Saṃyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
12. Nidāna Saṃyutta
3. Dasa-Balā Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
Part II. The Book Called the Nidāna-Vagga
Containing Kindred sayings on Cause
and Other Subjects
12. The Kindred Sayings on Cause
3. The 'Ten Powers' Suttas
Sutta 27
Paccaya Suttaṃ
The Causal Relation
Translated by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Assisted by F. L. Woodward
Originally Published by
The Pali Text Society
Public Domain
[1][olds][bodh] Thus have I heard:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī.
And there the Exalted One addressed the brethren, saying:
"Brethren!"
"Master!" responded those brethren.
The Exalted One said:
"Activities, brethren, come to pass conditioned by ignorance,
consciousness conditioned by activities,
name-and-shape by consciousness,
sense by name-and-shape,
contact by sense,
feeling by contact,
craving by feeling,
grasping by craving,
becoming by grasping,
birth by becoming,
old age-and-death [33] by birth,
hence grief,
lamenting,
suffering,
sorrow,
despair
come to pass.
Such is the uprising of this entire mass of ill.
§
And what, brethren, is old age-and-death?
That which, of this and that being,
in this and that group,
is decay,
decrepitude,
breaking up,
hoariness,
wrinkling of the skin,
shrinkage of a life-span,
overripeness of faculties:
this is called old age.
That which of this and that being,
from this or that group,
is falling or decease,
separation,
disappearance,
mortality or dying,
accomplishment of time,
separation of component factors,
laying down of the carcase:
this is called death.
Thus it is
this old age and this death
that is called old age-and-death.
From the uprising of birth
uprising of old age-and-death.
From the ceasing of birth
ceasing of old age-and-death.
Just this Ariyan eightfold path
is the way going to the ceasing of old age-and-death,
to wit,
right view,
right aim,
right energy,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
■
And what, brethren, is birth?[1]
That which, of this and that being
in this and that group,
is birth,
continuous birth,
descent,
reproduction,
appearance of component factors,
acquiring of sense-spheres.
This is called birth.
From the uprising of becoming
uprising of birth.
From the ceasing of becoming
ceasing of birth.
Just this Ariyan eightfold path
is the way going to the ceasing of birth,
to wit,
right view,
right aim,
right energy,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
■
And what, brethren, is becoming?
Three are these becomings:
becoming in Kāma-[worlds],
becoming in Rūpa-[worlds],
becoming in Arūpa-[worlds].
This is called becoming.
From the uprising of grasping
uprising of becoming.
From the ceasing of grasping
ceasing of becoming.
Just this Ariyan eightfold path
is the way going to the ceasing of becoming,
to wit,
right view,
right aim,
right energy,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
■
And what, brethren, is grasping?
There are these four graspings:
grasping of desires,
grasping of opinion,
grasping of rule and ritual,
grasping of soul-theory.
This is called grasping.
From the uprising of craving
uprising of grasping.
From the ceasing of craving
ceasing of grasping.
Just this Ariyan eightfold path
is the way going to the ceasing of grasping,
to wit,
right view,
right aim,
right energy,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
■
And what, brethren, is craving?
There are these six groups of craving:
craving for things seen,
for things heard,
for odours,
for tastes,
for things tangible,
for ideas.
This is called craving.
From the uprising of feeling
uprising of craving.
From the ceasing of feeling
ceasing of craving.
Just this Ariyan eightfold path
is the way going to the ceasing of craving,
to wit,
right view,
right aim,
right energy,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
■
And what, brethren, is feeling?
There are these six groups of feeling:
feeling that is born of eye-contact,
feeling that is born of ear-contact,
feeling that is born of nose-contact,
feeling that is born of tongue-contact,
feeling that is born of body-contact,
feeling that is born of mind-contact.
This is called feeling.
From the uprising of contact
uprising of feeling.
From the ceasing of contact
ceasing of feeling.
Just this Ariyan eightfold path
is the way going to the ceasing of feeling,
to wit,
right view,
right aim,
right energy,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
■
And what, brethren, is contact?
There are these six groups of contact:
eye-contact,
ear-contact,
nose-contact,
tongue-contact,
body-contact,
mind-contact.
This is called contact.
From the uprising of sixfold sense
uprising of contact.
From the ceasing of sixfold sense
ceasing of contact.
Just this Ariyan eightfold path
is the way going to the ceasing of contact,
to wit,
right view,
right aim,
right energy,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
■
And what, brethren, is sixfold sense?
The sense of eye,
ear,
nose,
tongue,
body,
mind.
This is called sixfold sense.
From the uprising of name-and-shape
uprising of sixfold sense.
From the ceasing of name-and-shape
ceasing of sixfold sense.
Just this Ariyan eightfold path
is the way going to the ceasing of sixfold sense,
to wit,
right view,
right aim,
right energy,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
■
And what, brethren, is name-and-shape?
Feeling,
perception,
will,
contact,
work of mind.
This is called name.
The four great elements
and the shape derived from them.
This is called shape.
This is the name,
this is the shape
called name-and-shape.
From the uprising of consciousness
uprising of name-and-shape.
From the ceasing of consciousness
ceasing of name-and-shape.
Just this Ariyan eightfold path
is the way going to the ceasing of name-and-shape,
to wit,
right view,
right aim,
right energy,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
■
And what is consciousness?
These are the six groups of consciousness:
— eye-consciousness,
ear-consciousness,
smell-consciousness,
taste-consciousness,
touch-consciousness,
and mind-consciousness.
This is called consciousness.
From the uprising of activities
uprising of consciousness.
From the ceasing of activities
ceasing of consciousness.
Just this Ariyan eightfold path
is the way going to the ceasing of consciousness,
to wit,
right view,
right aim,
right energy,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
■
And what are activities?
These are the three activities:
— those of deed,
speech
and mind.
These are activities.
From the uprising of ignorance
uprising of activities.
From the ceasing of ignorance
ceasing of activities.
Just this Ariyan eightfold path
is the way going to the ceasing of activities,
to wit,
right view,
right aim,
right energy,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
■
And what is ignorance?
Nescience concerning ill,
its rise,
its cessation
and concerning the way going to the cessation of ill.
This is called ignorance.
§
Now inasmuch, brethren, as the Ariyan disciple knows the causal relation thus,
knows the uprising of the causal relation thus,
knows the cessation of the causal relation thus,
knows the way going to the cessation of the causal relation thus,
he is what we call the Ariyan disciple who has won the view,
who has won vision,
who has arrived at this good doctrine,
who sees this good doctrine,
who possesses the knowledge of the trained man,
who possesses the wisdom of the trained man,
who has won to the stream of the Norm,
who has the Ariyan insight of revulsion,
who stands knocking at the door of the Deathless."[2]
[1] [Mrs. Rhys Davids abridges from here and notes:] I.e., as in § 2, the distinguishing feature here being the full application in detail of the 'Four Ariyan (or noble) Truths.' The descriptions in § 2 constitute the application of the First Truth only: - what is x?
[2] Amata, i.e. Nibbāna. So the Comy., which calls these titles Path-terms (i.e., of the fourfold Path: Stream winner to Arahant), and 'the Ariyan' one who has 'got past' the worldlings or 'many folk.'
