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.

Dissatisfied with unanswered questions, the venerable Mālukyaputta demands explanations about the world, life force, and what happens to a realized one after death. The Buddha replies with a simile of a man struck by a poisoned arrow who refuses treatment until every trivial detail about the arrow and the archer is explained. Such delay would inevitably lead to death. Likewise, speculative views do not bring freedom from suffering.

The venerable Hemaka dismisses the hearsay and speculation of previous teachers, asking instead for the Dhamma that leads to the destruction of craving.

Venerable Sāriputta inquires of the Buddha about how a bhikkhu dwelling in solitude should deal with various challenges and cultivate the path. The Buddha delivers a complete guide for dispelling the darkness, moving from withstanding hardships to dispelling ‘distressing thoughts’ and ultimately purifying the mind from the ‘five kinds of dust.’

On being asked about his teaching and what he proclaims, the Buddha describes non-conflict as the goal of his teaching and proclaims a state where perceptions do not lead to preoccupation. Venerable Mahākaccāna elaborates on this by thoroughly examining the dependent arising of phenomena, beginning with the six sense bases—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

Can seeing the pure in another purify one still bound by attachments? A sage’s purity is not found through another, nor through what is seen, heard, or sensed. While the attached mind swings like a monkey from branch to branch, the wise one, having relinquished all grasping, abides unbound.

By esteeming one’s view as superior in the world, one cannot overcome disputes. The steadfast sage is one who has abandoned all grasping and clinging, standing free from every view.

The Buddha advises Pasūra on the futility of debate and the danger of conceit. Seeking praise, one finds only pride in victory or humiliation in defeat. This whole cycle of elation and dejection is fruitless, bringing no true benefit beyond fleeting praise and gain.

The Buddha refused Māgaṇḍiya’s offer of his daughter, rejecting worldly desires. He taught that true peace arises not from clinging to views, observances, or status, but from letting go of all attachments. Like a lotus unstained by water, the sage remains free, calm, and detached amidst the world.

The Buddha describes that disputes arise not from many truths, but from people clinging to their own views out of conceit. By labeling others "fools" to affirm their own skill, they create conflict. The path to peace lies not in proving one's view, but in abandoning all judgments.