SN 12-21 The Group of Connected Discourses Beginning With Causation – Nidānavaggasaṁyutta > SN 12 Connected Discourses on Causation – Nidānasaṁyutta > SN 12.33 Grounds for Knowledge

Linked Discourses 12.33 – Saṁyutta Nikāya 12.33

4. Kaḷāra the Aristocrat – 4. Kaḷārakhattiyavagga

SN 12.33 Grounds for Knowledge – Ñāṇavatthusutta

At Sāvatthī.

Sāvatthiyaṁ …

“Bhikkhū, I will teach forty-four grounds for knowledge.

“Catucattārīsaṁ vo, bhikkhave, ñāṇavatthūni desessāmi,

Listen and pay close attention, I will speak.”

taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.

“Yes, sir,” they replied.

“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.

The Buddha said this:

Bhagavā etadavoca:

“And what are the forty-four grounds for knowledge?

“Katamāni, bhikkhave, catucattārīsaṁ ñāṇavatthūni?

Knowledge of old age and death, knowledge of the origin of old age and death, knowledge of the cessation of old age and death, and knowledge of the practice that leads to the cessation of old age and death.

Jarāmaraṇe ñāṇaṁ, jarāmaraṇasamudaye ñāṇaṁ, jarāmaraṇanirodhe ñāṇaṁ, jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ñāṇaṁ;

Knowledge of rebirth …

jātiyā ñāṇaṁ, jātisamudaye ñāṇaṁ, jātinirodhe ñāṇaṁ, jātinirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ñāṇaṁ;

Knowledge of continued existence …

bhave ñāṇaṁ, bhavasamudaye ñāṇaṁ, bhavanirodhe ñāṇaṁ, bhavanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ñāṇaṁ;

Knowledge of grasping …

upādāne ñāṇaṁ, upādānasamudaye ñāṇaṁ, upādānanirodhe ñāṇaṁ, upādānanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ñāṇaṁ;

Knowledge of craving …

taṇhāya ñāṇaṁ, taṇhāsamudaye ñāṇaṁ, taṇhānirodhe ñāṇaṁ, taṇhānirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ñāṇaṁ;

Knowledge of feeling …

vedanāya ñāṇaṁ, vedanāsamudaye ñāṇaṁ, vedanānirodhe ñāṇaṁ, vedanānirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ñāṇaṁ;

Knowledge of contact …

phasse ñāṇaṁ …pe…

Knowledge of the six sense fields …

saḷāyatane ñāṇaṁ …

Knowledge of name and form …

nāmarūpe ñāṇaṁ …

Knowledge of consciousness …

viññāṇe ñāṇaṁ …

Knowledge of saṅkhāra, knowledge of the origin of saṅkhāra, knowledge of the cessation of saṅkhāra, and knowledge of the practice that leads to the cessation of saṅkhāra.

saṅkhāresu ñāṇaṁ, saṅkhārasamudaye ñāṇaṁ, saṅkhāranirodhe ñāṇaṁ, saṅkhāranirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ñāṇaṁ.

These are called the forty-four grounds for knowledge.

Imāni vuccanti, bhikkhave, catucattārīsaṁ ñāṇavatthūni.

And what is old age and death?

Katamañca, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ?

The old age, decrepitude, broken teeth, grey hair, wrinkly skin, diminished vitality, and failing faculties of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings.

Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhi tamhi sattanikāye jarā jīraṇatā khaṇḍiccaṁ pāliccaṁ valittacatā āyuno saṁhāni indriyānaṁ paripāko,

This is called old age.

ayaṁ vuccati jarā.

The passing away, perishing, disintegration, demise, mortality, death, decease, breaking up of the aggregates, and laying to rest of the corpse of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings.

Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhā tamhā sattanikāyā cuti cavanatā bhedo antaradhānaṁ maccu maraṇaṁ kālakiriyā khandhānaṁ bhedo kaḷevarassa nikkhepo.

This is called death.

Idaṁ vuccati maraṇaṁ.

Such is old age, and such is death.

Iti ayañca jarā, idañca maraṇaṁ;

This is called old age and death.

idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ.

Rebirth is the origin of old age and death.

Jātisamudayā jarāmaraṇasamudayo;

When rebirth ceases, old age and death cease.

jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇanirodho;

The practice that leads to the cessation of old age and death is simply this noble eightfold path, that is:

ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminī paṭipadā, seyyathidaṁ—

right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samādhi.

sammādiṭṭhi …pe… sammāsamādhi.

A noble disciple understands old age and death, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. This is their knowledge of the present phenomenon.

Yato kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako evaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ pajānāti, evaṁ jarāmaraṇasamudayaṁ pajānāti, evaṁ jarāmaraṇanirodhaṁ pajānāti, evaṁ jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ pajānāti, idamassa dhamme ñāṇaṁ.

With this present phenomenon that is seen, known, immediate, attained, and fathomed, they infer to the past and future.

