1At Sāvatthī. "Bhikkhus, I will teach you dependent origination and dependently arisen phenomena. Listen and attend closely, I will speak."

"Yes, venerable sir," those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:

---

2"And what, bhikkhus, is dependent origination?

‘With birth as condition, aging-and-death comes to be’: whether there is an arising of Tathāgatas or no arising of Tathāgatas, that element still persists, the stableness of the Dhamma, the fixed course of the Dhamma, specific conditionality. [n.51] Ṭhitā va sā dhātu dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā idappaccayatā. Spk: That element (sā dhātu), the intrinsic nature of the conditions (paccayasabhāva), still persists; never is it the case that birth is not a condition for aging-and-death. By the next two terms too he indicates just the condition. For the dependently arisen phenomena stand because of the condition (paccayena hi paccayuppannā dhammā tiṭṭhanti); therefore the condition itself is called the stableness of the Dhamma (dhammaṭṭhitatā). The condition fixes (or determines) the dependent phenomena (paccayo dhamme niyameti); thus it is called the fixed course of the Dhamma (dhammaniyāmatā). Specific conditionality (idappaccayatā) is the set of specific conditions for aging-and-death, etc.
Spk-pṭ: Whether it is unpenetrated before and after the arising of Tathāgatas, or penetrated when they have arisen, that element still persists; it is not created by the Tathāgatas, but aging-and-death always occurs through birth as its condition. A Tathāgata simply discovers and proclaims this, but he does not invent it.
At AN I 286,8–24 exactly the same statement is made about the three characteristics: "All formations are impermanent /suffering" and "All phenomena are nonself." The two expressions, dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā, must thus have a meaning that is common to both dependent origination and the three characteristics, and it therefore seems unfitting to explain them here, as Spk does, in a way that is specifically tied to conditionality. Moreover, it is more likely that here dhamma means the principle or law-fulness that holds sway over phenomena, not the phenomena subject to that principle. See too below n. 105, and 211. A Tathāgata awakens to this and breaks through to it. [n.52] Abhisambujjhati abhisameti. The former verb, which is reserved for the Buddha’s enlightenment, is transitive. I thus render it "awakens to (with the object)," though otherwise I generally translate words derived from the verb bujjhati as expressing the sense of "enlightenment." Abhisameti is the verb corresponding to abhisamaya, on which see n. 13. Having done so, he explains it, teaches it, proclaims it, establishes it, discloses it, analyses it, elucidates it. And he says: ‘See! With birth as condition, bhikkhus, aging-and-death.’ [n.53] Se contains a footnote which explains that the statement below, "Thus, bhikkhus, the actuality in this …" should be inserted at the end of each section on the conditioning relationships; and each following section should begin with the statement, "whether there is an arising of Tathāgatas…."

---

3… ‘See! With existence as condition, birth.’

… ‘See! With clinging as condition, existence.’

… ‘See! With craving as condition, clinging.’

… ‘See! With feeling as condition, craving.’

… ‘See! With contact as condition, feeling.’

… ‘See! With the six sense bases as condition, contact.’

… ‘See! With name-and-form as condition, the six sense bases.’

… ‘See! With consciousness as condition, name-and-form.’

… ‘See! With volitional formations as condition, consciousness.’

---

‘With ignorance as condition, volitional formations’: whether there is an arising of Tathāgatas or no arising of Tathāgatas, that element still persists, the stableness of the Dhamma, the fixed course of the Dhamma, specific conditionality. A Tathāgata awakens to this and sn.ii.26 breaks through to it. Having done so, he explains it, teaches it, proclaims it, establishes it, discloses it, analyses it, elucidates it. And he says: ‘See! With ignorance as condition, bhikkhus, volitional formations.’

"Thus, bhikkhus, the actuality in this, the inerrancy, the nototherwiseness, specific conditionality: this is called dependent origination. [n.54] At SN56.20, 27the Four Noble Truths are said to be tatha, avitatha, anaññatha—the adjectives corresponding to the first three abstract nouns here. Spk gives a very specific interpretation (translated just below), though we might suspect the original sense was simply that the teaching of dependent origination is true, not false, and not other than real.
Spk: Actuality (tathatā) is said to indicate the occurrence of each particular phenomenon when its assemblage of appropriate conditions is present. Inerrancy (avitathatā) means that once its conditions have reached completeness there is no nonoccurrence, even for a moment, of the phenomenon due to be produced from those conditions. Nototherwiseness (anaññathatā) means that there is no production of one phenomenon by another's conditions. The phrase specific conditionality is used to refer to the (individual) conditions for aging-and-death, etc., or to the conditions taken as a group (paccayasamūhato).

---

4"And what, bhikkhus, are the dependently arisen phenomena?

Aging-and-death, bhikkhus, is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

Birth is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

---

Existence is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

---

Clinging is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

Craving is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

Feeling is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

Contact is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

The six sense bases are impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

Name-and-form is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

Consciousness is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

Volitional formations are impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

---

Ignorance is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.

---

These, bhikkhus, are called the dependently arisen phenomena.

