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Tidipa

Nagarasutta (The Discourse on the City)

· 36 min read

Before his awakening the Bhagavā traced ageing and death back to consciousness and phenomenal objects conditioning each other, and found the path of the liberated in eight parts like an ancient road to an ancient city. 12S2/1.7.5, translated from the Nidānasaṃyutta of the Saṃyutta Nikāya.

Original text: 12S2/1.7.5 Nagarasutta 466–474 in the World Tipitaka Edition

Summary

Section titled “Summary”

At Sāvatthī the Bhagavā recounts his search before his awakening: asking what ageing and death depend on, he traces each link to its cause until consciousness and phenomenal objects are found to condition each other, then the cessation of each with the cessation of its cause. He likens the discovery to a man who finds an ancient road to an ancient city and has the king rebuild it: the road is the path of the liberated in eight parts, by which he understood each link and taught it, so that the optimal life has spread.

Diagram

Section titled “Diagram”
flowchart TB
    A["Before awakening: how is ageing and death escaped?"] --> O
    subgraph O["Origin (466–468)"]
        direction LR
        o1["viññāṇa (consciousness)"] <--> o2["nāmarūpa (phenomenal objects)"]
        o2 --> o3["saḷāyatana (six sense bases)"] --> o4["… jarāmaraṇa (ageing and death)"]
    end
    O --> N["Cessation of each link with its cause (469–471)"]
    N --> S["Simile: an ancient road to an ancient city (472)"]
    S --> P["The ancient road: the path of the liberated in eight parts (473)"]
    P --> K["Each link known: its origin, cessation and the way to it"]
    K --> B["Taught to the four assemblies: the optimal life spreads"]

Text

Section titled “Text”

(65.)

466. [The Bhagavā] was dwelling at Sāvatthī. “Before my sambodhi (full awakening), Bhikkhave, while still a bodhisatta (Buddha before his awakening), not fully awakened, this thought occurred to me: ‘This world has indeed fallen into difficulty: it is born, grows old, dies, passes away and is reborn. And yet it does not understand the escape from this suffering, from jarāmaraṇa (ageing and death). When indeed will the escape from this suffering, from ageing and death, be known?’ Then, Bhikkhave, this thought occurred to me: ‘When what exists is there ageing and death, with what as cause is there ageing and death?’ Then, Bhikkhave, through proper attention, I had a complete comprehension by wisdom: ‘Indeed, when there is jāti (birth), there is ageing and death; with birth as cause, ageing and death [arise].’

467. Then, Bhikkhave, this thought occurred to me: ‘When what exists is there birth … and so on … is there bhava (existence) … is there upādāna (fuel) … is there taṇhā (craving) … is there vedanā (feeling) … is there phassa (contact) … are there saḷāyatana (the six sense bases) … are there nāmarūpa (phenomenal objects), with what as cause are there phenomenal objects?’ Then, Bhikkhave, through proper attention, I had a complete comprehension by wisdom: ‘Indeed, when there is viññāṇa (consciousness), there are phenomenal objects; with consciousness as cause, phenomenal objects [arise].’ Then, Bhikkhave, this thought occurred to me: ‘When what exists is there consciousness, with what as cause is there consciousness?’ Then, Bhikkhave, through proper attention, I had a complete comprehension by wisdom: ‘Indeed, when there are phenomenal objects, there is consciousness; with phenomenal objects as cause, consciousness [arises].’

468. Then, Bhikkhave, this thought occurred to me: this consciousness turns back from phenomenal objects, it goes no further. To this extent one may be born, or grow old, or die, or pass away, or be reborn, namely: with phenomenal objects as cause, consciousness [arises]; with consciousness as cause, phenomenal objects [arise]; with phenomenal objects as cause, the six sense bases [arise]; with the six sense bases as cause, contact [arises] … and so on … Thus is the origin of this whole mass of suffering. ‘Origin, origin!’: indeed, Bhikkhave, concerning dhammas not heard before, insight arose in me, knowledge arose, wisdom arose, understanding arose, light arose.

