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, |intentional constructs::intentions, volitions, and choices expressed as mental, verbal, and bodily activities; thought formations and constructed experiences (including proliferative tendencies); processes that produce kamma [saṅkhāra]| [arise]; dependent on intentional constructs, |consciousness::quality of awareness — distinctive knowing that arises in dependence on the meeting of eye and form, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and taste, body and tangible object, mind and mind object [viññāṇa]| arises; dependent on consciousness, |name and form::mentality and materiality—the integrated structure of mental capacities (intention, attention, contact, feeling, perception) and physical form that together constitute and sustain an individual being [nāmarūpa]| arises; dependent on name and form, the |six sense bases::The six internal sense bases—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—are the faculties that enable sensory contact and experience. They are not the physical organs themselves, but the functional conditions that enable consciousness to meet an object [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::continued conditional existence, the karmically conditioned mode of being that leads to future rebirth [bhava]| arises; dependent on existence, |birth::rebirth, conception, coming into existence [jāti]| arises; dependent on birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, 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 experiences such as speech, music, praise, blame, ambient noise, verbal expression, or melodic tones—any sound that can stir emotion, craving for praise, aesthetic delight, or attachment to communication and identity [saddā]|, craving for |odors::smells and fragrances experienced through the nose, including perfumes, flowers, food aromas, earth after rain, incense, or even stench—any olfactory experience that may evoke craving, aversion, nostalgia, comfort, or sensual pleasure [gandhā]|, craving for |tastes::flavors experienced through the tongue such as sweetness, bitterness, sourness, saltiness, spiciness, richness, or subtle tastes like umami or astringency—any gustatory experience that can become an object of craving, indulgence, comfort, or sensory delight [rasā]|, craving for |tangible objects::tangible contact such as the feel of skin, warmth, softness, intimacy, physical affection, or sensations like massage, breath, water, air, pressure—anything felt through the body that can become an object of desire, arousal, comfort, or emotional attachment [phoṭṭhabba]|, and craving for |mental objects::thoughts, ideas, memories, emotions, intentions, perceptions, concepts, beliefs, mental images, or constructions—any mental phenomena that arises internally and can become an object of clinging, identity, projection, craving, or aversion [dhammā]|. This is called craving, bhikkhus.
And what, bhikkhus, is felt experience? There are these six classes of felt experience, bhikkhus: felt experience born of eye-contact, felt experience born of ear-contact, felt experience born of nose-contact, felt experience born of tongue-contact, felt experience born of body-contact, and felt experience born of mind-contact. This is called felt experience, 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? [The capacities for] feeling, |perception::The mental process of recognizing and giving meaning to experience. It marks things by signs, labels, or associations drawn from memory and the field of contact. Perception shapes how one experiences the world; third of the five aggregates [sañña]|, |intention::will [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 wind—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 intentional constructs? There are these three types of intentional constructs, bhikkhus: |bodily constructions::bodily processes associated with breathing, specifically the in-and-out breath. It encompasses the physical movements and sensations that arise from the act of breathing. [kāyasaṅkhāra]|, |verbal constructions::mental speech processes, such as internal talk, thoughts in language, or verbal intentions in the mind [vacīsaṅkhāra]|, and |mental constructions::mental impulses such as perception, feeling, and intention that initiate or shape mental action [cittasaṅkhāra]|. These are called intentional constructs, 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, intentional constructs [arise]; dependent on intentional constructs, 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, distress, 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 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, distress, and despair cease. Thus is the ending of this whole mass of suffering.”