Thus I have heard: One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī.
It was then that the Buddha addressed the monks, “The starting point of suffering is unknown [to sentient beings who] circulate through beginningless births and deaths while shrouded by ignorance and tied up by the bond of craving. There are droughts that last a long time, when the hundred grains, plants, and trees that grow on the land all wither and dry up. Monks, while they’re shrouded by ignorance and tied up by the bond of craving, sentient beings will circulate through births and deaths. They haven’t cut the bond of craving nor reached the end of suffering.
“Monks, there are times when it doesn’t rain for a long night, and all the water of the oceans dry up. Monks, while they’re shrouded by ignorance and tied up by the bond of craving, sentient beings will circulate through births and deaths. They haven’t cut the bond of craving nor reached the end of suffering.
“Monks, there’s a time when Sumeru the King of Mountains is completely broken up for a long night. While they’re shrouded by ignorance and tied up by the bond of craving, sentient beings will circulate through births and deaths. They haven’t cut the bond of craving nor reached the end of suffering.
“Monks, there’s a time when this Earth is completely destroyed for a long night. While they’re shrouded by ignorance and tied up by the bond of craving, sentient beings will circulate through births and deaths. They haven’t cut the bond of craving nor reached the end of suffering.
“Monks, it’s like a dog tied to a post. While that tie isn’t broken, he’ll go around that post for a long night, turning as he circles it. In this way, monks, foolish sentient beings who don’t truly know form, the formation of form, the cessation of form, the enjoyment of form, the trouble of form, and the escape from form circulate around for a long night, turning as they follow form. In this way, [foolish sentient beings] who don’t truly know feeling … conception … volition … consciousness, the formation of consciousness, the cessation of consciousness, the enjoyment of consciousness, the trouble of consciousness, and the escape from consciousness, circulate around for a long night, turning as they follow consciousness.
“Monks, they turn to follow form, turn to follow feeling, turn to follow conception, turn to follow volition, and turn to follow consciousness. Because they turn to follow form, they aren’t freed from form. Because they turn to follow feeling … conception … volition … consciousness, they aren’t freed from consciousness. Not being freed from them, they aren’t freed from birth, old age, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, trouble, and pain.
“When a well-versed noble disciple truly knows form, the formation of form, cessation of form, enjoyment of form, trouble of form, and escape from form … truly knows feeling … conception … volition … consciousness, the formation of consciousness, the cessation of consciousness, the enjoyment of consciousness, the trouble of consciousness, and the escape from consciousness, they don’t turn to follow consciousness. Not turning to follow it, they are freed from form, freed from feeling … conception … volition … consciousness. I say they are freed from birth, old age, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, trouble, and pain.”
After he spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.