No Desire for the Nutriment One Attains Enlightenment

If, Monks, there is no desire for the nutriment edible food, or for the nutriment contact, or for the nutriment of volitional formations (choices/ decisions), or for the nutriment consciousness, if there is no excitement, if there is no craving, consciousness does not become established there and come to growth.

Where consciousness does not become established and come to growth, there is no development of name-and-form. Where there is no development of name-and-form, there is no growth of volitional formations (choices/ decisions). Where there is no growth of volitional formations (choices/ decisions), there is no production of future renewed existence. Where there is no production of future renewed existence, there is no future birth, aging, and death. Where there is no future birth, aging, and death, I say that: is without sorrow, anguish, and despair.

Suppose, Monks, there was a house, a hall with a peaked roof, with windows on the northern, southern, and eastern sides.

When the sun rises and a beam of light enters through a window, where would it become established?

‘On the western wall, Venerable Sir.’

If there were no western wall, where would it become established?

‘On the earth, Venerable Sir.’

If there were no earth, where would it become established?

‘On the water, Venerable Sir’

If there were no water, where would it become established?

‘It would not become established anywhere, Venerable Sir.’

So too, Monks, if there is no desire for the nutriment edible food ... for the nutriment contact ...for the nutriment of volitional formations (choices/ decisions) ... for the nutriment consciousness ... consciousness does not become established there and come to growth.

Where consciousness does not become established and come to growth, there is no development of name-and-form. Where there is no development of name-and-form, there is no growth of volitional formations. Where there is no growth of volitional formations, there is no production of future renewed existence. Where there is no production of future renewed existence, there is no future birth, aging, and death. Where there is no future birth, aging, and death, I say that: is without sorrow, grief, and despair.

(Reference: SN 12.64)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares another Teaching to help a Practitioner understand how the mind attaining Enlightenment a being is no longer reborn in The Cycle of Rebirth.

When the mind eliminates craving/desire/attachment, it will experience Enlightenment.

The Buddha explains that when the mind has eliminated craving/desire/attachment to food, contact, volitional formations, and consciousness, the mind will not experience “excitement” based on those conditions. When “there is no craving, consciousness does not become established there and come to growth” the mind is Enlightened and it will no longer lead to rebirth.

Craving is the fuel that leads to rebirth. If there is craving/desire/attachment in the mind at the time of death, there will be rebirth. The Buddha is explaining how “consciousness does not become established there and come to growth” when “there is no craving”.

He further explains in the second paragraph of this Teaching sharing that “where consciousness does not become established and come to growth, there is no development of name-and-form”. He is describing that where there is no consciousness (i.e. a mind), that there is no forming of a new being. Name-and-form is the living being and if name-and-form does not develop, there is no further rebirth. Name-and-form would only be created if there is a consciousness (i.e. a mind), to enter the physical body. Without a consciousness, there is no rebirth.

Then, The Buddha uses the example of the sun shining into a building to explain that if there is no craving/desire/attachment, that consciousness cannot be established to create a new existence just like the sun cannot establish itself if there is no object to shine on like a wall, earth, or water. If these objects do not exist, then the sun is unable to establish its beam on these objects much like consciousness cannot be established if there is no craving.

If there is no more birth, there will be no more discontentedness such as “sorrow, grief, and despair”.