Upanisasutta

Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati. “Jānato ahaṁ, bhikkhave, passato āsavānaṁ khayaṁ vadāmi, no ajānato no apassato. Kiñca, bhikkhave, jānato kiṁ passato āsavānaṁ khayo hoti? Iti rūpaṁ iti rūpassa samudayo iti rūpassa atthaṅgamo, iti vedanā …pe… iti saññā … iti saṅkhārā … iti viññāṇaṁ iti viññāṇassa samudayo iti viññāṇassa atthaṅgamoti. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, jānato evaṁ passato āsavānaṁ khayo hoti.

At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, I say that the ending of defilements is for one who knows and sees, not for one who does not know or see. For one who knows and sees what? ‘Such is form, such is the origin of form, such is the disappearance of form. Such is feeling … Such is perception … Such are choices … Such is consciousness, such is the origin of consciousness, such is the disappearance of consciousness.’ The ending of the defilements is for one who knows and sees this.

Yampissa taṁ, bhikkhave, khayasmiṁ khaye ñāṇaṁ, tampi saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, khaye ñāṇassa upanisā? ‘Vimuttī’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Vimuttimpāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, vimuttiyā upanisā? ‘Virāgo’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Virāgampāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, virāgassa upanisā? ‘Nibbidā’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Nibbidampāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, nibbidāya upanisā? ‘Yathābhūtañāṇadassanan’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Yathābhūtañāṇadassanampāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, yathābhūtañāṇadassanassa upanisā? ‘Samādhī’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Samādhimpāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ.

I say that this knowledge of ending has a vital condition, it doesn’t lack a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Freedom.’ I say that freedom has a vital condition, it doesn’t lack a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Dispassion.’ I say that dispassion has a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Disillusionment.’ I say that disillusionment has a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Truly knowing and seeing.’ I say that truly knowing and seeing has a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Immersion.’ I say that immersion has a vital condition.

Kā ca, bhikkhave, samādhissa upanisā? ‘Sukhan’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Sukhampāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, sukhassa upanisā? ‘Passaddhī’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Passaddhimpāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, passaddhiyā upanisā? ‘Pītī’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Pītimpāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, pītiyā upanisā? ‘Pāmojjan’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Pāmojjampāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, pāmojjassa upanisā? ‘Saddhā’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Saddhampāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ.

And what is it? You should say: ‘Bliss.’ I say that bliss has a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Tranquility.’ I say that tranquility has a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Rapture.’ I say that rapture has a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Joy.’ I say that joy has a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Faith.’ I say that faith has a vital condition.

Kā ca, bhikkhave, saddhāya upanisā? ‘Dukkhan’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Dukkhampāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, dukkhassa upanisā? ‘Jātī’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Jātimpāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, jātiyā upanisā? ‘Bhavo’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Bhavampāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, bhavassa upanisā? ‘Upādānan’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Upādānampāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ. Kā ca, bhikkhave, upādānassa upanisā? ‘Taṇhā’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Taṇhampāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanisaṁ vadāmi, no anupanisaṁ.

And what is it? You should say: ‘Suffering.’ I say that suffering has a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Rebirth.’ I say that rebirth has a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Continued existence.’ I say that continued existence has a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Grasping.’ I say that grasping has a vital condition. And what is it? You should say: ‘Craving.’ I say that craving has a vital condition.

Kā ca, bhikkhave, taṇhāya upanisā? ‘Vedanā’tissa vacanīyaṁ …pe… ‘phasso’tissa vacanīyaṁ … ‘saḷāyatanan’tissa vacanīyaṁ … ‘nāmarūpan’tissa vacanīyaṁ … ‘viññāṇan’tissa vacanīyaṁ … ‘saṅkhārā’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Saṅkhārepāhaṁ, bhikkhave, saupanise vadāmi, no anupanise. Kā ca, bhikkhave, saṅkhārānaṁ upanisā? ‘Avijjā’tissa vacanīyaṁ.

