The Buddha teaches on the five aggregates regarding ends, showing how they are to be understood for liberation from suffering.

SN 22.103 Ends

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, antā. Katame cattāro? Sakkāyanto, sakkāyasamudayanto, sakkāyanirodhanto, sakkāyanirodhagāminippaṭipadanto. Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sakkāyanto? Pañcupādānakkhandhātissa vacanīyaṁ. Katame pañca? Seyyathidaṁrūpupādānakkhandho, vedanupādānakkhandho, saññupādānakkhandho, saṅkhārupādānakkhandho, viññāṇupādānakkhandho ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sakkāyanto.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sakkāyasamudayanto? Yāyaṁ taṇhā ponobhavikā nandirāgasahagatā tatratatrābhinandinī, seyyathidaṁ kāmataṇhā, bhavataṇhā, vibhavataṇhā. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sakkāyasamudayanto.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sakkāyanirodhanto? Yo tassāyeva taṇhāya asesavirāganirodho cāgo paṭinissaggo mutti anālayo ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sakkāyanirodhanto.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sakkāyanirodhagāminippaṭipadanto? Ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo. Seyyathidaṁsammādiṭṭhi …pe… sammāsamādhi. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sakkāyanirodhagāminippaṭipadanto. Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro antā”ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

At Sāvatthī.

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, antā.

“Mendicants, there are these four ends.

Katame cattāro?

What four?

Sakkāyanto, sakkāyasamudayanto, sakkāyanirodhanto, sakkāyanirodhagāminippaṭipadanto.

The end that is substantial reality, the end that is the origin of substantial reality, the end that is the cessation of substantial reality, and the end that is the practice that leads to the cessation of substantial reality.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sakkāyanto?

And what is the end that is substantial reality?

Pañcupādānakkhandhātissa vacanīyaṁ.

It should be said: the five grasping aggregates.

Katame pañca?

What five?

Seyyathidaṁrūpupādānakkhandho, vedanupādānakkhandho, saññupādānakkhandho, saṅkhārupādānakkhandho, viññāṇupādānakkhandho

That is, the grasping aggregates of form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness.

ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sakkāyanto.

This is called the end that is substantial reality.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sakkāyasamudayanto?

And what is the end that is the origin of substantial reality?

Yāyaṁ taṇhā ponobhavikā nandirāgasahagatā tatratatrābhinandinī, seyyathidaṁ

It’s the craving that leads to future lives, mixed up with relishing and greed, taking pleasure there wherever it alights. That is,

kāmataṇhā, bhavataṇhā, vibhavataṇhā.

craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, and craving for nonexistence.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sakkāyasamudayanto.

This is called the end that is the origin of substantial reality.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sakkāyanirodhanto?

And what is the end that is the cessation of substantial reality?

Yo tassāyeva taṇhāya asesavirāganirodho cāgo paṭinissaggo mutti anālayo

It’s the fading away and cessation of that very same craving no residue left behind; giving it away, letting it go, releasing it, and not clinging to it.

ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sakkāyanirodhanto.

This is called the end that is the cessation of substantial reality.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sakkāyanirodhagāminippaṭipadanto?

And what is the end that is the practice that leads to the cessation of substantial reality?

Ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo.

It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is:

Seyyathidaṁsammādiṭṭhi …pe… sammāsamādhi.

right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sakkāyanirodhagāminippaṭipadanto.

This is called the end that is the practice that leads to the cessation of substantial reality.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro antā”ti.

These are the four ends.”

Paṭhamaṁ.

Topics & 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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Delight

Delight

A mental quality of relishing and taking pleasure in what is experienced—especially in sensuality or the prospect of continued becoming. When it fastens onto gratification, it nourishes craving and keeps the mind circling around what it wants to experience again.

Also known as: relishing, enjoyment, taking pleasure
Pāli: nandi, ārāmatā
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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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Giving

Giving

The act of generosity, sharing, or offering to others without expecting anything in return. Giving is considered a foundational virtue in Buddhist practice, fostering selflessness and compassion.

Also known as: generosity, charity, donation, almsgiving, donating, philanthropy, providing with, gift with
Pāli: dāna
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Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Active presence of mind and lucid retention; the faculty that remembers the Dhamma, anchors attention to the chosen object or present experience, and guards the mind against unwholesome states.

Also known as: recollecting, remembering, keeping in mind, presence, awareness
Pāli: sati, anussati
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Last updated on July 27, 2026