Going from One Principle to the Next (SA27)

Thus I have heard: One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī.

There was then a certain monk who came to visit the Buddha. He bowed his head and withdrew to stand at one side. He then said to the Buddha, “As the Bhagavān says ‘going from one principle to the next,’ what is going from one principle to the next?”

The Buddha told the monk, “Good, good! Do you want now to know about going from one principle to the next?”

The monk said to the Buddha, “Indeed, Bhagavān.”

The Buddha told the monk, “[Listen closely!] Listen closely, and consider it well. I will explain this for you. Monk, head for disillusionment with form, become free of desire for it, and completely cease it. This is called going from one principle to the next. Thus with feeling … conception … volition … awareness, head for disillusionment with awareness, become free of desire for it, and completely cease it. This is called going from one principle to the next.”

When that monk heard what the Buddha taught, he celebrated and rejoiced. He then bowed and departed.

This sūtra is part of the Dharma Pearls translation project.

Prepared by Charles Patton for SuttaCentral.