Saṃyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
12. Nidāna Saṃyutta
4. Kaḷara-Khattiya Vagga
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha
Part II.
The Book of Causation Nidāna-Vagga
12. Connected Discourses on Causation
4. The Kaḷāra Khathiya
Sutta 34
Dutiya Ñāṇassa Vatthuṇi Suttaṃ
Cases of Knowledge 2
Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi
Copyright Bhikkhu Bodhi 2000, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha (Wisdom Publications, 2000)
This selection from The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta Nikāya by Bhikkhu Bodhi is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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"Bhikkhus, I will teach you seventy-seven cases of knowledge.
Listen to that and attend closely, I will speak."
[60] "Yes, venerable sir," those bhikkhus replied.
The Blessed One said this:
"Bhikkhus, what are the seventy-seven cases of knowledge?
The knowledge:
'Aging-and-death has birth as its condition.'
The knowledge:
'When there is no birth, there is no aging-and-death.'
The knowledge:
'In the past too aging-and-death had birth as its condition.'
The knowledge:
'In the past too, had there been no birth, there would have been no aging-and-death.'
The knowledge:
'In the future too aging-and-death will have birth as its condition.'
The knowledge:
'In the future too, should there be no birth, there will be no aging-and-death.'
The knowledge:
'That knowledge of the stability of the Dhamma is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.'
"The knowledge:
'Birth has existence as its condition.' ...
The knowledge:
'Volitional formations have ignorance as their condition.'
The knowledge:
'When there is no ignorance, there are no volitional formations.'
The knowledge:
'In the past too volitional formations had ignorance as their condition.'
The knowledge:
'In the past too, had there been no ignorance, there would have been no volitional formations.'
The knowledge:
'In the future too volitional formations will have ignorance as their condition.'
The knowledge:
'In the future too, should there be no ignorance, there will be no volitional formations.'
The knowledge:
'That knowledge of the stability of the Dhamma is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.'
"These, bhikkhus, are called the seventy-seven cases of knowledge."
