Giving Up

SN 35.24 · Pahānasutta

A river divides around a wooded island and joins again beyond it.

“Mendicants, I will teach you the principle for giving up the all. Listen …

And what is the principle for giving up the all? The eye should be given up. Sights should be given up. Eye consciousness should be given up. Eye contact should be given up. The painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on eye contact should also be given up.

The ear … nose … tongue … body … mind should be given up. Ideas should be given up. Mind consciousness should be given up. Mind contact should be given up. The painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact should be given up.

This is the principle for giving up the all.”

Connections

Collection & context

Saṃyutta NikāyaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

Books

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta NikāyaBhikkhu Bodhi; Bhikkhu Bodhi (translator) · Complete collection edition
Handful of Leaves: an Anthology from the Sutta PiṭakaEarly Buddhist discourses; Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (translator and compiler) · Included in anthology

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.