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 69
Upayanti Suttaṃ
The Swelling [Tide]
Translated by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Assisted by F. L. Woodward
Originally Published by
The Pali Text Society
Public Domain
[1][bodh][than] Thus have I heard:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī.
And there the Exalted One addressed the brethren, saying:
"Brethren!"
"Master!" responded those brethren.
The Exalted One said:
"The ocean, brethren, when it swells[1]
makes the great rivers swell,
the great rivers when they swell
make their tributaries swell,
these when they swell
make the mountain lakes swell,
when mountain lakes swell,
they make the mountain tarns swell.
Even so, brethren, swelling ignorance
makes activities swell,
swelling activities make consciousness swell,
swelling consciousness makes name-and-shape swell,
swelling name-and-shape makes sense swell,
swelling sense makes contact [84] swell,
swelling contact makes feeling swell,
swelling feeling makes craving swell,
swelling craving makes grasping swell,
swelling grasping makes becoming swell,
swelling becoming makes birth swell,
swelling birth makes decay-and-death swell.
The ocean, brethren, when it ebbs
makes the great rivers ebb,
these make the tributaries ebb,
these make the mountain lakes ebb,
these make the mountain tarns ebb.
Even so, brethren, ebbing ignorance makes activities ebb,
ebbing consciousness makes name-and-shape ebb,
ebbing name-and-shape makes sense ebb,
ebbing sense makes contact ebb,
ebbing contact makes feeling ebb,
ebbing feeling makes craving ebb,
ebbing craving makes grasping ebb,
ebbing grasping makes becoming ebb,
ebbing becoming makes birth ebb,
ebbing birth makes decay-and-death ebb."
[1] At flood tide, says the Comy. lit. when it goes upward at water-increase-time.
