A Great TreeMahārukkhasutta

At Sāvatthī.Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.

“There are things that fuel grasping. When you concentrate on the gratification provided by these things, your craving grows.“Upādāniyesu, bhikkhave, dhammesu assādānupassino viharato taṇhā pavaḍḍhati. Craving is a requirement for grasping.Taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ; Grasping is a requirement for continued existence. …upādānapaccayā bhavo …pe… That is how this entire mass of suffering originates.evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.

Suppose there was a great tree.Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mahārukkho. And its roots going downwards and across all draw the sap upwards.Tassa yāni ceva mūlāni adhogamāni, yāni ca tiriyaṅgamāni, sabbāni tāni uddhaṁ ojaṁ abhiharanti. Fed and fuelled by that, the great tree would stand for a long time.Evañhi so, bhikkhave, mahārukkho tadāhāro tadupādāno ciraṁ dīghamaddhānaṁ tiṭṭheyya.

In the same way, there are things that fuel grasping. When you concentrate on the gratification provided by these things, your craving grows.Evameva kho, bhikkhave, upādāniyesu dhammesu assādānupassino viharato taṇhā pavaḍḍhati. Craving is a requirement for grasping. …Taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ …pe… That is how this entire mass of suffering originates.evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.

There are things that fuel grasping. When you concentrate on the drawbacks of these things, your craving ceases.Upādāniyesu, bhikkhave, dhammesu ādīnavānupassino viharato taṇhā nirujjhati. When craving ceases, grasping ceases.Taṇhānirodhā upādānanirodho; When grasping ceases, continued existence ceases. …upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho …pe… That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases.evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hoti.

Suppose there was a great tree.Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mahārukkho. Then a person comes along with a spade and basket.Atha puriso āgaccheyya kuddālapiṭakaṁ ādāya. They’d cut the tree down at the roots, dig it up, and pull the roots out, down to the fibers and stems.So taṁ rukkhaṁ mūle chindeyya, mūlaṁ chinditvā palikhaṇeyya, palikhaṇitvā mūlāni uddhareyya antamaso usīranāḷimattānipi. They’d cut the tree apart, cut up the parts, and chop it into splinters. They’d dry the splinters in the wind and sun, burn them with fire, and reduce them to ashes. Then they’d winnow the ashes in a strong wind, or float them away down a swift stream.So taṁ rukkhaṁ khaṇḍākhaṇḍikaṁ chindeyya, khaṇḍākhaṇḍikaṁ chinditvā phāleyya, phāletvā sakalikaṁ sakalikaṁ kareyya, sakalikaṁ sakalikaṁ karitvā vātātape visoseyya; In this way the great tree is cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future.Evañhi so, bhikkhave, mahārukkho ucchinnamūlo assa tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo.

In the same way, there are things that fuel grasping. When you concentrate on the drawbacks of these things, your craving ceases.Evameva kho, bhikkhave, upādāniyesu dhammesu ādīnavānupassino viharato taṇhā nirujjhati. When craving ceases, grasping ceases.Taṇhānirodhā upādānanirodho; When grasping ceases, continued existence ceases. …upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho …pe… That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases.”evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hotī”ti.