Light/Dark

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

III. The Ten Powers — SN12.28: A Mendicant

1At Sāvatthī.

“A mendicant understands old age and death, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. They understand rebirth … continued existence … grasping … craving … feeling … contact … the six sense fields … name and form … consciousness … They understand choices, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation.

2And what is old age and death? The old age, decrepitude, broken teeth, grey hair, wrinkly skin, diminished vitality, and failing faculties of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings. This is called old age. The passing away, perishing, disintegration, demise, mortality, death, decease, breaking up of the aggregates, and laying to rest of the corpse of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings. This is called death. … Such is old age, and such is death. This is called old age and death. Rebirth is the origin of old age and death. When rebirth ceases, old age and death cease. The practice that leads to the cessation of old age and death is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.


3And what is rebirth? … And what is continued existence? … And what is grasping? … And what is craving? … feeling … contact … the six sense fields … name and form … consciousness …

4And what are choices? There are three kinds of choices. Choices by way of body, speech, and mind. These are called choices. Ignorance is the origin of choices. When ignorance ceases, choices cease. The practice that leads to the cessation of choices is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.

5A mendicant understands old age and death, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. They understand rebirth … continued existence … grasping … craving … feeling … contact … the six sense fields … name and form … consciousness … They understand choices, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. Such a noble disciple is called ‘one accomplished in view’, ‘one accomplished in vision’, ‘one who has come to the true teaching’, ‘one who sees this true teaching’, ‘one endowed with a trainee’s knowledge’, ‘one who has entered the stream of the teaching’, ‘a noble one with penetrative wisdom’, and ‘one who stands pushing open the door of the deathless’.”

1Sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati.

"Tatra kho … pe … idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu jarāmaraṇaṁ pajānāti, jarāmaraṇasamudayaṁ pajānāti, jarāmaraṇanirodhaṁ pajānāti, jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadāṁ pajānāti, jātiṁ pajānāti … pe … bhavaṁ pajānāti … upādānaṁ pajānāti … taṇhāṁ pajānāti … vedanāṁ pajānāti … phassaṁ pajānāti … saḷāyatanaṁ pajānāti … nāmarūpaṁ pajānāti … viññāṇaṁ pajānāti … saṅkhāre pajānāti, saṅkhārasamudayaṁ pajānāti, saṅkhāranirodhaṁ pajānāti, saṅkhāranirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadāṁ pajānāti.

2Katamañca, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ? Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhi tamhi sattanikāye jarā jīraṇatā khaṇḍiccaṁ pāliccaṁ valittacatā āyuno saṁhāni indriyānaṁ paripāko – ayaṁ vuccati jarā. Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhā tamhā sattanikāyā cuti cavanatā bhedo antaradhānaṁ maccu maraṇaṁ kālakiriyā khandhānaṁ bhedo kaḷevarassa nikkhepo; idaṁ vuccati maraṇaṁ. Iti ayañca jarā idañca maraṇaṁ. Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ. Jātisamudayā jarāmaraṇasamudayo; jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇanirodho. Ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminī paṭipadā. Seyyathidaṁ – sammādiṭṭhi … pe … sammāsamādhi.


3Katamā ca, bhikkhave, jāti … pe … katamo ca, bhikkhave, bhavo … katamañca, bhikkhave, upādānaṁ … katamā ca, bhikkhave, taṇhā … vedanā … phasso … saḷāyatanaṁ … nāmarūpaṁ … viññāṇaṁ … .

4Katame ca, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā? Tayome, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā – kāyasaṅkhāro, vacīsaṅkhāro, cittasaṅkhāro. Ime vuccanti, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā. Avijjāsamudayā saṅkhārasamudayo; avijjānirodhā saṅkhāranirodho. Ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo saṅkhāranirodhagāminī paṭipadā. Seyyathidaṁ – sammādiṭṭhi … pe … sammāsamādhi.

5Yato kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ pajānāti, evaṁ jarāmaraṇasamudayaṁ pajānāti, evaṁ jarāmaraṇanirodhaṁ pajānāti, evaṁ jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadāṁ pajānāti, evaṁ jātiṁ pajānāti … pe … bhavaṁ … upādānaṁ … taṇhāṁ … vedanāṁ … phassaṁ … saḷāyatanaṁ … nāmarūpaṁ … viññāṇaṁ … saṅkhāre … saṅkhārasamudayaṁ … saṅkhāranirodhaṁ … evaṁ saṅkhāranirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadāṁ pajānāti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhikkhu diṭṭhisampanno itipi, dassanasampanno itipi, āgato imaṁ saddhammaṁ itipi, passati imaṁ saddhammaṁ itipi, sekkhena ñāṇena samannāgato itipi, sekkhāya vijjāya samannāgato itipi, dhammasotaṁ samāpanno itipi, ariyo nibbedhikapañño itipi, amatadvāraṁ āhacca tiṭṭhati itipī"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.