The Root of the Abyss

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

[1][pts][bodh] I Hear Tell:

Once upon a time The Lucky Man,
Sāvatthī-town revisiting.

There he addressed the beggars:

"Beggars!"

"Bhante!" they responded.

The Lucky Man said this to them:

"I will speak to you, beggars,
of the abyss,
and of the root of the abyss —

Listen up
attend well,
I will speak!"

"Say on, Bhante"
those beggars said in response.!

"And what, beggars, is the abyss?

Form, beggars is the abyss,
sense-experience is the abyss,
perception is the abyss,
own-making is the abyss,
sense-consciousness is the abyss.

This is what is called 'The Abyss'.

And what, beggars, is the root of the abyss?

Whatsoever thirst furthers existence,
opens the gate to delight and lust,
taking delight now here now there,
that is to say:

Thirst for sense pleasures,
thirst for existence,
thirst for non-exixtence, intensified existence.^[1]

This is what is called 'the root of the abyss'.

^[1] Vibhava Alternatively 'thirst for ending existence' (un-becoming).