spoken of three feelings… five… six… eighteen… thirty-six… one hundred and eight feelings.
“And which are the two feelings? Physical & mental. These are the two feelings.
“And which are the three feelings? A feeling of pleasure, a feeling of pain, a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain. These are the three feelings.
“And which are the five feelings? The pleasure-faculty, the pain-faculty, the happiness-faculty, the distress-faculty, the equanimity-faculty. These are the five feelings.1
“And which are the six feelings? A feeling born of eye-contact, a feeling born of ear-contact… nose-contact… tongue-contact… body-contact… intellect-contact. These are the six feelings.
“And which are the eighteen feelings? Six happiness-explorations, six distress-explorations, six equanimity-explorations.2 These are the eighteen feelings.
“And which are the thirty-six feelings? Six kinds of house-based happiness & six kinds of renunciation-based happiness; six kinds of house-based distress & six kinds of renunciation-based distress; six kinds of house-based equanimity & six kinds of renunciation-based equanimity.3 These are the thirty-six feelings.
“And which are the one hundred and eight feelings? Thirty-six past feelings, thirty-six future feelings, and thirty-six present feelings. These are the one hundred and eight feelings.
“And this, monks, is the one-hundred-and-eight exposition that is a Dhamma exposition.”
