At Sāvatthi.
“Bhikkhus, I will teach you the |dependent co-arising::arising together from a cause, chain of causation, dependent origination [paṭiccasamuppāda]| and |analyze it in detail::dissect, explain it in detail [vibhajati]|. Listen well and pay close attention, I will speak.”
“Yes, venerable sir,” those bhikkhus responded to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said:
“And what, bhikkhus, is dependent co-arising? |Dependent on::contingent on, supported by, grounded on [paṭicca]| |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]|, bhikkhus, |volitional formations::intentions, choices, decisions, karmic activity [saṅkhāra]| [arise]; dependent on volitional formations, |consciousness::quality of awareness — subjective awareness of experiences and the knowing of objects through the six sense doors [sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mind] [viññāṇa]| arises; dependent on consciousness, |name and form::combination of mental processes [intending, attention, contact, sensation, and perceiving] and physical form that constitute an individual being, the mental and physical objects of consciousness [nāmarūpa]| arises; dependent on name and form, the |six sense bases::the six internal sense faculties - eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind - that enable sensory experience [saḷāyatana]| arise; dependent on the six sense bases, |contact::sense impingement, raw experience, touch [phassa]| arises; dependent on contact, |felt experience::pleasant, neutral or painful sensation, feeling, second of the five aggregates [vedanā]| arises; dependent on felt experience, |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇha]| arises; dependent on craving, |clinging::grasping, acquiring, appropriating, taking possession, identifying [upādāna]| arises; dependent on clinging, |existence::being, becoming [bhava]| arises; dependent on existence, |birth::rebirth, conception, coming into existence [jāti]| arises; dependent on birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise. Thus is the arising of this whole mass of suffering. This is called, bhikkhus, dependent co-arising.
And what, bhikkhus, is aging and death? Aging of the various beings in the various orders of beings is the growing old, deterioration, frailty, graying, wrinkling of the skin, decline of lifespan, and weakening of faculties: this is called aging. The passing away of the various beings from the various orders of beings, their falling away, disintegration, disappearance, mortality, death, completion of time, breaking up of the aggregates, and casting away of the body: this is called death. Thus, this aging and this death are called aging and death, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, is birth? The birth of the various beings into the various orders of beings, their arising, |descent [into the womb]::conception [okkanti]|, |production::becoming [abhinibbatti]|, appearance of the aggregates, and the acquisition of the sense bases: this is called birth, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, is existence? There are these three kinds of existence, bhikkhus: |existence in the realm of sense desire::sensual existence [kāmabhava]|, |existence in the realm of form::existence in which beings experience a refined state of form without sensual desire [rūpabhava]|, and |existence in the formless realm::existence characterized by the absence of material form [arūpabhava]|. This is called existence, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, is clinging? There are these four types of clinging, bhikkhus: clinging to sensual pleasures, clinging to |views::beliefs, opinions, concepts, theories [diṭṭhi]|, clinging to |rules and observances::precepts and practices, ethics and observances, rites and rituals [sīlabbata]|, and clinging to a |doctrine of self::grasping a theory of self, clinging to a self-concept, attachment to a soul theory [attavāda]|. This is called clinging, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, is craving? There are these six classes of craving, bhikkhus: craving for |forms::visible objects such as beautiful sights, faces, expressions, art, ornaments, possessions, status symbols, admired appearances, enticing scenery, or objects of desire and attachment [rūpe]|, craving for |sounds::auditory objects such as various sounds, noises, melodic compositions, verbal expression, whether of praise, blame, honor, respect, disrespect [saddā]|, craving for |odors::smells, scents, fragrances, aromas, stench, perfumes, or natural fragrances such as of flowers, food, or earth [gandhā]|, craving for |taste::flavors [rasa]|, craving for|tangibles::tangible objects such as physical surfaces, textures, fabrics, water, air, heat, cold, bodily pressure, or contact with living beings [phoṭṭhabbā]|, and craving for |mental objects::thoughts, ideas, memories, emotions, intentions, perceptions, concepts, beliefs, mental images, or fabrications arising from past experiences and future projections [dhammā]|. This is called craving, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, is sensation? There are these six classes of sensation, bhikkhus: sensation born of eye-contact, sensation born of ear-contact, sensation born of nose-contact, sensation born of tongue-contact, sensation born of body-contact, and sensation born of mind-contact. This is called sensation, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, is contact? There are these six classes of contact, bhikkhus: eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, and mind-contact. This is called contact, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, are the six sense bases? The eye base, the ear base, the nose base, the tongue base, the body base, and the mind base. These are called the six sense bases, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, is name and form? Sensations, |perceiving::interpretation and recognition of oneself, of things. It can involve concepts, labels, and judgments [sañña]|, |intending::willing [cetanā]|, contact, and |attention::observation, noticing, focusing, bringing-to-mind [manasikāra]| — this is called ‘name.’ The |four great elements::the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and air—are the basic components of all conditioned phenomena [mahābhūtā]| and the form derived from the four great elements — this is called ‘form.’ This [together] is called name and form, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, is consciousness? There are these six types of consciousness, bhikkhus: eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness. This is called consciousness, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, are volitional formations? There are these three types of volitional formations, bhikkhus: |bodily formations::bodily processes, functions, such as in and out breathing|, |verbal formations [in the mind]::thoughts in language, internal dialogue [vacīsaṅkhāra]|, and |mental formations::thought formations, feelings and perceptions, intention which results in mental action [cittasaṅkhāra]|. These are called volitional formations, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, is ignorance? Not knowing suffering, not knowing the arising of suffering, not knowing the ending of suffering, and not knowing the way of practice leading to the ending of suffering. This is called ignorance, bhikkhus.
And so, dependent on ignorance, bhikkhus, volitional formations [arise]; dependent on volitional formations, consciousness arises; dependent on consciousness, name and form arises; dependent on name and form, the six sense bases arise; dependent on the six sense bases, contact arises; dependent on contact, sensation arises; dependent on felt experience, craving arises; dependent on craving, clinging arises; dependent on clinging, existence arises; dependent on existence, birth arises; dependent on birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise. Thus is the arising of this whole mass of suffering.
With the |complete fading away and ending::remainderless dispassion and cessation [asesavirāganirodha]| of ignorance comes ending of volitional formations; with the ending of volitional formations, ending of consciousness; with the ending of consciousness, ending of name and form; with the ending of name and form, ending of the six sense bases; with the ending of the six sense bases, ending of contact; with the ending of contact, ending of sensation; with the ending of sensation, ending of craving; with the ending of craving, ending of clinging; with the ending of clinging, ending of existence; with the ending of existence, ending of birth; with the ending of birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair cease. Thus is the ending of this whole mass of suffering.”