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 14

Dukkha Suttaṃ

Suffering

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

Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved

For details see Terms of Use.

 

---

[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: -

"'Suffering, suffering!' is the saying, friend Sāriputta.

Pray what is suffering?"

"There are these three forms of suffering, friend:
the sort of suffering caused by pain,
the sort caused by the activities,
the sort caused by the changeable nature of things.

These are the three sorts of suffering."

"But, friend, is there any way,
any approach
to the comprehension of these forms of suffering?"

"There is such a path, friend,
there is such an approach
to the comprehension of these forms of suffering."

"And what is that path, friend,
what is that approach
to the comprehension of these forms of suffering?"

"It is this Ariyan Eightfold Path, friend,
to the comprehension of these forms of suffering
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 comprehension of these forms of suffering."

"A goodly path, friend,
a goodly approach
to the comprehension of these forms of suffering
and a proper occasion for earnestness too, friend!"