The Buddha teaches on ascetics and brahmins, explaining an aspect of dependent origination—its origin, cessation, and the practice leading to its cessation.

SN 12.29 Ascetics and Brahmins

Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.

“Tatra kho …pe… ye hi keci, bhikkhave, samaṇā brāhmaṇā jarāmaraṇaṁ na parijānanti, jarāmaraṇasamudayaṁ na parijānanti, jarāmaraṇanirodhaṁ na parijānanti, jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ na parijānanti, jātiṁ na parijānanti …pe… bhavaṁupādānaṁtaṇhaṁvedanaṁphassaṁsaḷāyatanaṁnāmarūpaṁviññāṇaṁsaṅkhāresaṅkhārasamudayaṁsaṅkhāranirodhaṁsaṅkhāranirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ na parijānanti. Na mete, bhikkhave, samaṇā brāhmaṇā samaṇesu samaṇasammatā brāhmaṇesu brāhmaṇasammatā. Na ca panete āyasmanto sāmaññatthaṁ brahmaññatthaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharanti.

Ye ca kho keci, bhikkhave, samaṇā brāhmaṇā jarāmaraṇaṁ parijānanti, jarāmaraṇasamudayaṁ parijānanti, jarāmaraṇanirodhaṁ parijānanti, jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ parijānanti, jātiṁ parijānanti …pe… bhavaṁupādānaṁtaṇhaṁvedanaṁphassaṁsaḷāyatanaṁnāmarūpaṁviññāṇaṁsaṅkhāre parijānanti, saṅkhārasamudayaṁ parijānanti, saṅkhāranirodhaṁ parijānanti, saṅkhāranirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ parijānanti. Te kho me, bhikkhave, samaṇā brāhmaṇā samaṇesu ceva samaṇasammatā brāhmaṇesu ca brāhmaṇasammatā. Te ca panāyasmanto sāmaññatthañca brahmaññatthañca diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharantī”ti.

Navamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.

At Sāvatthī.

“Tatra kho …pe…

ye hi keci, bhikkhave, samaṇā brāhmaṇā jarāmaraṇaṁ na parijānanti, jarāmaraṇasamudayaṁ na parijānanti, jarāmaraṇanirodhaṁ na parijānanti, jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ na parijānanti, jātiṁ na parijānanti …pe…

“There are ascetics and brahmins who don’t completely understand old age and death, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. They don’t completely understand rebirth …

bhavaṁ

continued existence …

upādānaṁ

grasping …

taṇhaṁ

craving …

vedanaṁ

feeling …

phassaṁ

contact …

saḷāyatanaṁ

the six sense fields …

nāmarūpaṁ

name and form …

viññāṇaṁ

consciousness …

saṅkhāre

They don’t completely understand choices,

saṅkhārasamudayaṁ

their origin,

saṅkhāranirodhaṁ

their cessation,

saṅkhāranirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ na parijānanti.

and the practice that leads to their cessation.

Na mete, bhikkhave, samaṇā brāhmaṇā samaṇesu samaṇasammatā brāhmaṇesu brāhmaṇasammatā. Na ca panete āyasmanto sāmaññatthaṁ brahmaññatthaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharanti.

I don’t deem them as true ascetics and brahmins. Those venerables don’t realize the goal of life as an ascetic or brahmin, and don’t live having realized it with their own insight.

Ye ca kho keci, bhikkhave, samaṇā brāhmaṇā jarāmaraṇaṁ parijānanti, jarāmaraṇasamudayaṁ parijānanti, jarāmaraṇanirodhaṁ parijānanti, jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ parijānanti, jātiṁ parijānanti …pe…

There are ascetics and brahmins who completely understand old age and death, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. They completely understand rebirth …

bhavaṁ

continued existence …

upādānaṁ

grasping …

taṇhaṁ

craving …

vedanaṁ

feeling …

phassaṁ

contact …

saḷāyatanaṁ

the six sense fields …

nāmarūpaṁ

name and form …

viññāṇaṁ

consciousness …

saṅkhāre parijānanti, saṅkhārasamudayaṁ parijānanti, saṅkhāranirodhaṁ parijānanti, saṅkhāranirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ parijānanti.

They completely understand choices, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation.

Te kho me, bhikkhave, samaṇā brāhmaṇā samaṇesu ceva samaṇasammatā brāhmaṇesu ca brāhmaṇasammatā. Te ca panāyasmanto sāmaññatthañca brahmaññatthañca diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharantī”ti.

I deem them as true ascetics and brahmins. Those venerables realize the goal of life as an ascetic or brahmin, and live having realized it with their own insight.”

Navamaṁ.

Qualities:

Attachment

Attachment

A mental fastening onto people, things, views, or states as “me” or “mine,” unwilling to release them. This clinging can give a sense of security and sweetness.

Also known as: acquisition, bond, clinging, grasping, holding on, possession, entanglement, bound, connected, taking as mine
Pāli: upadhi, upādāna, sakiñcana, mamatta
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Craving

Craving

A driving ‘thirst’ that reaches out toward experiences, identities, or outcomes as the place to find satisfaction—“if only I had that.” It spins stories of lack, binds the mind to becoming, and invariably leads to suffering.

Also known as: wanting, yearning, longing, lit. thirst
Pāli: taṇha, abhijjhā
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Ending

Ending

The complete exhaustion and ending of craving, aversion, and delusion—the three roots of suffering. It refers to both the gradual wearing away of defilements through practice and the final cessation that constitutes Nibbāna.

Also known as: cessation, exhaustion, gradual ending, wearing away
Pāli: khaya, khīṇa, nirodha
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Insight

Insight

Insight is deep, intuitive realization that transforms understanding and guides practice.

Also known as: having insight, with understanding, right knowledge
Pāli: ñāṇa, sammāñāṇa
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Last updated on July 27, 2026