Saṃyukta Āgama (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: Poṣṭhapanī (Poqiu'na) asked again: "World-Honored One, who is it that has craving?" The Buddha told Poṣṭhapanī: "I do not say there is one who craves. If I had said there is one who craves, then you should ask 'who craves?' You should ask: 'By what condition does craving arise?' And I should answer thus: 'Because of feeling, there is craving; craving conditions grasping.'" Poṣṭhapanī asked again: "World-Honored One, who is it that grasps?" The Buddha told Poṣṭhapanī: "I do not say there is one who grasps. If I had said there is one who grasps, then you should ask 'who grasps?' You should ask: 'By what condition does grasping arise?' And I should answer: 'Because of craving, there is grasping; grasping conditions becoming.'" 

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: Poṣṭhapanī asked again: "World-Honored One, who is it that has becoming?" The Buddha told Poṣṭhapanī: "I do not say there is one who has becoming. If I had said there is one who has becoming, then you should ask 'who has becoming?' You should now ask: 'By what condition does becoming arise?' And I should answer: 'Because of grasping, there is becoming; it can summon future becoming. When contact arises, this is called becoming.' There are the six sense bases; the six sense bases condition contact, contact conditions feeling, feeling conditions craving, craving conditions grasping, grasping conditions becoming, becoming conditions birth, birth conditions aging, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress. Thus the entire great mass of suffering is assembled. That is, when 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, becoming ceases; when becoming ceases, birth ceases; when birth ceases, aging, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress cease. Thus the entire great mass of suffering is extinguished." After the Buddha had spoken this sūtra, the bhikṣus heard what the Buddha had said and joyfully undertook to practice it. 

In the dharma of the twelve links of dependent arising, there is no one who takes consciousness as food, no one who contacts, no one who feels, no one who craves, no one who grasps, no one who has becoming, no one who is born, and no one who ages and dies, because all these dharmas arise from causes and conditions, and dharmas that arise 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, have becoming, be born, age and die? There is no agent; all of this is merely an illusion like floating clouds, passing by without lingering, constantly migrating and evolving, arising and ceasing, changing and transforming, unobtainable. When circumstances change and the moment has passed, there is no longer that contact; even if there is contact, there is no longer the feeling of that moment, still less the craving, and there will be no grasping attachment. Yet one cannot avoid the becoming of a future life, because there will still be other kinds of contact, other kinds of feeling, craving, and grasping—this is transformation and change. 

If there were a master, these dharmas would not transform and change: there would be one constant contact, one constant feeling, one constant craving, one constant grasping, one constant becoming, and there would be no birth, aging, sickness, or death. Without a master, there must be arising and ceasing, transformation and impermanence, without constancy; there must be no one who takes consciousness as food, no one who contacts, feels, craves, grasps, or has becoming, no one who is born, ages, or dies.