Linked Discourses 22.31

1. The Burden

The Root of Gloom

At Sāvatthī.

“Mendicants, I will teach you gloom and the root of gloom.

Listen …

And what is gloom?

Form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness are gloom.

This is called gloom.

And what is the root of gloom?

It’s the craving that leads to future lives, mixed up with relishing and greed, taking pleasure there wherever it alights. That is,

craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, and craving for nonexistence.

This is called the root of gloom.”