The Blessed One was staying in Savatthi. He said: "Monks, there are four kinds of food that sustain beings who have been born or help those about to be born. What are these four? First is edible food, coarse or fine; second is contact; third is mental volition; and fourth is consciousness. These four foods sustain beings who have been born or help those about to be born."

Hearing this, the Venerable Moliyaphagguna asked the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, who consumes the food of consciousness?"

The Blessed One replied: "This is not an appropriate question. I do not say 'someone consumes'. If I said 'someone consumes', then your question 'who consumes' would be appropriate. But I don't say that. Since I don't say that, if someone were to ask, 'Venerable sir, what is the food of consciousness for?', this would be an appropriate question. To this, the correct answer is: 'The food of consciousness is for the production of future rebirth. When that exists, there are six sense bases, and dependent on the six sense bases, there is contact.'"

"Venerable sir, who makes contact?"

The Blessed One answered: "This is not an appropriate question. I do not say 'someone makes contact'. If I said 'someone makes contact', then your question 'who makes contact' would be appropriate. But I don't say that. Since I don't say that, if someone were to ask, 'Venerable sir, with what as condition is there contact?', this would be an appropriate question. To this, the correct answer is: 'With the six sense bases as condition, there is contact; with contact as condition, there is feeling.'"

"Venerable sir, who feels?"

The Blessed One answered: "This is not an appropriate question. I do not say 'someone feels'. If I said 'someone feels', then your question 'who feels' would be appropriate. But I don't say that. Since I don't say that, if someone were to ask, 'Venerable sir, with what as condition is there feeling?', this would be an appropriate question. To this, the correct answer is: 'With contact as condition, there is feeling; with feeling as condition, there is craving.'"

"Venerable sir, who craves?"

The Blessed One answered: "This is not an appropriate question. I do not say 'someone craves'. If I said 'someone craves', then your question 'who craves' would be appropriate. But I don't say that. Since I don't say that, if someone were to ask, 'Venerable sir, with what as condition is there craving?', this would be an appropriate question. To this, the correct answer is: 'With feeling as condition, there is craving; with craving as condition, there is clinging.'"

"Venerable sir, who clings?"

The Blessed One answered: "This is not an appropriate question. I do not say 'someone clings'. If I said 'someone clings', then your question 'who clings' would be appropriate. But I don't say that. Since I don't say that, if someone were to ask, 'Venerable sir, with what as condition is there clinging?', this would be an appropriate question. To this, the correct answer is: 'With craving as condition, there is clinging; with clinging as condition, there is becoming.'... Thus, this whole mass of suffering arises.

Phagguna, with the complete fading away and cessation of the six sense bases comes cessation of contact; with the cessation of contact, cessation of feeling; with the cessation of feeling, cessation of craving; with the cessation of craving, cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, cessation of becoming; with the cessation of becoming, cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair cease. Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering."

End of the second sutta.

For a detailed and vivid explanation of the twelve links of dependent origination, please refer to Samyutta Nikaya 12, Suttas 1 and 2. We will not explain it again here.

The four kinds of food in Buddhism refer to four ways of nourishing life:

1. Edible food:

   - The easiest to understand, referring to the solid and liquid food we eat daily.

   - This includes all food and drinks we intake through our mouths.

2. Contact food:

   - Refers to the "nourishment" obtained through sensory contact.

   - For example, seeing beautiful things through our eyes, hearing pleasant sounds through our ears, etc.

3. Mental volition food:

   - Refers to the "nourishment" obtained through thinking and mental activities.

   - Includes our thoughts, plans, memories, and other mental activities.

4. Consciousness food:

   - The deepest kind, referring to our consciousness or mind-consciousness.

   - This is fundamental to sustaining life and is related to our karma and rebirth.

These four "foods" are not just about material food, but are more understood from spiritual and consciousness levels. Buddhism believes that these four "foods" together nourish and sustain our lives, influencing our thoughts and behaviors.

Understanding the concept of the four foods helps us to view life more comprehensively, focusing not only on material needs but also on the "nourishment" of spirit and consciousness.

The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination:

1. Ignorance: Lack of understanding or misunderstanding of the truth

2. Formations: Volitional activities based on ignorance

3. Consciousness: Awareness or cognitive ability

4. Name-and-Form: Mental and physical phenomena

5. Six Sense Bases: Six senses (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind)

6. Contact: The meeting of sense organs and their objects

7. Feeling: Sensations (pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral)

8. Craving: Desire or attachment

9. Clinging: Grasping onto what is desired

10. Becoming: State of existence or tendency

11. Birth: Beginning of a new life or form of existence

12. Aging and Death: Decay and end of life

The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination describe the causal chain of life's cycle, where each link depends on the previous one, forming a cycle. Understanding this process helps in breaking this cycle to achieve liberation.

Both these concepts emphasize that our experiences and existence are interdependent, reminding us to pay attention to how our behaviors and thought patterns affect our lives and future.

This passage deeply explores one of Buddhism's core teachings - the law of dependent origination, while also touching on the concept of non-self. Let's analyze its profound meaning step by step:

1. The concept of four foods:

   The Buddha presents four types of "food": edible food (material food), contact, mental volition, and consciousness. This expands our understanding of "nourishment," showing that our existence depends not only on material substances but also on mental and psychological factors.

2. The teaching of non-self:

   The Blessed One repeatedly emphasizes "not saying someone" does something, which is a profound exposition of the concept of non-self. The Buddha guides us to focus on processes and causality, rather than clinging to a fixed "self."

3. The chain of dependent origination:

   The text describes in detail the causal chain from consciousness to contact, feeling, craving, clinging, and becoming, demonstrating the interdependence of life phenomena.

4. The importance of how questions are asked:

   The Buddha corrects Phagguna's way of asking questions, emphasizing that we should ask "why" and "how" instead of "who." This change guides us to think about issues from the perspective of essence and process.

5. The arising and cessation of suffering:

   The text finally points out that by breaking this causal chain (starting from the six sense bases), the entire process of suffering can be terminated.

Deep reflections:

1. The illusion of self:

   We often believe there is a fixed "self" experiencing everything, but the Buddha's teaching makes us reflect: Is there really an eternal, unchanging "I"?

2. The complexity of causality:

   Life phenomena are the result of a series of complex causal relationships. Are we aware that each of our thoughts and actions is part of this network?

3. Language and reality:

   The Buddha's correction of question phrasing reminds us how language shapes our way of thinking and, in turn, affects our understanding of reality.

4. The root of attachment:

   The text reveals the process from feeling to craving and clinging. This makes us think: Does our attachment and suffering stem from incorrect responses to feelings?

5. The possibility of liberation:

   Although the causal chain seems unbreakable, the Buddha points out the possibility of terminating the entire process by eliminating craving at the six sense bases. This gives us hope and direction for practice.

6. The essence of wisdom:

   True wisdom lies not in knowing "who" is doing what, but in understanding how phenomena occur and how they are interconnected.

7. The interdependence of life:

   The text demonstrates the deep interdependence of life phenomena. Can this understanding help us cultivate greater empathy and sense of responsibility?

This passage is not just a philosophical discourse but also a practical guide. It invites us to re-examine our understanding of self, the world, and the nature of life. Through this deep reflection and observation, we might discover that what we consider "self" is just a series of interdependent processes, not a fixed, unchanging entity. This realization can not only help us reduce attachment and suffering but also open up a new, freer, and more wisdom-filled way of life.

In our daily lives, we can try to observe our feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, seeing how they interact with each other. Through this observation, we may gradually understand the profound meaning of non-self and dependent origination as taught by the Buddha, thereby gaining greater freedom and peace in life.