“mahāsamuddo, bhikkhave, upayanto mahānadiyo upayāpeti, mahānadiyo upayantiyo kunnadiyo upayāpenti, kunnadiyo upayantiyo mahāsobbhe upayāpenti, mahāsobbhā upayantā kusobbhe upayāpenti.  “Mendicants, when the ocean surges it makes the rivers surge. When the rivers surge they make the streams surge. When the streams surge they make the lakes surge. When the lakes surge they make the ponds surge. 
Evameva kho, bhikkhave, avijjā upayantī saṅkhāre upayāpeti, saṅkhārā upayantā viññāṇaṁ upayāpenti, viññāṇaṁ upayantaṁ nāmarūpaṁ upayāpeti, nāmarūpaṁ upayantaṁ saḷāyatanaṁ upayāpeti, saḷāyatanaṁ upayantaṁ phassaṁ upayāpeti, phasso upayanto vedanaṁ upayāpeti, vedanā upayantī taṇhaṁ upayāpeti, taṇhā upayantī upādānaṁ upayāpeti, upādānaṁ upayantaṁ bhavaṁ upayāpeti, bhavo upayanto jātiṁ upayāpeti, jāti upayantī jarāmaraṇaṁ upayāpeti. 
In the same way, when ignorance surges it makes choices surge. When choices surge they make consciousness surge. When consciousness surges it makes name and form surge. When name and form surge they make the six sense fields surge. When the six sense fields surge they make contact surge. When contact surges it makes feeling surge. When feeling surges it makes craving surge. When craving surges it makes grasping surge. When grasping surges it makes continued existence surge. When continued existence surges it makes rebirth surge. When rebirth surges it makes old age and death surge.