At Sāvatthi.
“Bhikkhus, when one dwells perceiving |gratification::satisfaction, pleasure, enjoyment, sweetness [assāda]| in objects that can be |grasped at::clung to, taken possession of [upādāniya]|, |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇha]| increases. 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.
Suppose, bhikkhus, there was a great tree. Its roots, both those that go downward and those that spread sideways, all draw |nourishment::sap, a crucial element in trees, carrying water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the tree, ensuring its growth and longevity. [ojas]| upwards. Thus, bhikkhus, sustained by that nourishment, supported by that, the great tree would stand for a long time, enduring for a great length of time.
In the same way, bhikkhus, when one dwells perceiving gratification in objects that can be grasped at, craving increases. 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.
Bhikkhus, when one dwells perceiving the |drawback::disadvantage, unsatisfactoriness, inadequacy, danger [ādīnava]| in objects that can be grasped at, craving ceases. From the cessation of craving, there is the cessation of clinging; from the cessation of clinging, there is the cessation of continued existence; from the cessation of continued existence, there is the cessation of birth; from the cessation of birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair cease. Thus there is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.
Suppose, bhikkhus, there was a great tree. Then a man might come along carrying a shovel and a basket. He would cut down the tree at its base, dig up the root, and extract even the tiniest root fibers, down to those as fine as reed fibers. He would cut the tree into pieces, split the pieces, and reduce it to slivers. Then he would dry the slivers in the wind and sun, burn them in a fire, and turn them into ash. Having done so, he would winnow the ashes in a strong wind or let them be carried away by the swift current of a river. Thus that great tree would be cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated so that it is no more subject to future arising.
In the same way, bhikkhus, when one dwells perceiving the drawbacks in objects that can be grasped at, craving ceases. From the cessation of craving, there is the cessation of clinging; from the cessation of clinging, there is the cessation of continued existence; from the cessation of continued existence, there is the cessation of birth; from the cessation of birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair cease. Thus there is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.”