The Samyutta Nikaya
The Grouped Discourses
Samyutta
Nikaya
XII.65
Nagara
Sutta
The
City
Translated
from
the
Pali
by
Thanissaro
Bhikkhu.
Dwelling
at
Savatthi...
"Monks,
before
my
Awakening,
when
I
was
just
an
unawakened
Bodhisatta,
the
realization
came
to
me:
'How
this
world
has
fallen
on
difficulty!
It
is
born,
it
ages,
it
dies,
it
falls
away
&
rearises,
but
it
does
not
discern
the
escape
from
this
stress,
from
this
aging
&
death.
O
when
will
it
discern
the
escape
from
this
stress,
from
this
aging
&
death?'
"Then
the
thought
occurred
to
me,
'Aging
&
death
exist
when
what
exists?
From
what
as
a
requisite
condition
is
there
aging
&
death?'
From
my
appropriate
attention
there
came
the
breakthrough
of
discernment:
'Aging
&
death
exist
when
birth
exists.
From
birth
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
aging
&
death.'
Then
the
thought
occurred
to
me,
'Birth
exists
when
what
exists?
From
what
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
birth?'
From
my
appropriate
attention
there
came
the
breakthrough
of
discernment:
'Birth
exists
when
becoming
exists.
From
becoming
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
birth...
'Name-&-form
exists
when
what
exists?
From
what
as
a
requisite
condition
is
there
name-&-form?'
From
my
appropriate
attention
there
came
the
breakthrough
of
discernment:
'Name-&-form
exists
when
consciousness
exists.
From
consciousness
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
name-&-form.'
Then
the
thought
occurred
to
me,
'Consciousness
exists
when
what
exists?
From
what
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
consciousness?'
From
my
appropriate
attention
there
came
the
breakthrough
of
discernment:
'Consciousness
exists
when
name-&-form
exists.
From
name-&-form
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
consciousness.'
"Then
the
thought
occurred
to
me,
'This
consciousness
turns
back
at
name-&-form,
and
goes
no
farther.
It
is
to
this
extent
that
there
is
birth,
aging,
death,
falling
away,
&
re-arising,
i.e.,
from
name-&-form
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
consciousness,
from
consciousness
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
name-&-form.
From
name-&-form
as
a
requisite
condition
come
the
six
sense
media...
Thus
is
the
origination
of
this
entire
mass
of
stress.
Origination,
origination.'
Vision
arose,
clear
knowing
arose,
discernment
arose,
knowledge
arose,
illumination
arose
within
me
with
regard
to
things
never
heard
before.
"Then
the
thought
occurred
to
me,
'Aging
&
death
don't
exist
when
what
doesn't
exist?
From
the
cessation
of
what
comes
the
cessation
of
aging
&
death?'
From
my
appropriate
attention
there
came
the
breakthrough
of
discernment:
'Aging
&
death
don't
exist
when
birth
doesn't
exist.
From
the
cessation
of
birth
comes
the
cessation
of
aging
&
death.'...
'Name-&-form
doesn't
exist
when
what
doesn't
exist?
From
the
cessation
of
what
comes
the
cessation
of
name-&-form?'
From
my
appropriate
attention
there
came
the
breakthrough
of
discernment:
'Name-&-form
doesn't
exist
when
consciousness
doesn't
exist.
From
the
cessation
of
consciousness
comes
the
cessation
of
name-&-form.'
Then
the
thought
occurred
to
me,
'Consciousness
doesn't
exist
when
what
doesn't
exist?
From
the
cessation
of
what
comes
the
cessation
of
consciousness?'
From
my
appropriate
attention
there
came
the
breakthrough
of
discernment:
'Consciousness
doesn't
exist
when
name-&-form
doesn't
exist.
From
the
cessation
of
name-&-form
comes
the
cessation
of
consciousness.'
"The
thought
occurred
to
me,
'I
have
attained
this
path
to
awakening,
i.e.,
from
the
cessation
of
name-&-form
comes
the
cessation
of
consciousness,
from
the
cessation
of
consciousness
comes
the
cessation
of
name-&-form.
