1At Sāvatthī.

“Ignorance is a condition for choices.

Choices are a condition for consciousness. … That is how this entire mass of suffering originates.

2Mendicants, you might say, ‘What are old age and death, and who do they belong to?’ Or you might say, ‘Old age and death are one thing, who they belong to is another.’ But both of these mean the same thing, only the phrasing differs. If you have the view that the soul and the body are the same thing, there is no living of the spiritual life. If you have the view that the soul and the body are different things, there is no living of the spiritual life. Avoiding these two extremes, the Realized One teaches by the middle way: ‘Rebirth is a condition for old age and death.’

3‘What is rebirth …’ ‘What is continued existence …’ ‘What is grasping …’ ‘What is craving …’ ‘What is feeling …’ ‘What is contact …’ ‘What are the six sense fields …’ ‘What are name and form …’ ‘What is consciousness …’ You might say, ‘What are choices, and who do they belong to?’ Or you might say, ‘Choices are one thing, who they belong to is another.’ But both of these mean the same thing, only the phrasing differs. If you have the view that the soul and the body are identical, there is no living of the spiritual life. If you have the view that the soul and the body are different things, there is no living of the spiritual life. Avoiding these two extremes, the Realized One teaches by the middle way: ‘Ignorance is a condition for choices.’

4When ignorance fades away and ceases with nothing left over, then any tricks, dodges, and evasions are given up: ‘What are old age and death, and who do they belong to?’ or ‘old age and death are one thing, who they belong to is another’, or ‘the soul and the body are identical’, or ‘the soul and the body are different things’. These are all cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future.

5When ignorance fades away and ceases with nothing left over, then any tricks, dodges, and evasions are given up: ‘What is rebirth …’ ‘What is continued existence …’ ‘What is grasping …’ ‘What is craving …’ ‘What is feeling …’ ‘What is contact …’ ‘What are the six sense fields …’ ‘What are name and form …’ ‘What is consciousness …’ ‘What are choices, and who do they belong to?’ or ‘choices are one thing, who they belong to is another’, or ‘the soul and the body are identical’, or ‘the soul and the body are different things’. These are all cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future.”

1Sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati.

"Avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā;

saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṁ … pe … evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.

2‘Katamaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ, kassa ca panidaṁ jarāmaraṇan’ti iti vā, bhikkhave, yo vadeyya, ‘aññaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ, aññassa ca panidaṁ jarāmaraṇan’ti iti vā, bhikkhave, yo vadeyya, ubhayametaṁ ekatthaṁ byañjanameva nānaṁ. ‘Taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti. ‘Aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti. Ete te, bhikkhave, ubho ante anupāgamma majjhena tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti: ‘jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇan’ti.

3Katamā jāti … pe … katamo bhavo … katamaṁ upādānaṁ … katamā taṇhā … katamā vedanā … katamo phasso … katamaṁ saḷāyatanaṁ … katamaṁ nāmarūpaṁ … katamaṁ viññāṇaṁ … katame saṅkhārā, kassa ca panime saṅkhārāti iti vā, bhikkhave, yo vadeyya, ‘aññe saṅkhārā aññassa ca panime saṅkhārā’ti iti vā, bhikkhave, yo vadeyya, ubhayametaṁ ekatthaṁ byañjanameva nānaṁ. ‘Taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti. ‘Aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti. Ete te, bhikkhave, ubho ante anupāgamma majjhena tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti: ‘avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā’ti.

4Avijjāya tveva, bhikkhave, asesavirāganirodhā yānissa tāni visūkāyikāni visevitāni vipphanditāni kānici kānici. ‘Katamaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ, kassa ca panidaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ’ iti vā, ‘aññaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ, aññassa ca panidaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ’ iti vā, ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ, aññaṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā. Sabbānissa tāni pahīnāni bhavanti ucchinnamūlāni tālāvatthukatāni anabhāvaṅkatāni āyatiṁ anup pāda dhammāni.

5Avijjāya tveva, bhikkhave, asesavirāganirodhā yānissa tāni visūkāyikāni visevitāni vipphanditāni kānici kānici. Katamā jāti … pe … katamo bhavo … katamaṁ upādānaṁ … katamā taṇhā … katamā vedanā … katamo phasso … katamaṁ saḷāyatanaṁ … katamaṁ nāmarūpaṁ … katamaṁ viññāṇaṁ … ‘katame saṅkhārā, kassa ca panime saṅkhārā’ iti vā, ‘aññe saṅkhārā, aññassa ca panime saṅkhārā’ iti vā; ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā. Sabbānissa tāni pahīnāni bhavanti ucchinnamūlāni tālāvatthukatāni anabhāvaṅkatāni āyatiṁ anup pāda dhammānī"ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.