Visuddhimagga XVII-31

 Yathā ca tesu purisesu eko valliyā aggaṃ paṭhamaṃ passati, so agge gahetvā aggānusārena yāva mūlā sabbaṃ ādāya kamme upaneti, evaṃ bhagavā ‘‘jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇanti iti kho panetaṃ vuttaṃ, jātipaccayā nu kho, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṃ no vā kathaṃ vo ettha hotīti? Jātipaccayā, bhante, jarāmaraṇaṃ. Evaṃ no ettha hoti jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇanti. Bhavapaccayā jāti…pe… avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārāti iti kho panetaṃ vuttaṃ, avijjāpaccayā nu kho, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā no vā kathaṃ vo ettha hotī’’ti (ma. ni. 1.403) pariyosānato paṭṭhāya yāva āditopi paṭiccasamuppādaṃ deseti.

（3）譬如四人中的一人，先看见蔓的尾端，便执其尾端，从尾至根，取其全部而使用。世尊亦这样从最后而至最初说缘起：「我说生缘老死。诸比丘，是否生缘老死，你们的意思怎样？尊师，生缘老死，我们的意思是生缘老死。[PTS 524] 我说有缘生……乃至……无明缘行。诸比丘，是否无明缘行，你们的意思怎样？尊师，无明缘行，我们的意思是无明缘行」。

Ñ(XVII,31): (iii) Just as another of the four men sees the tip of the creeper first, and seizing the tip, he follows it down to the root and takes all of it away and uses it, so the Blessed One teaches it from the end down to the beginning thus: ' "With birth as condition, ageing-and-death", so it was said. But is there ageing-and-death with birth as condition, or not, or how is it here?—There is ageing-and-death with birth as condition, so we think, venerable sir. [524] "With becoming as condition, birth", so it was said … "With ignorance as condition there are formations", so it was said. But are there formations with ignorance as condition, or not, or how is it here?—There are formations with ignornace as condition, so we think, venerable sir' (M.i, 261).