Reading guide
A template already met, reused with a new name
This discourse's own structure — the anticipated question, the goal named, the follow-up question about a path, the eightfold path supplied as the answer — matches SN 45.5's own template exactly, confirmed by direct comparison, with virāga substituted for SN 45.5's own “completely understand suffering.”
Eight goal-names, one template
Confirmed by reading this vagga's own remaining seven discourses directly: fading away of greed here, then giving up the fetters, uprooting the underlying tendencies, completely understanding the course of time, ending the defilements, realizing the fruit of knowledge and freedom, knowledge and vision, and finally extinguishment with no fuel for grasping — eight distinct names, the identical structure throughout.
Key terms
The text
§1At 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.’ 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? 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.”
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