Nibbana Sutta

Parinibbana (3)

Translated from the Pali by John D. Ireland.
For free distribution only.

Read an alternate translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

From The Udana: Inspired Utterances of the Buddha, translated from the Pali by John D. Ireland (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1997). Copyright ©1997 Buddhist Publication Society. Used with permission.

Thus have I heard. At one time the Lord was staying near Savatthi in the Jeta Wood at Anathapindika's monastery. On that occasion the Lord was instructing... the bhikkhus with a Dhamma talk connected with Nibbana, and those bhikkhus... were intent on listening to Dhamma.

Then, on realizing its significance, the Lord uttered on that occasion this inspired utterance:

There is, bhikkhus, a not-born, a not-brought-to-being, a not-made, a not-conditioned. If, bhikkhus, there were no not-born, not-brought-to-being, not-made, not-conditioned, no escape would be discerned from what is born, brought-to-being, made, conditioned. But since there is a not-born, a not-brought-to-being, a not-made, a not-conditioned, therefore an escape is discerned from what is born, brought-to-being, made, conditioned.

See also: Ud VIII.1; Ud VIII.2; Ud VIII.4.

Revised: Saturday 2005.01.29

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/khuddaka/udana/ud8-03a.html