469. Then, Bhikkhave, this thought occurred to me: ‘When what does not exist is there no ageing and death; with the cessation of what is there the cessation of ageing and death?’ Then, Bhikkhave, through proper attention, I had a complete comprehension by wisdom: ‘Indeed, when there is no birth, there is no ageing and death; with the cessation of birth comes the cessation of ageing and death.’ Then, Bhikkhave, this thought occurred to me: ‘When what does not exist is there no birth … and so on … is there no existence … is there no fuel … is there no craving … is there no feeling … is there no contact … are there no six sense bases … are there no phenomenal objects. With the cessation of what is there the cessation of phenomenal objects?’ Then, Bhikkhave, through proper attention, I had a complete comprehension by wisdom: ‘Indeed, when there is no consciousness, there are no phenomenal objects; with the cessation of consciousness comes the cessation of phenomenal objects.’

470. Then, Bhikkhave, this thought occurred to me: ‘When what does not exist is there no consciousness; with the cessation of what is there the cessation of consciousness?’ Then, Bhikkhave, through proper attention, I had a complete comprehension by wisdom: ‘Indeed, when there are no phenomenal objects, there is no consciousness; with the cessation of phenomenal objects comes the cessation of consciousness.’

471. Then, Bhikkhave, this thought occurred to me: indeed, this path to awakening has been attained by me, namely: with the cessation of phenomenal objects comes the cessation of consciousness; with the cessation of consciousness comes the cessation of phenomenal objects; with the cessation of phenomenal objects comes the cessation of the six sense bases; with the cessation of the six sense bases comes the cessation of contact … and so on … Thus is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering. ‘Cessation, cessation!’: indeed, Bhikkhave, concerning dhammas not heard before, insight arose in me, knowledge arose, wisdom arose, understanding arose, light arose.

472. Suppose, Bhikkhave, a man wandering in the wilderness, in the forest, would see an ancient path, an ancient direct road travelled by people of old. He would follow it. Following it, he would see an ancient city, an ancient royal capital, inhabited by people of old, full of parks, full of woods, full of lotus ponds, with raised embankments, delightful. Then, Bhikkhave, that man would tell the king or a royal minister: ‘See now, Bhante, you should know: wandering in the wilderness, in the forest, I saw an ancient path, an ancient direct road travelled by people of old, and I followed it. Following it, I saw an ancient city, an ancient royal capital, inhabited by people of old, full of parks, full of woods, full of lotus ponds, with raised embankments, delightful. Bhante, build that city!’ Then, Bhikkhave, that king or royal minister would build that city. That city, at a later time, would be prosperous and thriving, populous, crowded with people, having attained growth and maturity. In the same way, Bhikkhave, I indeed saw an ancient path, an ancient direct road travelled by the sammāsambuddha (perfectly awakened ones) of old.

473. And what, Bhikkhave, is that ancient path, that ancient direct road travelled by the perfectly awakened ones of old? It is just this ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo (the path of the liberated in eight parts), namely: right view … and so on … right focus. This indeed, Bhikkhave, is that ancient path, that ancient direct road travelled by the perfectly awakened ones of old; I followed it; following it, I experientially understood ageing and death; I experientially understood the origin of ageing and death; I experientially understood the cessation of ageing and death; I experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of ageing and death. I followed it; following it, I experientially understood birth … and so on … I experientially understood existence … I experientially understood fuel … I experientially understood craving … I experientially understood feeling … I experientially understood contact … I experientially understood the six sense bases … I experientially understood phenomenal objects … I experientially understood consciousness. I followed it; following it, I experientially understood saṅkhāra (mental constructions); I experientially understood the origin of mental constructions; I experientially understood the cessation of mental constructions; I experientially understood the path leading to the cessation of mental constructions. Having experientially understood that, I taught it to the bhikkhū, the bhikkhuniyo, the upāsakā (lay disciples) and the upāsikā (female lay disciples). So this brahmacariya (the optimal life), Bhikkhave, is prosperous and thriving, widespread, known to many, spread widely, well proclaimed as far as gods and humans.”

