/lit/ - Literature

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthi in the Jeta Forest in the private park owned by Anāthapiṇḍika. There the Blessed one addressed the monks thus: ‘Monks!’ Those monks responded thus: ‘Blessed One!’ The Blessed One said this:

"Monks, I will describe & analyze dependent co-arising for you."

"And what is dependent co-arising? From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications. From fabrications as a requisite condition comes consciousness. From consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-&-form. From name-&-form as a requisite condition come the six sense media. From the six sense media as a requisite condition comes contact. From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling. From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving. From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging/sustenance. From clinging/sustenance as a requisite condition comes becoming. From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth. From birth as a requisite condition, then aging & death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair come into play. Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress & suffering."

At this time, a Brahmin named Sugatasūdana who had joined the audience of monks stood up and said to the Blessed One:

"Oh venerable sir, you proclaim that from ignorance as a requisite condition comes fabrications, but I ask you, from whence arose this ignorance?"

The Blessed One replied to Sugatasūdana:

"Oh Brahmin, a first point of ignorance, is not seen such that before this there was no ignorance and afterward it came into being"

Sugatasūdana pressed the Blessed One further:

"Venerable sir, if there is no first point of ignorance, does that mean the causal chain of dependent co-arising has been active continuously without any beginning?"

The Blessed One replied:

"That is correct, oh Brahmin"