[256] Thus Sakka, lord of gods, having delighted in and rejoiced at what the Blessed One had said, asked the Blessed One a further question: "But, dear sir (mārisa), what is the source of jealousy and stinginess (issāmacchariya), what is their origin (samudaya), what is their genesis, what is their provenance? When what exists are there jealousy and stinginess? When what does not exist are there no jealousy and stinginess?"
"Jealousy and stinginess, lord of gods, have the liked and the disliked (piyāppiya) as their source, the liked and the disliked as their origin; they are born of the liked and the disliked, produced from the liked and the disliked. When the liked and the disliked exist, there are jealousy and stinginess; when the liked and the disliked do not exist, there are no jealousy and stinginess."
"But, dear sir, what is the source of the liked and the disliked, what is their origin, what is their genesis, what is their provenance? When what exists are there the liked and the disliked? When what does not exist are there no liked and disliked?"
"The liked and the disliked, lord of gods, have desire (chanda) as their source, desire as their origin; they are born of desire, produced from desire. When desire exists, there are the liked and the disliked; when desire does not exist, there are no liked and disliked."
"But, dear sir, what is the source of desire, what is its origin, what is its genesis, what is its provenance? When what exists is there desire? When what does not exist is there no desire?"
"Desire, lord of gods, has thought (vitakka) as its source, thought as its origin; it is born of thought, produced from thought. When thought exists, there is desire; when thought does not exist, there is no desire."
"But, dear sir, what is the source of thought, what is its origin, what is its genesis, what is its provenance? When what exists is there thought? When what does not exist is there no thought?"
"Thought, lord of gods, has perceptions and notions born of proliferation (papañcasaññāsaṅkhā) as its source, perceptions and notions born of proliferation as its origin; it is born of perceptions and notions born of proliferation, produced from perceptions and notions born of proliferation. When perceptions and notions born of proliferation exist, there is thought; when perceptions and notions born of proliferation do not exist, there is no thought."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.