The Second Discourse on Existence

The Buddha's words

dutiyabhavasuttaṃ from Tipitaka Pali Reader

Photo by Nikolett Emmert on Unsplash

Then Ven. Ānanda approached the Blessed One… and Ven. Ānanda said this to the Blessed One: "Existence, existence, bhante, is spoken of. To what extent, bhante, does existence come to be?"

"Ānanda, if kamma ripening in the kāmadhātu were not to exist, would there then be a discernible kāma-existence?"

"No, bhante."

"Thus, Ānanda, kamma is the field, consciousness is the seed, and craving is the moisture. For beings hindered by ignorance and bound by craving, when volitional thought is established, when aspiration is established in the lower realm, thus there is the production of renewed existence in the future."

"Ānanda, if kamma ripening in the rūpadhātu were not to exist, would there then be a discernible rūpa-existence?"

"No, bhante."

"Thus, Ānanda, kamma is the field, consciousness is the seed, and craving is the moisture. For beings hindered by ignorance and bound by craving, when volitional thought is established, when aspiration is established in the middle realm, thus there is the production of renewed existence in the future."

"Ānanda, if kamma ripening in the arūpadhātu were not to exist, would there then be a discernible arūpa-existence?"

"No, bhante."

"Thus, Ānanda, kamma is the field, consciousness is the seed, and craving is the moisture. For beings hindered by ignorance and bound by craving, when volitional thought is established, when aspiration is established in the sublime realm, thus there is the production of renewed existence in the future. It is in this way, Ānanda, that existence comes to be."