English
With the cessation of consciousness, venerable sir, there is cessation of name-and-form. This is how it is for us here – with the cessation of consciousness, there is cessation of name-and-form. It has been said: 'With the cessation of volitional formations, there is cessation of consciousness.' Is it, monks, that with the cessation of volitional formations, there is cessation of consciousness? Or not? Or how is it here? With the cessation of volitional formations, venerable sir, there is cessation of consciousness. This is how it is for us here – with the cessation of volitional formations, there is cessation of consciousness. It has been said: 'With the cessation of ignorance, there is cessation of volitional formations.' Is it, monks, that with the cessation of ignorance, there is cessation of volitional formations? Or not? Or how is it here? With the cessation of ignorance, venerable sir, there is cessation of volitional formations. This is how it is for us here – with the cessation of ignorance, there is cessation of volitional formations. 406. Good, monks. Thus, monks, you also speak thus, and I also speak thus – When this is not, that is not; with the cessation of this, that ceases, namely – with the cessation of ignorance, cessation of volitional formations; with the cessation of volitional formations, cessation of consciousness; with the cessation of consciousness, cessation of name-and-form; with the cessation of name-and-form, cessation of the six sense bases; with the cessation of the six sense bases, cessation of contact; with the cessation of contact, cessation of feeling; with the cessation of feeling, cessation of craving; with the cessation of craving, cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, cessation of becoming; with the cessation of becoming, cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair cease. Thus is the cessation of this entire mass of suffering. 407. Do you, monks, knowing thus, seeing thus, run back to the past, thinking – 'Did we exist in the past? Did we not exist in the past? What were we in the past? How were we in the past? Having been what, what were we in the past?' No, venerable sir. Do you, monks, Well, knowing thus, seeing thus, would you run to the future, saying: "Shall we be in the future? Shall we not be in the future? What shall we be in the future? How shall we be in the future? Having been what, what shall we be in the future?" "No, venerable sir." Would you, monks, knowing thus, seeing thus, now, in the present, inwardly be perplexed, saying: "Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? Where has this being come from? Where will it go?" "No, venerable sir." Would you, monks, knowing thus, seeing thus, say this: "The Teacher is our master, and out of respect for the Teacher, we say this"? "No, venerable sir." Would you, monks, knowing thus, seeing thus, say this: "The ascetic says this, and we, being ascetics, say this"? "No, venerable sir." Would you, monks, knowing thus, seeing thus, point to another teacher? "No, venerable sir." Would you, monks, knowing thus, seeing thus, regard as essential those vows, curiosities, and auspicious rites of various ascetics and brahmins? "No, venerable sir." Indeed, monks, what you yourselves have known, yourselves have seen, yourselves have understood, that alone you speak? "Yes, venerable sir." Good, monks. You, monks, have been led by me to this Dhamma, which is visible here and now, timeless, inviting one to come and see, leading inwards, to be personally experienced by the wise. This Dhamma, monks, is visible here and now, timeless, inviting one to come and see, leading inwards, to be personally experienced by the wise. That which was said, was said with reference to this. 408. And indeed, monks, of three... Monks, when there is a conjunction of three, there is the descent of a fetus. Here, parents are conjoined, but the mother is not in season, and the gandhabba is not present; then there is not yet the descent of a fetus. Here, parents are conjoined, and the mother is in season, but the gandhabba is not present; then there is not yet the descent of a fetus. But when, monks, parents are conjoined, and the mother is in season, and the gandhabba is present— thus, with the conjunction of these three, there is the descent of a fetus. Then, monks, the mother carries that fetus in her womb for nine or ten months, with great danger, a heavy burden. Then, monks, after the passing of nine or ten months, the mother gives birth to it, with great danger, a heavy burden. Then, being born, she nourishes it with her own blood. And that, monks, is blood in the discipline of the Noble Ones, that is to say, mother's milk. And that child, monks, having grown up, having reached the maturity of the faculties, plays with those toys of children, that is to say— a crooked stick, a little pot, a spinning