SN12:34 Cases of Knowledge (2)
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. (More copyright information)
1At Sāvatthī. "Bhikkhus, I will teach you seventy-seven cases of knowledge. Listen to that and attend closely, I will speak." sn.ii.60
"Yes, venerable sir," those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
2"Bhikkhus, what are the seventy-seven cases of knowledge?
The knowledge: ‘Aging-and-death has birth as its condition.’
The knowledge: ‘When there is no birth, there is no aging-and-death.’
The knowledge: ‘In the past too aging-and-death had birth as its condition.’
The knowledge: ‘In the past too, had there been no birth, there would have been no aging-and-death.’
The knowledge: ‘In the future too aging-and-death will have birth as its condition.’
The knowledge: ‘In the future too, should there be no birth, there will be no aging-and-death.’
The knowledge: ‘That knowledge of the stability of the Dhamma is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.’
[n.105] Spk: The knowledge of the stability of the Dhamma (dhammaṭṭhitiñāṇa) is the knowledge of the principle of conditionality. For the principle of conditionality is called "the stability of the Dhamma" because it is the cause for the continued occurrence of phenomena (pavattiṭṭhitikāraṇattā); the knowledge of it is "the knowledge of the stability of the Dhamma." This is a designation for just this sixfold knowledge.
I render dhammaṭṭhitatā (at SN12.20; n. 51) "stableness of the Dhamma" and dhammaṭṭhiti "stability of the Dhamma." The latter also occurs at SN12.70 (II 124,10). The two seem to be effectively synonymous.
The knowledge that this knowledge too is subject to destruction is called by Spk "counter-insight into insight" (vipassanā-paṭivipassanā), i.e., insight into the dissolution of the very act of insight knowledge that had just cognized the dissolution of the primary object. See Vism 641–42 (Ppn 21:11–13), where, however, the expression vipassanāpaṭivipassanā does not occur.
3"The knowledge: ‘Birth has existence as its condition.’…
existence has clinging as its condition. …
clinging has craving as its condition. …
craving has feeling as its condition. …
feeling has contact as its condition. …
contact has the six sense bases as its condition. …
the six sense bases have name-and-form as their condition. …
name-and-form has consciousness as its condition. …
consciousness has volitional formations as its condition. …
The knowledge: ‘Volitional formations have ignorance as their condition.’
The knowledge: ‘When there is no ignorance, there are no volitional formations.’
The knowledge: ‘In the past too volitional formations had ignorance as their condition.’
The knowledge: ‘In the past too, had there been no ignorance, there would have been no volitional formations.’
The knowledge: ‘In the future too volitional formations will have ignorance as their condition.’
The knowledge: ‘In the future too, should there be no ignorance, there will be no volitional formations.’
The knowledge: ‘That knowledge of the stability of the Dhamma is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation.’
"These, bhikkhus, are called the seventy-seven cases of knowledge."
1Sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati. "Sattasattari vo, bhikkhave, ñāṇavatthūni desessāmi. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī"ti.
"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
2"Katamāni, bhikkhave, sattasattari ñāṇavatthūni?
Jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇanti ñāṇaṁ;
asati jātiyā natthi jarāmaraṇanti ñāṇaṁ;
atītampi addhānaṁ jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇanti ñāṇaṁ,
asati jātiyā natthi jarāmaraṇanti ñāṇaṁ;
anāgatampi addhānaṁ jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇanti ñāṇaṁ;
asati jātiyā natthi jarāmaraṇanti ñāṇaṁ;
yampissa taṁ dhammaṭṭhitiñāṇaṁ tampi khayadhammaṁ vayadhammaṁ virāgadhammaṁ nirodhadhammanti ñāṇaṁ.
3Bhavapaccayā jātīti ñāṇaṁ … pe.’
upādānapaccayā bhavoti ñāṇaṁ.’
taṇhāpaccayā upādānanti ñāṇaṁ.’
vedanāpaccayā taṇhāti ñāṇaṁ.’
phassapaccayā vedanāti ñāṇaṁ.’
saḷāyatanapaccayā phassoti ñāṇaṁ.’
nāmarūpapaccayā saḷāyatananti ñāṇaṁ.’
viññāṇapaccayā nāmarūpanti ñāṇaṁ.’
saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇanti ñāṇaṁ;
avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārāti ñāṇaṁ,
asati avijjāya natthi saṅkhārāti ñāṇaṁ;
atītampi addhānaṁ avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārāti ñāṇaṁ,
asati avijjāya natthi saṅkhārāti ñāṇaṁ;
anāgatampi addhānaṁ avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārāti ñāṇaṁ,
asati avijjāya natthi saṅkhārāti ñāṇaṁ;
yampissa taṁ dhammaṭṭhitiñāṇaṁ tampi khayadhammaṁ vayadhammaṁ virāgadhammaṁ nirodhadhammanti ñāṇaṁ.
Imāni vuccanti, bhikkhave, sattasattari ñāṇavatthūnī"ti.
Catutthaṁ.