From
the
cessation
of
name-&-form
comes
the
cessation
of
the
six
sense
media.
From
the
cessation
of
the
six
sense
media
comes
the
cessation
of
contact.
From
the
cessation
of
contact
comes
the
cessation
of
feeling.
From
the
cessation
of
feeling
comes
the
cessation
of
craving.
From
the
cessation
of
craving
comes
the
cessation
of
clinging/
sustenance.
From
the
cessation
of
clinging/sustenance
comes
the
cessation
of
becoming.
From
the
cessation
of
becoming
comes
the
cessation
of
birth.
From
the
cessation
of
birth,
then
aging
&
death,
sorrow,
lamentation,
pain,
distress,
&
despair
all
cease.
Thus
is
the
cessation
of
this
entire
mass
of
stress.
Cessation,
cessation.'
Vision
arose,
clear
knowing
arose,
discernment
arose,
knowledge
arose,
illumination
arose
within
me
with
regard
to
things
never
heard
before.
"It
is
just
as
if
a
man,
traveling
along
a
wilderness
track,
were
to
see
an
ancient
path,
an
ancient
road,
traveled
by
people
of
former
times.
He
would
follow
it.
Following
it,
he
would
see
an
ancient
city,
an
ancient
capital
inhabited
by
people
of
former
times,
complete
with
parks,
groves,
&
ponds,
walled,
delightful.
He
would
go
to
address
the
king
or
the
king's
minister,
saying,
'Sire,
you
should
know
that
while
traveling
along
a
wilderness
track
I
saw
an
ancient
path...
I
followed
it...
I
saw
an
ancient
city,
an
ancient
capital...
complete
with
parks,
groves,
&
ponds,
walled,
delightful.
Sire,
rebuild
that
city!'
The
king
or
king's
minister
would
rebuild
the
city,
so
that
at
a
later
date
the
city
would
become
powerful,
rich,
&
well-populated,
fully
grown
&
prosperous.
"In
the
same
way
I
saw
an
ancient
path,
an
ancient
road,
traveled
by
the
Rightly
Self-awakened
Ones
of
former
times.
And
what
is
that
ancient
path,
that
ancient
road,
traveled
by
the
Rightly
Self-awakened
Ones
of
former
times?
Just
this
noble
eightfold
path:
right
view,
right
aspiration,
right
speech,
right
action,
right
livelihood,
right
effort,
right
mindfulness,
right
concentration.
That
is
the
ancient
path,
the
ancient
road,
traveled
by
the
Rightly
Self-awakened
Ones
of
former
times.
I
followed
that
path.
Following
it,
I
came
to
direct
knowledge
of
aging
&
death,
direct
knowledge
of
the
origination
of
aging
&
death,
direct
knowledge
of
the
cessation
of
aging
&
death,
direct
knowledge
of
the
path
leading
to
the
cessation
of
aging
&
death.
I
followed
that
path.
Following
it,
I
came
to
direct
knowledge
of
birth...
becoming...
clinging...
craving...
feeling...
contact...
the
six
sense
media...
name-&-form...
consciousness,
direct
knowledge
of
the
origination
of
consciousness,
direct
knowledge
of
the
cessation
of
consciousness,
direct
knowledge
of
the
path
leading
to
the
cessation
of
consciousness.
I
followed
that
path.
"Following
it,
I
came
to
direct
knowledge
of
fabrications,
direct
knowledge
of
the
origination
of
fabrications,
direct
knowledge
of
the
cessation
of
fabrications,
direct
knowledge
of
the
path
leading
to
the
cessation
of
fabrications.
Knowing
that
directly,
I
have
revealed
it
to
monks,
nuns,
male
lay
followers
&
female
lay
followers,
so
that
this
holy
life
has
become
powerful,
rich,
detailed,
well-populated,
wide-spread,
proclaimed
among
celestial
&
human
beings."
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