Saṃyukta Āgama (284), Part 2

(2) Original text: Just as a great tree has roots, trunk, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Its lower roots are deep and firm, banked with manure and soil, watered with moisture. That tree becomes solid and enduring, imperishable for all time. Similarly, monks, when one clings to the phenomena grasped at, delight arises in dependence on them. With mind bound by attachment and longing, the mind rushes forward, pursuing name-and-form. With name-and-form as condition, the six sense bases arise. With the six sense bases as condition, contact arises. 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, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair arise. Thus is the arising of this whole mass of suffering.

Explanation: The Buddha said: It is like a great tree with roots, trunk, branches, leaves, and flowers. We plant its roots deep into the earth, secure them firmly, bank them with manure and soil, and water them. This tree will then grow solidly and endure, never decaying or perishing. Monks, similar to the principle of planting a tree, you cling to the dharmas you grasp at—such as the five aggregates, six sense faculties, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses—and as these dharmas arise, you become engrossed in them. With constant thought and longing, your mind becomes bound. Driven by these dharmas, the mind pursues name-and-form (the psycho-physical organism). With name-and-form as condition, the six sense bases arise. With the six sense bases as condition, contact arises. With contact as condition, feeling arises. With feeling as condition, craving arises. With craving as condition, clinging arises. With clinging as condition, becoming (existence) arises. With becoming as condition, birth (of a future life) arises. With birth as condition, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair arise. In this way, the entire mass of great suffering accumulates.

Original text: If, regarding the dharmas grasped at, one cultivates the perception of impermanence, abides in the perception of arising and passing away, the perception of dispassion, the perception of cessation, the perception of revulsion, the mind no longer longs for or clings to them. Consciousness then does not rush forward pursuing name-and-form. Then 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. With the cessation of contact, feeling ceases. With the cessation of feeling, craving ceases. With the cessation of craving, clinging ceases. With the cessation of clinging, becoming ceases. With the cessation of becoming, birth ceases. With the cessation of birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair cease. Thus is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

Explanation: The Buddha said: Thus, monks, if regarding the dharmas one clings to, one observes their impermanence, verifies and accords with their impermanence, the mind will abide in the view that all dharmas are subject to arising and passing away. One will no longer have desire or longing for the previously clung-to dharmas. The mind will then seek the cessation of these dharmas and feel revulsion towards them. It will no longer constantly think of or cherish these dharmas, and the mind will no longer be bound by them.

If the seventh consciousness (manas) no longer pursues the dharmas of name-and-form, the five aggregates, and the eighteen elements (dhatus), name-and-form will cease to arise. After name-and-form ceases, the six sense bases will cease. After the six sense bases cease, contact will cease. After contact ceases, feeling will cease. After feeling ceases, craving will cease. After craving ceases, clinging will cease. After clinging ceases, becoming (existence in the three realms) will cease. After becoming ceases, birth (of a life) will cease. Once no more life-form arises, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair will cease. In this way, the greatest and most fundamental suffering of sentient beings ceases to accumulate, and the suffering of birth and death disappears.