With Ānanda

SN 8.4 · Ānandasutta

Soft morning light between tall cedars above a moss-covered forest floor.

At one time Venerable Ānanda was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Then Venerable Ānanda robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms with Venerable Vaṅgīsa as his second monk.

And at that time Venerable Vaṅgīsa became dissatisfied, as lust infected his mind. Then he addressed Ānanda in verse:

“I’ve got a burning desire for pleasure; My mind is on fire! Please, out of compassion, Gotama, tell me how to quench the flames.”
“Your mind is on fire because of a perversion of perception. Turn away from the feature of things that’s attractive, provoking lust.
See all conditioned phenomena as alien, as suffering and not-self. Extinguish the great fire of lust, don’t burn up again and again.
With mind unified and serene, meditate on the ugly aspects of the body. With mindfulness immersed in the body, be full of disillusionment.
Meditate on the signless, give up the underlying tendency to conceit; and when you comprehend conceit, you will live at peace.”

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.