Evaṁ me sutaṁ—ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ānando kosambiyaṁ viharati ghositārāme. Atha kho uṇṇābho brāhmaṇo yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā ānandena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho uṇṇābho brāhmaṇo āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca: “kimatthiyaṁ nu kho, bho ānanda, samaṇe gotame brahmacariyaṁ vussatī”ti?
“Thus have I heard—At one time, the venerable Ānanda was dwelling at Kosambi, in Ghositā's park. Then the brahmin Uṇṇābha approached the venerable Ānanda. Having approached, he exchanged greetings with the venerable Ānanda. After exchanging courteous and polite conversation, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the brahmin Uṇṇābha said to the venerable Ānanda: “Friend Ānanda, for what purpose is the |spiritual life::a life of celibacy, contemplation, and ethical discipline lived for the sake of liberation; oriented toward inner development rather than sensual pleasures [brahmacariya]| lived under the ascetic Gotama?”
“Chandappahānatthaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, bhagavati brahmacariyaṁ vussatī”ti.
“Brahmin, it is for the purpose of abandoning desire that the spiritual life is lived under the Blessed One.”
“Atthi pana, bho ānanda, maggo atthi paṭipadā etassa chandassa pahānāyā”ti?
“But, friend Ānanda, is there a path, is there a way to abandon this desire?”
“Atthi kho, brāhmaṇa, maggo, atthi paṭipadā etassa chandassa pahānāyā”ti.
“Yes, brahmin, there is a path, there is a way to abandon this desire.”
“Katamo pana, bho ānanda, maggo katamā paṭipadā etassa chandassa pahānāyā”ti?
“What, then, is the path, what is the way to abandon this desire?”
“Idha, brāhmaṇa, bhikkhu chandasamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhipādaṁ bhāveti, vīriyasamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhipādaṁ bhāveti, cittasamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhipādaṁ bhāveti, vīmaṁsāsamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhipādaṁ bhāveti—ayaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, maggo ayaṁ paṭipadā etassa chandassa pahānāyā”ti.
“Here, brahmin, a bhikkhu develops the basis of psychic power that is endowed with collectedness arising from |desire::aspiration, goal, interest, objective, i.e. a wholesome motivation [chanda]| and accompanied by intentional effort; develops the basis of psychic power that is endowed with collectedness arising from |determination::will power, energy [vīriya]| and accompanied by intentional effort; develops the basis of psychic power that is endowed with collectedness arising from |[purification of] mind::clearing the affective awareness of hindrances [citta]| and accompanied by intentional effort; and develops the basis of psychic power that is endowed with collectedness arising from |investigation::consideration, reflection, and examination [vīmaṃsā]| and accompanied by intentional effort. This, brahmin, is the path, this is the way to abandon this desire.”
“Evaṁ sante, bho ānanda, santakaṁ hoti no asantakaṁ. Chandeneva chandaṁ pajahissatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati”.
“In that case, friend Ānanda, it would be impossible to abandon desire by means of desire itself.”
“Tena hi, brāhmaṇa, taññevettha paṭipucchissāmi. Yathā te khameyya tathā taṁ byākareyyāsi. Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, brāhmaṇa, ahosi te pubbe chando ‘ārāmaṁ gamissāmī’ti? Tassa te ārāmagatassa yo tajjo chando so paṭippassaddho”ti?
“Well then, brahmin, I will ask you a question in this regard. Answer as you see fit. What do you think, brahmin: Did you earlier have the desire, ‘I will go to the park,’ and now that you have come to the park, has that desire you had before to come to the park been abandoned?”
“Evaṁ, bho”.
“Yes, sir.”
“Ahosi te pubbe vīriyaṁ ‘ārāmaṁ gamissāmī’ti? Tassa te ārāmagatassa yaṁ tajjaṁ vīriyaṁ taṁ paṭippassaddhan”ti?
“Did you earlier arouse energy, thinking, ‘I will go to the park,’ and now that you have come to the park, has that energy you had before to come to the park been abandoned?”
