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← Saṃyutta Nikāya

With Nanda

SN 21.8 · Nandasutta

A pale fallen petal beside a small woodland rain puddle.

At Sāvatthī.

Then Venerable Nanda—the Buddha’s cousin on his mother’s side—dressed in nicely pressed and ironed robes, applied eyeshadow, and took a glazed bowl. He went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him:

“Nanda, as a gentleman who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, it’s not appropriate for you to dress in nicely pressed and ironed robes, apply eyeshadow, and carry a glazed bowl. It’s appropriate for you to stay in the wilderness, eat only almsfood, wear rag robes, and live without concern for sensual pleasures.”

That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

“When will I see Nanda in the wilderness, wearing rag robes, feeding on scraps offered by strangers, unconcerned for sensual pleasures?”

Then some time later Venerable Nanda stayed in the wilderness, ate only almsfood, wore rag robes, and lived without concern for sensual pleasures.

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About this edition

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.