SA193: Free of Desire (2)

From the Saṃyukta Āgama, translated from the Chinese by Charles Patton.

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

It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “If someone doesn’t become free of desire for the eye and forms, their mind isn’t liberated, and they aren’t capable of going beyond the suffering of birth, old age, illness, and death. If someone doesn’t become free of desire for the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind … their mind isn’t liberated, and they aren’t capable of going beyond the suffering of birth, old age, illness, and death.

“Monks, if someone becomes free of desire for the eye and forms, their mind is liberated, and they’re capable of going beyond the suffering of birth, old age, illness, and death. If someone becomes free of desire for the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind … their mind is liberated, and they’re capable of going beyond the suffering of birth, old age, illness, and death.”

After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.

Translated from the Chinese by Charles Patton for Dharma Pearls, released under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Source text via SuttaCentral.