At Sāvatthī. Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.

“Mendicants, these four fuels maintain sentient beings that have been born and help those about to be born. “Cattārome, bhikkhave, āhārā bhūtānaṁ vā sattānaṁ ṭhitiyā sambhavesīnaṁ vā anuggahāya. What four? Katame cattāro? Edible food, whether solid or subtle; contact is the second, mental intention the third, and consciousness the fourth. Kabaḷīkāro āhāro oḷāriko vā sukhumo vā, phasso dutiyo, manosañcetanā tatiyā, viññāṇaṁ catutthaṁ. These are the four fuels that maintain sentient beings that have been born and help those that are about to be born.” Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro āhārā bhūtānaṁ vā sattānaṁ ṭhitiyā sambhavesīnaṁ vā anuggahāyā”ti.

When he said this, Venerable Phagguna of the Top-Knot said to the Buddha, Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā moḷiyaphagguno bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “But sir, who consumes consciousness as fuel?” “ko nu kho, bhante, viññāṇāhāraṁ āhāretī”ti?

“That’s not a cogent question,” said the Buddha. “No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:

“I don’t speak of one who consumes. “‘āhāretī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi. If I were to speak of one who consumes, then it would be cogent to ask ‘Āhāretī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho: who consumes. ‘ko nu kho, bhante, āhāretī’ti? But I don’t speak like that. Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi. Hence it would be cogent to ask: Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya: ‘For what is consciousness the fuel?’ ‘kissa nu kho, bhante, viññāṇāhāro’ti, esa kallo pañho. And a cogent answer to this would be: Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ: ‘Consciousness as fuel is a requirement for regeneration into a new state of existence in the future. When the being is present, there are the six sense fields. The six sense fields are requirements for contact.’” ‘viññāṇāhāro āyatiṁ punabbhavābhinibbattiyā paccayo, tasmiṁ bhūte sati saḷāyatanaṁ, saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso’”ti.

“But sir, who contacts?” “Ko nu kho, bhante, phusatī”ti?

“That’s not a cogent question,” said the Buddha. “No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:

“I don’t speak of one who contacts. “‘phusatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi. If I were to speak of one who contacts, then it would be cogent to ask ‘Phusatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho: who contacts. ‘ko nu kho, bhante, phusatī’ti? But I don’t speak like that. Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi. Hence it would be cogent to ask: Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya: ‘What is a requirement for contact?’ ‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, phasso’ti, esa kallo pañho. And a cogent answer to this would be: Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ: ‘The six sense fields are requirements for contact. Contact is a requirement for feeling.’” ‘saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso, phassapaccayā vedanā’”ti.

“But sir, who feels?” “Ko nu kho, bhante, vedayatī”ti?

“That’s not a cogent question,” said the Buddha. “No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:

“I don’t speak of one who feels. “‘vedayatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi. If I were to speak of one who feels, then it would be cogent to ask ‘Vedayatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho: who feels. ‘ko nu kho, bhante, vedayatī’ti? But I don’t speak like that. Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi. Hence it would be cogent to ask: Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya: ‘What is a requirement for feeling?’ ‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, vedanā’ti, esa kallo pañho. And a cogent answer to this would be: Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ: ‘Contact is a requirement for feeling. Feeling is a requirement for craving.’” ‘phassapaccayā vedanā, vedanāpaccayā taṇhā’”ti.

“But sir, who craves?” “Ko nu kho, bhante, tasatī”ti?

“That’s not a cogent question,” said the Buddha. “No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:

“I don’t speak of one who craves. “‘tasatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi. If I were to speak of one who craves, then it would be cogent to ask ‘Tasatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho: who craves. ‘ko nu kho, bhante, tasatī’ti? But I don’t speak like that. Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi. Hence it would be cogent to ask: Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya: ‘What is a requirement for craving?’ ‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, taṇhā’ti, esa kallo pañho. And a cogent answer to this would be: Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ: ‘Feeling is a requirement for craving. Craving is a requirement for grasping.’” ‘vedanāpaccayā taṇhā, taṇhāpaccayā upādānan’”ti.

“But sir, who grasps?” “Ko nu kho, bhante, upādiyatī”ti?

“That’s not a cogent question,” said the Buddha. “No kallo pañho”ti bhagavā avoca:

“I don’t speak of one who grasps. “‘upādiyatī’ti ahaṁ na vadāmi. If I were to speak of one who grasps, then it would be cogent to ask ‘Upādiyatī’ti cāhaṁ vadeyyaṁ, tatrassa kallo pañho: who grasps. ‘ko nu kho, bhante, upādiyatī’ti? But I don’t speak like that. Evañcāhaṁ na vadāmi. Hence it would be cogent to ask: Evaṁ maṁ avadantaṁ yo evaṁ puccheyya: ‘What is a requirement for grasping?’ ‘kiṁpaccayā nu kho, bhante, upādānan’ti, esa kallo pañho. And a cogent answer to this would be: Tatra kallaṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ: ‘Craving is a requirement for grasping. ‘taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ; Grasping is a requirement for continued existence.’ … upādānapaccayā bhavo’ti …pe… That is how this entire mass of suffering originates. evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.

When the six fields of contact fade away and cease with nothing left over, contact ceases. Channaṁ tveva, phagguna, phassāyatanānaṁ asesavirāganirodhā phassanirodho; When contact ceases, feeling ceases. phassanirodhā vedanānirodho; When feeling ceases, craving ceases. vedanānirodhā taṇhānirodho; When craving ceases, grasping ceases. taṇhānirodhā upādānanirodho; When grasping ceases, continued existence ceases. upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho; When continued existence ceases, rebirth ceases. bhavanirodhā jātinirodho; When rebirth ceases, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress cease. jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā nirujjhanti. That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases.” Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hotī”ti.

Dutiyaṁ.