This discourse was taught by the Blessed One, taught by the Arahant, the fully enlightened Supreme Buddha. This is as I heard,
“Monks, recluses and Brāhmins who do not understand as it actually is, ‘This is suffering; this is the cause of suffering; this is the cessation of suffering; this is the path leading to the cessation of suffering’—I do not consider these recluses and Brāhmins to be true recluses among recluses, to be true Brāhmins among Brāhmins. These venerable ones live without having realized and achieved by their own direct knowledge here and now the goal of being a recluse, the goal of being a Brāhmin.”
“But, monks, recluses or Brāhmin who understand as it actually is, ‘This is suffering; this is the cause of suffering; this is the cessation of suffering; this is the path leading to the cessation of suffering’— I consider these recluses and Brāhmin to be true recluses among recluses, to be true Brāhmin among Brāhmin. These venerable ones live having realized and achieved by their own direct knowledge here and now, the goal of being a recluse, the goal of being a Brāhmin.”
This is the meaning of what the Blessed One said. So, with regard to this, it was said:
Those who do not understand suffering, how it is produced or where it totally stops without remainder; who do not know the path leading to relief from suffering—they lack liberation by mind and liberation by wisdom and are not capable of bringing suffering to an end. They continue to suffer from ageing and rebirth.
But those who understand suffering, how it is produced and where it totally stops without remainder; who also know the path leading to relief from suffering—they possess the liberation by mind and liberation by wisdom and are capable of bringing suffering to an end. They never return to rebirth and aging.
This, too, is the meaning of what was said by the Blessed One. This is exactly as I heard.
