Reading guide
A question posed before its answer is given
As in several other discourses in this book (SN 22.49's dialogue with Soṇa, SN 22.35's mendicant narrative), the Buddha secures the mendicants' own confirmed understanding through direct questioning before drawing the conclusion himself: would these plants grow without earth or water? No. Would they grow with earth and water present? Yes. Only after this exchange does the Buddha supply the mapping onto consciousness.
A precise three-part mapping
The simile's mapping is exact and explicit, not left for the listener to infer: the four grounds for consciousness (form, feeling, perception, and choices) should be seen like the earth element; relishing and greed should be seen like the water element; consciousness together with its fuel should be seen like the five kinds of plants. Each term in the simile corresponds to a specific term in SN 22.53's abstract teaching, with nothing left unmapped.
The five kinds of plants, standing for a single process
The discourse names five distinct modes of plant propagation (root, trunk, cutting, joint, and seed) as the counterpart to “consciousness with its fuel” — not five different kinds of consciousness, but five different starting conditions that nonetheless all follow the identical growth pattern once earth and water (the aggregates and relishing) are present. The diversity of starting points does not change the underlying mechanism.
The same teaching, the same closing sequence
After completing the simile, the discourse returns to SN 22.53's exact wording — consciousness getting involved with, supported by, and established on each aggregate; the impossibility of describing it independently; and the identical resolution through giving up greed, cutting off support, and the full extended liberation sequence ending in personal extinguishment. The simile illustrates without replacing any part of the original teaching.
Key terms
The text
§1“Mendicants, there are five kinds of plants. What five? Plants propagated from roots, trunks, cuttings, or joints; and those from regular seeds are the fifth.
§2Suppose these five kinds of plants were intact, unspoiled, not weather-damaged, fertile, and well-kept. But there’s no earth or water. Then would these five kinds of plants reach growth, increase, and maturity?” “No, sir.” “Suppose these five kinds of plants were intact, unspoiled, not weather-damaged, fertile, and well-kept. And there is earth and water. Then would these five kinds of plants reach growth, increase, and maturity?” “Yes, sir.”
§3“The four grounds for consciousness should be seen as like the earth element. Relishing and greed should be seen as like the water element. Consciousness with its fuel should be seen as like the five kinds of plants.
§4As long as consciousness continues, it would get involved with form, supported by form, established on form. And with a sprinkle of relishing, it would grow, increase, and mature.
§5Or as long as consciousness continues, it would get involved with choices, supported by choices, established on choices. And with a sprinkle of relishing, it would grow, increase, and mature.
§6Mendicants, suppose you say: ‘Apart from form, feeling, perception, and choices, I will describe the coming and going of consciousness, its passing away and reappearing, its growth, increase, and maturity.’ That is not possible.
§7If a mendicant has given up greed for the form element, the support is cut off, and there is no establishment of consciousness.
§8consciousness element, the support is cut off, and there is no establishment of consciousness. Since that consciousness does not become established and does not grow, not making choices, it is freed. Being free, it’s stable. Being stable, it’s content. Being content, they’re not anxious. Not being anxious, they personally become extinguished. They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended … there is nothing further for this place.’”
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