TheravādaSN 12.28HOLYMAP · SACRED TEXTS
Sutta PiṭakaSN 12.28

Sutta Piṭaka

SN 12.28

Bhikkhusutta

1
English · Bhikkhu Sujato

A Mendicant

At Sāvatthī. “A mendicant understands old age and death, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. They understand rebirth … continued existence … grasping … craving … feeling … contact … the six sense fields … name and form … consciousness … They understand choices, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation.

2
English · Bhikkhu Sujato

And what is old age and death? The old age, decrepitude, broken teeth, grey hair, wrinkly skin, diminished vitality, and failing faculties of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings. This is called old age. The passing away, passing on, disintegration, demise, mortality, death, decease, breaking up of the aggregates, and laying to rest of the corpse of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings. This is called death. Such is old age, and such is death. This is called old age and death. Rebirth is the origin of old age and death. When rebirth ceases, old age and death cease. The practice that leads to the cessation of old age and 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.

3
English · Bhikkhu Sujato

And what is rebirth? … And what is continued existence? … And what is grasping? … And what is craving? … feeling … contact … the six sense fields … name and form … consciousness …

4
English · Bhikkhu Sujato

And what are choices? There are three kinds of choices. Choices by way of body, speech, and mind. These are called choices. Ignorance is the origin of choices. When ignorance ceases, choices cease. The practice that leads to the cessation of choices 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.

5
English · Bhikkhu Sujato

A mendicant understands old age and death, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. They understand rebirth … continued existence … grasping … craving … feeling … contact … the six sense fields … name and form … consciousness … They understand choices, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. This mendicant is called: ‘one accomplished in view’, ‘one accomplished in vision’, ‘one who has come to the true teaching’, ‘one who sees this true teaching’, ‘one endowed with a trainee’s insight’, ‘one endowed with a trainee’s knowledge’, ‘one who has entered the stream of the teaching’, ‘a noble one with penetrative wisdom’, and also ‘one who stands pressing against the door to freedom from death’.”

1
SN 12.28English
2
SN 12.280%

Sutta Piṭaka

Find your chapter.

4801 chapters

Make yourself comfortable.

PAGE COLOUR

TEXT SIZE

100%

Your preferences stay with you on this device.

ORIGINALS & TRANSLATIONS

Choose your edition.

Select one edition for quiet reading, or several to compare the words.

Pāli text: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka Buddhavasse 2500 (M.L. Maniratana Bunnag Dhamma Society Fund), as published by SuttaCentral. Public domain. · Source ↗

Pāli text: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka, via SuttaCentral. Public domain.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato. SuttaCentral, dedicated to the public domain (CC0). · Source ↗

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato (SuttaCentral), dedicated to the public domain via CC0. 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.

↑
Explore the atlas
↑ ↓ to explore   ·   Enter to open   ·   Esc to close

PEOPLE · PLACES · HIGHER MEANING

Finding your place.

Preparing your experience…