“Evaṁ, bho”.
“Yes, sir.”
“Ahosi te pubbe cittaṁ ‘ārāmaṁ gamissāmī’ti? Tassa te ārāmagatassa yaṁ tajjaṁ cittaṁ taṁ paṭippassaddhan”ti?
“Did it earlier occur in the mind, ‘I will go to the park,’ and now that you have come to the park, has that occurrence in the mind you had before to come to the park been abandoned?”
“Evaṁ, bho”.
“Yes, friend Ānanda.”
“Ahosi te pubbe vīmaṁsā ‘ārāmaṁ gamissāmī’ti? Tassa te ārāmagatassa yā tajjā vīmaṁsā sā paṭippassaddhā”ti?
“Did you earlier make an investigation, ‘Shall I go to the park?’ and now that you have come to the park, has that investigation you had before to come to the park been abandoned?”
“Evaṁ, bho”.
“Yes, sir.”
“Evameva kho, brāhmaṇa, yo so bhikkhu arahaṁ khīṇāsavo vusitavā katakaraṇīyo ohitabhāro anuppattasadattho parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojano sammadaññāvimutto, tassa yo pubbe chando ahosi arahattappattiyā, arahattappatte yo tajjo chando so paṭippassaddho; yaṁ pubbe vīriyaṁ ahosi arahattappattiyā, arahattappatte yaṁ tajjaṁ vīriyaṁ taṁ paṭippassaddhaṁ; yaṁ pubbe cittaṁ ahosi arahattappattiyā, arahattappatte yaṁ tajjaṁ cittaṁ taṁ paṭippassaddhaṁ; yā pubbe vīmaṁsā ahosi arahattappattiyā, arahattappatte yā tajjā vīmaṁsā sā paṭippassaddhā. Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, brāhmaṇa, iti evaṁ sante, santakaṁ vā hoti no asantakaṁ vā”ti?
“In the same way, brahmin, when a bhikkhu is an |Arahant::a worthy one, a fully awakened being, epithet of the Buddha [arahant]|, one whose mental defilements have been exhausted, who has fulfilled one’s training, who has done what needs to be done, who has put down the burden, who has achieved the highest goal, |who has exhausted the fetter of existence::who has worn away the bonds of continued conditional existence, i.e. the karmically conditioned mode of being that leads to future rebirth [parikkhīṇabhavasaṃyojana]|, and who is liberated through complete comprehension, the desire that he had before for the attainment of arahantship is abandoned once arahantship is attained. The energy that he had aroused before for the attainment of arahantship is abandoned once arahantship is attained. The resolution in the mind that he had before for the attainment of arahantship is abandoned once arahantship is attained. The investigation that he had made before for the attainment of arahantship is abandoned once arahantship is attained. What do you think, brahmin, such being the case, does the [path] have an end or is it endless?”
“Addhā, bho ānanda, evaṁ sante, santakaṁ hoti no asantakaṁ. Abhikkantaṁ, bho ānanda, abhikkantaṁ, bho ānanda. Seyyathāpi, bho ānanda, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhotā ānandena anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito. Esāhaṁ, bho ānanda, taṁ bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca. Upāsakaṁ maṁ bhavaṁ ānando dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.
“Indeed, friend Ānanda, in such a case, the [path] has an end, it is not endless. Excellent, friend Ānanda, excellent. Just as if one might set upright what had been overturned, |reveal::uncover [vivarati]| what had been concealed, point out the way to one who was lost, or hold up a lamp in the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way, friend Ānanda, the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| has been |explained::illustrated [pakāsita]| by you in many ways. I go for refuge to venerable Gotama, to the Dhamma, and to the |Saṅgha::The community of monks and nuns practicing in line with the Buddha’s teachings. In the broader sense, this is the community of disciples who have realized the noble path and fruition through the Buddha’s teachings [saṅgha]| of bhikkhus. May venerable Ānanda remember me as a lay follower who, from this day forward, has gone to refuge for life.”