SN 39.1

Sāmaṇḍakasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā sāriputto vajjīsu viharati ukkacelāyaṁ gaṅgāya nadiyā tīre. Atha kho sāmaṇḍako paribbājako yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā sāriputtena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho sāmaṇḍako paribbājako āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

With Sāmaṇḍaka on Extinguishment

At one time Venerable Sāriputta was staying in the land of the Vajjis near Ukkacelā on the bank of the Ganges River. Then the wanderer Sāmaṇḍaka went up to Venerable Sāriputta and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to Sāriputta:

“‘Nibbānaṁ, nibbānan’ti, āvuso sāriputta, vuccati. Katamaṁ nu kho, āvuso, nibbānan”ti? “Yo kho, āvuso, rāgakkhayo dosakkhayo mohakkhayo— idaṁ vuccati nibbānan”ti. “Atthi panāvuso, maggo atthi paṭipadā, etassa nibbānassa sacchikiriyāyā”ti? “Atthi kho, āvuso, maggo atthi paṭipadā, etassa nibbānassa sacchikiriyāyā”ti.

“Reverend Sāriputta, they speak of this thing called ‘extinguishment’. What is extinguishment?” “Reverend, the ending of greed, hate, and delusion is called extinguishment.” “But, reverend, is there a path and a practice for realizing this extinguishment?” “There is, reverend.”

“Katamo panāvuso, maggo katamā paṭipadā etassa nibbānassa sacchikiriyāyā”ti? “Ayameva kho, āvuso, ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo, etassa nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya, seyyathidaṁ— sammādiṭṭhi …pe… sammāsamādhi. Ayaṁ kho, āvuso, maggo ayaṁ paṭipadā, etassa nibbānassa sacchikiriyāyā”ti. “Bhaddako, āvuso, maggo bhaddikā paṭipadā, etassa nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya. Alañca panāvuso sāriputta, appamādāyā”ti.

“Well, what is it?” “It 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. This is the path, the practice, for realizing this extinguishment.” “Reverend, this is a fine path, a fine practice, for realizing this extinguishment. Just this much is enough for diligence.”

(Yathā jambukhādakasaṁyuttaṁ, tathā vitthāretabbaṁ.)

(Tell in full as the Linked Discourses with Jambukhādaka.)