Saṁyutta Nikāya
3. Khandha Vagga
22. Khandha Saṁyutta
11. Anta Vagga

Sutta 103

Anta Suttaṁ

Ends

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

 

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[1][pts] I Hear Tell:

Once Upon a Time, Sāvatthi-town,
the Bhagava came a revisit'n,
and there,
to the Beggars gathered round
he said:

"There are, beggars, these four ends.^[1]

What four?

Attaining individuality,
attaining the arising of individuality,
attaining the ending of individuality,
attaining the way going to the ending of individuality.

And what, beggars is attaining individuality?

The five so called fuel-stockpiles.

What five?

That which is:

The stockpile of form fuel,
the stockpile of sense-experience fuel,
the stockpile of perception fuel,
the stockpile of own-making fuel,
the stockpile of consciousness fuel.

This, beggars, is what is called the end that is individuality.

And what, beggars, is attaining the arising of individuality?

Whatsoever is thirst,
leads on to delight in existence,
is connected with lust,
rejoicing in this and that,
such as:

Thirst for sense pleasures,
thirst for existence,
thirst for re-existence, more existence, ending existence.

This, beggars, is what is called
attaining the arising of individuality.

And what, beggars,
is attainment of the ending
of individuality?|| ||

It is whatever is the remainderless dispassionate ending of,
the giving up of,
the rejection of,
the freedom from,
the allaying of
thirst.

That, beggars, is attainment of the ending of individuality.

And what, beggars,
is attainment of the walk to walk
that goes to the ending of individuality?

It is just this Aristocratic Eight-Dimensional Way.

That is:

High view,
high principles,
high talk,
high works,
high lifestyle,
high self-control,
high mind,
high serenity.

This, beggars, is what is called
attainment of the walk to walk
that goes to the ending of individuality.

These then, beggars, are the four ends."

 

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^[1] Antā. 'Ends.' As in 'ends and means,' 'goal.' I have here translated this as 'ends' and 'attainment' to hopefully clear up the use. Rhys Davids in the Sangiti Suttanta translates 'limits.' Bhk. Bodhi footnotes the term as 'ends' but translates 'portions'. Woodward translates 'separates' and notes the commentary defines it as 'koṭṭhāsā' divisions. Woodward notes Childers' more rational "goals of doctrine".