[78] "If, venerable sir, they were to ask me thus: 'Friend Ānanda, what is the source of aging and death, what is its origin, of what is it born, from what is it produced?' — being asked thus, venerable sir, I would answer thus: 'Aging and death (jarā-maraṇa), friends, have birth (jāti) as their source, birth as their origin; they are born of birth, produced from birth.' Being asked thus, venerable sir, I would answer thus.
"If, venerable sir, they were to ask me thus: 'But friend Ānanda, what is the source of birth, what is its origin, of what is it born, from what is it produced?' — being asked thus, venerable sir, I would answer thus: 'Birth, friends, has existence (bhava) as its source, existence as its origin; it is born of existence, produced from existence.' Being asked thus, venerable sir, I would answer thus.
"If, venerable sir, they were to ask me thus: 'But friend Ānanda, what is the source of existence, what is its origin, of what is it born, from what is it produced?' — being asked thus, venerable sir, I would answer thus: 'Existence, friends, has clinging (upādāna) as its source, clinging as its origin; it is born of clinging, produced from clinging.' Being asked thus, venerable sir, I would answer thus.
"If, venerable sir, they were to ask me thus: 'But clinging, friends…' … 'But craving (taṇhā), friends…' … 'But feeling (vedanā), friends…' …
"If, venerable sir, they were to ask me thus: 'But friend Ānanda, what is the source of contact (phassa), what is its origin, of what is it born, from what is it produced?' — being asked thus, venerable sir, I would answer thus: 'Contact, friends, has the six sense bases (saḷāyatana) as its source, the six sense bases as its origin; it is born of the six sense bases, produced from the six sense bases. But, friends, with the remainderless fading away and cessation of the six bases for contact comes the cessation of contact; with the cessation of contact, the cessation of feeling; with the cessation of feeling, the cessation of craving; with the cessation of craving, the cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, the cessation of existence; with the cessation of existence, the cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair cease. Thus is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering (dukkha).' Being asked thus, venerable sir, I would answer thus."
The fourth.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.