Bhagavā etadavoca:
The Blessed One said this:
“taṇhaṁ vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi jāliniṁ saritaṁ visaṭaṁ visattikaṁ, yāya ayaṁ loko uddhasto pariyonaddho tantākulakajāto gulāguṇṭhikajāto muñjapabbajabhūto apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ saṁsāraṁ nātivattati. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.
“I will teach you, bhikkhus, about |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇha]|—|entangling::lit. having a net [jālī]|, |flowing::in motion, like a river that constantly seeks new channels [sarita]|, |spreading::like a vine or a creeping plant [visaṭa]|, and |ensnaring::like a sticky substance or a hook [visattika]|—by which this world is smothered and enveloped, becoming like a tangled ball of thread, a matted bird’s nest, entwined like |Muñja grass::a tough Asiatic grass used for thatching roofs, ropes and making baskets; (comm) mental firmness and courage [muñja]| and reeds, unable to transcend the plane of misery, |bad destination::state of misery [duggati]|, |realm of downfall::realm of misery [vinipāta]|, and the cycle of existence. Listen to this and pay close attention, I will speak.”
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
“Yes, venerable sir,” the bhikkhus attentively listened to the Blessed One. The Blessed One then spoke:
“Katamā ca sā, bhikkhave, taṇhā jālinī saritā visaṭā visattikā, yāya ayaṁ loko uddhasto pariyonaddho tantākulakajāto gulāguṇṭhikajāto muñjapabbajabhūto apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ saṁsāraṁ nātivattati? Aṭṭhārasa kho panimāni, bhikkhave, taṇhāvicaritāni ajjhattikassa upādāya, aṭṭhārasa taṇhāvicaritāni bāhirassa upādāya.
“And what, bhikkhus, is that craving—entangling, flowing, spreading, and ensnaring—by which this world is smothered and enveloped, becoming like a tangled ball of thread, a matted bird’s nest, entwined like Muñja grass and reeds, unable to transcend the plane of misery, bad destination, realm of downfall, and the cycle of existence? There are these eighteen |mental stirrings of craving::modes or movements of craving [taṇhāvicarita]| dependent on the internal, and eighteen mental stirrings of craving dependent on the external.
Katamāni aṭṭhārasa taṇhāvicaritāni ajjhattikassa upādāya? Asmīti, bhikkhave, sati itthasmīti hoti, evaṁsmīti hoti, aññathāsmīti hoti, asasmīti hoti, satasmīti hoti, santi hoti, itthaṁ santi hoti, evaṁ santi hoti, aññathā santi hoti, apihaṁ santi hoti, apihaṁ itthaṁ santi hoti, apihaṁ evaṁ santi hoti, apihaṁ aññathā santi hoti, bhavissanti hoti, itthaṁ bhavissanti hoti, evaṁ bhavissanti hoti, aññathā bhavissanti hoti. Imāni aṭṭhārasa taṇhāvicaritāni ajjhattikassa upādāya.
What are these eighteen mental stirrings of craving dependent on the internal? When there is the notion ‘I am’ bhikkhus, there arise the notions ‘I am thus,’ ‘I am like that,’ ‘I am different,’ ‘I am everlasting,’ ‘I am impermanent.’ There arise the notions ‘I may be,’ ‘I may be thus,’ ‘I may be like that,’ ‘I may be different.’ There arise the notions ‘May I be,’ ‘May I be thus,’ ‘May I be like that,’ ‘May I be different.’ There arise the notions ‘I shall be,’ ‘I shall be thus,’ ‘I shall be like that,’ ‘I shall be different.’ These are the eighteen mental stirrings of craving dependent on the internal.
Katamāni aṭṭhārasa taṇhāvicaritāni bāhirassa upādāya? Imināsmīti, bhikkhave, sati iminā itthasmīti hoti, iminā evaṁsmīti hoti, iminā aññathāsmīti hoti, iminā asasmīti hoti, iminā satasmīti hoti, iminā santi hoti, iminā itthaṁ santi hoti, iminā evaṁ santi hoti, iminā aññathā santi hoti, iminā apihaṁ santi hoti, iminā apihaṁ itthaṁ santi hoti, iminā apihaṁ evaṁ santi hoti, iminā apihaṁ aññathā santi hoti, iminā bhavissanti hoti, iminā itthaṁ bhavissanti hoti, iminā evaṁ bhavissanti hoti, iminā aññathā bhavissanti hoti. Imāni aṭṭhārasa taṇhāvicaritāni bāhirassa upādāya.
What are the eighteen mental stirrings of craving dependent on the external? When there is the notion ‘because of this, I am,’ bhikkhus, there arise such notions as: ‘Because of this, I am thus,’ ‘because of this, I am like that,’ ‘because of this, I am different,’ ‘because of this, I am everlasting,’ ‘because of this, I am impermanent.’ There arise such notions as: ‘Because of this, I may be,’ ‘because of this, I may be thus,’ ‘because of this, I may be like that,’ ‘because of this, I may be different.’ There arise such notions as: ‘Because of this, may I be,’ ‘because of this, may I be thus,’ ‘because of this, may I be like that,’ ‘because of this, may I be different.’ There arise such notions as: ‘Because of this, I shall be,’ ‘because of this, I shall be thus,’ ‘because of this, I shall be like that,’ ‘because of this, I shall be different.’ These are the eighteen mental stirrings of craving dependent on the external.
Iti aṭṭhārasa taṇhāvicaritāni ajjhattikassa upādāya, aṭṭhārasa taṇhāvicaritāni bāhirassa upādāya. Imāni vuccanti, bhikkhave, chattiṁsa taṇhāvicaritāni. Iti evarūpāni atītāni chattiṁsa taṇhāvicaritāni, anāgatāni chattiṁsa taṇhāvicaritāni, paccuppannāni chattiṁsa taṇhāvicaritāni. Evaṁ aṭṭhasataṁ taṇhāvicaritaṁ honti.
Thus, there are eighteen mental stirrings of craving dependent on the internal, and eighteen mental stirrings of craving dependent on the external. These are called, bhikkhus, the thirty-six mental stirrings of craving. In this way, there are thirty-six such mental stirrings of craving in the past, thirty-six in the future, and thirty-six in the present. Thus, there are one hundred and eight mental stirrings of craving.
Ayaṁ kho sā, bhikkhave, taṇhā jālinī saritā visaṭā visattikā, yāya ayaṁ loko uddhasto pariyonaddho tantākulakajāto guṇāguṇṭhikajāto muñjapabbajabhūto apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ saṁsāraṁ nātivattatī”ti.
This, bhikkhus, is that craving—entangling, flowing, spreading, and ensnaring—by which this world is smothered and enveloped, becoming like a tangled ball of thread, a matted bird’s nest, entwined like Muñja grass and reeds, unable to transcend the plane of misery, the bad destination, the realm of downfall, and the cycle of existence.”