sutta » sn » sn12 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 12.12

Moḷiyaphaggunasutta

Phagguna of the Top-Knot Moḷiyaphagguna

Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.
At Sāvatthī.
At Sāvatthı̄.

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, āhārā bhūtānaṁ vā sattānaṁ ṭhitiyā sambhavesīnaṁ vā anuggahāya.
“Mendicants, there are these four fuels. They maintain sentient beings that have been born and help those that are about to be born.
“Bhikkhus, there are these four kinds of nutriment for the maintenance of beings that have already come to be and for the assistance of those about to come to be.

Katame cattāro?
What four?
What four?

Kabaḷīkāro āhāro oḷāriko vā sukhumo vā, phasso dutiyo, manosañcetanā tatiyā, viññāṇaṁ catutthaṁ.
Solid food, whether solid or subtle; contact is the second, mental intention the third, and consciousness the fourth.
The nutriment edible food, gross or subtle; second, contact; third, mental volition; fourth, consciousness.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro āhārā bhūtānaṁ vā sattānaṁ ṭhitiyā sambhavesīnaṁ vā anuggahāyā”ti.
These are the four fuels that maintain sentient beings that have been born and help those that are about to be born.”
These are the four kinds of nutriment for the maintenance of beings that have already come to be and for the assistance of those about to come to be.”

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā moḷiyaphagguno bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
When he said this, Venerable Phagguna of the Top-Knot said to the Buddha,
When this was said, the Venerable Moḷiyaphagguna said to the Blessed One:

“ko nu kho, bhante, viññāṇāhāraṁ āhāretī”ti?
“But sir, who consumes the fuel for consciousness?”
“Venerable sir, who consumes the nutriment consciousness?”

“No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:
“That’s not a fitting question,” said the Buddha.
“Not a valid question,” the Blessed One replied.

“‘āhāretī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi.
“I don’t speak of one who consumes.
“I do not say, ‘One consumes.’

‘Āhāretī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho:
If I were to speak of one who consumes, then it would be fitting to ask
If I should say, ‘One consumes,’ in that case this would be a valid question:

‘ko nu kho, bhante, āhāretī’ti?
who consumes.
‘Venerable sir, who consumes?’

Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi.
But I don’t speak like that.
But I do not speak thus.

Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya:
Hence it would be fitting to ask:
Since I do not speak thus, if one should ask me,

‘kissa nu kho, bhante, viññāṇāhāro’ti, esa kallo pañho.
‘Consciousness is a fuel for what?’
‘Venerable sir, for what is the nutriment consciousness [a condition]?’ this would be a valid question.

Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ:
And a fitting answer to this would be:
To this the valid answer is:

‘viññāṇāhāro āyatiṁ punabbhavābhinibbattiyā paccayo, tasmiṁ bhūte sati saḷāyatanaṁ, saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso’”ti.
‘Consciousness is a fuel that conditions rebirth into a new state of existence in the future. When that which has been reborn is present, there are the six sense fields. The six sense fields are a condition for contact.’”
‘The nutriment consciousness is a condition for the production of future renewed existence. When that which has come into being exists, the six sense bases [come to be]; with the six sense bases as condition, contact.’”

“Ko nu kho, bhante, phusatī”ti?
“But sir, who contacts?”
“Venerable sir, who makes contact?”

“No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:
“That’s not a fitting question,” said the Buddha.
“Not a valid question,” the Blessed One replied.

“‘phusatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi.
“I don’t speak of one who contacts.
“I do not say, ‘One makes contact.’

‘Phusatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho:
If I were to speak of one who contacts, then it would be fitting to ask
If I should say, ‘One makes contact,’ in that case this would be a valid question:

‘ko nu kho, bhante, phusatī’ti?
who contacts.
‘Venerable sir, who makes contact?’

Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi.
But I don’t speak like that.
But I do not speak thus.

Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya:
Hence it would be fitting to ask:
Since I do not speak thus, if one should ask me,

‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, phasso’ti, esa kallo pañho.
‘What is a condition for contact?’
‘Venerable sir, with what as condition does contact [come to be]?’

Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ:
And a fitting answer to this would be:
this would be a valid question. To this the valid answer is:

‘saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso, phassapaccayā vedanā’”ti.
‘The six sense fields are a condition for contact. Contact is a condition for feeling.’”
‘With the six sense bases as condition, contact [comes to be]; with contact as condition, feeling.’”

