1"Bhikkhus, wanderers of other sects may ask you: (1) ‘In what, friends, are all things rooted? (2) Through what do they come into being? (3) From what do they originate? [n.1800] A distinction between sambhava (in question 2) and samudaya (in question 3) is hard to pinpoint, since in the suttas the two words are often used almost synonymously. Mp derives samudaya from the verb form samudenti and glosses this with rāsī bhavanti, "to accumulate, to become a heap." (4) Upon what do they converge? (5) By what are they headed? (6) What exercises authority over them? (7) What is their supervisor? (8) What is their core?’ If you are asked thus, how would you answer them?"

"Bhante, our teachings are rooted in the Blessed One, guided by the Blessed One, take recourse in the Blessed One. It would be good if the Blessed One would clear up the meaning of this statement. Having heard it from him, the bhikkhus will retain it in mind."

2"Then listen, bhikkhus, and attend closely. I will speak."

"Yes, Bhante," those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:

"Bhikkhus, if wanderers of other sects should ask you: ‘What, friends, are all things rooted in? … … What is their essence?’ you should answer them as follows.

"‘Friends, (1) all things are rooted in desire. (2) They come into being through attention. (3) They originate from contact. (4) They converge upon feeling. (5) They are headed by concentration. (6) Mindfulness exercises authority over them. (7) Wisdom is their supervisor. (8) Liberation is their core.’ [n.1801] Brahmāli (in a private communication) offers a fine explanation of this cryptic sutta: "I understand sabbe dhammā to be a reference to the world of personal experience. The meaning would then be as follows: All elements of our experience are rooted in desire (chandamūlakā) in the sense that we exist due to desire (taking chanda as equivalent to craving). They come into being through attention (manasikārasambhavā) in the sense that we only experience what we attend to. They originate from contact (phassasamudayā) because without contact we don’t experience anything at all. They converge upon feeling (vedanāsamosaraṇā) in the sense that feeling is the most important aspect of our experience, the basic motivating factor in everything we do. They are headed by concentration (samādhippamukhā) in the sense that concentration is a controlling faculty (an indriya) whose lead all elements of our experience must follow. They are under the authority of mindfulness (satādhipateyyā) because mindfulness is another controlling faculty which directs us in whatever we do or experience. All things have wisdom as supervisor (paññuttarā) because wisdom is the chief of the controlling faculties; wisdom, more than anything else, controls our experience (the last three factors are what allow us to get a sense of being in charge of our lives). That liberation is their core (vimuttisārā), the most excellent of all things, is self-explanatory."

"If you are asked these questions, it is in such a way that you should answer those wanderers of other sects."

1"Sace, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā evaṁ puccheyyuṁ: ‘kiṁmūlakā, āvuso, sabbe dhammā, kiṁsambhavā sabbe dhammā, kiṁsamudayā sabbe dhammā, kiṁsamosaraṇā sabbe dhammā, kiṁpamukhā sabbe dhammā, kiṁadhipateyyā sabbe dhammā, kiṁuttarā sabbe dhammā, kiṁsārā sabbe dhammā’ti, evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ kinti byākareyyāthā"ti?

"Bhagavaṁmūlakā no, bhante, dhammā, bhagavaṁnettikā bhagavaṁpaṭisaraṇā. Sādhu, bhante, bhagavantaṁyeva paṭibhātu etassa bhāsitassa attho. Bhagavato sutvā bhikkhū dhāressantī"ti.

2"Tena hi, bhikkhave, desessāmi. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī"ti.

"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

"Sace, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā evaṁ puccheyyuṁ: ‘kiṁmūlakā, āvuso, sabbe dhammā, kiṁsambhavā sabbe dhammā, kiṁsamudayā sabbe dhammā, kiṁsamosaraṇā sabbe dhammā, kiṁpamukhā sabbe dhammā, kiṁadhipateyyā sabbe dhammā, kiṁuttarā sabbe dhammā, kiṁsārā sabbe dhammā’ti, evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ evaṁ byākareyyātha:

‘Chandamūlakā, āvuso, sabbe dhammā, manasikārasambhavā sabbe dhammā, phassasamudayā sabbe dhammā, vedanāsamosaraṇā sabbe dhammā, samādhippamukhā sabbe dhammā, satādhipateyyā sabbe dhammā, paññuttarā sabbe dhammā, vimuttisārā sabbe dhammā’ti

Evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ evaṁ byākareyyāthā"ti.

Tatiyaṁ.