Throughout the suttas, we find the following stock passage:
>"Now from the remainderless fading & cessation of that very ignorance comes the cessation of fabrications. From the cessation of fabrications comes the cessation of consciousness. From the cessation of consciousness comes the cessation of name-&-form. From the cessation of name-&-form comes the cessation of the six sense media. From the cessation of the six sense media comes the cessation of contact. From the cessation of contact comes the cessation of feeling. From the cessation of feeling comes the cessation of craving. From the cessation of craving comes the cessation of clinging/sustenance. From the cessation of clinging/sustenance comes the cessation of becoming. From the cessation of becoming comes the cessation of birth. From the cessation of birth, then aging & death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair all cease. Such is the cessation of this entire mass of stress & suffering."
On that text, I interprete the word "*cessation*" in "*cessation of that very ignorance*" as indicating a ***complete*** cessation of such ignorance. Is this interpretation of the *cessation* also applied to the other processes indicated next in the stock passage?
For instance, if the passage says "cessation of fabrications", is this implying a ***complete*** cessation of fabrications, just like in the last example?
Also, what is this "*remainderless fading & cessation of that very ignorance*"? Is this referring to Nibbāna or to Parinibbāna?
If it's indicating what happens after Nibbāna, then does this mean that fabrications (and all the posterior nidanas) cease to arise after Nibbāna as well?
If not, then should we read *cessation* in all the other nidanas (i.e., in all except in *ignorance*) as the "*cessation of X nidana tainted with ignorance*"?
But if, on the other, it's indicating at what happens at Parinibbāna, then Nibbāna is not the "*remainderless fading & cessation of ignorance*"
**In sum, is the interpretion and implications of the word "*cessation*" dependent on the phenomenon which is ceasing?**
Thanks in advance for your time!
Kind regards!
Asked by Brian Díaz Flores
(2115 rep)
Aug 31, 2019, 04:15 AM
Last activity: Sep 2, 2019, 08:07 AM
Last activity: Sep 2, 2019, 08:07 AM