Dialogues of the Buddha, Part II — trans. T. W. and C. A. F. Rhys Davids (1910)

' Wherefore, Ananda, just that is the ground, the basis, the genesis, the cause of passion and desire, to wit, decision.

16. ( I have said that decision is because of gain. Now in what way that is so, Ananda, is to be understood after this manner. Were there no gain of any sort or kind whatever by any one of anything, then, there being no gain whatever, would there, owing to this cessation of gain, be any appearance of decision ? '

' There would not, lord.'

' Wherefore, Ananda, just that is the ground, the basis, the genesis, the cause of decision, to wit, gain.

1 7. ' I have said that gain^ is because of pursuit. Now in what way that is so, Ananda, is to be understood after this manner. Were there no pursuit of any sort or kind whatever by any one after anything, then there being no pursuit whatever, would there, owing to this cessation of pursuit, be any appearance of gain r

' There would Anot, lord.'

' Wherefore, Ananda, just that is the ground, the basis, the genesis, the cause of gain, to wit, pursuit.

18. ' I have said that pursuit is because of craving. Now in what way that is so, Ananda, is to be understood after this manner. Were there no craving of

5S XV. MAHA-NIDANA-SUTTANTA. D. ii. 6l.

any sort or kind whatever by any one for anything,— that is to say, the lust of the flesh, the lust of life eternal and the lust of the life that now is 1 — then, there being no craving whatever, would there, owing to this cessation of craving, be any appearance of pursuit ? '

' There would not, lord.'

'Wherefore, Ananda, just that is the ground, the basis, the genesis, the cause of pursuit, to wit, craving.

' So now, Ananda, these two aspects [of craving]
from being- dual become united through the sensation
[which conditions them]2.'

19. [62] ' I have said that contact is the cause of sensation. Now in what way that is so, Ananda, is to be understood after this manner. Were there no contact of any sort or kind whatever between any one and anything whatever, — that is to say, no reaction3 of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch or imagination — then, there being no contact whatever, would there, owing to this cessation of contact, be any appearance of sensation ?

' There would not, lord.'

' Wherefore, Ananda, just that is the ground, the basis, the genesis, the cause of sensation, to wit, contact.

20. ' I have said that name-and-form is the cause of contact. Now in what way that is so, Ananda, is to be understood after this manner. Those modes, features, characters, exponents, by which the aggregate called 'name' manifests itself, — if all these were absent, would there be any manifestation of a corres Samphasso.

1 See Rh. D. 'Buddhist Suites,' p. 148, ;/. 4. On the three kinds the Cy. remarks, that the first, k a mat a n ha, means craving for the five classes of sense- objects, the second is the passion characterizing Eternalism, the third, that characterizing Nihilism (see 'Dialogues,' I, pp. 27. 46).

2 'These two aspects' (dhamma), i.e. according to the Cy.. the two aspects of craving specified above, p. 55. n. 1.

p. 59

sponding- verbal impression in the aggregate called [bodily] form ? l '

' There would not, lord.'

' Those modes, features, characters, exponents, by which the aggregate called [bodily] form manifests itself— if all these were absent, would there be any manifestation of an impression of sense-reaction - in the aggregate called name ? '

' There would not, lord.'

'And if all those modes, &c, of both kinds were absent, would there be any manifestation of either verbal or sensory impression ? '

' There would not, lord.'

' So that, if all those moods, &c., by which name-andform manifests itself were absent, there would be no manifestation of contact ? '

' There would not, lord.'

' Wherefore, Ananda, just that is the ground, the basis, the genesis, the cause of contact 3, to wit, nameand-form.

1 Rupakaye adhivacanasamphasso. This and its complement the pa/ighasamphasso in 'name' (rendered 'impression of sensereaction') occur in the Vibhanga, p. 6, as two modes of saftfta, or perception, the former being described as refined, subtle, delicate, the latter as gross, coarse, thick. If the psychological comments of Buddhaghosa on these two expressions in the Sammoha-Vinodani and the Sumangala Vilasini be a correct guide to the Buddha's utterance, then the passage under consideration reveals what would now be called a psycho-physiological standpoint of much interest. The ' modes