The Word of the Buddha Dependent Origination

¶ 31The Blessed One has indeed said: ‘One who sees dependent co-arising sees the Dhamma; one who sees the Dhamma sees dependent co-arising.’ These five aggregates subject to clinging are indeed arisen through dependent co-arising. Desire, attachment, inclination, and involvement in these five aggregates subject to clinging is the origin of suffering. The removal and abandonment of desire and attachment in these five aggregates subject to clinging is the cessation of suffering.’ By this much also, friends, a bhikkhu has accomplished much.”

¶ 5“And what is dependent co-arising? Dependent on ignorance, intentional constructs [arise]; dependent on intentional constructs, consciousness arises; dependent on consciousness, name and form arise; dependent on name and form, the six sense bases arise; dependent on the six sense bases, contact arises; dependent on contact, felt experience 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 entire heap of suffering. This is called dependent co-arising.

¶ 13When a person immersed in ignorance constructs a meritorious intention, their consciousness is directed towards a meritorious destination. If they construct a demeritorious intention, their consciousness is directed towards a demeritorious destination. If they construct an imperturbable intention, their consciousness is directed towards the imperturbable. But when a bhikkhu has abandoned ignorance and aroused wisdom, then, with the fading away of ignorance and the arising of wisdom, they neither construct meritorious intention, nor demeritorious intention, nor an imperturbable intention. Not constructing, not intending, he does not cling to anything in the world. Without clinging, he is not perturbed. Remaining without perturbation, he personally attains complete quenching.

¶ 6With the remainderless fading away and cessation of ignorance comes the ending of intentional constructs; with the ending of intentional constructs, 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 felt experience; with the ending of felt experience, 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 entire heap of suffering.”

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¶ 8Through countless births in cyclic existence,
I have wandered without finding [a way out];
Seeking the house-builder [of this body],
experiencing the suffering of birth again and again.

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¶ 9House-builder, you are seen!
You will not build a house again;
all your rafters are dismantled,
your ridgepole is destroyed;
The mind has gone beyond all conditions,
having achieved the wearing away of craving.