The Seventy-Seven Cases of Wisdom

Monks, I will teach you seventy-seven cases of wisdom. Listen to that and attend closely, I will speak.

‘Yes, Venerable Sir’, those Monks replied.

The Perfectly Enlightened One said this:

Monks, what are the seventy-seven cases of wisdom?

(Group 1)

(1) The wisdom: Aging-and-death has birth as its condition.

(2) The wisdom: When there is no birth, there is no aging-and-death.

(3) The wisdom: In the past too aging-and-death had birth as its condition.

(4) The wisdom: In the past too, had there been no birth, there would have been no aging-and-death.

(5) The wisdom: In the future too aging-and-death will have birth as its condition.

(6) The wisdom: In the future too, should there be no birth, there will be no aging-and-death.

(7) The wisdom: That wisdom of the stability of The Teachings is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and elimination.

(Group 2)

(1) The wisdom: Birth has existence as its condition.

(2) The wisdom: When there is no existence, there is no birth.

(3) The wisdom: In the past too birth had existence as its condition.

(4) The wisdom: In the past too, had there been no existence, there would have been no birth.

(5) The wisdom: In the future too birth will have existence as its condition.

(6) The wisdom: In the future too, should there be no existence, there will be no birth.

(7) The wisdom: That wisdom of the stability of The Teachings is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and elimination.

(Group 3)

(1) The wisdom: Existence has clinging as its condition.

(2) The wisdom: When there is no clinging, there is no existence.

(3) The wisdom: In the past too existence had clinging as its condition.

(4) The wisdom: In the past too, had there been no clinging, there would have been no existence.

(5) The wisdom: In the future too existence will have clinging as its condition.

(6) The wisdom: In the future too, should there be no clinging, there will be no existence.

(7) The wisdom: That wisdom of the stability of The Teachings is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and elimination.

(Group 4)

(1) The wisdom: Clinging has craving as its condition.

(2) The wisdom: When there is no craving, there is no clinging.

(3) The wisdom: In the past too clinging had craving as its condition.

(4) The wisdom: In the past too, had there been no craving, there would have been no clinging.

(5) The wisdom: In the future too clinging will have craving as its condition.

(6) The wisdom: In the future too, should there be no craving, there will be no clinging.

(7) The wisdom: That wisdom of the stability of The Teachings is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and elimination.

(Group 5)

(1) The wisdom: Craving has feeling as its condition.

(2) The wisdom: When there is no feeling, there is no craving.

(3) The wisdom: In the past too craving had feeling as its condition.

(4) The wisdom: In the past too, had there been no feeling, there would have been no craving.

(5) The wisdom: In the future too craving will have feeling as its condition.

(6) The wisdom: In the future too, should there be no feeling, there will be no craving.

(7) The wisdom: That wisdom of the stability of The Teachings is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and elimination.

(Group 6)

(1) The wisdom: Feeling has contact as its condition.

(2) The wisdom: When there is no contact, there is no feeling.

(3) The wisdom: In the past too feeling had contact as its condition.

(4) The wisdom: In the past too, had there been no contact, there would have been no feeling.

(5) The wisdom: In the future too feeling will have contact as its condition.

(6) The wisdom: In the future too, should there be no contact, there will be no feeling.

(7) The wisdom: That wisdom of the stability of The Teachings is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and elimination.

(Group 7)

(1) The wisdom: Contact has the six sense bases as its condition.

(2) The wisdom: When there is no the six sense bases, there is no contact.

(3) The wisdom: In the past too contact had the six sense bases as its condition.

(4) The wisdom: In the past too, had there been no the six sense bases, there would have been no contact.

(5) The wisdom: In the future too contact will have the six sense bases as its condition.

(6) The wisdom: In the future too, should there be no the six sense bases, there will be no contact.

(7) The wisdom: That wisdom of the stability of The Teachings is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and elimination.

(Group 8)

(1) The wisdom: The Six Sense Bases has name-and-form as its condition.

(2) The wisdom: When there is no name-and-form, there is no the six sense bases.

(3) The wisdom: In the past too the six sense bases had name-and-form as its condition.

(4) The wisdom: In the past too, had there been no name-and-form, there would have been no the six sense bases.

(5) The wisdom: In the future too the six sense bases will have name-and-form as its condition.

(6) The wisdom: In the future too, should there be no name-and-form, there will be no the six sense bases.

(7) The wisdom: That wisdom of the stability of The Teachings is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and elimination.

(Group 9)

(1) The wisdom: Name-and-Form has consciousness as its condition.

(2) The wisdom: When there is no consciousness, there is no name-and-form.

(3) The wisdom: In the past too name-and-form had consciousness as its condition.

(4) The wisdom: In the past too, had there been no consciousness, there would have been no name-and-form.

(5) The wisdom: In the future too name-and-form will have consciousness as its condition.

(6) The wisdom: In the future too, should there be no consciousness, there will be no name-and-form.

(7) The wisdom: That wisdom of the stability of The Teachings is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and elimination.

(Group 10)

(1) The wisdom: Consciousness has volitional formations as its condition.

(2) The wisdom: When there is no volitional formations, there is no consciousness.

(3) The wisdom: In the past too consciousness had volitional formations as its condition.

(4) The wisdom: In the past too, had there been no volitional formations, there would have been no consciousness.

(5) The wisdom: In the future too consciousness will have volitional formations as its condition.

(6) The wisdom: In the future too, should there be no volitional formations, there will be no consciousness.

(7) The wisdom: That wisdom of the stability of The Teachings is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and elimination.

(Group 11)

(1) The wisdom: Volitional Formations have ignorance as their condition.

(2) The wisdom: When there is no ignorance, there are no volitional formations.

(3) The wisdom: In the past too volitional formations had ignorance as their condition.

(4) The wisdom: In the past too, had there been no ignorance, there would have been no volitional formations.

(5) The wisdom: In the future too volitional formations will have ignorance as their condition.

(6) The wisdom: In the future too, should there be no ignorance, there will be no volitional formations.

(7) The wisdom: That wisdom of the stability of The Teachings is also subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and elimination.

These, Monks, are called the seventy-seven cases of wisdom.

(Reference: SN 12.34)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares the seventy-seven (77) cases of wisdom further describing the various conditions of Dependent Origination.