At Sāvatthi.
“Bhikkhus, when one dwells perceiving enjoyment in things that are the basis for fetters, there is a |descent::appearance [avakkanti]| of |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]|.
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]| arise; 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.
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 enjoyment in things that are the basis for fetters, there is the descent of consciousness. 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, 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.
Bhikkhus, when one dwells perceiving the |drawback::disadvantage, unsatisfactoriness, inadequacy, danger [ādīnava]| in things that are the basis for fetters, there is no descent of consciousness. With the ending of consciousness, there is the ending of name and form; with the ending of name and form ... the ending of the six sense bases; with the ending of the six sense bases ... the ending of contact; with the ending of contact ... the ending of felt experience; with the ending of felt experience ... the ending of craving; with the ending of craving ... the ending of clinging; with the ending of clinging ... the ending of existence; with the ending of existence ... the 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.
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 drawback in things that are the basis for fetters, there is no descent of consciousness. With the ending of consciousness, there is the ending of name and form; with the ending of name and form ... the ending of the six sense bases; with the ending of the six sense bases ... the ending of contact; with the ending of contact ... the ending of felt experience; with the ending of felt experience ... the ending of craving; with the ending of craving ... the ending of clinging; with the ending of clinging ... the ending of existence; with the ending of existence ... the 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.”