“Ko nu kho, bhante, vedayatī”ti?
“But sir, who feels?”
“Venerable sir, who feels?”

“No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:
“That’s not a fitting question,” said the Buddha.
“Not a valid question,” the Blessed One replied.

“‘vedayatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi.
“I don’t speak of one who feels.
“I do not say, ‘One feels.’

‘Vedayatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho:
If I were to speak of one who feels, then it would be fitting to ask
If I should say, ‘One feels,’ in that case this would be a valid question:

‘ko nu kho, bhante, vedayatī’ti?
who feels.
‘Venerable sir, who feels?’

Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi.
But I don’t speak like that.
But I do not speak thus.

Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya:
Hence it would be fitting to ask:
Since I do not speak thus, if one should ask me,

‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, vedanā’ti, esa kallo pañho.
‘What is a condition for feeling?’
‘Venerable sir, with what as condition does feeling [come to be]?’ this would be a valid question.

Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ:
And a fitting answer to this would be:
To this the valid answer is:

‘phassapaccayā vedanā, vedanāpaccayā taṇhā’”ti.
‘Contact is a condition for feeling. Feeling is a condition for craving.’”
‘With contact as condition, feeling [comes to be]; with feeling as condition, craving.’”

“Ko nu kho, bhante, tasatī”ti?
“But sir, who craves?”
“Venerable sir, who craves?”

“No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:
“That’s not a fitting question,” said the Buddha.
“Not a valid question,” the Blessed One replied.

“‘tasatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi.
“I don’t speak of one who craves.
“I do not say, ‘One craves.’

‘Tasatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho:
If I were to speak of one who craves, then it would be fitting to ask
If I should say, ‘One craves,’ in that case this would be a valid question:

‘ko nu kho, bhante, tasatī’ti?
who craves.
‘Venerable sir, who craves?’

Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi.
But I don’t speak like that.
But I do not speak thus.

Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya:
Hence it would be fitting to ask:
Since I do not speak thus, if one should ask me,

‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, taṇhā’ti, esa kallo pañho.
‘What is a condition for craving?’
‘Venerable sir, with what as condition does craving [come to be]?’ this would be a valid question.

Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ:
And a fitting answer to this would be:
To this the valid answer is:

‘vedanāpaccayā taṇhā, taṇhāpaccayā upādānan’”ti.
‘Feeling is a condition for craving. Craving is a condition for grasping.’”
‘With feeling as condition, craving [comes to be]; with craving as condition, clinging;’”

“Ko nu kho, bhante, upādiyatī”ti?
“But sir, who grasps?”

“No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:
“That’s not a fitting question,” said the Buddha.

“‘upādiyatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi.
“I don’t speak of one who grasps.

‘Upādiyatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho:
If I were to speak of one who grasps, then it would be fitting to ask

‘ko nu kho, bhante, upādiyatī’ti?
who grasps.

Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi.
But I don’t speak like that.

Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya:
Hence it would be fitting to ask:

‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, upādānan’ti, esa kallo pañho.
‘What is a condition for grasping?’

Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ:
And a fitting answer to this would be:

‘taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ;
‘Craving is a condition for grasping.
“‘with craving as condition, clinging;

upādānapaccayā bhavo’ti …pe…
Grasping is a condition for continued existence.’ …
with clinging as condition, existence’ …

evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.
That is how this entire mass of suffering originates.
Such is the origin of this whole mass of suffering.’

Channaṁ tveva, phagguna, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā phassanirodho;
When the six fields of contact fade away and cease with nothing left over, contact ceases.
But, Phagguna, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases for contact comes cessation of contact;

phassanirodhā vedanānirodho;
When contact ceases, feeling ceases.
with the cessation of contact, cessation of feeling;

vedanānirodhā taṇhānirodho;
When feeling ceases, craving ceases.
with the cessation of feeling, cessation of craving;

taṇhānirodhā upādānanirodho;
When craving ceases, grasping ceases.
with the cessation of craving, cessation of clinging;

upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho;
When grasping ceases, continued existence ceases.
with the cessation of clinging, cessation of existence;

bhavanirodhā jātinirodho;
When continued existence ceases, rebirth ceases.
with the cessation of existence, cessation of birth;

jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā nirujjhanti.
When rebirth ceases, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress cease.
with the cessation of birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair cease.

Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hotī”ti.
That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases.”
Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.”

Dutiyaṁ.