10.
The Discourse on Conditions
20.
He was dwelling at Sāvatthī, etc.
"I will teach you, monks, dependent origination and the dependently arisen phenomena.
Listen to that, pay close attention, I will speak."
"Yes, venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
"And what, monks, is dependent origination? With birth as condition, monks, ageing and death. Whether there is an arising of Truth-finders or whether there is no arising of Truth-finders, that element still stands - the principle of the causal relationship of phenomena, the cosmic law of phenomena, specific conditionality. The Truth-finder awakens to that, fully realises that. Having awakened to it, having fully realised it, he tells, teaches, makes known, establishes, reveals, analyses, and makes clear. And he says 'See' - 'With birth as condition, monks, ageing and death.'
With existence as condition, monks, birth, etc. With clinging as condition, monks, existence... With craving as condition, monks, clinging... With feeling as condition, monks, craving... With contact as condition, monks, feeling... With the six sense bases as condition, monks, contact... With mentality-materiality as condition, monks, the six sense bases... With consciousness as condition, monks, mentality-materiality... With activities as condition, monks, consciousness... With ignorance as condition, monks, activities. Whether there is an arising of Truth-finders or whether there is no arising of Truth-finders, that element still stands - the principle of the causal relationship of phenomena, the cosmic law of phenomena, specific conditionality. The Truth-finder awakens to that, fully realises that. Having awakened to it, having fully realised it, he tells, teaches, makes known, establishes, reveals, analyses, and makes clear. And he says 'See' - 'With ignorance as condition, monks, activities.' Thus indeed, monks, whatever actuality, unerringness, not-otherwiseness, specific conditionality there is - this is called, monks, dependent origination.
"And what, monks, are the dependently arisen phenomena? Ageing and death, monks, is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, having the nature of falling, subject to fading away, having the nature of cessation. Birth, monks, is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, having the nature of falling, subject to fading away, having the nature of cessation. Existence, monks, is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, having the nature of falling, subject to fading away, having the nature of cessation. Clinging, monks, etc. Craving, monks... Feeling, monks... Contact, monks... The six sense bases, monks... Mentality-materiality, monks... Consciousness, monks... Activities, monks... Ignorance, monks, is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, having the nature of falling, subject to fading away, having the nature of cessation. These are called, monks, the dependently arisen phenomena.
"When, monks, for a noble disciple this dependent origination and these dependently arisen phenomena are well seen as they really are with right wisdom, he will certainly not run back to the past - 'Did I exist in the past period of time, or did I not exist in the past period of time, what was I in the past period of time, how was I in the past period of time, having been what, what did I become in the past period of time?'; or run forward to the future - 'Shall I exist in the future period of time, or shall I not exist in the future period of time, what shall I be in the future period of time, how shall I be in the future period of time, having been what, what shall I become in the future period of time?'; or regarding the present period of time at this moment, he will be internally doubtful - 'Am I, or am I not, what am I, how am I, where has this being come from, where will he be going?' - this is impossible. What is the reason for this? For, monks, this dependent origination and these dependently arisen phenomena are well seen as they really are with right wisdom by the noble disciple." The tenth.