12.12. Moliya Phagguna

Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, āhārā bhūtānaṁ vā sattānaṁ ṭhitiyā sambhavesīnaṁ vā anuggahāya.

Katame cattāro?

Kabaḷīkāro āhāro oḷāriko vā sukhumo vā, phasso dutiyo, manosañcetanā tatiyā, viññāṇaṁ catutthaṁ.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro āhārā bhūtānaṁ vā sattānaṁ ṭhitiyā sambhavesīnaṁ vā anuggahāyā”ti.

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā moḷiyaphagguno bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“ko nu kho, bhante, viññāṇāhāraṁ āhāretī”ti?

“No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:

“‘āhāretī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi.

‘Āhāretī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho:

‘ko nu kho, bhante, āhāretī’ti?

Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi.

Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya:

‘kissa nu kho, bhante, viññāṇāhāro’ti, esa kallo pañho.

Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ:

‘viññāṇāhāro āyatiṁ punabbhavābhinibbattiyā paccayo, tasmiṁ bhūte sati saḷāyatanaṁ, saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso’”ti.

“Ko nu kho, bhante, phusatī”ti?

“No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:

“‘phusatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi.

‘Phusatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho:

‘ko nu kho, bhante, phusatī’ti?

Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi.

Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya:

‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, phasso’ti, esa kallo pañho.

Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ:

‘saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso, phassapaccayā vedanā’”ti.

“Ko nu kho, bhante, vedayatī”ti?

“No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:

“‘vedayatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi.

‘Vedayatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho:

‘ko nu kho, bhante, vedayatī’ti?

Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi.

Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya:

‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, vedanā’ti, esa kallo pañho.

Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ:

‘phassapaccayā vedanā, vedanāpaccayā taṇhā’”ti.

“Ko nu kho, bhante, tasatī”ti?

“No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:

“‘tasatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi.

‘Tasatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho:

‘ko nu kho, bhante, tasatī’ti?

Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi.

Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya:

‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, taṇhā’ti, esa kallo pañho.

Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ:

‘vedanāpaccayā taṇhā, taṇhāpaccayā upādānan’”ti.

“Ko nu kho, bhante, upādiyatī”ti?

“No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:

“‘upādiyatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi.

‘Upādiyatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho:

‘ko nu kho, bhante, upādiyatī’ti?

Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi.

Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya:

‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, upādānan’ti, esa kallo pañho.

Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ:

‘taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ;

upādānapaccayā bhavo’ti …pe…

evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.

Channaṁ tveva, phagguna, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā phassanirodho;

phassanirodhā vedanānirodho;

vedanānirodhā taṇhānirodho;

taṇhānirodhā upādānanirodho;

upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho;

bhavanirodhā jātinirodho;

jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā nirujjhanti.

Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hotī”ti.

Dutiyaṁ.

SC 1At Sāvatthi. “Monks, these are the four kinds of food¹, which maintain beings that have come into existence and support those who are seeking existence. What four? Edible food, whether coarse or subtle; sense-contact is the second; mental volition is the third; consciousness is the fourth. Monks, these are the four kinds of food which maintain beings that have come into existence and support those who are seeking existence.”

SC 2When this was said, Venerable Moḷiyaphagguna said to the Blessed One, “Bhante, who feeds on consciousness-food?”

SC 3“That is not a valid question,” the Blessed One said. “I do not say ‘One feeds.’ If I said, ‘One feeds,’ then this would be a valid question: ‘Bhante, who feeds on consciousness-food?’ But I do not say that. Since I do not say that, if someone asked, ‘Bhante, what is consciousness food for?’ then that would be a valid question. And the proper explanation would be, ‘Consciousness is the food based on which there is the production of further existence in the future; and when that has come to be, then there are the six senses; and based on the six senses there is sense-contact.’”

SC 4“Bhante, who contacts?”

SC 5“That is not a valid question,” the Blessed One said. “I do not say ‘One contacts.’ If I said, ‘One contacts,’ then this would be a valid question: ‘Bhante, who contacts?’ But I do not say that. Since I do not say that, if someone asked, ‘Bhante, what is the condition for sense-contact?’ then that would be a valid question. And the proper explanation would be, ‘Based on the six senses there is sense-contact, and based on sense-contact there are feelings.’”

SC 6“Bhante, who feels?”

SC 7“That is not a valid question,” the Blessed One said. “I do not say ‘One feels.’ If I said, ‘One feels,’ then this would be a valid question: ‘Bhante, who feels?’ But I do not say that. Since I do not say that, if someone asked, ‘Bhante, what is the condition for feeling?’ then that would be a valid question. And the proper explanation would be, ‘Based on sense-contact there are feelings, and based on feelings there is craving.’”

SC 8“Bhante, who craves?”

SC 9“That is not a valid question,” the Blessed One said. “I do not say ‘One craves.’ If I said, ‘One craves,’ then this would be a valid question: ‘Bhante, who craves?’ But I do not say that. Since I do not say that, if someone asked, ‘Bhante, what is the condition for craving?’ then that would be a valid question. And the proper explanation would be, ‘Based on feeling there is craving, and based on craving there is grasping.”

SC 10“Bhante, who grasps?”

SC 11“That is not a valid question,” the Blessed One said. “I do not say ‘One grasps.’ If I said, ‘One grasps,’ then this would be a valid question: ‘Bhante, who grasps?’ But I do not say that. Since I do not say that, if someone asked, ‘Bhante, what is the condition for grasping?’ then that would be a valid question. And the proper explanation would be, ‘Based on craving there is grasping, and based on grasping there is existence.’² …this is how the entire mass of suffering arises.

SC 12“However, Phagguna, when through dispassion the six senses completely cease, then sense-contact ceases; when sense-contact ceases, feeling ceases; when feeling ceases, craving ceases; when craving ceases, grasping ceases; when grasping ceases, existence ceases; when existence ceases, birth ceases; when birth ceases, decay, dying, sorrow, lamentation, pain, depression, and anguish cease. This is how the entire mass of suffering ceases.”