Saṃyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
12. Nidāna-Saṃyutta
1. Buddha Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
Part II: The Book Called the Nidāna-Vagga
Containing Kindred sayings on Cause
and Other Subjects
XII. The Kindred Sayings on Cause
I. The 'Buddha' Suttas
Sutta 1
Desanā
The Teaching
Translated by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Assisted by F. L. Woodward
Originally Published by
The Pali Text Society
Public Domain
[1.1][bodh][olds] Thus have I heard:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī at the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.[1]
And there the Exalted One addressed the brethren, saying:
"Brethren!"
"Master!"[2] responded those brethren.
The Exalted One said:
"I will teach you, brethren, the causal law.[3]
Listen to it,
give your minds thoroughly
and I will speak."
"Even so, lord," responded those brethren.
The Exalted One spake this:
"What, brethren, is the causal law?
[2] Conditioned by ignorance activities come to pass;
conditioned by activities consciousness,
conditioned by consciousness name-and-shape,
conditioned by name-and-shape sense,
conditioned by sense contact,
conditioned by contact feeling,
conditioned by feeling craving,
conditioned by craving grasping,
conditioned by grasping becoming,
conditioned by becoming birth,
conditioned by birth old age-and death, grief, lamenting, suffering, sorrow, despair come to pass.
Such is the uprising of this entire mass of ill.
This, brethren, is called [causal] happening.
■
But from the utter fading away and ceasing of ignorance [comes] ceasing of activities;
from ceasing of activities ceasing of consciousness;
from ceasing of consciousness ceasing of name-and-shape;
from ceasing of name-and-shape ceasing of sense;
from ceasing of sense ceasing of contact;
from ceasing of contact ceasing of feeling;
from ceasing of feeling ceasing of craving;
from ceasing of craving ceasing of grasping;
from ceasing of grasping ceasing of becoming;
from ceasing of becoming ceasing of birth;
from ceasing of birth,
old age-and-death, grief, lamenting, suffering, sorrow, despair cease.
Such is the ceasing of this entire mass of ill."
It is the Exalted One who spake this.
Pleased in mind
those brethren took delight
in the saying of the Exalted One.
[1] Or the Anāthapiṇḍika Park. The story of the gift of the land, bought from Prince Jeta by the philanthropic millionaire Sudatta (known as Anāthapiṇḍika, Feeder of the Forlorn) to the Buddha and his Order is well known. See Vinaya Texts (SBE.), iii, 187 f.
[2] Bhadante.
[3] Paṭicca-samuppāda. Discussion on this term and on those in the formula has been relegated to an introductory note, to reduce footnote matter.