And what is it? You should say: ‘Feeling.’ … You should say: ‘Contact.’ … You should say: ‘The six sense fields.’ … You should say: ‘Name and form.’ … You should say: ‘Consciousness.’ … You should say: ‘Choices.’ … I say that choices have a vital condition, they don’t lack a vital condition. And what is the vital condition for choices? You should say: ‘Ignorance.’

Iti kho, bhikkhave, avijjūpanisā saṅkhārā, saṅkhārūpanisaṁ viññāṇaṁ, viññāṇūpanisaṁ nāmarūpaṁ, nāmarūpūpanisaṁ saḷāyatanaṁ, saḷāyatanūpaniso phasso, phassūpanisā vedanā, vedanūpanisā taṇhā, taṇhūpanisaṁ upādānaṁ, upādānūpaniso bhavo, bhavūpanisā jāti, jātūpanisaṁ dukkhaṁ, dukkhūpanisā saddhā, saddhūpanisaṁ pāmojjaṁ, pāmojjūpanisā pīti, pītūpanisā passaddhi, passaddhūpanisaṁ sukhaṁ, sukhūpaniso samādhi, samādhūpanisaṁ yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ, yathābhūtañāṇadassanūpanisā nibbidā, nibbidūpaniso virāgo, virāgūpanisā vimutti, vimuttūpanisaṁ khaye ñāṇaṁ.

So, mendicants: ignorance is the vital condition for choices. Choices are the vital condition for consciousness. Consciousness is the vital condition for name and form. Name and form are the vital conditions for the six sense fields. The six sense fields are the vital conditions for contact. Contact is the vital condition for feeling. Feeling is the vital condition for craving. Craving is the vital condition for grasping. Grasping is the vital condition for continued existence. Continued existence is the vital condition for rebirth. Rebirth is the vital condition for suffering. Suffering is the vital condition for faith. Faith is the vital condition for joy. Joy is the vital condition for rapture. Rapture is the vital condition for tranquility. Tranquility is the vital condition for bliss. Bliss is the vital condition for immersion. Immersion is the vital condition for truly knowing and seeing. Truly knowing and seeing is the vital condition for disillusionment. Disillusionment is the vital condition for dispassion. Dispassion is the vital condition for freedom. Freedom is the vital condition for the knowledge of ending.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, uparipabbate thullaphusitake deve vassante taṁ udakaṁ yathāninnaṁ pavattamānaṁ pabbatakandarapadarasākhā paripūreti. Pabbatakandarapadarasākhāparipūrā kusobbhe paripūrenti. Kusobbhā paripūrā mahāsobbhe paripūrenti. Mahāsobbhā paripūrā kunnadiyo paripūrenti. Kunnadiyo paripūrā mahānadiyo paripūrenti. Mahānadiyo paripūrā mahāsamuddaṁ paripūrenti.

It’s like when the heavens rain heavily on a mountain top, and the water flows downhill to fill the hollows, crevices, and creeks. As they become full, they fill up the pools. The pools fill up the lakes, the lakes fill up the streams, and the streams fill up the rivers. And as the rivers become full, they fill up the ocean.

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, avijjūpanisā saṅkhārā, saṅkhārūpanisaṁ viññāṇaṁ, viññāṇūpanisaṁ nāmarūpaṁ, nāmarūpūpanisaṁ saḷāyatanaṁ, saḷāyatanūpaniso phasso, phassūpanisā vedanā, vedanūpanisā taṇhā, taṇhūpanisaṁ upādānaṁ, upādānūpaniso bhavo, bhavūpanisā jāti, jātūpanisaṁ dukkhaṁ, dukkhūpanisā saddhā, saddhūpanisaṁ pāmojjaṁ, pāmojjūpanisā pīti, pītūpanisā passaddhi, passaddhūpanisaṁ sukhaṁ, sukhūpaniso samādhi, samādhūpanisaṁ yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ, yathābhūtañāṇadassanūpanisā nibbidā, nibbidūpaniso virāgo, virāgūpanisā vimutti, vimuttūpanisaṁ khaye ñāṇan”ti. Tatiyaṁ.

In the same way, ignorance is the vital condition for choices. … Freedom is the vital condition for the knowledge of ending.”