Various kinds of views arise in the world due to not knowing consciousness, the arising of consciousness, the cessation of consciousness, and the practice leading to the cessation of consciousness.

SN 33.5  Viññāṇaaññāṇa sutta - Not Knowing Consciousness

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

At Sāvatthi.

Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho vacchagotto paribbājako bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

While seated to one side, the wanderer Vacchagotta addressed the Blessed One:

“ko nu kho, bho gotama, hetu, ko paccayo, yānimāni anekavihitāni diṭṭhigatāni loke uppajjantisassato lokoti vā, asassato lokoti …pe… neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇāti vā”ti?

“Venerable Gotama, what is the cause and condition for the various kinds of views that arise in the world, such as: ‘The world is eternal,’ or ‘The world is not eternal,’ ... or ‘After death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist’?”

“Viññāṇe kho, vaccha, aññāṇā, viññāṇasamudaye aññāṇā, viññāṇanirodhe aññāṇā, viññāṇanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya aññāṇā; evamimāni anekavihitāni diṭṭhigatāni loke uppajjantisassato lokoti vā, asassato lokoti …pe… neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇāti vāti. Ayaṁ kho, vaccha, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo, yānimāni anekavihitāni diṭṭhigatāni loke uppajjantisassato lokoti vā, asassato lokoti …pe… neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇāti vā”ti.

[The Blessed One replied]: “Vaccha, it is from not knowing consciousness, not knowing the arising of consciousness, not knowing the cessation of consciousness, not knowing the practice leading to the cessation of consciousness that these various kinds of views arise in the world, such as: ‘The world is eternal,’ ... or ‘After death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist.’ This, Vaccha, is the cause and condition for the various kinds of views that arise in the world: ‘The world is eternal,’ or ‘The world is not eternal,’ ... or ‘After death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist.’”

Topics:

Consciousness

Consciousness

Consciousness, the fifth aggregate, has two key meanings in the discourses: 1.) The distinctive quality of awareness which knows and 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. 2.) A seed that finds a footing in a realm, established by ignorance and intention, leading to renewed existence.

Also known as: awareness, the faculty that distinguishes
Pāli: viññāṇa
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Last updated on June 7, 2026