The Second Noble Truth
§15. “And this, monks, is the noble truth of the origination of stress: the craving that makes for further becoming—accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now here & now there—i.e., craving for sensuality, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming.…
“‘This noble truth of the origination of stress is to be abandoned.’” —SN 56:11
§16. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, I don’t envision even one other fetter—fettered by which beings conjoined go wandering & transmigrating on for a long, long time—like the fetter of craving. Fettered with the fetter of craving, beings conjoined go wandering & transmigrating on for a long, long time.”
With craving his companion, a man wanders on a long, long time. Neither in this state here nor anywhere else does he go beyond the wandering- on.
Knowing this drawback— that craving brings stress into play— free from craving, devoid of clinging, mindful, the monk lives the mendicant life. —Iti 15
§17. Then Gandhabhaka the headman went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: “It would be good, lord, if the Blessed One would teach me the origination & ending of stress.”
“Headman, if I were to teach you the origination & ending of stress with reference to the past, saying, ‘Thus it was in the past,’ you would be doubtful & perplexed. If I were to teach you the origination & ending of stress with reference to the future, saying, ‘Thus it will be in the future,’ you would be doubtful & perplexed. So instead, I—sitting right here—will teach you sitting right there the origination & ending of stress. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak.”
“As you say, lord,” Gandhabhaka the headman replied.
The Blessed One said: “Now what do you think, headman: Are there any people in Uruvelakappa who, if they were murdered or imprisoned or fined or censured, would cause sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, or despair to arise in you?”
“Yes, lord.…”
“And are there any people in Uruvelakappa who, if they were murdered or imprisoned or fined or censured, would cause no sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, or despair to arise in you?”
“Yes, lord.…”
“… Why?…”
“Those… whose murder, imprisonment, fining, or censure would cause me sorrow… are those for whom I feel desire & passion. Those… whose murder, imprisonment, fining, or censure would cause me no sorrow… are those for whom I feel no desire or passion.”
“Now, headman, from what you have realized, fathomed, attained right now in the present, without regard to time, you may draw an inference with regard to the past and future: ‘Whatever stress … arose for me in the past, all of it had desire as its root, had desire as its cause—for desire is the cause of stress. And whatever stress … will arise for me in the future, all of it will have desire as the root, will have desire as its cause—for desire is the cause of stress.’”
“Amazing, lord. Astounding. How well the Blessed One has put it.… I have a son, lord, named Ciravāsi, who lives far away from here. When I get up in the morning, I send a man, saying, ‘Go, learn how Ciravāsi is doing.’ And as long as that man has not returned, I am simply beside myself, [thinking,] ‘Don’t let Ciravāsi be sick!’”
“Now, headman, what do you think: If Ciravāsi were to be murdered or imprisoned or fined or censured, would you feel sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair?”
“…My very life would be altered. So how could I not feel sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair?
“Thus, headman, by this line of reasoning it may be realized how stress, when arising, arises: All of it has desire as its root, has desire as its cause—for desire is the cause of stress.
“Now what do you think, headman: Before you had seen or heard of Ciravāsi’s mother, did you feel desire, passion, or love for her?”
“No, lord.”
“And after you had seen or heard of Ciravāsi’s mother, did you feel desire, passion, or love for her?”
“Yes, lord.”
“What do you think: If Ciravāsi’s mother were to be murdered or imprisoned or fined or censured, would you feel sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair?”
“…My very life would be altered. So how could I not feel sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair?”
“Thus, headman, by this line of reasoning it may be realized how stress, when arising, arises: All of it has desire as its root, has desire as its cause—for desire is the cause of stress.” —SN 42:11
§18. Ven. Sāriputta: “There may be wise nobles & brāhmans, householders & contemplatives … who will question you further, ‘And seeing what danger does your teacher teach the subduing of passion & desire for form? … for feeling? … for perception? … for fabrications? … for consciousness?’
“Thus asked, you should answer, ‘When one is not free from passion, desire, love, thirst, fever, & craving for form, then from any change & alteration in that form, there arises sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, & despair. When one is not free from passion … for feeling … for perception … for fabrications … When one is not free from passion, desire, love, thirst, fever, & craving for consciousness, then from any change & alteration in that consciousness, there arise sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, & despair. Seeing this danger, our teacher teaches the subduing of passion & desire for form … for feeling … for perception … for fabrications … for consciousness.’” —SN 22:2
§19. “Monks, the All is aflame. What All is aflame? The eye is aflame. Forms are aflame. Consciousness at the eye is aflame. Contact at the eye is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the eye—experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain—that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I tell you, with birth, aging & death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs.
“The ear is aflame. Sounds are aflame…
“The nose is aflame. Aromas are aflame…
“The tongue is aflame. Flavors are aflame…
“The body is aflame. Tactile sensations are aflame…
“The intellect is aflame. Ideas are aflame. Consciousness at the intellect is aflame. Contact at the intellect is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the intellect—experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain—that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I say, with birth, aging & death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs.” —SN 35:28
§20. “And where does this craving, when arising, arise? And where, when dwelling, does it dwell? Whatever is endearing & alluring in terms of the world: That is where this craving, when arising, arises. That is where, when dwelling, it dwells.
“And what is endearing & alluring in terms of the world? The eye is endearing & alluring in terms of the world. That is where this craving, when arising, arises. That is where, when dwelling, it dwells.
