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Saṁyutta Nikāya 12.2 Linked Discourses 12.2
1. Buddhavagga 1. The Buddhas
Vibhaṅgasutta Analysis Analysis of Dependent OriginationAnalysis.
Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati. At Sāvatthī. At Sāvatthı̄.At Sāvatthī
“Paṭiccasamuppādaṁ vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi vibhajissāmi. “Mendicants, I will teach and analyze for you dependent origination. An “analysis” (vibhaṅga) is a discourse that defines the terms of a particular teaching. It acts as a key for unlocking the meaning of that teaching wherever it appears. Special attention should be paid to the meanings of these terms, and they should be borne in mind whenever considering the topic. This allows us to both fix the intended meanings and exclude a range of false interpretations. | We find “analysis” discourses for the truths (MN 141), elements (MN 140), the six senses (MN 137), kamma (MN 135, MN 136), the path (SN 45.8), mindfulness (SN 47.40), the faculties (SN 48.9), and the bases of psychic power (SN 51.20). The category is not always clear-cut. For example, the “analysis” of mindfulness does not really define the terms, and the Satipaṭṭhānasutta acts more as a classic analysis despite not being called that. The aggregates lack an analysis, but see SN 22.56. The idea of the “analysis” lead to the creation of the Abhidhamma book of that name (Vb 1), which draws on the analysis discourses and elaborates them further.“Bhikkhus, I will teach you dependent origination and I will analyse it for you.[the Exalted One said this]:—“I will teach you, Monks, I will analyze* the causal law.
Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” Listen to that and attend closely, I will speak.”Listen to it, give your minds thoroughly and I will speak.’
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. “Yes, sir,” they replied. “Yes, venerable sir,” those bhikkhus replied.“Even so, Lord,’ responded those Monks.
Bhagavā etadavoca: The Buddha said this: The Blessed One said this:The Exalted One said this :——
“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppādo? “And what is dependent origination? “And what, bhikkhus, is dependent origination? What, Monks, is the causal law ?
Avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; Ignorance is a requirement for choices. A note on syntax. The links proceed as a list of nouns, which can be literally rendered as, “Due to the ignorance dependency, choices; due to the choices dependency, consciousness …”. The causal sense is expressed by the ablative case. There is no verb until the very end of the list, where old age and death, etc. “come to be” (sambhavanti). The commentary says the verb applies transitively to all the factors. However, the cessation sequence likewise ends with a verb, but it could hardly be said that “the cessation of choices ceases”. The better explanation is that each phrase relies on the verb “to be”, which is normally implicit, but is supplied in the abstract principle of dependent origination (SN 12.37:2.2). Thus we might translate, “With ignorance as dependency, there are choices …”. In some constructions, the verb uppajjati (“arises”) is supplied (SN 35.24:1.4). In my translation, I opt for a more idiomatic rendering.With ignorance as condition, volitional formations [come to be];
saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṁ; Choices are a requirement for consciousness. with volitional formations as condition, consciousness;
viññāṇapaccayā nāmarūpaṁ; Consciousness is a requirement for name and form. with consciousness as condition, name-and-form;
nāmarūpapaccayā saḷāyatanaṁ; Name and form are requirements for the six sense fields. with name-and-form as condition, the six sense bases;
saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso; The six sense fields are requirements for contact. with the six sense bases as condition, contact;
phassapaccayā vedanā; Contact is a requirement for feeling. with contact as condition, feeling;
vedanāpaccayā taṇhā; Feeling is a requirement for craving. with feeling as condition, craving;
taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ; Craving is a requirement for grasping. with craving as condition, clinging;
upādānapaccayā bhavo; Grasping is a requirement for continued existence. with clinging as condition, existence;
bhavapaccayā jāti; Continued existence is a requirement for rebirth. with existence as condition, birth;
jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā sambhavanti. Rebirth is a requirement for old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress to come to be. with birth as condition, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair come to be.
Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti. That is how this entire mass of suffering originates. Such is the origin of this whole mass of suffering.
Katamañca, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ? And what is old age and death? Now the Buddha defines each term, starting from the end and working backwards. Complementary definitions are offered in DN 15.And what, bhikkhus, is aging-and-death?And what, Monks, is old age-and-death?
Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhi tamhi sattanikāye jarā jīraṇatā khaṇḍiccaṁ pāliccaṁ valittacatā āyuno saṁhāni indriyānaṁ paripāko; The old age, decrepitude, broken teeth, grey hair, wrinkly skin, diminished vitality, and failing faculties of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings. “Old age” (jarā, related to English “geriatric”) is the physical decay in the late stages of life. It is not “aging” in the sense “growing old” as it does not refer to, for example, the maturing of children into adults. It also excludes purely psychological and metaphorical readings. Finally, it applies not just to the human realm, but in one way or another to all realms.The aging of the various beings in the various orders of beings, their growing old, brokenness of teeth, greyness of hair, wrinkling of skin, decline of vitality, degeneration of the faculties:That which, of this and that being, in this and that group, is decay, decrepitude, breaking up, hoariness, wrinkling of the skin, shrinkage of a life-span, over-ripeness of faculties:
ayaṁ vuccati jarā. This is called old age. this is called aging.this is called old age.
Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhā tamhā sattanikāyā cuti cavanatā bhedo antaradhānaṁ maccu maraṇaṁ kālakiriyā khandhānaṁ bhedo kaḷevarassa nikkhepo (…), The passing away, passing on, disintegration, demise, mortality, death, decease, breaking up of the aggregates, and laying to rest of the corpse of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings. Death (maraṇa, cf. “mortality”) is the end of life. The series of synonyms here serves to clarify that it refers to literal death, not metaphorical or psychological death.The passing away of the various beings from the various orders of beings, their perishing, breakup, disappearance, mortality, death, completion of time, the breakup of the aggregates, the laying down of the carcass:That which, of this and that being from this or that group, is falling or decease, separation, disappearance, mortality or dying,* accomplishment of time: separation of component factors,> laying down of the carcase:
idaṁ vuccati maraṇaṁ. This is called death. this is called death.this is called death.
Iti ayañca jarā, idañca maraṇaṁ. Such is old age, and such is death. Thus this aging and this deathThus it is this decay and this dying
Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ. This is called old age and death. are together called aging-and-death.that is called old age-and-death.
Katamā ca, bhikkhave, jāti? And what is rebirth? And what, bhikkhus, is birth?And what, Monks, is birth?
Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhi tamhi sattanikāye jāti sañjāti okkanti abhinibbatti khandhānaṁ pātubhāvo āyatanānaṁ paṭilābho. The rebirth, inception, conception, regeneration, manifestation of the aggregates, and acquisition of the sense fields of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings. “Rebirth” (jāti, cf. “genesis”) refers to ongoing transmigration into new lives. It doesn’t refer to “childbirth”, namely parturition or emergence from the womb, which is vijāti (SN 3.16:1.4, SN 24.1:1.4, SN 37.3:1.9). Nor does it have a religious sense, as in a “spiritual renewal”, nor a psychological one as the arising of a sense of self.The birth of the various beings into the various orders of beings, their being born, descent [into the womb], production, the manifestation of the aggregates, the obtaining of the sense bases.That which, of this and that being in this and that group, is birth, continuous birth, descent,® reproduction, appearance of component factors, acquiring of sense-spheres.
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, jāti. This is called rebirth. This is called birth.This is called birth.
Katamo ca, bhikkhave, bhavo? And what is continued existence? “Continued existence” (bhava, cf. “being”) is the “life” or “plane of existence” in which one is born as an ongoing series of manifestations of the aggregates. It includes both the active aspects of life (defilements and deeds) as well as the resultant body and mind. Consider it by analogy with, say, visiting a park. First there is the spark of an idea, a vague impression of a “park” in the mind, which solidifies into an intention. Acting on it, one goes to the park, where it becomes one’s reality, the “world” one inhabits. Likewise, by creating ideas and volitions in the mind, one is aligning or tuning into the corresponding realm of existence, priming the mind to project itself into that state and make it a reality when one is reborn there. The deeds that determine rebirth in a state of existence shape the baseline experience in that state. Since the deed is of necessity limited in power, the resultant state must be impermanent.And what, bhikkhus, is existence?And what, Monks, is becoming ?
