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Edited: Sunday, March 26, 2023 7:11 AM

Saṃyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
12. Nidāna-Saṃyutta
1. Buddha Vagga

Sutta 2

Vibhaṅga Suttaṃ

Splitting Hairs

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

 


 

[1][rhyc][than][bodh] I Hear Tell:

Once upon a time Bhagava, roun-Sāvatthi revisiting,
Jeta-woods,
Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.

There to the Beggars gathered round he said:

[2][rhyc][than] "Beggars!"

And the beggars responding "Elder!"
The Lucky Man said this:

"I will teach you, beggars,
I will analyze for you
'Rebounding Conjuration' [paṭicca-samuppāda].

Listen up!

Pay attention!

I will speak!"

[3][rhyc][than] And the beggars responding
"Very good, Bhante!",
The Lucky Man said:

"And what, beggars is 'Rebounding Conjuration'?

Blindness [avijjā], beggars, results [paccayā] in own-making [sankhārā];
own-making results in consciousness [viññānaṃ];
consciousness results in named-form [nāma-rūpaṃ];
named-form results in the six sense-realms [saḷāyatanaṃ];
the six sense-realms result in contact [phassa];
contact results in sense-experience [vedanā];
sense-experience results in hunger [taṇhā];
hunger results in getting-bound-up [upādānaṃ];
getting-bound-up results in coming-into-existence [bhava];
coming-into-existence results in birth [jāti];
birth results in aging and death,
grief and lamentation,
pain and misery,
and despair [jarā-maraṇaṃ soka-parideva-dukkha-domanassupāyasā sambhavanti].

Thus in this way this whole pile of pain arises to the self.

This, beggars, is called its arising to self [samudaya].

 

§

 

[4][rhyc][than] And what, beggars is 'Aging and Death' [jarā-maraṇaṃ]?

A human being in the realm of man, a god in the deva-worlds, an animal in the animal worlds ...

p.p. explains it all — p.p.

Whatsoever for this or that being
of this or that group of beings
is aging,
agedness,
the breaking,
the graying,
the wrinkling,
the diminishment of the lifespan,
the weakening of the powers,
this, beggars is called 'aging.'

And what, beggars, is death?

Whatsoever for this or that being
of this or that group of beings
is passing,
passing away,
the breaking up,
disappearance,
the death in the dying,
the finishing of the lifespan,
the breaking up of the stockpiles, [khandhā]
the laying down of the body,
this, beggars is said to be 'death.'

This is that aging and this that death.

This is what is called 'Aging and Death'.

[5][rhyc][than] And what, beggars, is 'birth'? [jāti].

Whatsoever for this or that being
of this or that group of beings
is birth,
the occurrence of individuality,
the regrouping of the stockpiles,
the appearance of the six sense spheres: —
this, beggars is said to be 'birth.'

[6][rhyc][than] And what, beggars is 'Coming-to-be'? [bhava].

Three, beggars, are the comings-to-be:
coming to be through the senses,
coming to be in some visible shape,
coming to be without a visible shape.

This is what is called 'coming to be'.

[7][rhyc][than] And what, beggars, is 'getting-bound-up'? [upādāna].

There are, beggars, these four getting-bound-ups:
getting-bound-up in pleasures;
getting-bound-up in views;
getting-bound-up in ethics and rituals;
getting-bound-up in self-experience.

This is what is called 'getting-bound-up'.

[8][rhyc][than] And what, beggars is 'hunger/thirst'? [taṇhā].

Six, beggars, embody hunger/thirst:
hunger for the visible;
hunger for the audible;
hunger for the smellable;
hunger for the tasteable;
hunger for the tangible;
hunger for the Dhamma.

This, beggars, is what is called 'Hunger'.

[9][rhyc][than] And what, beggars is 'sense-experience'? [vedanā].

Six, beggars, embody sense-experience:
contact born of the eye;
contact born of the ear;
contact born of the nose;
contact born of the tongue;
contact born of the body;
contact born of the mind.

This, beggars, is what is called 'sense-experience'.

[10][rhyc][than] And what, beggars, is 'contact'? [phassa].

Six, beggars, embody contact:
eye-contact;
ear-contact;
nose-contact;
tongue-contact;
body-contact;
mind-contact.

This, beggars, is what is called 'contact'.

[11][rhyc][than] And what, beggars, are 'the six-sense-realms'? [saḷāyatana].

The realm of the eye;
the realm of the ear;
the realm of the nose;
the realm of the tongue;
the realm of the body;
the realm of the mind.

This, beggars, is what is called 'The six-sense-realms.'

[12][rhyc][than] And what, beggars, is 'named form?' [nāma-rūpa].

Sensation [vedanā];
Perception [saññā];
Intention [cetanā];
Contact [phassa];
Work of Mind [mana-sikāra].

This is what is called "name".

The Four Basic Components of Existence [cattāro mahā-bhūtā,]: Earth, Water, Firelight and Wind; or Solidity, liquidity, heat and motion = the four Great Elements [cattāro mahā-dhātu].

p.p. explains it all — p.p.

The four basic components [cattāro mahā-bhūtā,],
and that which is derived from
the four basic components.

This is called 'Form'

This, then, is that 'name',
this then that 'form'.

This is what is called 'named form'

[13][rhyc][than] And what, beggars, is 'consciousness'? [viññāṇa].

Six, beggars embody consciousness:
eye-consciousness;
ear-consciousness;
nose-consciousness;
tongue-consciousness;
body-consciousness;
mind-consciousness.

This beggars is what is called 'consciousness'.

[14][rhyc][than] And what, beggars, is own-making? [sankhārā].

Note that the 3rd own-making is by 'heart' [citta], not 'mind' which would be [mano] as usually translated (including by myself). The difference points to a possible distinction between the identified-with heart and the un-individualized mind - heart is a much more personalized term than is mind - . Put aside the thought that today it makes little difference; in those days (and even in more recent times in English) it appears to have had much more significance.

p.p. explains it all — p.p.

Three, beggars, are the own-makings:
bodily own-making,
speech own-making,
heart [citta] own-making.

These, beggars are called 'own-makings'.

[15][rhyc][than] And what, beggars is 'blindness'? [avijjā].

Whatever is ignorance of pain,
ignorance about the arising to self of pain,
ignorance about the ending of pain,
ignorance about the walk to walk to the ending of pain.

This is called 'blindness'.

 

§

 

[16][rhyc][than] Thus then, beggars,
blindness results in own-making;
own-making results in consciousness;
consciousness results in named-form;
named-form results in the six sense-realms;
the six sense-realms result in contact;
contact results in sense-experience;
sense-experience results in hunger;
hunger results in getting-bound-up;
getting-bound-up results in coming-into-existence;
coming-into-existence results in birth;
birth rebounds as aging and death,
grief and lamentation,
pain and misery,
and despair.

Thus in this way comes the arising to the self
of this whole pile of Pain.

[17][rhyc][than] But the utter dispassionate ending of blindness
ends own-making;
own-making ending,
ends consciousness;
consciousness ending,
ends named-form;
named-form ending,
ends the six sense-realms;
the six sense-realms ending,
ends contact;
contact ending,
ends sense-experience;
sense-experience ending,
ends hunger;
hunger/thirst ending,
ends getting-bound-up;
getting-bound-up ending,
ends coming-into-existence;
coming-into-existence ending,
ends birth;
birth ending,
ends aging and death,
grief and lamentation;
pain and misery;
and despair.

Thus in this way comes the ending to the self
of this whole pile of pain."


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