CausationNidānasutta

At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Kurus, near the Kuru town named Kammāsadamma.Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā kurūsu viharati kammāsadhammaṁ nāma kurūnaṁ nigamo. Then Venerable Ānanda went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“It’s incredible, sir! It’s amazing,“acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ, bhante. in that this dependent origination is deep and appears deep, yet to me it seems as plain as can be.”Yāva gambhīro cāyaṁ, bhante, paṭiccasamuppādo gambhīrāvabhāso ca, atha ca pana me uttānakuttānako viya khāyatī”ti.

“Not so, Ānanda! Not so, Ānanda!“Mā hevaṁ, ānanda, mā hevaṁ, ānanda. This dependent origination is deep and appears deep.Gambhīro cāyaṁ, ānanda, paṭiccasamuppādo gambhīrāvabhāso ca. It is because of not understanding and not penetrating this teaching that this population has become tangled like string, knotted like a ball of thread, and matted like rushes and reeds, and it doesn’t escape the places of loss, the bad places, the underworld, transmigration.Etassa, ānanda, dhammassa ananubodhā appaṭivedhā evamayaṁ pajā tantākulakajātā kulagaṇṭhikajātā muñjapabbajabhūtā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ saṁsāraṁ nātivattati.

There are things that fuel grasping. When you concentrate on the gratification provided by these things, your craving grows.Upādāniyesu, ānanda, dhammesu assādānupassino viharato taṇhā pavaḍḍhati. Craving is a requirement for grasping.Taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ; Grasping is a requirement for continued existence.upādānapaccayā bhavo; Continued existence is a requirement for rebirth.bhavapaccayā jāti; Rebirth is a requirement for old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress to come to be.jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā sambhavanti. That is how this entire mass of suffering originates.Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.

Suppose there was a great tree.Seyyathāpi, ānanda, 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, ānanda, 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, ānanda, upādāniyesu 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.

There are things that fuel grasping. When you concentrate on the drawbacks of these things, your craving ceases.Upādāniyesu, ānanda, 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, ānanda, 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 them up, and pull them out, down to the fibers and stems.So taṁ rukkhaṁ mūle chindeyya, mūle chetvā palikhaṇeyya, palikhaṇitvā mūlāni uddhareyya antamaso usīranāḷimattānipi. Then they’d split 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. 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, ānanda, 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, ānanda, upādāniyesu dhammesu ādīnavānupassino viharato taṇhā nirujjhati. When craving ceases, grasping ceases.Taṇhānirodhā upādānanirodho; When grasping ceases, continued existence ceases.upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho; When continued existence ceases, rebirth ceases.bhavanirodhā jātinirodho; When rebirth ceases, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress cease.jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā nirujjhanti. That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases.”Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hotī”ti.