Saṃyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
14. Dhātu-Saṃyuttaṃ
II. Dutiya Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
II. The Book Called the Nidāna-Vagga
Containing Kindred sayings on Cause
and Other Subjects
14. The Kindred Sayings on Element
Sutta 12
Sa-Nidāna Suttaṃ
With Causal Basis
Translated by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Assisted by F. L. Woodward
Originally Published by
The Pali Text Society
Public Domain
[1] THUS have I heard.
On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī.
Then the Exalted One addressed the brethren, saying:
"Brethren"
"Yes, lord," replied those brethren to the Exalted One.
The Exalted One said:
"With causal basis,[1] brethren,
arises thought of sense-desires,
not without causal basis.
With a causal basis arises ill will,
not without causal basis.
With a causal basis arises cruelty,
not without causal basis.
How do they so arise?
Because of the element of sense-desire[2]
arises sensuous perception,
[106] because of sensuous perception
arise sensuous aims,
because of sensuous aims
arises sensuous desire,
because of sensuous desire
arises sensuous yearning,
because of sensuous yearning
arises sensuous questing.
Pursuing a sensuous quest,
the untaught worldling
practises wrong conduct in three ways:
in deed,
word
and thought.
Because of the element of ill will
arises ill will perception,
because of ill will perception
arise ill will aims,
because of ill will aims
arises ill will desire,
because of ill will desire
arises ill will yearning,
because of ill will yearning
arises ill will questing.
Pursuing an ill will quest,
the untaught worldling
practises wrong conduct in three ways:
in deed,
word
and thought.
Because of the element of cruelty
arises cruel perception,
because of cruel perception
arise cruel aims,
because of cruel aims
arises cruel desire,
because of cruel desire
arises cruel yearning,
because of cruel yearning
arises cruel questing.
Pursuing a malevolent, a cruel quest,
the untaught worldling
practises wrong conduct in three ways:
in deed,
word
and thought.
It is as if a man were to throw down
a blazing grass-torch
in dry grass-jungle.
Were he not with hands and feet
quickly to extinguish it,
the creatures depending on grasses and brushwood
would thereby come to disaster and ruin.
Even so, brethren, any recluse or brahmin whatever,
in whom has arisen irregular notions,
and who does not quickly cast them out,
repress them,
end them,
bring them to nothing,
he both fares ill here,
with trouble,
despair,
yearning,
and at the separation of the body,
after death,
has to expect a bad destiny.
With causal basis, brethren,
arises thought of renunciation,
not without causal basis.
With causal basis
arises thought of benevolence,
not without causal basis.
With causal basis
arises thought of kindness,
not without causal basis.
How do they so arise?
Because of the element of renunciation
arises the idea of renunciation;
because the idea of renunciation
arises aim of renunciation;
because of aim of renunciation
arises desire to make renunciation;
because of desire to make renunciation
arises yearning for renunciation;
because of yearning for renunciation
arises quest for renunciation.
Pursuing that quest, brethren,
the Ariyan disciple practises rightly in three ways:-
in deed,
[107] word
and thought.
Because of the element of benevolence
arises the idea of benevolence;
because the idea of benevolence
arises aim of benevolence;
because of aim of benevolence
arises desire to make benevolence;
because of desire to make benevolence
arises yearning for benevolence;
because of yearning for benevolence
arises quest for benevolence.
Pursuing that quest, brethren,
the Ariyan disciple practises rightly in three ways:-
in deed,
word
and thought.
Because of the element of kindness
arises the idea of kindness;
because the idea of kindness
arises aim of kindness;
because of aim of kindness
arises desire to make kindness;
because of desire to make kindness
arises yearning for kindness;
because of yearning for kindness
arises quest for kindness.
Pursuing that quest, brethren,
the Ariyan disciple practises rightly in three ways:-
in deed,
word
and thought.
It is as if a man were to throw down a blazing grass-torch
in a dry grass-jungle,
but quickly extinguished it
with hands and feet;
the creatures depending on grasses and brushwood
would thereby not come to disaster and ruin.
Even so, brethren, any recluse or brahmin whatever
in whom has arisen irregular notions,
and who quickly casts them out,
represses them,
ends them,
brings them to nothing,
both fares happily here without trouble,
despair
or yearning,
and at the separation of the body,
after death,
has to expect a happy destiny."
[1] Nidāna.
[2] Kāma means literally desire, but with sense-experience as its constant context. Unlike chando, translated 'desire' just below, it has no conational emphasis. It bears, in Buddhist doctrine, almost the sense of 'carnal' in Christian homiletics. It is a name for all life from the lowest up to and inclusive of the nearer, i.e., more akin-to-earth deva-spheres. For here too is 'incarnate' life and carnal desire. The difficulty of translating it is obvious. See Ency. Religion and Ethics, 'Desire'; Compendium, 81, n. 2; Bud. Psych. Ethics, p. 334. The antithetical term, 'renunciation': - nekkhamma - is not from the same root but from kram, going forth. The other two antithetical terms - benevolence, kindness - are negative in form, lit. non-enmity, harmlessness, but are not necessarily so in meaning. E.g., the latter, in the Sutta-Nipāta Comy., is paraphased as sa-karuṇa-bhāvo, state of feeling pity, and pity is actively conceived by Buddhaghosa, Vis. Mag., p. 314 f.,e.g., 'the not being able to endure the sufferings of others.'
