Saṃyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
12. Nidāna Saṃyutta
7. Mahā 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
7. The Great Chapter
Sutta 67
Nala-Kalapiyaṃ Suttaṃ
The Sheaf of Reeds
Translated by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Assisted by F. L. Woodward
Originally Published by
The Pali Text Society
Public Domain
[1][than][olds][bodh] Thus have I heard:
The venerable Sāriputta and the venerable Mahā-Koṭṭhita were once staying at Benares,
in Isipatana,
in Antelope Wood.
Now the venerable Maha-Koṭṭhita arose at eventide from meditation
and came into the presence of the venerable Sāriputta.
Exchanging friendly greetings with him
and the compliments of courtesy,
he sat down at one side.[1]
So seated
he said to the venerable Sāriputta: -
"What now, friend Sāriputta,
old age-and-death,
is it wrought in one and the same person,
in a different person,
in one who is both same and different,
or in one who is neither the same nor a different person[2] -
is it [a state] that arises by chance?"
[80] "Not any one of these, friend Koṭṭhita,
is [the case with] old age-and-death;
but old age-and-death is conditioned by birth."
"What now, friend Sāriputta,
is birth wrought in one and the same person,
in a different person,
in one who is both same and different,
or in one who is neither the same nor a different person -
is it a state that arises by chance?"
"Not any one of these, friend Koṭṭhita,
is birth,
but birth is conditioned by becoming."
"What now, friend Sāriputta,
is becoming wrought in one and the same person,
in a different person,
in one who is both same and different,
or in one who is neither the same nor a different person -
is it a state that arises by chance?"
"Not any one of these, friend Koṭṭhita,
is becoming,
but becoming is conditioned by grasping."
"What now, friend Sāriputta,
is grasping wrought in one and the same person,
in a different person,
in one who is both same and different,
or in one who is neither the same nor a different person -
is it a state that arises by chance?"
"Not any one of these, friend Koṭṭhita,
is grasping,
but grasping is conditioned by craving."
"What now, friend Sāriputta,
is craving wrought in one and the same person,
in a different person,
in one who is both same and different,
or in one who is neither the same nor a different person -
is it a state that arises by chance?"
"Not any one of these, friend Koṭṭhita,
is craving,
but craving is conditioned by feeling."
"What now, friend Sāriputta,
is feeling wrought in one and the same person,
in a different person,
in one who is both same and different,
or in one who is neither the same nor a different person -
is it a state that arises by chance?"
"Not any one of these, friend Koṭṭhita,
is feeling,
but feeling is conditioned by contact."
"What now, friend Sāriputta,
is contact wrought in one and the same person,
in a different person,
in one who is both same and different,
or in one who is neither the same nor a different person -
is it a state that arises by chance?"
"Not any one of these, friend Koṭṭhita,
is contact,
but contact is conditioned by sense."
"What now, friend Sāriputta,
is name-and-shape wrought in one and the same person,
in a different person,
in one who is both same and different,
or in one who is neither the same nor a different person -
is it a state that arises by chance?"
"Not any one of these, friend Koṭṭhita,
is name-and-shape,
but sense is conditioned by name-and-shape."
"What now, friend Sāriputta,
is name-and-shape wrought in one and the same person,
in a different person,
in one who is both same and different,
or in one who is neither the same nor a different person -
is it a state that arises by chance?"
"Not any one of these, friend Koṭṭhita,
is name-and-shape,
but name-and-shape is conditioned by consciousness."
"What now, friend Sāriputta,
is consciousness wrought in one and the same person,
in a different person,
in one who is both same and different,
or in one who is neither the same nor a different person -
is it [a state] that has arisen by chance?"
"Not any one of these, friend Koṭṭhita,
is consciousness,
but consciousness is conditioned by name-and-shape."
"Lo! now we understand the venerable Sāriputta's words thus: -
Neither name-and-shape,
nor consciousness
is any one of these four:
wrought in one and the same person,
wrought in a different person,
wrought by one who is both,
wrought by one who is neither the same nor a different person -
but arisen by chance;
moreover name-and-shape
is conditioned by consciousness,
consciousness is conditioned by name-and-shape.
How, friend Sāriputta,
is the meaning of what you have said to be regarded?"
"Well, friend, I will make you a simile,
for through a simile
some intelligent men
admit the meaning of what has been said.
