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SN 22.64 - Manyamana Sutta

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SN 22.64 - Manyamana Sutta (Conceiving)

In this discourse, the Buddha gives a concise explanation of how identification with the five aggregates binds a practitioner to Mara (death, temptation, and delusion), whereas the cessation of identification leads to complete release.

The core psychological term here is Maññamāna (Sanskrit: Manyamāna), which means “conceiving,” “identifying,” or “constructing an identity/ownership” (maññanā) around our experiences.

The Core Text

The Buddha teaches the relation of conceiving and freedom across the five aggregates:

1. Form (Rūpa)

Pali

रूपं खो, भिक्खु, मञ्ञमानो बद्धो मारस्स;
अमञ्ञमानो मुत्तो पापिमतो।

Sanskrit Chaya

रूपं खलु, भिक्षो, मन्यमानो बद्धो मारस्य;
अमन्यमानो मुक्तः पापिमतः।

English Translation

“O monk, conceiving form (identifying with form), one is bound to Mara;
not conceiving form (not identifying with it), one is released from the Evil One.”

2. Feeling, Perception, and Fabrications (Vedanā, Saññā, Saṅkhāra)

Pali

वेदनं …
सञ्ञं …
सङ्खारे …

Sanskrit Chaya

वेदनां …
संज्ञां …
संस्कारान् …

English Translation

“Conceiving feeling, one is bound to Mara; not conceiving it, one is released…
Conceiving perception, one is bound to Mara; not conceiving it, one is released…
Conceiving fabrications, one is bound to Mara; not conceiving them, one is released…“

3. Consciousness (Viññāṇa)

Pali

विञ्ञाणं मञ्ञमानो बद्धो मारस्स;
अमञ्ञमानो मुत्तो पापिमतो।

Sanskrit Chaya

विज्ञानं मन्यमानो बद्धो मारस्य;
अमन्यमानो मुक्तः पापिमतः।

English Translation

“Conceiving consciousness, one is bound to Mara;
not conceiving consciousness, one is released from the Evil One.”

Key Terms & Word Meanings

1. Maññamāna / Manyamānaḥ (मञ्ञमानो / मन्यमानः)

  • Root: From maññati (Sanskrit: manyate - to think, deem, conceive, or identify).
  • Meaning: In the Pali suttas, maññati is not neutral thinking, but the ego-centric construction of self-identity. It operates in three ways (maññanā):
    1. Taṇhā-maññanā (Conceiving through craving: “This is mine”).
    2. Māna-maññanā (Conceiving through conceit: “I am this”).
    3. Diṭṭhi-maññanā (Conceiving through views: “This is my self”).

2. Pāpimato / Pāpimataḥ (पापिमतो / पापिमतः)

  • Pali: Genitive singular of pāpiman (the evil one, the wicked one).
  • Meaning: An epithet of Mara, the personification of death and the cycle of rebirth (saṃsāra).

3. Baddho / Baddhaḥ (बद्धो / बद्धः) vs. Mutto / Muktaḥ (मुत्तो / मुक्तः)

  • Baddho: Bound, chained, trapped, fettered.
  • Mutto: Freed, released, liberated.

Philosophical Context: The Trap of Conceiving

When a person identifies with any aggregate (e.g., thinking “I am my thoughts” or “This body is mine”), they create a target for suffering. Since the aggregates are impermanent (anicca) and subject to change, any identification with them inevitably leads to anxiety and grief when they decay, keeping the mind bound under Mara’s domain.

True release comes from looking at the five aggregates with objective, non-identifying awareness: “This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.”