Saṁyutta Nikāya 12.36
Translators: sujato
Linked Discourses 12.36
4. Kaḷārakhattiyavagga
4. Kaḷāra the Aristocrat
Dutiyaavijjāpaccayasutta
Ignorance is a Condition (2nd)
Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.
At Sāvatthī.
“Avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā;
“Ignorance is a condition for choices.
saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṁ …pe…
Choices are a condition for consciousness. …
evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.
That is how this entire mass of suffering originates.
‘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.
Mendicants, 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.
‘Taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti.
If you have the view that the soul and the body are the same thing, there is no living of the spiritual life.
‘Aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti.
If you have the view that the soul and the body are different things, there is no living of the spiritual life.
Ete te, bhikkhave, ubho ante anupagamma majjhena tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti:
Avoiding these two extremes, the Realized One teaches by the middle way:
‘jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇan’ti.
‘Rebirth is a condition for old age and death.’
Katamā jāti …pe…
‘What is rebirth …’
katamo bhavo …
‘What is continued existence …’
katamaṁ upādānaṁ …
‘What is grasping …’
katamā taṇhā …
‘What is craving …’
katamā vedanā …
‘What is feeling …’
katamo phasso …
‘What is contact …’
katamaṁ saḷāyatanaṁ …
‘What are the six sense fields …’
katamaṁ nāmarūpaṁ …
‘What are name and form …’
katamaṁ viññāṇaṁ …
‘What is consciousness …’
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.
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.
‘Taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti.
If you have the view that the soul and the body are identical, there is no living of the spiritual life.
‘Aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti.
If you have the view that the soul and the body are different things, there is no living of the spiritual life.
Ete te, bhikkhave, ubho ante anupagamma majjhena tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti:
Avoiding these two extremes, the Realized One teaches by the middle way:
‘avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā’ti.
‘Ignorance is a condition for choices.’
Avijjāya tveva, bhikkhave, asesavirāganirodhā yānissa tāni visūkāyikāni visevitāni vipphanditāni kānici kānici.
When ignorance fades away and ceases with nothing left over, then any twists, ducks, and dodges are given up:
‘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.
‘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’.
Sabbānissa tāni pahīnāni bhavanti ucchinnamūlāni tālāvatthukatāni anabhāvaṅkatāni āyatiṁ anuppādadhammāni.
These are all cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future.
Avijjāya tveva, bhikkhave, asesavirāganirodhā yānissa tāni visūkāyikāni visevitāni vipphanditāni kānici kānici.
When ignorance fades away and ceases with nothing left over, then any twists, ducks, and dodges are given up:
Katamā jāti …pe…
‘What is rebirth …’
katamo bhavo …
‘What is continued existence …’
katamaṁ upādānaṁ …
‘What is grasping …’
katamā taṇhā …
‘What is craving …’
katamā vedanā …
‘What is feeling …’
katamo phasso …
‘What is contact …’
katamaṁ saḷāyatanaṁ …
‘What are the six sense fields …’
katamaṁ nāmarūpaṁ …
‘What are name and form …’
katamaṁ viññāṇaṁ …
‘What is consciousness …’
‘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.
‘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’.
Sabbānissa tāni pahīnāni bhavanti ucchinnamūlāni tālāvatthukatāni anabhāvaṅkatāni āyatiṁ anuppādadhammānī”ti.
These are all cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future.”
Chaṭṭhaṁ.