It is just as if, friend,
there stood two sheaves of reeds
leaning one against the other.
Even so, friend, name-and-shape
comes to pass conditioned [81] by consciousness,
consciousness conditioned by name-and-shape,
sense conditioned by name-and-shape,
contact is conditioned by sense,
feeling is conditioned by contact,
craving is conditioned by feeling,
grasping is conditioned by craving,
becoming is conditioned by grasping,
birth is conditioned by becoming.
Even such is the uprising
of this entire mass of ill.
If, friend, I were to pull towards me one of those sheaves of reeds,
the other would fall;
if I were to pull towards me the other,
the former would fall.
Even so, friend, from the ceasing of name-and-shape,
consciousness ceases;
from the ceasing of consciousness,
name-and-shape ceases;
from the ceasing of name-and-shape
sense ceases,
from the ceasing of sense,
contact ceases,
from the ceasing of contact,
craving ceases,
from the ceasing of craving,
feeling ceases,
from the ceasing of feeling,
grasping ceases,
from the ceasing of grasping,
becoming ceases,
from the ceasing of becoming,
birth ceases,
even such is the ceasing,
of this entire mass of ill."
"Wonderful, friend Sāriputta!
Marvellous, friend Sāriputta!
How well is this uttered by the venerable Sāriputta,
and for this that has been uttered by him
with these thirty-six bases we thank him."
§
"If, friend,[3] a brother, teaches a doctrine
of revulsion from decay-and-death,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
If a brother teaches a doctrine[ed1]
of revulsion from birth,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
If a brother teaches a doctrine
of revulsion from becoming,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
If a brother teaches a doctrine
of revulsion from grasping,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
If a brother teaches a doctrine
of revulsion from craving,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
If a brother teaches a doctrine
of revulsion from feeling,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
If a brother teaches a doctrine
of revulsion from contact,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
If a brother teaches a doctrine
of revulsion from sense,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
If a brother teaches a doctrine
of revulsion from name-and-shape,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
If a brother teaches a doctrine
of revulsion from consciousness,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
If a brother teaches a doctrine
of revulsion from activities,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
If a brother teaches a doctrine
of revulsion from ignorance,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'Norm-teaching Brother'.
■
If, friend, a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion of decay-and-death,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
If a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion from birth,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
If a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion from becoming,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
If a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion from grasping,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
If a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion from craving,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
If a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion from feeling,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
If a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion from contact,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
If a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion from sense,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
If a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion from name-and-shape,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
If a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion from consciousness,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
If a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion from activities,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
If a brother have practised himself
in this revulsion from ignorance,
of its fading away,
of the ceasing thereof,
this is enough for him to be called
'one versed in that which is in conformity with the Norm.'
■
If, friend, a brother because of revulsion of decay-and-death,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'
If a brother from revulsion from birth,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'
If a brother from revulsion from becoming,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'
If a brother from revulsion from grasping,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'
If a brother from revulsion from craving,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'
If a brother from revulsion from feeling,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'
If a brother from revulsion from contact,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'
If a brother from revulsion from sense,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'
If a brother from revulsion from name-and-shape,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'
If a brother from revulsion from consciousness,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'
If a brother from revulsion from activities,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'
If a brother from revulsion from ignorance,
because of its fading away,
and ceasing,
be freed from any form of grasping,
this is enough for him to be called
'one who hath won Nibbāna in this life.'"
[1] The Maha-vedalla Sutta of the Majjhima (No. 43) is another dialogue between these two eminent Teachers. Both, I incline to think, were compiled rather as 'lessons' for learners than as genuine inquiries by Koṭṭhita. He would not have ranked as a leading Thera, had he needed instruction on any one of the points raised. Cf. the 'we' for 'I,' p. 80. See my Buddhist Psychology (Quest), p. 52 f.
[2] I.e. as always, re-birth. Cf. the [usual Indian] logical alternatives with those above, §§ 17, 18 etc.
[3] See p. 14.
[ed1] Mrs. Rhys Davids here omits the rest where she has abridged it in SN 2.12.16 by: "In the same way you can so call a brother after this threefold manner if he teach, if he practise, if he be in consequence set free from any form of grasping with respect to birth, becoming, grasping, craving, feeling, contact, sense, name-and-shape, consciousness, activities, ignorance." It is included but similarly abridged in the PTS Pali.
