Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 35.107

The Origin of the World

Lokasamudayasutta — Yogakkhemivagga

Setting
Not restated in this discourse
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the assembled mendicants
Form
The identical structure as the discourse just before it, with the arising half now carried through the full twelve-fold chain rather than stopped at craving
Length
~2 minutes to read
Northern parallel
A rough counterpart may exist in the Chinese Saṃyukta-āgama (T99), though this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★★★☆☆ — the twin of the discourse just before it, and of Book II's own SN 12.44

Why this discourse

This discourse is SN 35.106's own twin, exactly as SN 12.44 (“The World,” already published on this site) already stood beside SN 12.43 in Book II: the identical six-sense-door formula, with only the word naming the whole process changed from “suffering” to “the world” — and, this time, the arising half spelled out in full rather than elided. Where SN 35.106 stopped its arising chain at craving alone, this discourse carries the same arising chain downstream through grasping, continued existence, rebirth, and old age and death, giving both directions equally full treatment. Read together with SN 35.106, the pair makes the same equation Book II's own SN 12.43/44 pair already made explicit: in this teaching's technical sense, “the world” just is the process by which suffering arises and ceases at the six sense doors, not a container that suffering merely happens to occur inside — the same identification of “world” with the sense fields already met earlier in this book, at Migajālavagga's Samiddhi cycle (SN 35.68) and Gilānavagga's loka/lujjati wordplay (SN 35.82).

Reading guide

The same formula, a different name for the process

Every structural element of SN 35.106 reappears here unchanged — the six sense doors, the three-way meeting as contact, the downstream chain — with only the word naming the whole process changed from “suffering” to “the world.”

Arising spelled out where SN 35.106 elided it

Where SN 35.106's arising half stopped right after craving, this discourse spells out the full downstream chain — grasping, continued existence, rebirth, old age and death — for the arising direction too, matching the cessation half's own fuller treatment.

An equation this project has already made once

Book II's own SN 12.43 and SN 12.44 already paired “suffering” and “the world” as two names for one process; this discourse and SN 35.106 repeat the identical pairing inside Saḷāyatanasaṃyutta, applying dependent origination through the six sense doors under both names a second time.

A word already defined earlier in this book

“The world” as the six sense fields' own activity was already established at SN 35.68 (Samiddhi's question about the world) and SN 35.82's loka/lujjati pun, both earlier in this book. This discourse gives that identification its most systematic, formula-length statement yet.

Key terms

lokassa samudayañca atthaṅgamañca — the origin and disappearance of the world — the same announcement as SN 35.106's, with “the world” replacing “suffering”
taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ — craving is a requirement for grasping — the link that continues the arising chain here, where SN 35.106 stopped instead
bhavapaccayā jāti — continued existence is a requirement for rebirth — a further link in the now fully spelled-out arising chain
loka — the world — this book's own recurring identification of “world” with the six sense fields, already met at SN 35.68 and SN 35.82
kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho — the ending of this entire mass of suffering — the shared closing formula both this discourse and SN 35.106 use for cessation

The text

The complete discourse: the origin and ending of the world, each run through the eye and, by elision, the remaining five sense doors. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Mendicants, I will teach you the origin and disappearance of the world. Listen … And what, mendicants, is the origin of the world? Eye consciousness arises dependent on the eye and sights. The meeting of the three is contact. Contact is a requirement for feeling. Feeling is a requirement for craving. Craving is a requirement for grasping. Grasping is a requirement for continued existence. Continued existence is a requirement for rebirth. Rebirth is a requirement for old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress to come to be. This is the origin of the world. …

§2Mind consciousness arises dependent on the mind and ideas. The meeting of the three is contact. Contact is a requirement for feeling. Feeling is a requirement for craving. Craving is a requirement for grasping. Grasping is a requirement for continued existence. Continued existence is a requirement for rebirth. Rebirth is a requirement for old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress to come to be. This is the origin of the world.

§3And what is the ending of the world? Eye consciousness arises dependent on the eye and sights. The meeting of the three is contact. Contact is a requirement for feeling. Feeling is a requirement for craving. When that craving fades away and ceases with nothing left over, grasping ceases. When grasping ceases, continued existence ceases. When continued existence ceases, rebirth ceases. When rebirth ceases, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress cease. That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases. This is the ending of the world. …

§4Mind consciousness arises dependent on the mind and ideas. The meeting of the three is contact. Contact is a requirement for feeling. Feeling is a requirement for craving. When that craving fades away and ceases with nothing left over, grasping ceases. When grasping ceases … That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases. This is the ending of the world.”

· · ·

Self-check quiz

5 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 5
What word does this discourse use in place of “suffering,” for an otherwise identical formula to SN 35.106?
Correct: A. Lokassa samudayañca atthaṅgamañca — the same structure, renamed.
Question 2 of 5
How does this discourse's arising half differ from SN 35.106's?
Correct: A. Grasping, continued existence, rebirth, and old age and death are now spelled out for arising too.
Question 3 of 5
What already-published pair from Book II established the identical “suffering”/“world” pairing?
Correct: A. “Suffering” and “The World,” the identical formula under two names.
Question 4 of 5
Where else in this book has “the world” already been identified with the six sense fields?
Correct: A. Migajālavagga's Samiddhi cycle and Gilānavagga's wordplay, both earlier in this book.
Question 5 of 5
What three things does dependent origination's chain, as run here, ultimately trace suffering back to at each sense door?
Correct: A. The full chain this discourse now spells out in both directions.
Answered 0 of 5 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousSN 35.106 · The Origin of Suffering