Paccayasutta

Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati. “Paṭiccasamuppādañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi paṭiccasamuppanne ca dhamme. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti. “Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, I will teach you dependent origination and dependently originated phenomena. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppādo? Jātipaccayā, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ. Uppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ anuppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ, ṭhitāva sā dhātu dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā idappaccayatā. Taṁ tathāgato abhisambujjhati abhisameti. Abhisambujjhitvā abhisametvā ācikkhati deseti paññāpeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti. ‘Passathā’ti cāha: ‘jātipaccayā, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ’.

“And what is dependent origination? Rebirth is a requirement for old age and death. Whether Realized Ones arise or not, this law of nature persists, this regularity of natural principles, this surety of natural principles, specific conditionality. A Realized One awakens to this and comprehends it, then he explains, teaches, asserts, establishes, clarifies, analyzes, and discloses it. ‘Look,’ he says, ‘Rebirth is a requirement for old age and death.’

Bhavapaccayā, bhikkhave, jāti …pe… upādānapaccayā, bhikkhave, bhavo … taṇhāpaccayā, bhikkhave, upādānaṁ … vedanāpaccayā, bhikkhave, taṇhā … phassapaccayā, bhikkhave, vedanā … saḷāyatanapaccayā, bhikkhave, phasso … nāmarūpapaccayā, bhikkhave, saḷāyatanaṁ … viññāṇapaccayā, bhikkhave, nāmarūpaṁ … saṅkhārapaccayā, bhikkhave, viññāṇaṁ … avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā uppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ anuppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ, ṭhitāva sā dhātu dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā idappaccayatā. Taṁ tathāgato abhisambujjhati abhisameti. Abhisambujjhitvā abhisametvā ācikkhati deseti paññāpeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti. ‘Passathā’ti cāha: ‘avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā’. Iti kho, bhikkhave, yā tatra tathatā avitathatā anaññathatā idappaccayatā— ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppādo.

Continued existence is a requirement for rebirth … Grasping is a requirement for continued existence … Craving is a requirement for grasping … Feeling is a requirement for craving … Contact is a requirement for feeling … The six sense fields are requirements for contact … Name and form are requirements for the six sense fields … Consciousness is a requirement for name and form … Choices are a requirement for consciousness … Ignorance is a requirement for choices. Whether Realized Ones arise or not, this law of nature persists, this regularity of natural principles, this surety of natural principles, specific conditionality. A Realized One awakens to this and comprehends it, then he explains, teaches, asserts, establishes, clarifies, analyzes, and discloses it. ‘Look,’ he says, ‘Ignorance is a requirement for choices.’ So the fact that this is real, not unreal, not otherwise; the specific conditionality of it: this is called dependent origination.

Katame ca, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā? Jarāmaraṇaṁ, bhikkhave, aniccaṁ saṅkhataṁ paṭiccasamuppannaṁ khayadhammaṁ vayadhammaṁ virāgadhammaṁ nirodhadhammaṁ. Jāti, bhikkhave, aniccā saṅkhatā paṭiccasamuppannā khayadhammā vayadhammā virāgadhammā nirodhadhammā. Bhavo, bhikkhave, anicco saṅkhato paṭiccasamuppanno khayadhammo vayadhammo virāgadhammo nirodhadhammo. Upādānaṁ bhikkhave …pe… taṇhā, bhikkhave … vedanā, bhikkhave … phasso, bhikkhave … saḷāyatanaṁ, bhikkhave … nāmarūpaṁ, bhikkhave … viññāṇaṁ, bhikkhave … saṅkhārā, bhikkhave … avijjā, bhikkhave, aniccā saṅkhatā paṭiccasamuppannā khayadhammā vayadhammā virāgadhammā nirodhadhammā. Ime vuccanti, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā.

And what are the dependently originated phenomena? Old age and death are impermanent, conditioned, dependently originated, liable to end, vanish, fade away, and cease. Rebirth … Continued existence … Grasping … Craving … Feeling … Contact … The six sense fields … Name and form … Consciousness … Choices … Ignorance is impermanent, conditioned, dependently originated, liable to end, vanish, fade away, and cease. These are called the dependently originated phenomena.

Yato kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa ‘ayañca paṭiccasamuppādo, ime ca paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā’ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya sudiṭṭhā honti, so vata pubbantaṁ vā paṭidhāvissati: ‘ahosiṁ nu kho ahaṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, nanu kho ahosiṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ nu kho ahosiṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, kathaṁ nu kho ahosiṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ hutvā kiṁ ahosiṁ nu kho ahaṁ atītamaddhānan’ti; aparantaṁ vā upadhāvissati: ‘bhavissāmi nu kho ahaṁ anāgatamaddhānaṁ, nanu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ nu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṁ, kathaṁ nu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ hutvā kiṁ bhavissāmi nu kho ahaṁ anāgatamaddhānan’ti; etarahi vā paccuppannaṁ addhānaṁ ajjhattaṁ kathaṅkathī bhavissati: ‘ahaṁ nu khosmi, no nu khosmi, kiṁ nu khosmi, kathaṁ nu khosmi, ayaṁ nu kho satto kuto āgato, so kuhiṁ gamissatī’ti— netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati. Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathā hi, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa ayañca paṭiccasamuppādo ime ca paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya sudiṭṭhā”ti. Dasamaṁ. Āhāravaggo dutiyo.

When a noble disciple has clearly seen with right wisdom this dependent origination and these dependently originated phenomena as they are, it will be quite impossible for them to turn back to the first beginning, thinking: ‘Did I exist in the past? Did I not exist in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? After being what, what did I become in the past?’ Or to turn forward to the final end, thinking: ‘Will I exist in the future? Will I not exist in the future? What will I be in the future? How will I be in the future? After being what, what will I become in the future?’ Or to be undecided about the present, thinking: ‘Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? This sentient being—where did it come from? And where will it go?’ Why is that? Because that noble disciple has clearly seen with right wisdom this dependent origination and these dependently originated phenomena as they are.”

Āhāraṁ phagguno ceva, Dve ca samaṇabrāhmaṇā; Kaccānagotta dhammakathikaṁ, Acelaṁ timbarukena ca; Bālapaṇḍitato ceva, Dasamo paccayena cāti.