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← Sutta Nipāta

With Rāhula

Snp 2.11 · Rāhulasutta

A quiet mango grove opens toward soft light beyond the trees.

“Does familiarity breed contempt, even for the man of wisdom? Do you honor he who holds aloft the torch for all humanity?”

“Familiarity breeds no contempt for the man of wisdom. I always honor he who holds aloft the torch for all humanity.”

“One who’s given up the five sensual stimulations, so pleasing and delightful, and who’s left the home life out of faith—let them make an end to suffering!

Mix with spiritual friends, stay in remote lodgings, secluded and quiet, and eat in moderation.

Robes, almsfood, requisites and lodgings: don’t crave such things; don’t come back to this world again.

Be restrained in the monastic code and the five sense faculties. With mindfulness immersed in the body, be full of disillusionment.

Turn away from the sign that’s attractive, provoking lust. With mind unified and serene, meditate on the ugly aspects of the body.

Meditate on the signless, give up the tendency to conceit; and when you comprehend conceit, you will live at peace.”

That is how the Buddha regularly advised Venerable Rāhula with these verses.

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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.