At Sāvatthī. Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.

“Ignorance is a requirement for choices. “Avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā;

Choices are a requirement for consciousness. … saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṁ …pe… That is how this entire mass of suffering originates. evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.

Mendicants, you might say, ‘What are old age and death, and who do they belong to?’ Or you might say, ‘Old age and death are one thing, who they belong to is another.’ But both of these mean the same thing, only the phrasing differs. ‘Katamaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ, kassa ca panidaṁ jarāmaraṇan’ti iti vā, bhikkhave, yo vadeyya, ‘aññaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ, aññassa ca panidaṁ jarāmaraṇan’ti iti vā, bhikkhave, yo vadeyya, ubhayametaṁ ekatthaṁ byañjanameva nānaṁ. If you have the view that the soul and the body are one and the same, there is no living of the spiritual life. ‘Taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti. If you have the view that the soul is one thing, the body another, there is no living of the spiritual life. ‘Aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti. Avoiding these two extremes, the Realized One teaches by the middle way: Ete te, bhikkhave, ubho ante anupagamma majjhena tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti: ‘Rebirth is a requirement for old age and death.’ ‘jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇan’ti.

‘What is rebirth …’ Katamā jāti …pe… ‘What is continued existence …’ katamo bhavo … ‘What is grasping …’ katamaṁ upādānaṁ … ‘What is craving …’ katamā taṇhā … ‘What is feeling …’ katamā vedanā … ‘What is contact …’ katamo phasso … ‘What are the six sense fields …’ katamaṁ saḷāyatanaṁ … ‘What are name and form …’ katamaṁ nāmarūpaṁ … ‘What is consciousness …’ katamaṁ viññāṇaṁ … You might say, ‘What are choices, and who do they belong to?’ Or you might say, ‘Choices are one thing, who they belong to is another.’ But both of these mean the same thing, only the phrasing differs. katame saṅkhārā, kassa ca panime saṅkhārāti iti vā, bhikkhave, yo vadeyya, ‘aññe saṅkhārā aññassa ca panime saṅkhārā’ti iti vā, bhikkhave, yo vadeyya, ubhayametaṁ ekatthaṁ byañjanameva nānaṁ. If you have the view that the soul and the body are identical, there is no living of the spiritual life. ‘Taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti. If you have the view that the soul is one thing, the body another, there is no living of the spiritual life. ‘Aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, bhikkhave, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso na hoti. Avoiding these two extremes, the Realized One teaches by the middle way: Ete te, bhikkhave, ubho ante anupagamma majjhena tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti: ‘Ignorance is a requirement for choices.’ ‘avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā’ti.

When ignorance fades away and ceases with nothing left over, then any twists, ducks, and dodges are given up: Avijjāya tveva, bhikkhave, asesavirāganirodhā yānissa tāni visūkāyikāni visevitāni vipphanditāni kānici kānici. ‘What are old age and death, and who do they belong to?’ or ‘old age and death are one thing, who they belong to is another’, or ‘the soul and the body are identical’, or ‘the soul is one thing, the body another’. ‘Katamaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ, kassa ca panidaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ’ iti vā, ‘aññaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ, aññassa ca panidaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ’ iti vā, ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ, aññaṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā. These are all cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future. Sabbānissa tāni pahīnāni bhavanti ucchinnamūlāni tālāvatthukatāni anabhāvaṅkatāni āyatiṁ anuppādadhammāni.

When ignorance fades away and ceases with nothing left over, then any twists, ducks, and dodges are given up: Avijjāya tveva, bhikkhave, asesavirāganirodhā yānissa tāni visūkāyikāni visevitāni vipphanditāni kānici kānici. ‘What is rebirth …’ Katamā jāti …pe… ‘What is continued existence …’ katamo bhavo … ‘What is grasping …’ katamaṁ upādānaṁ … ‘What is craving …’ katamā taṇhā … ‘What is feeling …’ katamā vedanā … ‘What is contact …’ katamo phasso … ‘What are the six sense fields …’ katamaṁ saḷāyatanaṁ … ‘What are name and form …’ katamaṁ nāmarūpaṁ … ‘What is consciousness …’ katamaṁ viññāṇaṁ … ‘What are choices, and who do they belong to?’ or ‘choices are one thing, who they belong to is another’, or ‘the soul and the body are identical’, or ‘the soul is one thing, the body another’. ‘katame saṅkhārā, kassa ca panime saṅkhārā’ iti vā, ‘aññe saṅkhārā, aññassa ca panime saṅkhārā’ iti vā; ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ’ iti vā. These are all cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future.” Sabbānissa tāni pahīnāni bhavanti ucchinnamūlāni tālāvatthukatāni anabhāvaṅkatāni āyatiṁ anuppādadhammānī”ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.