The venerable Bhadda asks the venerable Ānanda about the right spiritual practice.
Pāṭaliputtanidānaṁ.
At |Pāṭaliputta::capital of Magadha, modern Patna|.
“‘Brahmacariyaṁ, brahmacariyan’ti, āvuso ānanda, vuccati. Katamaṁ nu kho, āvuso, brahmacariyaṁ, katamaṁ brahmacariyapariyosānan”ti?
“'The spiritual life, the spiritual life,’ friend Ānanda, it is said. But what, friend, is the spiritual life, and what is the culmination of the spiritual life?”
“Sādhu sādhu, āvuso bhadda. Bhaddako kho te, āvuso bhadda, ummaṅgo, bhaddakaṁ paṭibhānaṁ, kalyāṇī paripucchā. Evañhi tvaṁ, āvuso bhadda, pucchasi: ‘brahmacariyaṁ, brahmacariyanti, āvuso ānanda, vuccati. Katamaṁ nu kho, āvuso, brahmacariyaṁ, katamaṁ brahmacariyapariyosānan’”ti?
“Good, good, friend Bhadda. Your approach is good, your intuition is good, and your question is good. For you are asking in this way: ‘The spiritual life, the spiritual life,’ friend Ānanda, it is said. But what, friend, is the spiritual life, and what is the culmination of the spiritual life?”
“Evamāvuso”ti.
“Yes, friend.” [venerable Bhadda replied]
“Ayameva kho, āvuso, ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo brahmacariyaṁ, seyyathidaṁ— sammādiṭṭhi, sammāsaṅkappo, sammāvācā, sammākammanto, sammāājīvo, sammāvāyāmo, sammāsati, sammāsamādhi.
“This, friend, is the Noble Eightfold Path, which is the spiritual life. Namely: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right collectedness.
Yo kho, āvuso, rāgakkhayo dosakkhayo mohakkhayo— idaṁ brahmacariyapariyosānan”ti.
The |wearing away of passion::exhaustion of intense desire, ending of strong emotions, infatuation, obsession, lust [rāgakkhaya]|, the |wearing away of aversion::ending of ill will, extinction of hatred [dosakkhaya]|, the |wearing away of delusion::wearing away of illusion, ending of hallucination, ending of misperceptions and distorted views [mohakkhaya]| — this, friend, is the culmination of the spiritual life.”
At |Pāṭaliputta::capital of Magadha, modern Patna|.
“'The spiritual life, the spiritual life,’ friend Ānanda, it is said. But what, friend, is the spiritual life, and what is the culmination of the spiritual life?”
“Good, good, friend Bhadda. Your approach is good, your intuition is good, and your question is good. For you are asking in this way: ‘The spiritual life, the spiritual life,’ friend Ānanda, it is said. But what, friend, is the spiritual life, and what is the culmination of the spiritual life?”
“Yes, friend.” [venerable Bhadda replied]
“This, friend, is the Noble Eightfold Path, which is the spiritual life. Namely: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right collectedness.
The |wearing away of passion::exhaustion of intense desire, ending of strong emotions, infatuation, obsession, lust [rāgakkhaya]|, the |wearing away of aversion::ending of ill will, extinction of hatred [dosakkhaya]|, the |wearing away of delusion::wearing away of illusion, ending of hallucination, ending of misperceptions and distorted views [mohakkhaya]| — this, friend, is the culmination of the spiritual life.”
Pāṭaliputtanidānaṁ.
“‘Brahmacariyaṁ, brahmacariyan’ti, āvuso ānanda, vuccati. Katamaṁ nu kho, āvuso, brahmacariyaṁ, katamaṁ brahmacariyapariyosānan”ti?
“Sādhu sādhu, āvuso bhadda. Bhaddako kho te, āvuso bhadda, ummaṅgo, bhaddakaṁ paṭibhānaṁ, kalyāṇī paripucchā. Evañhi tvaṁ, āvuso bhadda, pucchasi: ‘brahmacariyaṁ, brahmacariyanti, āvuso ānanda, vuccati. Katamaṁ nu kho, āvuso, brahmacariyaṁ, katamaṁ brahmacariyapariyosānan’”ti?
“Evamāvuso”ti.
“Ayameva kho, āvuso, ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo brahmacariyaṁ, seyyathidaṁ— sammādiṭṭhi, sammāsaṅkappo, sammāvācā, sammākammanto, sammāājīvo, sammāvāyāmo, sammāsati, sammāsamādhi.
Yo kho, āvuso, rāgakkhayo dosakkhayo mohakkhayo— idaṁ brahmacariyapariyosānan”ti.