Discourse on the World

He was dwelling at Sāvatthī.

Disciples, I will teach you the arising and cessation of the world.

Listen to it, pay close attention, I will speak.

Yes, venerable sir, those disciples replied to the Blessed One.

The Blessed One said this: And what is the arising of the world?

Dependent on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises.

The meeting of the three is contact.

With contact as condition, feeling is conditioned. With feeling as condition, craving grows. With craving as condition, clinging renews dependency. With clinging as condition, becoming continues.

With becoming as condition, rebirth occurs.

With rebirth as condition, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair continue.

This is the arising of the world.

Dependent on the ear and sounds...

Dependent on the nose and odors...

Dependent on the tongue and tastes...

Dependent on the body and tactile objects...

Dependent on the mind and mental phenomena, mind-consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact.

With contact as condition, feeling arises; with feeling as condition, craving arises; with craving as condition, clinging arises; with clinging as condition, becoming arises; with becoming as condition, birth arises; with birth as condition, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise.

This is the arising of the world.

And what is the cessation of the world?

Dependent on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises.

The meeting of the three is contact.

With contact as condition, feeling arises; with feeling as condition, craving arises.

With the remainderless fading away and cessation of that very craving, clinging ceases; with the cessation of clinging, becoming ceases...

thus is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

This is the cessation of the world.

Dependent on the ear and sounds...

Dependent on the nose and odors...

Dependent on the tongue and tastes...

Dependent on the body and tactile objects...

Dependent on the mind and mental phenomena, mind-consciousness arises.

The meeting of the three is contact.

With contact as condition, feeling arises; with feeling as condition, craving arises.

With the remainderless fading away and cessation of that very craving, clinging ceases; with the cessation of clinging, becoming ceases...

thus is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

This is the cessation of the world.