Saṃyutta Nikāya
4. Saḷāyatana Vagga
39. Sāmaṇḍaka Saṃyutta

The Book of the Kindred Sayings
4. The Book Called the Saḷāyatana-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings on the 'Six-Fold Sphere' of Sense and Other Subjects
39. Kindred Sayings about Sāmaṇḍaka

Sutta 6

Param'Assāsa Suttaṃ

Supreme Comfort

Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids

Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[178]

[1] Thus have I heard:

Once the venerable Sāriputta was staying among the Vajjī,
at Ukkāvelā
on the banks of the river Ganges.

Then Sāmaṇḍaka, the Wanderer, came to visit the venerable Sāriputta,
and on coming to him
greeted him in friendly wise,
and after the exchange of greetings and courtesies
sat down at one side.

So seated, the Wanderer Sāmaṇḍaka said this to the venerable Sāriputta: -

"'Supreme comfort, supreme comfort!' is the saying, friend Sāriputta.

Pray how far has a man won supreme comfort?"

"In so far, friend, as one understands,
as they really are,
the arising and the ceasing,
the satisfaction
and the misery of,
and the escape from,
the sixfold sense-sphere,
just so far, friend,
has he won supreme comfort."

"But, friend, is there any way,
any approach
to the realization of this supreme comfort?"

"There is such a path, friend,
there is such an approach
to the realization of this supreme comfort."

"And what is that path, friend,
what is that approach
to the realization of this supreme comfort?"

"It is this Ariyan Eightfold Path, friend,
to the realization of this supreme comfort
to wit:

Right view,
right aim,
right speech,
right action,
right living,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.

Such, friend, is this path,
this approach
to the realization of this supreme comfort."

"A goodly path, friend,
a goodly approach
to the realization of this comfort
and a proper occasion for earnestness too, friend!"