Saɱyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
12. Nidāna Saɱyutta
2. Āhāra 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
2. Sustenance-Suttas
Sutta 20
Paccaya (Paccay'uppanna) Suttaɱ
Untitled
Translated by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Assisted by F. L. Woodward
Originally Published by
The Pali Text Society
Public Domain
[1][than][bodh] Thus have I heard:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī
at the Jeta Grove
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
And there the Exalted One addressed the brethren, saying:
"Brethren!"
"Master!" responded those brethren.
The Exalted One said:
"I will teach you, brethren,
both causal happening
and things as having causally happened.
Hear ye this,
give your mind thoroughly,
I will speak."
[21] "Even so, lord",
those brethren made response to the Exalted One.
He said:
"What, brethren, is causal happening?
Conditioned by rebirth is decay and death:
Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathāgatas,
or whether there be no such arising,
this nature of things just stands,
this causal status,
this causal orderliness,
the relatedness of this to that.[1]
Concerning that
the Tathāgata is fully enlightened,
that he fully understands.
Fully enlightened,
fully understanding
he declares it,
teaches it,
reveals it,
sets it forth,
manifests,
explains,
makes it plain,
saying:
'Behold!
Conditioned by rebirth is decay and death.'
■
Conditioned by becoming is rebirth:
Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathāgatas,
or whether there be no such arising,
this nature of things just stands,
this causal status,
this causal orderliness,
the relatedness of this to that.
Concerning that
the Tathāgata is fully enlightened,
that he fully understands.
Fully enlightened,
fully understanding
he declares it,
teaches it,
reveals it,
sets it forth,
manifests,
explains,
makes it plain,
saying:
'Behold!
Conditioned by becoming is rebirth.
■
Conditioned by grasping is becoming:
Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathāgatas,
or whether there be no such arising,
this nature of things just stands,
this causal status,
this causal orderliness,
the relatedness of this to that.
Concerning that
the Tathāgata is fully enlightened,
that he fully understands.
Fully enlightened,
fully understanding
he declares it,
teaches it,
reveals it,
sets it forth,
manifests,
explains,
makes it plain,
saying:
'Behold!
Conditioned by grasping is becoming.
■
Conditioned by craving is grasping:
Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathāgatas,
or whether there be no such arising,
this nature of things just stands,
this causal status,
this causal orderliness,
the relatedness of this to that.
Concerning that
the Tathāgata is fully enlightened,
that he fully understands.
Fully enlightened,
fully understanding
he declares it,
teaches it,
reveals it,
sets it forth,
manifests,
explains,
makes it plain,
saying:
'Behold!
Conditioned by craving is grasping.
■
Conditioned by feeling is craving:
Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathāgatas,
or whether there be no such arising,
this nature of things just stands,
this causal status,
this causal orderliness,
the relatedness of this to that.
Concerning that
the Tathāgata is fully enlightened,
that he fully understands.
Fully enlightened,
fully understanding
he declares it,
teaches it,
reveals it,
sets it forth,
manifests,
explains,
makes it plain,
saying:
'Behold!
Conditioned by feeling is craving.
■
Conditioned by contact is feeling:
Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathāgatas,
or whether there be no such arising,
this nature of things just stands,
this causal status,
this causal orderliness,
the relatedness of this to that.
Concerning that
the Tathāgata is fully enlightened,
that he fully understands.
Fully enlightened,
fully understanding
he declares it,
teaches it,
reveals it,
sets it forth,
manifests,
explains,
makes it plain,
saying:
'Behold!
Conditioned by contact is feeling.
■
Conditioned by sense is contact:
Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathāgatas,
or whether there be no such arising,
this nature of things just stands,
this causal status,
this causal orderliness,
the relatedness of this to that.
Concerning that
the Tathāgata is fully enlightened,
that he fully understands.
Fully enlightened,
fully understanding
he declares it,
teaches it,
reveals it,
sets it forth,
manifests,
explains,
makes it plain,
saying:
'Behold!