“The ear.…The nose.…The tongue.…The body.…The intellect.…
“Forms.…Sounds.…Smells.…Tastes.…Tactile sensations.…Ideas.…
“Eye-consciousness.…Ear-consciousness.…Nose-consciousness.…Tongue-consciousness.…Body-consciousness.…Intellect-consciousness.…
“Eye-contact.…Ear-contact.…Nose-contact.…Tongue-contact.…Body-contact .… Intellect-contact.…
“Feeling born of eye-contact.…Feeling born of ear-contact.…Feeling born of nose-contact.…Feeling born of tongue-contact.…Feeling born of body-contact.… Feeling born of intellect-contact.…
“Perception of forms.… Perception of sounds.…Perception of smells.… Perception of tastes.…Perception of tactile sensations.…Perception of ideas.…
“Intention for forms.…Intention for sounds.…Intention for smells.… Intention for tastes.…Intention for tactile sensations.…Intention for ideas.…
“Craving for forms.…Craving for sounds.…Craving for smells.…Craving for tastes.…Craving for tactile sensations.…Craving for ideas is endearing & alluring in terms of the world. That is where this craving, when arising, arises. That is where, when dwelling, it dwells.” —DN 22
§21. “Any brāhmans or contemplatives who do not discern, as it is actually present, that ‘This is stress… This is the origination of stress… This is the cessation of stress… This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress,’ cherish the fabrications leading to birth, cherish the fabrications leading to aging…death… sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Cherishing the fabrications leading to birth… aging… death… sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair, they fashion fabrications leading to birth… aging… death… sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair, and so they fall into the darkness of birth… aging… death… sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair. They are not released from birth… aging… death… sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs. They are not released, I tell you, from stress.” —SN 56:46
§22. “Now, craving is dependent on feeling,
seeking is dependent on craving,
acquisition is dependent on seeking,
ascertainment is dependent on acquisition,
desire-passion is dependent on ascertainment,
attachment is dependent on desire-passion,
possessiveness is dependent on attachment,
stinginess is dependent on possessiveness,
defensiveness is dependent on stinginess,
and because of defensiveness, dependent on defensiveness, various evil, unskillful phenomena come into play: the taking up of sticks & knives; conflicts, quarrels, & disputes; accusations, divisive speech, & lies.” —DN 15
§23. There’s no fire like passion,
no seizure like anger,
no snare like delusion,
no river like craving. —Dhp 215
§24. “Monks, suppose there were a river, flowing down from the mountains, going far, its current swift, carrying everything with it, and—holding on to both banks—kāsa grasses, kusa grasses, reeds, biraṇa grasses, & trees were growing. Then a man swept away by the current would grab hold of the kāsa grasses, but they would tear away, and so from that cause he would come to disaster. He would grab hold of the kusa grasses… the reeds… the biraṇa grasses… the trees, but they would tear away, and so from that cause he would come to disaster.
“In the same way, there is the case where an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person—who has no regard for noble ones, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma; who has no regard for men of integrity, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma—assumes form to be the self, or the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in form. That form tears away from him, and so from that cause he would come to disaster.
“He assumes feeling… perception… fabrications to be the self.…
“He assumes consciousness to be the self, or the self as possessing consciousness, or consciousness as in the self, or the self as in consciousness. That consciousness tears away from him, and so from that cause he would come to disaster.” —SN 22:95
§25. “Suppose a man was being carried along by the flow of a river, lovely & alluring. And then another man with good eyesight, standing on the bank, on seeing him would say: ‘My good man, even though you are being carried along by the flow of a river, lovely & alluring, further down from here is a pool with waves & whirlpools, with monsters & demons. On reaching that pool you will suffer death or death-like pain.’ Then the first man, on hearing the words of the second man, would make an effort with his hands & feet to go against the flow.
“I have given you this simile to illustrate a meaning. The meaning is this: The flow of the river stands for craving. Lovely & alluring stands for the six internal sense-media. The pool further down stands for the five lower fetters. The waves stand for anger & distress. The whirlpools stand for the five strings of sensuality. The monsters & demons stand for the opposite sex. Against the flow stands for renunciation. Making an effort with hands & feet stands for the arousing of persistence. The man with good eyesight standing on the bank stands for the Tathāgata, worthy & rightly self-awakened.” —Iti 109
§26. “There are these ten fetters. Which ten? Five lower fetters & five higher fetters. And which are the five lower fetters? Self-identity views, uncertainty, grasping at habits & practices, sensual desire, & ill will. These are the five lower fetters. And which are the five higher fetters? Passion for form, passion for what is formless, conceit, restlessness, & ignorance. These are the five higher fetters. And these are the ten fetters.” —AN 10:13
§27. “Suppose that a black ox and a white ox were joined with a single collar or yoke. If someone were to say, ‘The black ox is the fetter of the white ox, the white ox is the fetter of the black’—speaking this way, would he be speaking rightly?”
“No, my friend. The black ox is not the fetter of the white ox, nor is the white ox the fetter of the black. The single collar or yoke by which they are joined: That is the fetter there.”
“In the same way, the eye is not the fetter of forms, nor are forms the fetter of the eye. Whatever desire & passion arise in dependence on the two of them: That is the fetter there. The ear is not the fetter of sounds.…The nose is not the fetter of aromas.…The tongue is not the fetter of flavors.…The body is not the fetter of tactile sensations.… The intellect is not the fetter of ideas, nor are ideas the fetter of the intellect. Whatever desire & passion arises in dependence on the two of them: That is the fetter there.” —SN 35:191
