Where there is Passion (Samy XII.64)

Buddhist monks memorizing and chanting sutras, Wat Sudat, Thailand (jaywye.com)

Originally this sutra evolved out of a long oral tradition. Therefore, it was chanted and memorized by rote, utilizing repetitive phrasings for ease of memory. This made it easier to hear and follow, much like the Greek poets -- for example, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey -- who recounted epic tales with history and a moral embroidered in. The following includes ellipses (...) minimizing this for readers, but this traditional flavor remains (WQ Editor).

Atthi Raga Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya XII.64)

Thus have I heard. The Buddha was dwelling at Savatthi...

"There are these four nutriments for the establishing of beings who have taken birth or for the support of those in search of a place to be born. What are the four?

1. physical food, gross or refined is first;
2. contact is the second,
3. consciousness the third, and
4. intellectual intention the fourth.

These are the four nutriments for the establishing of beings or for the support of those in search of a place to be born.

"Where there is passion, delight, and craving for the nutriment of physical food, consciousness lands there and grows. Where consciousness lands and grows, name-and-form alights. Where name-and-form alights, there is the growth of mental-fabrications. Where there is the growth of mental-fabrications, there is the production of renewed becoming in the future.

Where there is the production of renewed becoming in the future, there is future birth, aging, and death, together, I tell you, with sorrow, affliction, and despair.

"Where there is passion, delight, and craving for the nutriment of contact...

"Where there is passion, delight, and craving for the nutriment of consciousness...

"Where there is passion, delight, and craving for the nutriment of intellectual intention, consciousness lands there and grows. Where consciousness lands and grows, name-and-form alights. Where name-and-form alights, there is the growth of mental-fabrications.

"Where there is the growth of mental-fabrications, there is the production of renewed becoming in the future. Where there is the production of renewed becoming in the future, there is future birth, aging, and death, together, I tell you, with sorrow, affliction, and despair.

"Just as -- when there is dye, lac, yellow pigment, indigo, or crimson -- a dyer or painter would paint a picture of a woman or a man, complete in all its parts, on a well polished panel or wall, or on a piece of cloth. In the same way, where there is passion, delight, and craving for the nutriment of physical food... contact... consciousness... intellectual intention, consciousness lands there and grows.

"Where consciousness lands and grows, name-and-form alights. Where name-and-form alights, there is the growth of mental-fabrications. Where there is the growth of mental-fabrications, there is the production of renewed becoming in the future. Where there is the production of renewed becoming in the future, there is future birth, aging, and death, together, I tell you, with sorrow, affliction, and despair.

"But where there is no passion for the nutriment of physical food, where there is no delight, no craving, then consciousness does not land there or grow.

"Where consciousness does not land or grow, name-and-form does not alight. Where name-and-form does not alight, there is no growth of mental-fabrications. Where there is no growth of mental-fabrications, there is no production of renewed becoming in the future. Where there is no production of renewed becoming in the future, there is no future birth, aging, and death. That, I tell you, has no sorrow, affliction, or despair.

"Where there is no passion for the nutriment of contact...Where there is no passion for the nutriment of consciousness...Where there is no passion for the nutriment of intellectual intention...

"Where there is no growth of mental-fabrications, there is no production of renewed becoming in the future. Where there is no production of renewed becoming in the future, there is no future birth, aging, and death. That, I tell you, has no sorrow, affliction, or despair.

"Just as if there were a roofed house or a roofed hall having windows on the north, the south, or the east. When the sun rises, and a ray has entered by way of the window, where does it land?"

"On the western wall, sir."

"And if there is no western wall, where does it land?"

"On the ground, sir."

"And if there is no ground, where does it land?"

"On the water, sir."

"And if there is no water, where does it land?"

"It does not land, sir."

"In the same way, where there is no passion for the nutriment of physical food... contact... consciousness... intellectual intention, where there is no delight, no craving, then consciousness does not land there or grow. Where consciousness does not land or grow, name-and-form does not alight.

"Where name-and-form does not alight, there is no growth of mental-fabrications. Where there is no growth of mental-fabrications, there is no production of renewed becoming in the future.

"Where there is no production of renewed becoming in the future, there is no future birth, aging, and death. That, I tell you, has no sorrow, affliction, or despair."