The Endlessness of Birth and Death (sutra)

Ven. Guang Xing (trans.), Nāgasena Bhikṣu Sūtra: Dialogues, Part 2 (T 1670b 2.26: 2.26, suttacentral.net); Dhr. Seven, Ellie Askew (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

2.26. The Endlessness of Birth and Death

The horrors of samsara, cycling through rebirths

The king asked Venerable Nāgasena, “Revered sir, you said the rebirth-and-death of a person is empty, and the root-cause of it is also empty. Here, what is the root-cause?”

Nāgasena replied: “When there is no root-cause, one will not be reborn again. But when there is a root-cause, once more one will pass onto another existence on account of this root-cause.”

“If there is no root-cause, one will not be reborn again,” said the king. “When there is a root-cause, once more one will pass onto another existence. Thus there is no end to this root-cause.”

“Yes, all have to pass on.”

(1) Other factors in the rebirth of a person

The king asked Nāgasena again: “Are there other factors that would help to continue one’s rebirth and death?”

Nāgasena said: “Are there other factors that help continue the rebirth and death of all birds and animals in the world?”

“Revered sir, I did not ask you the question with regard to birds and animals in the world. I just ask the root-cause of the rebirth and death of a person.”

What is the root-cause of trees? Seedlings.

Then Nāgasena replied: “With regard to trees, they can grow, and the seedling is their root-cause. With regard to the five kinds of grain, they can grow, and grain is their root-cause. Everything on earth grows or arises owing to its root-cause.

“With regard to a person, the six passions and craving are the root-causes.”

“With regard to a person,

• there are eyes and also visible forms;
• there is eye-consciousness;
• there are ears and sounds;
• there is also ear-consciousness;
• there is the nose and scents;
• there is also nose-consciousness;
• there is the tongue and flavors;
• there is also tongue-consciousness;
• there is the body and softness and smoothness;
• then there is also body-consciousness;
• there is the mind and mind objects (dhammas);
• then there is mind-consciousness also.

[Then from all these things, happiness and suffering arise; from happiness and suffering, craving arises; from craving, lustful desire arises; from lustful desire, arise the aggregates of suffering that constitute a human being. The eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the body, the mind, the consciousness, and the mindfulness cause becoming to arise.]

The coming together of all these things is called touch; from touch, painful or pleasant feelings (sensations) arise; from painful and pleasant feelings, craving arises; from craving, lustful desire arises; from lustful desire, becoming arises.

“From becoming, rebirth arises; from rebirth, old age, and sickness arise; from sickness, comes death; from death, arises grief; from grief, arises lamentation; from lamentation, arises pain in the heart. Thus is human life.”

(2) The conditions for arising and cessation

Then Nāgasena continued: “Where there are no eyes, no material forms to be seen, there is also no consciousness.

“Due to non-consciousness, there is no coming together. Due to non-coming together, there are no painful or pleasant feelings; due to no painful or pleasant feelings, there is no craving. Due to no craving, there is no lustful desire.

“Due to no lustful desire, there is no becoming; due to no becoming, there is no rebirth, no old age; due to no rebirth, there is no old age. Due to no old age, there is no sickness and death.

“Due to no sickness and death, there is no grief and lamentation; due to no grief and lamentation, there is no suffering in the inner heart; due to no such sufferings, one is emancipated and obtains the Path to nirvana.

“If there is no ear, there is also no hearing of sounds; if there is no nose, there is also no smelling of scents; if there is no tongue, there is also no tasting of flavor…

“...If there is no body, there is also no touch of softness and smoothness; if there is no mind, there is also no cognizing of mind objects.

“Due to no cognizing of mind objects, there is no contact or touch; due to no contact, there is no painful or pleasant feelings; due to no painful or pleasant feelings, there is no craving; due to no craving, there is no lustful desire.

“Due to no lustful desire, there is no embryo; due to no embryo, there is no rebirth; due to no rebirth, there is no old age; due to no old age, there is no sickness; due to no sickness, there is no death.

“Due to no death, there is no grief; due to no grief, there is no lamentation; due to no lamentation, there is no suffering in the inner heart. So abandoning all such sufferings, one obtains the Path to nirvana.”

“Excellent, Nagasena.”