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Saṁyutta Nikāya — The Linked Discourses

Vol 1:
Verses
SN1-11
Vol 2:
Causation
SN12-21
Vol 3:
Aggregates
SN22-34
Vol 4:
Sense Bases
SN35-44
Vol 5:
Great Book
SN45-56

12. Nidānasaṁyutta: On Causation

II. Fuel — SN12.20: Conditions

1At Sāvatthī.

“Mendicants, I will teach you dependent origination and dependently originated phenomena. Listen and pay close attention, I will speak.”

“Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:


2“And what is dependent origination? Rebirth is a condition for old age and death. Whether Realized Ones arise or not, this law of nature persists, this regularity of natural principles, this invariance of natural principles, specific conditionality. A Realized One understands this and comprehends it, then he explains, teaches, asserts, establishes, clarifies, analyzes, and reveals it. ‘Look,’ he says, ‘Rebirth is a condition for old age and death.’

3Continued existence is a condition for rebirth … Grasping is a condition for continued existence … Craving is a condition for grasping … Feeling is a condition for craving … Contact is a condition for feeling … The six sense fields are a condition for contact … Name and form are conditions for the six sense fields … Consciousness is a condition for name and form … Choices are a condition for consciousness … Ignorance is a condition for choices. Whether Realized Ones arise or not, this law of nature persists, this regularity of natural principles, this invariance of natural principles, specific conditionality. A Realized One understands this and comprehends it, then he explains, teaches, asserts, establishes, clarifies, analyzes, and reveals it. ‘Look,’ he says, ‘Ignorance is a condition for choices.’


So the fact that this is real, not unreal, not otherwise; the specific conditionality of it: this is called dependent origination.

4And what are the dependently originated phenomena? Old age and death are impermanent, conditioned, dependently originated, liable to end, vanish, fade away, and cease. Rebirth … Continued existence … Grasping … Craving … Feeling … Contact … The six sense fields … Name and form … Consciousness … Choices … Ignorance is impermanent, conditioned, dependently originated, liable to end, vanish, fade away, and cease. These are called the dependently originated phenomena.

5When a noble disciple has clearly seen with right wisdom this dependent origination and these dependently originated phenomena as they are, it’s impossible for them to turn back to the past, thinking: ‘Did I exist in the past? Did I not exist in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? After being what, what did I become in the past?’ Or to turn forward to the future, thinking: ‘Will I exist in the future? Will I not exist in the future? What will I be in the future? How will I be in the future? After being what, what will I become in the future?’ Or to be undecided about the present, thinking: ‘Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? This sentient being — where did it come from? And where will it go?’

Why is that? Because that noble disciple has clearly seen with right wisdom this dependent origination and these dependently originated phenomena as they are.”


1Sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati.

"Paṭiccasamup pāda ñca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi paṭiccasamuppanne ca dhamme. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī"ti.

"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca: 


2"Katamo ca, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppādo? Jātipaccayā, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ. Uppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ anuppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ, ṭhitāva sā dhātu dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā idappaccayatā. Taṁ tathāgato abhisambujjhati abhisameti. Abhisambujjhitvā abhisametvā ācikkhati deseti paññāpeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti. ‘Passathā’ti cāha: ‘jātipaccayā, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ’.

3Bhavapaccayā, bhikkhave, jāti … pe … upādānapaccayā, bhikkhave, bhavo … taṇhāpaccayā, bhikkhave, upādānaṁ … vedanāpaccayā, bhikkhave, taṇhā … phassapaccayā, bhikkhave, vedanā … saḷāyatanapaccayā, bhikkhave, phasso … nāmarūpapaccayā, bhikkhave, saḷāyatanaṁ … viññāṇapaccayā, bhikkhave, nāmarūpaṁ … saṅkhārapaccayā, bhikkhave, viññāṇaṁ … avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā uppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ anuppādā vā Tathāgatanaṁ, ṭhitāva sā dhātu dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā idappaccayatā. Taṁ tathāgato abhisambujjhati abhisameti. Abhisambujjhitvā abhisametvā ācikkhati deseti paññāpeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti. ‘Passathā’ti cāha: ‘avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā’.


Iti kho, bhikkhave, yā tatra tathatā avitathatā anaññathatā idappaccayatā – ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppādo.

4Katame ca, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā? Jarāmaraṇaṁ, bhikkhave, aniccaṁ saṅkhataṁ paṭiccasamuppannaṁ khayadhammaṁ vayadhammaṁ virāgadhammaṁ nirodhadhammaṁ. Jāti, bhikkhave, aniccā saṅkhatā paṭiccasamuppannā khayadhammā vayadhammā virāgadhammā nirodhadhammā. Bhavo, bhikkhave, anicco saṅkhato paṭiccasamuppanno khayadhammo vayadhammo virāgadhammo nirodhadhammo. Upādānaṁ bhikkhave … pe … taṇhā, bhikkhave … vedanā, bhikkhave … phasso, bhikkhave … saḷāyatanaṁ, bhikkhave … nāmarūpaṁ, bhikkhave … viññāṇaṁ, bhikkhave … saṅkhārā, bhikkhave … avijjā, bhikkhave, aniccā saṅkhatā paṭiccasamuppannā khayadhammā vayadhammā virāgadhammā nirodhadhammā. Ime vuccanti, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā.

5Yato kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa ‘ayañca paṭiccasamuppādo, ime ca paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā’ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya sudiṭṭhā honti, so vata pubbantaṁ vā paṭidhāvissati: ‘ahosiṁ nu kho ahaṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, nanu kho ahosiṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ nu kho ahosiṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, kathaṁ nu kho ahosiṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ hutvā kiṁ ahosiṁ nu kho ahaṁ atītamaddhānan’ti; aparantaṁ vā upadhāvissati: ‘bhavissāmi nu kho ahaṁ anāgatamaddhānaṁ, nanu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ nu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṁ, kathaṁ nu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ hutvā kiṁ bhavissāmi nu kho ahaṁ anāgatamaddhānan’ti; etarahi vā paccuppannaṁ addhānaṁ ajjhattaṁ kathaṅkathī bhavissati: ‘Ahaṁ nu khosmi, no nu khosmi, kiṁ nu khosmi, kathaṁ nu khosmi, ayaṁ nu kho satto kuto āgato, so kuhiṁ gamissatī’ti – netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.

Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathā hi, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa ayañca paṭiccasamuppādo ime ca paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya sudiṭṭhā"ti.


Dasamaṁ.
Āhāravaggo dutiyo.

6Āhāraṁ phagguno ceva,
Dve ca samaṇabrāhmaṇā;
Kaccānagotta dhammakathikaṁ,
Acelaṁ timbarukena ca;
Bālapaṇḍitato ceva,
Dasamo paccayena cāti.