“Monks, there is a place where the great rivers—the Ganges, Yamunā, Aciravatī, Sarabhū, and Mahī—come together and meet. Suppose a person was to draw two or three drops of water from that place.
“What do you think, monks? Which is more: the two or three drops drawn out or the water in the place where all the rivers meet together?”
“Bhante, the water in the place where all the rivers meet together is certainly more. The two or three drops drawn out are tiny. Compared to the amount of water where the great rivers meet, it can’t be reckoned or compared. It’s not even a fraction.”
“Monks, in the same way, a person becomes a noble disciple with right view by understanding the Four Noble Truths. The suffering that’s over and destroyed by him is more, the suffering that’s left over is tiny.
“He’s understood, ‘This is suffering, this is the origin of suffering, this is the end of suffering and this is the path that leads to the end of suffering. Therefore, there are at most seven more lives for him.
“Compared to the mass of suffering in the past that’s over and destroyed, it can’t be reckoned or compared. It’s not even a fraction.
“Therefore, monks, you should make an effort to understand: ‘This is suffering.’ You should make an effort to understand: ‘This is the origin of suffering.’ You should make an effort to understand: ‘This is the end of suffering.’ You should make an effort to understand: ‘This is the path that leads to the end of suffering.’”
