Staying near Sāvatthī … “Monks, the ending of effluents is for one who knows & sees, I tell you, not for one who does not know & does not see. For one who knows what & sees what is there the ending of effluents? ‘Such is form, such its origination, such its disappearance. Such is feeling, such its origination, such its disappearance. Such is perception, such its origination, such its disappearance. Such are fabrications, such their origination, such their disappearance. Such is consciousness, such its origination, such its disappearance.’ The ending of effluents is for one who knows in this way & sees in this way.
“The knowledge of ending in the presence of ending has its prerequisite, I tell you. It is not without a prerequisite. And what is the prerequisite for the knowledge of ending? Release, it should be said. Release has its prerequisite, I tell you. It is not without a prerequisite. And what is its prerequisite? Dispassion.… Disenchantment.… Knowledge & vision of things as they have come to be.… Concentration.… Pleasure.… Serenity.… Rapture.… Joy.… Conviction.… Stress.… Birth.… Becoming.… Clinging.… Craving.… Feeling.… Contact.… The six sense media.… Name-&-form.… Consciousness.… Fabrications.… Fabrications have their prerequisite, I tell you. They are not without a prerequisite. And what is their prerequisite? Ignorance, it should be said.
“Thus fabrications have ignorance as their prerequisite,
consciousness has fabrications as its prerequisite,
name-&-form has consciousness as its prerequisite,
the six sense media have name-&-form as their prerequisite,
contact has the six sense media as its prerequisite,
feeling has contact as its prerequisite,
craving has feeling as its prerequisite,
clinging has craving as its prerequisite,
becoming has clinging as its prerequisite,
birth has becoming as its prerequisite,
stress has birth as its prerequisite,
conviction has stress as its prerequisite,
joy has conviction as its prerequisite,
rapture has joy as its prerequisite,
calm has rapture as its prerequisite,
pleasure has calm as its prerequisite,
concentration has pleasure as its prerequisite,
knowledge & vision of things as they have come to be has concentration as its prerequisite,
disenchantment has knowledge & vision of things as they have come to be as its prerequisite,
dispassion has disenchantment as its prerequisite,
release has dispassion as its prerequisite,
knowledge of ending has release as its prerequisite.
“Just as when the devas pour rain in heavy drops & crash thunder on the upper mountains: The water, flowing down along the slopes, fills the branches of the mountain ravines & gullies. When the branches of the mountain ravines & gullies are full, they fill the little lakes. When the little lakes are full, they fill the big lakes… the little rivers… the big rivers. When the big rivers are full, they fill the great ocean. In the same way:
fabrications have ignorance as their prerequisite,
consciousness has fabrications as its prerequisite,
name-&-form has consciousness as their prerequisite,
the six sense media have name-&-form as their prerequisite,
contact has the six sense media as its prerequisite,
feeling has contact as its prerequisite,
craving has feeling as its prerequisite,
clinging has craving as its prerequisite,
becoming has clinging as its prerequisite,
birth has becoming as its prerequisite,
stress has birth as its prerequisite,
conviction has stress as its prerequisite,
joy has conviction as its prerequisite,
rapture has joy as its prerequisite,
calm has rapture as its prerequisite,
pleasure has calm as its prerequisite,
concentration has pleasure as its prerequisite,
knowledge & vision of things as they have come to be has concentration as its prerequisite,
disenchantment has knowledge & vision of things as they have come to be as its prerequisite,
dispassion has disenchantment as its prerequisite,
release has dispassion as its prerequisite,
knowledge of ending has release as its prerequisite.”
Origin URL: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN12_23.html