Saṃyuktāgama (372), Part Two

(2) Original text: 复问。世尊。为谁爱。佛告颇求那。我不说有爱者。我若说言有爱者。汝应作是问为谁爱。汝应问言。何缘故有爱。我应如是答。缘受故有爱。爱缘取。复问。世尊为谁取。佛告颇求那。我不说言有取者。我若说言有取者。汝应问言为谁取。汝应问言。何缘故有取。我应答言。爱缘故有取。取缘有。 

Explanation: Poṣṭhapanā asked again: World-Honored One, who is it that has craving? The Buddha told Poṣṭhapanā: I do not say there is one who craves. If I had said there is one who craves, you should have asked in this way: who is it that craves? You should ask: what causes and conditions give rise to craving? And I should answer in this way: because there is feeling, there is craving; conditioned by craving, grasping arises. Poṣṭhapanā asked again: World-Honored One, who is it that grasps? The Buddha told Poṣṭhapanā: I do not say there is one who grasps. If I had said there is one who grasps, you should have asked: who is it that grasps? You should ask: what causes and conditions lead to the arising of grasping? And I should answer: it is because of craving that grasping arises; conditioned by grasping, existence in the three realms arises. 

Original text: 复问。世尊为谁有。佛告颇求那。我不说有有者。我若说有有者。汝应问言为谁有。汝今应问。何缘故有有。我应答言。缘取故有有。能招当来有。触生是名有。有六入处。六入处缘触。触缘受。受缘爱。爱缘取。取缘有。有缘生。生缘老病死忧悲恼苦。如是纯大苦聚集。谓六入处灭则触灭。触灭则受灭。受灭则爱灭。爱灭则取灭。取灭则有灭。有灭则生灭。生灭则老病死忧悲恼苦灭。如是纯大苦聚集灭。佛说此经已。诸比丘闻佛所说。欢喜奉行。 

Explanation: Poṣṭhapanā asked again: World-Honored One, who is it that exists? The Buddha told Poṣṭhapanā: I do not say there is one who exists. If I had said there is one who exists, you should have asked: who is it that exists? You should now ask: what causes and conditions lead to the appearance of existence in the three realms? And I should answer: because there is grasping, there is existence; grasping can attract future existence. When contact arises, this is called existence. It is because there are the six sense bases that there is contact; the conditions of the six sense bases lead to the arising of contact; the conditions of contact give rise to feeling; conditioned by feeling there is craving; conditioned by craving there is grasping; conditioned by grasping there arises existence; conditioned by existence there is the birth of life; with the birth of life there are old age, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress; thus the great mass of suffering is assembled. If the six sense bases cease, contact ceases; when 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, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress cease, and thus the great mass of suffering is extinguished. 

In the dharma of the twelve links of dependent origination, there is no one who consumes consciousness as food, no one who contacts, no one who feels, no one who craves, no one who grasps, no one who exists, no one who is born, no one who ages, falls sick, and dies, because all these dharmas arise from causes and conditions, and dharmas arisen from causes and conditions have no sovereign master; none of them is the master. Then who is there that takes consciousness as food? Who can contact, feel, crave, grasp, exist, be born, age, sicken, and die? There is no agent; all of this is merely illusion like floating clouds, passing by without lingering, constantly migrating and evolving, arising and ceasing, changing and mutating, unobtainable. When circumstances change and the moment has passed, there is no longer that contact; even if there is contact, there is no longer that feeling of that moment, still less is there craving, and there will be no grasping either. Yet one cannot avoid having existence in a future life, because there will still be other kinds of contact, other kinds of feeling, craving, and grasping—this is mutation. 

If there were a master, these dharmas would not mutate: one constant contact, one constant feeling, one constant craving, one constant grasping, one constant existence, with no birth, aging, sickness, or death. Without a master, there must necessarily be arising, ceasing, mutation, and impermanence, without constancy; there must necessarily be no one who consumes consciousness as food, no one who contacts, feels, craves, grasps, or exists, no one who is born, ages, sickens, or dies.