SA 292（二九二） 思量观察

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was staying at the Kalandaka Bamboo Grove in Rājagṛha.

At that time the World-Honored One told the bhikṣus, "How does one contemplate and observe the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering? At that time, one contemplates the various kinds of suffering experienced by sentient beings, and wonders what causes, what conditions, what origins, and what contacts give rise to this suffering. One contemplates the causes, conditions, origins, and contacts of grasping. If grasping ceases without remainder, then suffering also ceases. One truly knows the path of practice that leads to the cessation of suffering. This is called the bhikṣu's approach to the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering, namely the cessation of grasping.

Furthermore, bhikṣus contemplate and observe the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering. At that time, they contemplate the causes, conditions, origins, and contacts of grasping. They contemplate the causes, conditions, origins, and contacts of craving. If craving ceases without remainder, then grasping also ceases. They truly know the path of practice that leads to the cessation of grasping. This is called the bhikṣu's approach to the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering, namely the cessation of craving.

Furthermore, bhikṣus contemplate and observe the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering. They contemplate the causes, conditions, origins, and contacts of craving. They know that craving has feeling as its cause, feeling as its condition, feeling as its origin, and feeling as its contact. If feeling ceases without remainder, then craving also ceases. They truly know the path of practice that leads to the cessation of craving. This is called the bhikṣu's approach to the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering, namely the cessation of feeling.

Furthermore, bhikṣus contemplate and observe the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering. They contemplate the causes, conditions, origins, and contacts of feeling. They know that feeling has contact as its cause, contact as its condition, contact as its origin, and contact as its condition. If contact ceases without remainder, then feeling also ceases. They truly know the path of practice that leads to the cessation of contact. This is called the bhikṣu's approach to the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering.

Furthermore, bhikṣus contemplate and observe the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering. They contemplate the causes, conditions, origins, and contacts of contact. They know that contact has the six sense bases as its cause, the six sense bases as its condition, the six sense bases as its origin, and the six sense bases as its contact. If the six sense bases cease without remainder, then contact also ceases. They truly know the path of practice that leads to the cessation of the six sense bases. This is called the bhikṣu's approach to the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering.

Furthermore, bhikṣus contemplate and observe the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering. They contemplate the causes, conditions, origins, and contacts of the six sense bases. They know that the six sense bases have name-and-form as their cause, name-and-form as their condition, name-and-form as their origin, and name-and-form as their contact. If name-and-form ceases without remainder, then the six sense bases also cease. They truly know the path of practice that leads to the cessation of name-and-form. This is called the bhikṣu's approach to the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering.

Furthermore, bhikṣus contemplate the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering. They contemplate the causes, conditions, origins, and contacts of name-and-form. They know that name-and-form has consciousness as its cause, consciousness as its condition, consciousness as its origin, and consciousness as its contact. If consciousness ceases without remainder, then name-and-form also ceases. They truly know the path of practice that leads to the cessation of consciousness. This is called the bhikṣu's approach to the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering.

Furthermore, bhikṣus contemplate and observe the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering. They contemplate the causes, conditions, origins, and contacts of consciousness. They know that consciousness has volitional formations as its cause, volitional formations as its condition, volitional formations as its origin, and volitional formations as its contact. If volitional formations cease without remainder, then consciousness also ceases. They truly know the path of practice that leads to the cessation of volitional formations. This is called the bhikṣu's approach to the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering.

Furthermore, bhikṣus contemplate and observe the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering. They contemplate the causes, conditions, origins, and contacts of volitional formations. They know that volitional formations have ignorance as their cause, ignorance as their condition, ignorance as their origin, and ignorance as their contact. Volitional formations that are meritorious are conditioned by ignorance, volitional formations that are demeritorious are also conditioned by ignorance, and volitional formations that are neither meritorious nor demeritorious are also conditioned by ignorance.

Therefore, know that volitional formations have ignorance as their cause, ignorance as their condition, ignorance as their origin, and ignorance as their contact. If ignorance ceases without remainder, then volitional formations also cease. They truly know the path of practice that leads to the cessation of ignorance. This is called the bhikṣu's approach to the complete cessation of suffering, the end of suffering.

The Buddha told the bhikṣus: "What do you think? If one does not delight in ignorance and gives rise to understanding, would one then give rise to meritorious, demeritorious, or neither meritorious nor demeritorious volitional formations based on that ignorance?"

The bhikṣus said to the Buddha: "No, World-Honored One! Why is that? Because the learned noble disciples do not delight in ignorance and give rise to understanding. When ignorance ceases, then volitional formations cease. When volitional formations cease, then consciousness ceases. In this way, up to birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress cease. In this way, the great mass of suffering ceases.

The Buddha said: "Excellent! Excellent! Bhikṣu! I also say this, and you also understand this. In those dharmas, those dharmas arise, those dharmas are born, those dharmas cease, cease, stop, cool, rest, and disappear. If the learned noble disciples are free from desire for ignorance and give rise to understanding, they know as it is the sensations experienced within the limits of the body. When they know as it is the sensations experienced within the limits of the body, they also know as it is the sensations experienced within the limits of life. When the body perishes and life is about to end, all sensations experienced are completely extinguished without remainder. It is like a strong man taking a new, well-fired pot, placing it on the ground while still hot, and it will soon shatter, with the heat completely extinguished. In this way, bhikṣus, being free from desire for ignorance and giving rise to understanding, they know as it is the sensations experienced within the limits of the body, they know as it is the sensations experienced within the limits of life, and when the body perishes and life ends, all sensations experienced are completely extinguished without remainder.

Having spoken this sūtra, the bhikṣus were delighted and practiced accordingly.