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← Aṅguttara Nikāya

With Sāriputta

AN 3.33 · Sāriputtasutta

A pine on a rocky ledge above mountain ridges and pale dawn mist.

Then Venerable Sāriputta went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him, “Maybe I’ll teach Dhamma in brief, maybe in detail, maybe both in brief and in detail. But it’s hard to find anyone who understands.”

“Now is the time, Blessed One! Now is the time, Holy One! Let the Buddha teach Dhamma in brief, in detail, and both in brief and in detail. There will be those who understand the teaching!”

“So, Sāriputta, you should train like this: ‘There’ll be no I-making, mine-making, or underlying tendency to conceit for this conscious body; and no I-making, mine-making, or underlying tendency to conceit externally for all signs; and we’ll live having achieved the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit are no more.’ That’s how you should train.

When a mendicant has no I-making, mine-making, or underlying tendency to conceit for this conscious body; and no I-making, mine-making, or underlying tendency to conceit externally for all signs; and they live having attained the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit are no more—they’re called a mendicant who has cut off craving, cast off the fetters, and by rightly comprehending conceit has made an end of suffering.

And Sāriputta, this is what I was referring to in ‘The Way to the Far Shore’, in ‘The Questions of Udaya’ when I said:

‘The giving up of both sensual desires and displeasures, the casting aside of dullness, and the prevention of remorse;

pure equanimity and mindfulness, preceded by investigation of principles—this, I declare, is liberation by enlightenment, the smashing of ignorance.’”

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Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.