---

5"When, bhikkhus, a noble disciple has clearly seen with correct wisdom [n.55] Sammappaññāya. Spk: With path wisdom together with insight (savipassanāya maggapaññāya). as it really is this dependent origination and these dependently arisen phenomena,

it is impossible that he will run back into the past, thinking: ‘Did I exist in the past? Did I not exist in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? Having been what, what did I become in the past?’

Or that he will run forward into the future, thinking: ‘Will I exist in the future? Will I not exist sn.ii.27 in the future? What will I be in the future? How will I be in the future? Having been what, what will I become in the future?’

Or that he will now be inwardly confused about the present thus: ‘Do I exist? Do I not exist? What am I? How am I? This being—where has it come from, and where will it go?’ [n.56] The sixteen cases of doubt are also mentioned at MN I 8,4–15. For a discussion of their abandonment, see Vism 599 (Ppn 19:5–6) and 603–5 (Ppn 19:21–27). Spk explains that the basic division expressed in the doubts—between existing and not existing in the past, etc.—reflects the antinomy of eternalism and annihilationism. The other doubts pertaining to past existence arise within an eternalist framework. Similar distinctions apply among the doubts pertaining to the future and the present.

---

"For what reason is this impossible? Because, bhikkhus, the noble disciple has clearly seen with correct wisdom as it really is this dependent origination and these dependently arisen phenomena."

1Sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati. "Paṭiccasamuppādañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi paṭiccasamuppanne ca dhamme. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī"ti.

"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

---

2"Katamo ca, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppādo?

Jātipaccayā, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ. Uppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ anuppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ, ṭhitāva sā dhātu dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā idappaccayatā. Taṁ tathāgato abhisambujjhati abhisameti. Abhisambujjhitvā abhisametvā ācikkhati deseti paññāpeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti. ‘Passathā’ti cāha: ‘jātipaccayā, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ’.

---

3Bhavapaccayā, bhikkhave, jāti … pe …

upādānapaccayā, bhikkhave, bhavo …

taṇhāpaccayā, bhikkhave, upādānaṁ …

vedanāpaccayā, bhikkhave, taṇhā …

phassapaccayā, bhikkhave, vedanā …

saḷāyatanapaccayā, bhikkhave, phasso …

nāmarūpapaccayā, bhikkhave, saḷāyatanaṁ …

viññāṇapaccayā, bhikkhave, nāmarūpaṁ …

saṅkhārapaccayā, bhikkhave, viññāṇaṁ …

---

Avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā uppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ anuppādā vā Tathāgatanaṁ, ṭhitāva sā dhātu dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā idappaccayatā. Taṁ tathāgato abhisambujjhati abhisameti. Abhisambujjhitvā abhisametvā ācikkhati deseti paññāpeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti. ‘Passathā’ti cāha: ‘avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā’.

Iti kho, bhikkhave, yā tatra tathatā avitathatā anaññathatā idappaccayatā – ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppādo.

---

4Katame ca, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā?

Jarāmaraṇaṁ, bhikkhave, aniccaṁ saṅkhataṁ paṭiccasamuppannaṁ khayadhammaṁ vayadhammaṁ virāgadhammaṁ nirodhadhammaṁ.

Jāti, bhikkhave, aniccā saṅkhatā paṭiccasamuppannā khayadhammā vayadhammā virāgadhammā nirodhadhammā.

---

Bhavo, bhikkhave, anicco saṅkhato paṭiccasamuppanno khayadhammo vayadhammo virāgadhammo nirodhadhammo.

---

Upādānaṁ bhikkhave … pe …

taṇhā, bhikkhave …

vedanā, bhikkhave …

phasso, bhikkhave …

saḷāyatanaṁ, bhikkhave …

nāmarūpaṁ, bhikkhave …

viññāṇaṁ, bhikkhave …

saṅkhārā, bhikkhave …

---

Avijjā, bhikkhave, aniccā saṅkhatā paṭiccasamuppannā khayadhammā vayadhammā virāgadhammā nirodhadhammā.

---

Ime vuccanti, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā.

---

5Yato kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa ‘ayañca paṭiccasamuppādo, ime ca paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā’ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya sudiṭṭhā honti,

so vata pubbantaṁ vā paṭidhāvissati: ‘ahosiṁ nu kho ahaṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, nanu kho ahosiṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ nu kho ahosiṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, kathaṁ nu kho ahosiṁ atītamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ hutvā kiṁ ahosiṁ nu kho ahaṁ atītamaddhānan’ti;

aparantaṁ vā upadhāvissati: ‘bhavissāmi nu kho ahaṁ anāgatamaddhānaṁ, nanu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ nu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṁ, kathaṁ nu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṁ, kiṁ hutvā kiṁ bhavissāmi nu kho ahaṁ anāgatamaddhānan’ti;

etarahi vā paccuppannaṁ addhānaṁ ajjhattaṁ kathaṅkathī bhavissati: ‘Ahaṁ nu khosmi, no nu khosmi, kiṁ nu khosmi, kathaṁ nu khosmi, ayaṁ nu kho satto kuto āgato, so kuhiṁ gamissatī’ti – netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.

---

Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathā hi, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa ayañca paṭiccasamuppādo ime ca paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya sudiṭṭhā"ti.

---

Dasamaṁ.
Āhāravaggo dutiyo.