1Then the Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One … and said to him:

1Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami … pe … āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:.

"Bhante, it is said: ‘existence, existence.’ In what way, Bhante, is there existence?"

"bhavo, bhavoti, bhante, vuccati. Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, bhavo hotī"ti?

2(1) "If, Ānanda, there were no kamma ripening in the sensory realm, would sense-sphere existence be discerned?"

2"Kāmadhātuvepakkañca, ānanda, kammaṁ nābhavissa, api nu kho kāmabhavo paññāyethā"ti.

"No, Bhante."

"No hetaṁ, bhante".

"Thus, Ānanda, for beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving, kamma is the field, consciousness the seed, and craving the moisture for their volition and aspiration[n.505] Cetanā patiṭṭhitā patthanā patiṭṭhitā. Mp: "The kammic volition and kammic aspiration." to be established in an inferior realm. In this way there is the production of renewed existence in the future.

"Iti kho, ānanda, kammaṁ khettaṁ, viññāṇaṁ bījaṁ, taṇhā sneho. Avijjānīvaraṇānaṁ sattānaṁ taṇhāsaṁyojanānaṁ hīnāya dhātuyā cetanā patiṭṭhitā patthanā patiṭṭhitā evaṁ āyatiṁ punabbhavābhinibbatti hoti.

3(2) "If, Ānanda, there were no kamma ripening in the form realm, would form-sphere existence be discerned?"

3Rūpadhātuvepakkañca, ānanda, kammaṁ nābhavissa, api nu kho rūpabhavo paññāyethā"ti.

"No, Bhante."

"No hetaṁ, bhante".

"Thus, Ānanda, for beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving, kamma is the field, consciousness the seed, and craving the moisture for their volition and aspiration to be established in a middling realm. In this way there is the production of renewed existence in the future.

"Iti kho, ānanda, kammaṁ khettaṁ, viññāṇaṁ bījaṁ, taṇhā sneho. Avijjānīvaraṇānaṁ sattānaṁ taṇhāsaṁyojanānaṁ majjhimāya dhātuyā cetanā patiṭṭhitā patthanā patiṭṭhitā evaṁ āyatiṁ punabbhavābhinibbatti hoti.

4(3) "If, Ānanda, there were no kamma ripening in the formless realm, would formless-sphere existence be discerned?.

4Arūpadhātuvepakkañca, ānanda, kammaṁ nābhavissa, api nu kho arūpabhavo paññāyethā"ti.

"No, Bhante..

"No hetaṁ, bhante".

"Thus, Ānanda, for beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving, kamma is the field, consciousness the seed, and craving the moisture for their volition and aspiration to be established in a superior realm. In this way there is the production of renewed existence in the future.

"Iti kho, ānanda, kammaṁ khettaṁ, viññāṇaṁ bījaṁ, taṇhā sneho. Avijjānīvaraṇānaṁ sattānaṁ taṇhāsaṁyojanānaṁ paṇītāya dhātuyā cetanā patiṭṭhitā patthanā patiṭṭhitā evaṁ āyatiṁ punabbhavābhinibbatti hoti.

"It is in this way, Ānanda, that there is existence."

Evaṁ kho, ānanda, bhavo hotī"ti.

Sattamaṁ.