0 votes
by (140 points)

The Blessed One said this: “Monks, this saṃsāra is without
discoverable beginning.17 A first point is not discerned of
beings roaming and wandering on hindered by ignorance and
fettered by craving. Suppose, monks, a man would cut up
whatever grass, sticks, branches, and foliage there are in this
Jambudīpa18 and collect them together into a single heap.
Having done so, he would put them down, saying for each
one: ‘This is my mother, this my mother’s mother.’ The
sequence of that man’s mothers and grandmothers would not
come to an end, yet the grass, sticks, branches, and foliage in
this Jambudīpa would be used up and exhausted. For what
reason? Because, monks, this saṃsāra is without discoverable
beginning. A first point is not discerned of beings roaming and
wandering on hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving.
For such a long time, monks, you have experienced suffering,
anguish, and disaster, and swelled the cemetery. It is enough
to become disenchanted with all formations, enough to
become dispassionate toward them, enough to be liberated
from them.”

Could you explain how the simile of grass, sticks and branches relates to the origin of samsara? Thank you smiley

1 Answer

+1 vote
by (18.8k points)
Jambudipa is basically the Indian subcontinent. So it means if you count all the leaves, branches of all the trees and also the number of grass blades in the Indian subcontinent and come up with a total number and then keep tracing back your maternal lineage from mother to grandmother to great grandmother etc., reducing one number per person, that total count will run out but you will not reach a starting point of your lineage. A beginning point of Samsara cannot be seen.
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