The Nutriment Consciousness

…the Venerable Moliyaphagguna said to The Perfectly Enlightened One:

‘Venerable Sir, who consumes the nutriment consciousness?’

Not a valid question, The Perfectly Enlightened One replied. I do not say, ‘One consumes’. If I should say, ‘One consumes’, in that case this would be a valid question: ‘Venerable Sir, who consumes?’ But I do not speak thus.

Since I do not speak thus, if one should ask me, ‘Venerable Sir, for what is the nutriment consciousness [a condition]?’ this would be a valid question.

To this the valid answer is: The nutriment consciousness is a condition for the production of future renewed existence. When that which has come into being exists, the six sense bases [come to be]; with the six sense bases as condition, contact.

‘Venerable Sir, who makes contact?’

Not a valid question, The Perfectly Enlightened One replied. I do not say, ‘One makes contact’. If I should say, ‘One makes contact’: in that case this would be a valid question: Venerable Sir, who makes contact? But I do not speak thus.

Since I do not speak thus, if one should ask me, ‘Venerable Sir, with what as condition does contact [come to be]?’ this would be a valid question. To this the valid answer is: With the six sense bases as condition, contact [comes to be]; with contact as condition, feeling.

'Venerable Sir, who feels?’

Not a valid question, The Perfectly Enlightened One replied. I do not say, ‘One feels’. If I should say, One feels: in that case this would be a valid question: Venerable Sir, who feels? But I do not speak thus.

Since I do not speak thus, if one should ask me, ‘Venerable Sir, with what as condition does feeling [come to be]?’ this would be a valid question. To this the valid answer feeling [comes to be] is:

With contact as condition feeling [comes to be], with feeling as condition, craving.

‘Venerable Sir, who craves?’

Not a valid question, The Perfectly Enlightened One replied. I do not say, ‘One craves’. If I should say, ‘One craves’: in that case this would be a valid question: Venerable Sir, who craves? But I do not speak thus.

Since I do not speak thus, if one should ask me, ‘Venerable Sir, with what as condition does craving [come to be]?’ this would be a valid question. To this the valid answer is: With feeling as condition, craving [comes to be]; with craving as condition, clinging; with clinging as condition, existence; with existence as condition, birth: with birth as condition, aging-and-death, sorrow, grief, pain, displeasure, and despair come to be.

Such is the origin of this whole mass of discontentedness.

But, Phagguna, with the remainderless fading away and elimination of the six sense bases for contact comes elimination of contact; with the elimination of contact, elimination of feeling; with the elimination of feeling, elimination of craving; with the elimination of craving, elimination of clinging; with the elimination of clinging, elimination of existence; with the elimination of existence, elimination of birth; with the elimination of birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, grief, pain, displeasure and despair is eliminated.

Such is the elimination of this whole mass of discontentedness.

(Reference: SN 12.12)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he replies to questions related to Dependent Origination.

The Student Venerable Moliyaphagguna ask The Buddha questions related to understanding Dependent Origination. But, the Venerable Moliyaphagguna is not asking the question in the way in which Dependent Origination is taught and understood.

Venerable Moliyaphagguna is asking the question as if there is a “self” rather than understanding that there is no self and that the conditions that are described in Dependent Origination are not based on a self or “personal existence view” instead, these are conditions that exist arising the next condition.

The Venerable Moliyaphagguna asks The Buddha, “Venerable Sir, who makes contact?”. The “who” of this question assumes there is a self or personal existence view and because of The Universal Truth of Non-self, The Buddha replies that this is not a valid question because The Buddha understands there is no self.

The Buddha replies to multiple questions this way: “I do not say, ‘One makes contact’. If I should say, ‘One makes contact’: in that case this would be a valid question: Venerable Sir, who makes contact? But I do not speak thus”.

Because The Buddha did not say “one makes contact”, as if there is an actual self that makes contact, he shares this is “not a valid question”.

“Since I do not speak thus, if one should ask me, ‘Venerable Sir, with what as condition does contact [come to be]?’ this would be a valid question. To this the valid answer is: With the six sense bases as condition, contact [comes to be]; with contact as condition, feeling”. It is The Six Sense Bases making contact and with contact as condition feelings arise in the mind.

The individual conditions that come to be that arise the next condition are not a being itself or a self. Instead, they are just conditions that exist that cause the effect of the next condition coming to be.

With an understanding of Dependent Origination and The Universal Truth of Non-self, a Practitioner can understand why The Buddha is sharing that the Venerable Moliyaphagguna is not asking a valid question and will understand what is a valid question is based on what The Buddha has taught.

Detailed explanation of Dependent Origination is available in this same book series found in Chapter 14 of the book “The First Stage of Enlightenment (Stream-Enterer)” (Volume 5).

Detailed explanation of Personal Existence View is available in this same book series found in Chapter 4 and 16 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1).