Loka Sutta: Discourse on the world

Loka Sutta: Discourse on the world

By Dr. Ari Ubeysekara

Introduction

All of the discourses delivered by the Lord Gautama Buddha, who lived and preached in India during the 6th and 5^th century BC, were grouped into five collections at the first Buddhist council that was held three months after the passing away of the Buddha in 483 BC.

1. Collection of long discourses (dīgha nikāya)

2. Collection of middle length discourses (majjhima nikāya)

3. Collection of connected discourses (samyutta nikāya)

4. Collection of numerical discourses (anguttara nikāya)

5. Collection of minor discourses (khuddaka nikāya)

The collection of the connected discourses (samyutta nikāya), consist of the Buddha’s discourses on related topics grouped into five sections called Vaggas. They are named Sagātā Vagga, Nidāna Vagga, Khanda Vagga, Salāyatana Vagga and Mahā Vagga. Each Vagga is further sub-divided into groups called samyuttas, containing a number of discourses on related topics. Each samyutta is again sub-divided into smaller units called vaggas, each containing around ten discourses. Loka sutta is included in the Gahapati vagga, of the Nidāna samyutta of the Nidāna Vagga. (1)

Content of Loka sutta

Thus have I heard.

[All the discourses of the Buddha contained in the five collections were narrated by Venerable Arahant Ānanda from memory at the first Buddhist council that was held three months after the Buddha’s passing away. He was the chief attendant of the Buddha and was known as the “guardian of the Dhamma” due to his excellent skill in remembering the Buddha’s discourses. At the Buddhist council, each discourse was begun by him with the same phrase found at the beginning of this discourse too, “evaṃ me sutaṁ” meaning “Thus have I heard”.]

At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatti in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapindika’s monastery.

[At the time that this discourse was delivered, the Buddha was staying at the Jetavana monastery in Sāvatti which was built and donated to the Buddha by the chief benefactor Anāthapindika. It was named Jetavana, as the land on which it was built was bought from a prince named Jeta. Sāvatti was a favourite residence of the Buddha and it is recorded that the Buddha spent twenty five rainy retreats at Sāvatti.]

There, the Buddha addressed the monks,

“Monks”,

“Yes, Venerable Sir”, the monks replied.

Then the Buddha said:

“Monks, I will teach you the origin and the ending of the world. Listen and pay close attention. I will speak.”

“Yes, Venerable Sir”, the monks replied.

Then the Buddha said this:

“And what, monks, is the origin of the world?”

“Monks, dependent on the eye and the forms, eye consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. From contact as a requisite condition, feeling arises. From feeling as a requisite condition, craving arises. From craving as a requisite condition, clinging arises. From clinging as a requisite condition, becoming arises. From becoming as a requisite condition, birth arises. From birth as a requisite condition, ageing, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, despair arise.”