The Fading Away of Greed

Rāgavirāgasutta

The Fading Away of Greed

Rāgavirāgasutta

EN
At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, if wanderers who follow another religion were to ask you: ‘Reverends, what’s the goal of leading the spiritual life under the ascetic Gotama?’ You should answer them like this: ‘The goal of leading the spiritual life under the Buddha is the fading away of greed.’
PL
Sāvatthinidānaṁ. “Sace vo, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā evaṁ puccheyyuṁ: ‘kimatthiyaṁ, āvuso, samaṇe gotame brahmacariyaṁ vussatī’ti, evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ evaṁ byākareyyātha: ‘rāgavirāgatthaṁ kho, āvuso, bhagavati brahmacariyaṁ vussatī’ti.
EN
If wanderers of other religions were to ask you: ‘Is there a path and a practice for the fading away of greed?’ You should answer them like this: ‘There is a path and a practice for the fading away of greed.’ And what is that path, what is that practice for the fading away of greed?
PL
Sace pana vo, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā evaṁ puccheyyuṁ: ‘atthi panāvuso, maggo, atthi paṭipadā rāgavirāgāyā’ti, evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ evaṁ byākareyyātha: ‘atthi kho, āvuso, maggo, atthi paṭipadā rāgavirāgāyā’ti. Katamo ca, bhikkhave, maggo, katamā ca paṭipadā rāgavirāgāya?
EN
It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. This is the path, this is the practice for the fading away of greed. When questioned by wanderers of other religions, that’s how you should answer them.”
PL
Ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo, seyyathidaṁ— sammādiṭṭhi …pe… sammāsamādhi. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, maggo, ayaṁ paṭipadā rāgavirāgāyāti. Evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ evaṁ byākareyyāthā”ti.
PL
Paṭhamaṁ.

Pāli root text and English translation by Bhikkhu Sujato from SuttaCentral (https://suttacentral.net), CC0.

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