The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [168]
(REVERSE ORDER QUESTIONNAIRE ON ARISING)
18. “‘With birth as condition, ageing and death’: so it was said. Now, bhikkhus, do ageing and death have birth as condition or not, or how do you take it in this case?”
“Ageing and death have birth as condition, venerable sir. Thus we take it in this case: ‘With birth as condition, ageing and death.’”
“‘With being as condition, birth’: so it was said. Now, bhikkhus, does birth have being as condition or not, or how do you take it in this case?”
“Birth has being as condition, [262] venerable sir. Thus we take it in this case: ‘With being as condition, birth.’”
“‘With clinging as condition, being’: so it was said. Now, bhikkhus, does being have clinging as condition or not, or how do you take it in this case?”
“Being has clinging as condition, venerable sir. Thus we take it in this case: ‘With clinging as condition, being.’”
“‘With craving as condition, clinging’: so it was said. Now, bhikkhus, does clinging have craving as condition or not, or how do you take it in this case?”
“Clinging has craving as condition, venerable sir. Thus we take it in this case: ‘With craving as condition, clinging.’”
“‘With feeling as condition, craving’: so it was said. Now, bhikkhus, does craving have feeling as condition or not, or how do you take it in this case?”
“Craving has feeling as condition, venerable sir. Thus we take it in this case: ‘With feeling as condition, craving.’”
“‘With contact as condition, feeling’: so it was said. Now, bhikkhus, does feeling have contact as condition or not, or how do you take it in this case?”
“Feeling has contact as condition, venerable sir. Thus we take it in this case: ‘With contact as condition, feeling.’”
“‘With the sixfold base as condition, contact’: so it was said. Now, bhikkhus, does contact have the sixfold base as condition or not, or how do you take it in this case?”
“Contact has the sixfold base as condition, venerable sir. Thus we take it in this case: ‘With the sixfold base as condition, contact.’”
“‘With mentality-materiality as condition, the sixfold base’: so it was said. Now, bhikkhus, does the sixfold base have mentality-materiality as condition or not, or how do you take it in this case?”
“The sixfold base has mentality-materiality as condition, venerable sir. Thus we take it in this case: ‘With mentality-materiality as condition, the sixfold base.’”
“‘With consciousness as condition, mentality-materiality’: so it was said. Now, bhikkhus, does mentality-materiality have consciousness as condition or not, or how do you take it in this case?”
“Mentality-materiality has consciousness as condition, venerable sir. Thus we take it in this case: ‘With consciousness as condition, mentality-materiality.’”
“‘With formations as condition, consciousness’: so it was said. Now, bhikkhus, does consciousness have formations as condition or not, or how do you take it in this case?”
“Consciousness has formations as condition, venerable sir. Thus we take it in this case: ‘With formations as condition, consciousness.’”
“‘With ignorance as condition, formations’: so it was said. Now, bhikkhus, do formations have ignorance as condition or not, or how do you take it in this case?”
“Formations have ignorance as condition, venerable sir. Thus we take it in this case: ‘With ignorance as condition, formations. ’”
(RECAPITULATION ON ARISING)
19. “Good, bhikkhus. So you say thus, and I also say thus: ‘When this exists, that comes to be; [263] with the arising of this, that arises.’408 That is, with ignorance as condition, formations [come to be]; with formations as condition, consciousness; with consciousness as condition, mentality-materiality; with mentality-materiality as condition, the sixfold base; with the sixfold base as condition, contact; with