So iminā dhammena diṭṭhena viditena akālikena pattena pariyogāḷhena atītānāgatena yaṁ neti.

Whatever ascetics and brahmins in the past directly knew old age and death, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation, all of them directly knew these things in exactly the same way that I do now.

Ye kho keci atītamaddhānaṁ samaṇā vā brāhmaṇā vā jarāmaraṇaṁ abbhaññaṁsu, jarāmaraṇasamudayaṁ abbhaññaṁsu, jarāmaraṇanirodhaṁ abbhaññaṁsu, jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ abbhaññaṁsu, sabbete evameva abbhaññaṁsu, seyyathāpāhaṁ etarahi.

Whatever ascetics and brahmins in the future will directly know old age and death, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation, all of them will directly know these things in exactly the same way that I do now.

Yepi hi keci anāgatamaddhānaṁ samaṇā vā brāhmaṇā vā jarāmaraṇaṁ abhijānissanti, jarāmaraṇasamudayaṁ abhijānissanti, jarāmaraṇanirodhaṁ abhijānissanti, jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ abhijānissanti, sabbete evameva abhijānissanti, seyyathāpāhaṁ etarahīti.

This is their inferential knowledge.

Idamassa anvaye ñāṇaṁ.

A noble disciple has purified and cleansed these two knowledges—

Yato kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa imāni dve ñāṇāni parisuddhāni honti pariyodātāni—

knowledge of the present phenomena, and inferential knowledge.

dhamme ñāṇañca anvaye ñāṇañca.

When a noble disciple has done this, they’re called ‘one accomplished in view’, ‘one accomplished in vision’, ‘one who has come to the true teaching’, ‘one who sees this true teaching’, ‘one endowed with a trainee’s knowledge’, ‘one who has entered the stream of the teaching’, ‘a noble one with penetrative wisdom’, and ‘one who stands pushing open the door of the deathless’.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako diṭṭhisampanno itipi, dassanasampanno itipi, āgato imaṁ saddhammaṁ itipi, passati imaṁ saddhammaṁ itipi, sekkhena ñāṇena samannāgato itipi, sekkhāya vijjāya samannāgato itipi, dhammasotaṁ samāpanno itipi, ariyo nibbedhikapañño itipi, amatadvāraṁ āhacca tiṭṭhati itipīti.

And what is rebirth? …

Katamā ca, bhikkhave, jāti …

And what is continued existence? …

katamo ca, bhikkhave, bhavo …

And what is grasping? …

katamañca, bhikkhave, upādānaṁ …

And what is craving? …

katamā ca, bhikkhave, taṇhā …

And what is feeling? …

katamā ca, bhikkhave, vedanā …

And what is contact? …

katamo ca, bhikkhave, phasso …

And what are the six sense fields? …

katamañca, bhikkhave, saḷāyatanaṁ …

And what are name and form? …

katamañca, bhikkhave, nāmarūpaṁ …

And what is consciousness? …

katamañca, bhikkhave, viññāṇaṁ …

And what are saṅkhāra?

katame ca, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā?

There are three kinds of saṅkhāra.

Tayome, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā—

Saṅkhāra by way of body, speech, and mind.

kāyasaṅkhāro, vacīsaṅkhāro, cittasaṅkhāroti.

These are called saṅkhāra.

Ime vuccanti, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā.

Ignorance is the origin of saṅkhāra.

Avijjāsamudayā saṅkhārasamudayo;

When ignorance ceases, saṅkhāra cease.

avijjānirodhā saṅkhāranirodho;

The practice that leads to the cessation of saṅkhāra is simply this noble eightfold path, that is:

ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo saṅkhāranirodhagāminī paṭipadā, seyyathidaṁ—

right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samādhi.

sammādiṭṭhi …pe… sammāsamādhi.

A noble disciple understands saṅkhāra, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. This is their knowledge of the present phenomenon.

Yato kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako evaṁ saṅkhāre pajānāti, evaṁ saṅkhārasamudayaṁ pajānāti, evaṁ saṅkhāranirodhaṁ pajānāti, evaṁ saṅkhāranirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ pajānāti, idamassa dhamme ñāṇaṁ.

With this present phenomenon that is seen, known, immediate, attained, and fathomed, they infer to the past and future.

So iminā dhammena diṭṭhena viditena akālikena pattena pariyogāḷhena atītānāgatena yaṁ neti.

Whatever ascetics and brahmins in the past directly knew saṅkhāra, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation, all of them directly knew these things in exactly the same way that I do now.

Ye kho keci atītamaddhānaṁ samaṇā vā brāhmaṇā vā saṅkhāre abbhaññaṁsu, saṅkhārasamudayaṁ abbhaññaṁsu, saṅkhāranirodhaṁ abbhaññaṁsu, saṅkhāranirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ abbhaññaṁsu, sabbete evameva abbhaññaṁsu, seyyathāpāhaṁ etarahi.