474. The fifth [discourse of the chapter].

Commentary

Section titled “Commentary”
  • The chain here has ten links, consciousness and phenomenal objects conditioning each other, with no avijjā or saṅkhāra; it is Vipassī’s chain of the Mahāpadānasutta part 6, whose sentences this page repeats in the first person; the twelve-link form is on buddhavacana: dependent origination, textbook chapter 3.
  • maggo bodhāya is “path to awakening”; the Mahāpadāna’s sentence has sambodhāya, “path for full awakening”.
  • The city simile: purāṇañjasa “ancient direct road”, uddhāpavant “with raised embankments”, vuddhivepullappatta “having attained growth and maturity” (vepulla “maturity” by the glossary); bāhujañña is “populous” of the city and “known to many” of the optimal life, the DPD’s two senses.
  • ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo keeps the author’s full form, “the path of the liberated in eight parts”; abbhaññāsiṃ “I experientially understood” as on buddhavacana’s Saccaka page.
  • The edition’s 466–474 are CST 65; the Sāvatthī opening is the Saṃyutta’s abbreviated frame, worded as on buddhavacana.

Parallels

Section titled “Parallels”

SA 287 (城邑, “The City”) has the same frame and sequence as the Nagarasutta: at Sāvatthī the Buddha tells the bhikkhus how, before his awakening, he asked what ageing and death depend on, traced the links back to consciousness and phenomenal objects conditioning each other, saw the origin and then the cessation of the whole mass of suffering, compared his discovery to a man finding an ancient road to an ancient city and telling the king, named the eightfold path as that road, understood each link in four ways and taught it to the four assemblies (p. 80b–81a). The differences are of detail and of the reach of the chain.

  • SA opens the recollection with the Buddha “alone in a quiet place, intent in meditation” (獨一靜處，專精禪思) and goes straight to “what exists, so that ageing and death exist?” (何法有故老死有); it has no counterpart to the Pāḷi’s first reflection on the world fallen into difficulty, born, ageing, dying and not knowing the escape (p. 80b).
  • The origin series agrees in its ten links and in consciousness turning back from phenomenal objects (齊識而還不能過彼, p. 80c); SA’s ageing and death is “ageing, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, vexation and pain” (老、病、死、憂、悲、惱、苦), with sickness (病) added (p. 80c).
  • In the cessation series SA goes beyond consciousness to mental constructions and ignorance: “with no ignorance there are no mental constructions, with the cessation of ignorance the cessation of mental constructions” (無明無故行無，無明滅故行滅), twelve links against the Pāḷi’s ten (p. 80c).
  • SA has nothing for the refrains “Origin, origin!” and “Cessation, cessation!” with insight, knowledge, wisdom, understanding and light arising (p. 80c).
  • SA states the finding before the simile, “I have obtained the ancient sages’ path, the ancient sages’ track” (我得古仙人道、古仙人逕), the sages (仙人) where the Pāḷi has the perfectly awakened ones of old; the Pāḷi gives the simile first and then the application (p. 80c).
  • In the simile the man wanders in a wilderness “clearing the wild to find a way” (披荒覓路); the city has “parks, bathing ponds, groves and clear streams” (園觀浴池、林流清淨) but no raised embankments; he tells the king alone, not a king or a royal minister; he asks the king to “go and dwell there” (大王可往居止其中) rather than to build the city; and the king goes and dwells there, after which it is “rich, happy, secure and populous” (豐樂安隱，人民熾盛) (p. 80c).
  • SA names the eight factors in full, 正見 to 正定 (p. 80c–81a), where the Pāḷi abbreviates right view … right focus; both end the knowledge of the links with mental constructions (行), their origin, cessation and the way (p. 81a).
  • SA’s audience adds to the four assemblies “wanderers and brahmins of other sects, householders and those gone forth” and says they “heard the Dhamma, were rightly directed, had confidence and delight, knew the Dhamma well, and the optimal life grew and spread, benefiting many” (梵行增廣，多所饒益, p. 81a); the Pāḷi’s “well proclaimed as far as gods and humans” has no counterpart.
  • SA closes with the bhikkhus delighting in the Buddha’s words (p. 81a); the Pāḷi closes the Bhagavā’s speech and numbers the sutta the fifth of its vagga.

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