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← Saṃyutta Nikāya

A Mendicant (2nd)

SN 45.7 · Dutiyaaññatarabhikkhusutta

A stone footpath ascending through a quiet forest.

At Sāvatthī.

Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha … and said to him:

“Sir, they speak of ‘the removal of greed, hate, and delusion’. What is this a term for?”

“Mendicant, the removal of greed, hate, and delusion is a term for an element of extinguishment. It’s used to speak of the ending of defilements.”

When he said this, the mendicant said to the Buddha:

“Sir, they speak of ‘freedom from death’. What is freedom from death? And what is the path that leads to freedom from death?”

“The ending of greed, hate, and delusion. This is called freedom from death. The path that leads to freedom from death is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.”

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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.