Thus I heard: At one time the Gracious One was dwelling near Uruvelā, on the bank of the river Nerañjarā, at the root of the Awakening tree, in the first period after attaining Awakening. Then at that time the Gracious One was sitting in one cross-legged posture for seven days experiencing the happiness of freedom.

Then with the passing of those seven days, the Gracious One, after arising from that concentration, for the last watch of the night, applied his mind thoroughly to conditional origination in forward and reverse order:

“This being so, that is; from the arising of this, that arises, this not being so, that is not; from the ceasing of this, that ceases, that is to say: because of ignorance there are volitional processes, because of volitional processes: consciousness, because of consciousness: mind and body, because of mind and body: the six sense spheres, because of the six sense spheres: contact, because of contact: feeling, because of feeling: craving, because of craving: attachment, because of attachment: continuation, because of continuation: birth, because of birth: old age, death, grief, lamentation, pain, sorrow, and despair all arise, and so there is an origination of this whole mass of suffering.

“But from the complete fading away and cessation of ignorance, there is the cessation of volitional processes, from the cessation of volitional processes, the cessation of consciousness, from the cessation of consciousness, the cessation of mind and body, from the cessation of mind and body, the cessation of the six sense spheres, from the cessation of the six sense spheres, the cessation of contact, from the cessation of contact, the cessation of feeling, from the cessation of feeling, the cessation of craving, from the cessation of craving, the cessation of attachment, from the cessation of attachment, the cessation of continuation, from the cessation of continuation, the cessation of birth, from the cessation of birth, old age, death, grief, lamentation, pain, sorrow, and despair all cease, and so there is a cessation of this whole mass of suffering.”

Then the Gracious One, having understood the significance of it, on that occasion uttered this exalted utterance:

“When the nature of things becomes really manifest
To the ardent meditating brāhmaṇa,
He dwells dispelling Māra’s army,
As the sun dwells lighting up the firmament.”