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Cetanaa Sutta: Volition

Cetanaa Sutta

Summary: The Buddha explains the causal link between mental fabrications and consciousness.

SN 12.38 PTS: S ii 65 CDB i 576

translated from the Pali by

Maurice O'Connell Walshe

2007-2018

Alternate translation: Thanissaro

The Pali title of this sutta is based on the PTS (Feer) edition.

- Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammā-sambuddhassa -

(1) [At Saavatthii the Blessed One said:] “Monks, what a man wills, what he plans, what he dwells on forms the basis for the continuation of consciousness.(2) This basis being present, consciousness has a lodgment. Consciousness being lodged there and growing, rebirth of renewed existence takes place in the future, and from this renewed existence arise birth, decay-and-death, grief, lamentation, suffering, sorrow and despair. Such is the uprising of this entire mass of suffering.

“Even if a man does not will and plan, yet if he dwells on something this forms a basis for the continuation of consciousness:… rebirth… takes place…

“But if a man neither wills nor plans nor dwells on anything, no basis is formed for the continuation of consciousness. This basis being absent, consciousness has no lodgment. Consciousness not being lodged there and not growing, no rebirth of renewed existence takes place in the future, and so birth, decay-and-death, grief, lamentation, suffering, sorrow and despair are destroyed. Such is the cessation of this entire mass of suffering.”

Notes

1.: Cetanaa. This is equated in AN vi, 13 with kamma. [Cf. AN 6.63, sect. [5]: ”… Intention, I tell you, is kamma.”]

2.: Consciousness (defined as “karmic consciousness” in SA [SN Commentary]) is dependent on the formations (sankhaaraa) of which volition (n. 1) is one.

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Provenance:

The source of this work is the gift within Access to Insight “Offline Edition 2012.09.10.14”, last replication 12. March 2013, generously given by John Bullitt and mentioned as: ©1985 Buddhist Publication Society.

From Samyutta Nikaya: An Anthology (WH 318-321), by M. O'C. Walshe (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1985). Transcribed from the print edition in 2007 by a volunteer, under the auspices of the Access to Insight Dhamma Transcription Project and by arrangement with the Buddhist Publication Society. Minor revisions were made in accordance with the ATI style sheet. Pali diacritics are represented using the Velthuis convention.

This Zugang zur Einsicht edition is 2013 (ATI 2007-2012).

Translations, rebublishing, editing and additions are in the sphere of responsibility of Zugang zur Einsicht.

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How to cite this document (one suggested style): “Cetanaa Sutta: Volition” (SN 12.38), translated from the Pali by Maurice O'Connell Walshe. Access to Insight, 18 June 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.038.wlsh.html . Retrieved on 10 September 2012 (Offline Edition 2012.09.10.14), republished by Zugang zur Einsicht on http://www.zugangzureinsicht.org/html/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.038.wlsh_en.html retreived on: “date”

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