Ascetics and Brahmins (2)

Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

At Savatthi. "Bhikkhus, as to those ascetics and brahmins who do not understand these things, the origin of these things, the cessation of these things, and the way leading to the cessation of these things: what are those things that they do not understand, whose origin they do not understand, whose cessation they do not understand, and the way leading to whose cessation they do not understand?

"They do not understand aging-and-death, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation. They do not understand birth...existence...clinging...craving...feeling...contact...the six sense bases...name-and-form...consciousness...volitional formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation. These are the things that they do not understand, whose origin they do not understand, whose cessation they do not understand, and the way leading to whose cessation they do not understand.

"These I do not consider to be ascetics among ascetics, or brahmins among brahmins, and these venerable ones do not, by realizing it for themselves with direct knowledge, in this very life enter and dwell in the goal of asceticism or the goal of brahminhood.

"But bhikkhus, as to those ascetics and brahmins who understand these things, the origin of these things, the cessation of these things, and the way leading to the cessation of these things: what are those things that they understand, whose origin they understand, whose cessation they understand, and the way leading to whose cessation they understand?

"They understand aging-and-death, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation. They understand birth... volitonal formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation. These are the things that they understand, whose origin they understand, whose cessation they understand, and the way leading to whose cessation they understand.

"These I consider to be ascetics among ascetics, or brahmins among brahmins, and these venerable ones, by realizing it for themselves with direct knowledge, in this very life enter and dwell in the goal of asceticism or the goal of brahminhood."