Tayome, bhikkhave, bhavā—There are these three states of existence. There are these three kinds of existence:Three are these becomings:
kāmabhavo, rūpabhavo, arūpabhavo. Existence in the sensual realm, the realm of luminous form, and the formless realm. The “sensual realm” encompasses all realms, including the human, from the lowest hell to the highest of the sensual heavens, the gods who control what is imagined by others. | “Luminous form” (rūpa) refers to the Brahmā realms attained through the luminous mind of jhāna. | The “formless” realms are attained through the formless meditations.sense-sphere existence, form-sphere existence, formless-sphere existence.becoming in Kama-[worlds]’ becoming in Rupa-[worlds], becoming in Arupa-[worlds].
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhavo. This is called continued existence. This is called existence.This is called becoming.
Katamañca, bhikkhave, upādānaṁ? And what is grasping? And what, bhikkhus, is clinging?And what, Monks, is grasping ?
Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, upādānāni—There are these four kinds of grasping. “Grasping” (upādāna “taking”, the inverse of dāna “gift”, cf. “donation”) refers to grabbing something, holding it close to oneself, and refusing to let go. It has a secondary meaning of “fuel” for the fire (SN 3.1:10.1, SN 12.52:1.2).There are these four kinds of clinging:There are these four grasping:
kāmupādānaṁ, diṭṭhupādānaṁ, sīlabbatupādānaṁ, attavādupādānaṁ. Grasping at sensual pleasures, views, precepts and observances, and theories of a self. While “sensual pleasures” are a near-universal attachment, the other three forms of grasping require a mature cognition. Babies and cats do not develop a set of religious observances, nor do they theorize about the nature of their soul. This implies that grasping is developed as a child grows up, and explains why animals and infants are not karmically responsible for their deeds in the same way as adult humans. The primary bases of such theories are the five aggregates (MN 75:24.8, SN 22.80:9.10).clinging to sensual pleasures, clinging to views, clinging to rules and vows, clinging to a doctrine of self.grasping of desires, grasping of opinion, grasping of rule and ritual, grasping of soul-theory.
Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, upādānaṁ. This is called grasping. This is called clinging.This is called grasping.
Katamā ca, bhikkhave, taṇhā? And what is craving? And what, bhikkhus, is craving?And what, Monks, is craving ?
Chayime, bhikkhave, taṇhākāyā—There are these six classes of craving. From here, the definitions are couched in terms of the six senses. Remember that this is the reverse order; if taken in the forward order, these factors flow on from the six sense spheres.There are these six classes of craving:There are these six groups of craving:
rūpataṇhā, saddataṇhā, gandhataṇhā, rasataṇhā, phoṭṭhabbataṇhā, dhammataṇhā. Craving for sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and ideas. Craving (taṇhā, cf. “thirst”) is primal desire to experience pleasure and avoid pain. It moves out through the senses. The standard definition says it is “the craving that leads to future lives, mixed up with relishing and greed, taking pleasure wherever it lands” (SN 56.11:4.4).craving for forms, craving for sounds, craving for odours, craving for tastes, craving for tactile objects, craving for mental phenomena.craving for things seen, for things heard, for odours, for tastes, for things tangible, for ideas.
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, taṇhā. This is called craving. This is called craving.This is called craving.
Katamā ca, bhikkhave, vedanā? And what is feeling? And what, bhikkhus, is feeling?And what, Monks, is feeling?
Chayime, bhikkhave, vedanākāyā—There are these six classes of feeling. There are these six classes of feeling:There are these six groups of feeling:
cakkhusamphassajā vedanā, sotasamphassajā vedanā, ghānasamphassajā vedanā, jivhāsamphassajā vedanā, kāyasamphassajā vedanā, manosamphassajā vedanā. Feeling born of contact through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. “Feeling” (vedanā, cf. “wit”, “wisdom”, “visual”) is the affective or hedonic tone of experience. Each sense can trigger a response of pleasure, pain, or neither-pleasure-nor-pain.feeling born of eye-contact, feeling born of ear-contact, feeling born of nose-contact, feeling born of tongue-contact, feeling born of body-contact, feeling born of mind-contact.feeling that is born of eye-contact, feeling that is born of ear-contact, feeling that is born of nose-contact, feeling that is born of tongue-contact, feeling that 1s born of body-contact, feeling that is born of mind-contact.
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, vedanā. This is called feeling. This is called feeling.This is called feeling.
