SN12.67 — Naḷakalāpīsutta
At one time, Venerable Sāriputta and Venerable Mahākoṭṭhika were staying in Bārāṇasī at the Deer Park in Isipatana. Then, in the evening, Venerable Mahākoṭṭhika, having emerged from seclusion, approached Venerable Sāriputta and, after exchanging greetings, sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Venerable Mahākoṭṭhika said to Venerable Sāriputta:
Friend Sāriputta, is aging and death self-made, other-made, both self-made and other-made, or neither self-made nor other-made, but arising due to specific conditions?
Friend Koṭṭhika, aging and death are not self-made, not other-made, not both self-made and other-made, nor do they arise without specific conditions. But aging and death arise due to birth.
Friend Sāriputta, is birth self-made, other-made, both self-made and other-made, or neither self-made nor other-made, but arising due to specific conditions?
Friend Koṭṭhika, birth is not self-made, not other-made, not both self-made and other-made, nor does it arise without specific conditions. But birth arises due to existence.
Friend Sāriputta, is existence self-made... is clinging self-made... is craving self-made... is feeling self-made... is contact self-made... is the six sense bases self-made... is name-and-form self-made, other-made, both self-made and other-made, or neither self-made nor other-made, but arising due to specific conditions?
Friend Koṭṭhika, name-and-form is not self-made, not other-made, not both self-made and other-made, nor does it arise without specific conditions. But name-and-form arises due to consciousness.
Friend Sāriputta, is consciousness self-made, other-made, both self-made and other-made, or neither self-made nor other-made, but arising due to specific conditions?
Friend Koṭṭhika, consciousness is not self-made, not other-made, not both self-made and other-made, nor does it arise without specific conditions. But consciousness arises due to name-and-form.
Now, friend Sāriputta, we understand your statement thus: Name-and-form is not self-made, not other-made, not both self-made and other-made, nor does it arise without specific conditions. But name-and-form arises due to consciousness. And we understand your statement thus: Consciousness is not self-made, not other-made, not both self-made and other-made, nor does it arise without specific conditions. But consciousness arises due to name-and-form. How should we understand the meaning of this statement?
Friend, I will give you an analogy. Some wise people understand the meaning of a statement through an analogy. Suppose, friend, two bundles of reeds were to stand leaning against each other. In the same way, name-and-form arises due to consciousness, and consciousness arises due to name-and-form.
Due to name-and-form, the six sense bases arise; due to the six sense bases, contact arises... and so on, until the entire mass of suffering arises. If one were to pull away one of the bundles of reeds, the other would fall; if one were to pull away the other, the first would fall. In the same way, with the cessation of name-and-form, consciousness ceases; with the cessation of consciousness, name-and-form ceases; with the cessation of name-and-form, the six sense bases cease; with the cessation of the six sense bases, contact ceases... and so on, until the entire mass of suffering ceases.
Wonderful, friend Sāriputta! Marvelous, friend Sāriputta! How well this has been stated by Venerable Sāriputta. And we approve of Venerable Sāriputta's statement with these thirty-six points: If a disciple teaches the Dhamma for the disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation of aging and death, he is fit to be called a Dhamma teacher.
If a disciple practices for the disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation of aging and death, he is fit to be called one who practices in accordance with the Dhamma. If a disciple, through disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation of aging and death, is liberated without clinging, he is fit to be called one who has attained Nibbāna in this very life. The same applies to birth... to existence... to clinging... to craving... to feeling... to contact...
If, friend, a disciple teaches the Dhamma for the disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of the sense bases, of name-and-form, of consciousness, of formations, and of ignorance, he is fit to be called a preacher of the Dhamma.
If, friend, a disciple practices for the disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of ignorance, he is fit to be called one who practices in accordance with the Dhamma.
If, friend, a disciple is liberated through the disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of ignorance, without clinging, he is fit to be called one who has attained Nibbāna in this very life.