Conditioned by sense is contact.
■
Conditioned by name and shape is sense:
Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathāgatas,
or whether there be no such arising,
this nature of things just stands,
this causal status,
this causal orderliness,
the relatedness of this to that.
Concerning that
the Tathāgata is fully enlightened,
that he fully understands.
Fully enlightened,
fully understanding
he declares it,
teaches it,
reveals it,
sets it forth,
manifests,
explains,
makes it plain,
saying:
'Behold!
Conditioned by name and shape is sense.
■
Conditioned by consciousness is name and shape:
Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathāgatas,
or whether there be no such arising,
this nature of things just stands,
this causal status,
this causal orderliness,
the relatedness of this to that.
Concerning that
the Tathāgata is fully enlightened,
that he fully understands.
Fully enlightened,
fully understanding
he declares it,
teaches it,
reveals it,
sets it forth,
manifests,
explains,
makes it plain,
saying:
'Behold!
Conditioned by consciousness is name and shape.
■
Conditioned by activities is consciousness:
Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathāgatas,
or whether there be no such arising,
this nature of things just stands,
this causal status,
this causal orderliness,
the relatedness of this to that.
Concerning that
the Tathāgata is fully enlightened,
that he fully understands.
Fully enlightened,
fully understanding
he declares it,
teaches it,
reveals it,
sets it forth,
manifests,
explains,
makes it plain,
saying:
'Behold!
Conditioned by activities is consciousness.
■
Conditioned by ignorance are activities:
Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathāgatas,
or whether there be no such arising,
this nature of things just stands,
this causal status,
this causal orderliness,
the relatedness of this to that.
Concerning that
the Tathāgata is fully enlightened,
that he fully understands.
Fully enlightened,
fully understanding
he declares it,
teaches it,
reveals it,
sets it forth,
manifests,
explains,
makes it plain,
saying:
'Behold!
Conditioned by ignorance are activities.
■
[22] Thus, brethren, that which here is such wise,
not elsewise,
not otherwise,[2]
the relatedness of this to that: -
this, brethren, is called causal happening.
And what, brethren, are things
as having causally happened?
Decay-and-death is impermanent,
conditioned,
arisen causally,
is by nature withering away,
passing away,
fading away,
coming to an end.
So too is birth, becoming, grasping, craving, feeling, contact, sense, name-and-shape, consciousness, activities, ignorance.
These also are impermanent, conditioned, arisen causally, are by nature withering away, passing away, fading away, coming to an end.
These, brethren, are called things as having causally happened.
Now inasmuch, brethren, as the Ariyan disciple has by right insight well seen even as they really are both this causal happening and things as having causally happened, never doth it arise, verily, that such as he will run back to the past, thinking:
'Did I live in times gone by?
Or did I not?
What was I in times gone by?
How was I then?
Or from being what did I become what?'
Or that he will run towards the times to come, thinking:
'Shall I be reborn in a future time, or shall I not?
What shall I become in the future?
How shall I become in the future?
Or, being what, shall I in the future become what?
Or that he will now become perplexed within himself as to the present day, thinking:
'Am I indeed?
Or am I not indeed?
What indeed am I?
How indeed am I?
This person that is I, whence came he, whither will he go?'
Why doth this never arise?
In that the Ariyan disciple, brethren, has by right insight well seen even as they really are both this causal happening and things as having causally happened.
[1] On these four phrases the Comy. has: - 'ṭhitā va sā dhātu, this - causality (causal state) just stands; there is nowhere any birth, old age, death without cause (paccayo); by the next two phrases he teaches just cause; namely, by cause arisen phenomena (dhammā) persist, (or stand), therefore cause is called 'causal status.' Cause orders (or fixes) phenomena, therefore it is called orderliness of phenomena. The causes of birth, etc., are specific ("this") causes, and specific causes are just this-relatedness.'
[2] Cf. Dialogues iii, 251 f.