Katamo ca, bhikkhave, phasso? And what is contact? And what, bhikkhus, is contact?And what, Monks, is contact ?
Chayime, bhikkhave, phassakāyā—There are these six classes of contact. There are these six classes of contact:There are these six groups of contact:
cakkhusamphasso, sotasamphasso, ghānasamphasso, jivhāsamphasso, kāyasamphasso, manosamphasso. Contact through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. “Contact” (phassa) is the conjunction of the external sense stimulus (“sight”) with the inner sense organ (“eye”) in awareness (“eye consciousness”).eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, mind-contact.eye-contact, ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, mind-contact.
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, phasso. This is called contact. This is called contact.This is called contact.
Katamañca, bhikkhave, saḷāyatanaṁ? And what are the six sense fields? And what, bhikkhus, are the six sense bases?And what, Monks, is sixfold sense?
Cakkhāyatanaṁ, sotāyatanaṁ, ghānāyatanaṁ, jivhāyatanaṁ, kāyāyatanaṁ, manāyatanaṁ—The sense fields of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The “mind” (mano) is incorporated along with the physical senses, to show that, even though it is very different in many ways, it still shares a fundamental structure requiring stimulus and the presence of awareness.The eye base, the ear base, the nose base, the tongue base, the body base, the mind base.The sense of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind
idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, saḷāyatanaṁ. These are called the six sense fields. These are called the six sense bases.This is called sixfold sense.
Katamañca, bhikkhave, nāmarūpaṁ? And what are name and form? And what, bhikkhus, is name-and-form?And what, Monks, is name-and-shape ?
Vedanā, saññā, cetanā, phasso, manasikāro—Feeling, perception, intention, contact, and application of mind. The Buddha treats “name” (nāma) analytically, distancing it from the root sense. This can be seen as a reductive definition: that which you refer to under your “name” turns out to rely on a whole series of conditioned mental processes. These factors are active constituents of the mind that contribute to linguistic conceptualizing. The Buddhist tradition regards them as being universal concomitants of consciousness, essential to the functioning of all kinds of awareness.Feeling, perception, volition, contact, attention:Feeling, perception, will, contact, work of mind.
idaṁ vuccati nāmaṁ. This is called name. this is called name.This is called name.
Cattāro ca mahābhūtā, catunnañca mahābhūtānaṁ upādāyarūpaṁ. The four principal states, and form derived from the four principal states. The “principal states” (mahābhūta) are earth, water, fire, and air, corresponding to the modern concepts of solid, liquid, plasma, and gas. | “Derived” (upādāya) form is not explained in the suttas, but one passage indicates it includes “space” (MN 28:26.1). The Abhidhamma traditions explain it as including the objects of the senses, the subtle matter that receives sense impressions, and various other material phenomena.The four great elements and the form derived from the four great elements:The four great elements and the shape derived from them.
Idaṁ vuccati rūpaṁ. This is called form. “Form” (rūpa) or “body”, “appearance” is possibly related to Avestan urvan “soul” via the sense “ghost, vision, apparition”. Here it refers primarily to the body, as well as the physical properties experienced through the five senses. It also includes the purely mental perception of physical properties, such as color or shape or position as imagined in the mind. In the analysis of the six senses, it has the narrower meaning of that which is seen, i.e. “sight”.this is called form.This is called shape.
Iti idañca nāmaṁ, idañca rūpaṁ. Such is name and such is form. Thus this name and this formThis is the name, this is the shape
Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, nāmarūpaṁ. These are called name and form. are together called name-and-form.called name-and-shape.
Katamañca, bhikkhave, viññāṇaṁ? And what is consciousness? And what, bhikkhus, is consciousness?And what is consciousness ?
Chayime, bhikkhave, viññāṇakāyā—There are these six classes of consciousness. There are these six classes of consciousness:These are the six groups of consciousness :
cakkhuviññāṇaṁ, sotaviññāṇaṁ, ghānaviññāṇaṁ, jivhāviññāṇaṁ, kāyaviññāṇaṁ, manoviññāṇaṁ. Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind consciousness. Consciousness” (viññāṇa, cf. “know”) is presented analytically, showing that “mind consciousness” is not an eternal metaphysical entity but a conditioned psychological process. Consciousness is simple subjective awareness, the sense of knowing. It arises stimulated by either an external sense impression or a mental phenomena such as thought, memory, etc. It is the subjective awareness that makes the entire multiform world of concepts and appearances possible.eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mind-consciousness.eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, smell-, taste-, touch-, and mind-consciousness.
Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, viññāṇaṁ. This is called consciousness. This is called consciousness.This is called consciousness.
Katame ca, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā? And what are choices? And what, bhikkhus, are the volitional formations?And what are activities ?
Tayome, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā—There are three kinds of choices. There are these three kinds of volitional formations:These are the three activities:
kāyasaṅkhāro, vacīsaṅkhāro, cittasaṅkhāro. Choices by way of body, speech, and mind. Saṅkhāra is used in several ways in early Buddhism. Perhaps the most general sense is “potencies”, as in energies or phenomena potent to create more energies or phenomena. In dependent origination and the five aggregates (SN 22.56:10.1) it means morally potent deeds performed by way of body, speech, and mind, so I translate as “choices”. This is not to be confused with the meditative stilling of active physical, verbal, and mental “processes” (SN 41.6:1.7). As a word for a cause or reason I translate as “condition” (SN 48.40:5.3), and use the same word for the conditioned phenomena produced by causes (SN 22.81:5.5, AN 6.93:1.3, MN 102:4.5). Sometimes, such as in the bases for psychic power, it means “effort” (SN 51.1:1.3).the bodily volitional formation, the verbal volitional formation, the mental volitional formation.—those of deed, speech and mind.
Ime vuccanti, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā. These are called choices. These are called the volitional formations.These are activities.
Katamā ca, bhikkhave, avijjā? And what is ignorance? And what, bhikkhus, is ignorance?And what is ignorance ?
Yaṁ kho, bhikkhave, dukkhe aññāṇaṁ, dukkhasamudaye aññāṇaṁ, dukkhanirodhe aññāṇaṁ, dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya aññāṇaṁ. Not knowing about suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering. Since all good qualities are included in these four noble truths (MN 28:2.1), the most important quality in the Buddhist path is wisdom which overcomes ignorance (SN 48.54:1.1).Not knowing suffering, not knowing the origin of suffering, not knowing the cessation of suffering, not knowing the way leading to the cessation of suffering.Nescience concerning ill, its rise, its cessation and concerning the way going to the cessation of ill.
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, avijjā. This is called ignorance. This is called ignorance.This is called ignorance.
Iti kho, bhikkhave, avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā; And so, ignorance is a requirement for choices. Thus, bhikkhus, with ignorance as condition, volitional formations [come to be];So thus, Monks:—‘ conditioned by ignorance activities.'
saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṁ …pe… Choices are a requirement for consciousness. … with volitional formations as condition, consciousness….conditioned by activities consciousness,’ and so on to 'despair'
evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti. That is how this entire mass of suffering originates. Such is the origin of this whole mass of suffering.—such is the uprising of this entire mass of ill.
Avijjāya tveva asesavirāganirodhā saṅkhāranirodho; When ignorance fades away and ceases with no residue left behind, choices cease. The cessation sequence, like the origination, proceeds as a list of nouns with a verb only at the end. The syntax is not entirely parallel, however, as the grammar of the compounds is different. Avijjāpaccaya is a kammadhāraya, “ignorance as dependency” (Commentary: avijjā ca sā paccayo ca), whereas the nirodha compounds are tappurisa, “with the cessation of ignorance … ”. This distinction mirrors the ontological asymmetry of the two halves: ignorance is present as a condition for choices, but it is its absence that triggers the cessation of choices. Ignorance is a dependency, but it is not a cessation.But with the remainderless fading away and cessation of ignorance comes cessation of volitional formations;But from the utter fading out and ceasing of ignorance, ceasing of activities,
saṅkhāranirodhā viññāṇanirodho …pe… When choices cease, consciousness ceases. … with the cessation of volitional formations, cessation of consciousness….from the ceasing of activities ceasing of consciousness,
evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hotī”ti. That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases.” Each of the terms in the cessation sequence can be considered a synonym for Nibbāna.Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.”such is the ceasing of this entire mass of ill.
Dutiyaṁ.