The Buddha shares verses on the great heroes who wander freely, taintless, boldly roaring their lion’s roar.

Venerable Khemaka is ill, and some elder bhikkhus ask Dāsaka to convey their concern to him. A series of exchanges ensue, mediated by Dāsaka, until Khemaka, despite his illness, goes to see the elder bhikkhus himself. The elders inquire about his understanding of the Dhamma. Khemaka explains that while he does not identify any of the five |aggregates::form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness| as self, he still experiences a subtle “I am

The Buddha explains the difference between a trainee still practicing the path and an adept who is fully awakened. While a trainee discerns the Four Noble Truths as they truly are and has unwavering confidence in the Buddha, the adept has fully contacted the culmination of the faculties.

The Dhamma can be like a snake that bites if grasped wrongly. This discourse tackles the danger of misinterpretation, sparked by a bhikkhu who claimed sensual pleasures weren’t obstructions. The Buddha warns that a “wrong grasp” of the teachings leads to harm, while the right grasp leads to liberation. The ultimate goal is to use the teachings like a raft to cross over, letting go of all views—especially the view of a permanent self—to end suffering.

In a chance meeting, the Buddha, unrecognized by the bhikkhu Pukkusāti, teaches him to deconstruct experience into six elements, six fields of contact, eighteen mental explorations, and four foundations. He further reveals that all notions of self—such as “I am this” or “I will be that”—are mere conceptions, inherently afflictive, and the peace of Nibbāna is realized by overcoming all conceptual proliferations.

The Buddha explains to Sutavā, the wanderer, that an arahant is incapable of transgressing in nine ways.

Venerable Sāriputta clarifies on a teaching on how liberation is to be verified. He shares a simile of the stone pillar.

Venerable Sāriputta explains the ten strengths of a bhikkhu who has exhausted the defilements.