At Sāvatthī. There Ānanda addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!” “Reverend,” they replied. Ānanda said this:

“Reverends, the venerable named Puṇṇa son of Mantāṇī was very helpful to me when I was just ordained. He gave me this advice: ‘Reverend Ānanda, the thought “I am” occurs because of grasping, not without grasping. Grasping what? The thought “I am” occurs because of grasping form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness, not without grasping.

Suppose there was a woman or man who was young, youthful, and fond of adornments, and they check their own reflection in a clean bright mirror or a clear bowl of water. They’d look because of grasping, not without grasping. In the same way, the thought “I am” occurs because of grasping form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness, not without grasping.