1At Sāvatthī. Then the brahmin Jaṇussoṇi approached the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him. When they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side and said to him: [n.127] A brahmin Jaṇussoṇi is mentioned at SN45.4 and elsewhere in the Nikāyas. Spk says that he was a great chaplain (mahāpurohita) of much wealth who had gained his name by reason of his position. On the theme of this sutta see SN12.15.

2"How is it, Master Gotama: does all exist?"

"‘All exists’: this, brahmin, is one extreme."

3"Then, Master Gotama, does all not exist?"

"‘All does not exist’: this, brahmin, is the second extreme.

Without veering towards either of these extremes, the Tathāgata teaches the Dhamma by the middle.

With ignorance as condition, volitional formations come to be;
with volitional formations as condition, consciousness;
with consciousness as condition, name-and-form;
with name-and-form as condition, the six sense bases;
with the six sense bases as condition, contact;
with contact as condition, feeling;
with feeling as condition, craving;
with craving as condition, clinging;
with clinging as condition, existence;
with existence as condition, birth;
with birth as condition, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair come to be.

Such is the origin of this whole mass of suffering.

But with the remainderless fading away and cessation of ignorance comes cessation of volitional formations;
with the cessation of volitional formations, cessation of consciousness;
with the cessation of consciousness, cessation of name-and-form;
with the cessation of name-and-form, cessation of the six sense bases;
with the cessation of the six sense bases, cessation of contact;
with the cessation of contact, cessation of feeling;
with the cessation of feeling, cessation of craving;
with the cessation of craving, cessation of clinging;
with the cessation of clinging, cessation of existence;
with the cessation of existence, cessation of birth;
with the cessation of birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair cease.

Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

4When this was said, the brahmin Jaṇussoṇi said to the Blessed One: sn.ii.77 "Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent, Master Gotama! The Dhamma has been made clear in many ways by Master Gotama, as though he were turning upright what had been turned upside down, revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding up a lamp in the dark for those with eyesight to see forms.

I go for refuge to Master Gotama, and to the Dhamma, and to the Bhikkhu Saṅgha. Let Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who from today has gone for refuge for life."

1Sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati. Atha kho jāṇussoṇi brāhmaṇo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ … pe … ekamantaṁ nisinno kho jāṇussoṇi brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

2"Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, sabbamatthī"ti?

"‘Sabbamatthī’ti kho, brāhmaṇa, ayameko anto".

3"Kiṁ pana, bho gotama, sabbaṁ natthī"ti?

"‘Sabbaṁ natthī’ti kho, brāhmaṇa, ayaṁ dutiyo anto.

Ete te, brāhmaṇa, ubho ante anupāgamma majjhena tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti:

‘avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā; saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṁ … pe …

Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.

Avijjāya tveva asesavirāganirodhā saṅkhāranirodho; saṅkhāranirodhā viññāṇanirodho … pe …

Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hotī’"ti.

4Evaṁ vutte, jāṇussoṇi brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama … pe …

pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan"ti.

Sattamaṁ.