top, a swing, a measuring basket, a toy cart, a toy bow. And that child, monks, having grown up, having reached the maturity of the faculties, is endowed with, and fully enjoys, the five strands of sensual pleasure— forms cognizable by the eye, desirable, lovely, agreeable, pleasing, connected with sensuality, arousing passion; sounds cognizable by the ear… odors cognizable by the nose… tastes cognizable by the tongue… tangibles cognizable by the body, desirable, lovely, agreeable, pleasing, connected with sensuality, arousing passion. He, seeing a form with the eye, is infatuated with pleasing forms, and repulsed by unpleasing forms. He dwells with mindfulness of the body unestablished, with a limited mind. And that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, he does not understand as it really is— where those evil, unwholesome states… Indeed, without remainder, they cease. He, thus fallen into agreement and disagreement, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, he delights in that feeling, he welcomes it, he clings to it. For him, delighting in that feeling, welcoming it, clinging to it, craving arises. That craving for feelings is clinging; with clinging as condition, becoming; with becoming as condition, birth; with birth as condition, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise. Thus is the origin of this whole mass of suffering. Having heard a sound with the ear…pe… having smelled a smell with the nose…pe… having tasted a taste with the tongue…pe… having felt a touch with the body…pe… having cognized a mental phenomenon with the mind, he becomes infatuated with pleasing phenomena, he becomes averse to displeasing phenomena, and he dwells with unestablished mindfulness of the body, with a limited mind. And he does not understand as it really is that liberation of mind, that liberation by wisdom, where those evil unwholesome states of his cease without remainder. He, thus fallen into agreement and disagreement, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, he delights in that feeling, he welcomes it, he clings to it. For him, delighting in that feeling, welcoming it, clinging to it, craving arises. That craving for feelings is clinging; with clinging as condition, becoming; with becoming as condition, birth; with birth as condition, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise. Thus is the origin of this whole mass of suffering. 410. Here, monks, a Tathāgata arises in the world, an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, endowed with knowledge and conduct, a Fortunate One, knower of the world, unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, the Awakened One, the Blessed One. He, having directly known and realized this world with its gods, with its Māras, with its Brahmās, with its recluses and brahmins, with its gods and humans, proclaims it. He teaches the Dhamma, beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle… noble in its beginning, noble in its middle, noble in its end, with meaning and with phrasing; he proclaims the utterly complete, utterly pure holy life. A householder hears that Dhamma, or a householder's son, or one born in some other family. Having heard that Dhamma, he gains faith in the Tathāgata. Endowed with that faith, he reflects thus: ‘Confined is household life, a path of dust; open is the going forth. It is not easy for one living at home to lead the utterly complete, utterly pure, polished like a conch-shell holy life. What if I were to shave off my hair and beard, put on saffron robes, and go forth from home into homelessness?’ So, at a later time, having given up a small amount of wealth, or having given up a large amount of wealth, having given up a small circle of relatives, or having given up a large circle of relatives, he shaves off his hair and beard, puts on saffron robes, and goes forth from home into homelessness. 411. Having thus gone forth, and having entered the training and livelihood of bhikkhus, he abandons the taking of life, and abstains from the taking of life. Laying aside rod and weapon, he is conscientious and compassionate, dwelling with loving-kindness for all living beings. He abandons the taking of what is not given, and abstains from the taking of what is not given. He takes only what is given, expecting only what is given, dwelling with a self that is honest and pure. He abandons unchastity, and is chaste. He dwells far off, abstaining from sexual intercourse, the village custom. He abandons false speech, and abstains from false speech. He speaks truth, is truthful, reliable, trustworthy, not deceiving the world. He abandons divisive speech, and abstains from divisive speech. What he hears here, he does not tell there to create division among these. What he hears there, he does not tell here to create division among those. Thus he is a reconciler of those who are divided,