“Bhante nāgasena, kiṃ ekantasukhaṃ nibbānaṃ, udāhu dukkhena missan”ti? “Ekantasukhaṃ, mahārāja, nibbānaṃ, dukkhena amissan”ti.

“Na mayaṃ taṃ, bhante nāgasena, vacanaṃ saddahāma ‘ekantasukhaṃ nibbānan’ti, evamettha mayaṃ, bhante nāgasena, paccema ‘nibbānaṃ dukkhena missan’ti, kāraṇañcettha upalabhāma ‘nibbānaṃ dukkhena missan’ti. Katamaṃ ettha kāraṇaṃ? Ye te, bhante nāgasena, nibbānaṃ pariyesanti, tesaṃ dissati kāyassa ca cittassa ca ātāpo paritāpo ṭhāna­caṅka­ma­nisaj­jā­sayanā­hāra­parig­gaho middhassa ca uparodho āyatanānañca paṭipīḷanaṃ dhana­dhañña­pi­yañā­ti­mittap­paja­hanaṃ. Ye keci loke sukhitā sukhasamappitā, te sabbepi pañcahi kāmaguṇehi āyatane ramenti brūhenti, manā­pika­manā­pika­bahu­vidha­su­bhani­mittena rūpena cakkhuṃ ramenti brūhenti, manā­pika­manā­pika­gī­tavā­dita­bahu­vidha­su­bhani­mittena saddena sotaṃ ramenti brūhenti, manā­pika­manā­pika­puppha­phalapat­ta­taca­mū­lasā­ra­bahu­vidha­su­bhani­mittena gandhena ghānaṃ ramenti brūhenti, manā­pika­manā­pika­khaj­ja­bhojja­ley­yapeyya­sā­yanī­ya­bahu­vidha­su­bhani­mittena rasena jivhaṃ ramenti brūhenti, manā­pika­manā­pika­saṇha­su­khuma­mu­dumad­dava­bahu­vidha­su­bhani­mittena phassena kāyaṃ ramenti brūhenti, manā­pika­manā­pika­kal­yāṇa­pāpa­kasubhā­subha­bahu­vidha­vi­takka­mana­si­kārena manaṃ ramenti brūhenti. Tumhe taṃ cak­khu­so­taghā­na­jivhā­kāyama­nob­rūha­naṃ hanatha upahanatha, chindatha upacchindatha, rundhatha uparundhatha. Tena kāyopi paritapati, cittampi paritapati, kāye paritatte kāyika­duk­kha­vedanaṃ vediyati, citte paritatte cetasi­ka­duk­kha­vedanaṃ vedayati. Nanu māgaṇḍiyopi paribbājako bhagavantaṃ garahamāno evamāha ‘bhūnahu samaṇo gotamo’ti. Idamettha kāraṇaṃ, yenāhaṃ kāraṇena brūmi ‘nibbānaṃ dukkhena missan’”ti.

“Na hi, mahārāja, nibbānaṃ dukkhena missaṃ, ekantasukhaṃ nibbānaṃ. Yaṃ pana tvaṃ, mahārāja, brūsi ‘nibbānaṃ dukkhan’ti, netaṃ dukkhaṃ nibbānaṃ nāma, nibbānassa pana sacchikiriyāya pubbabhāgo eso, nib­bā­na­pari­yesanaṃ etaṃ, ekanta­su­khaṃ­yeva, mahārāja, nibbānaṃ, na dukkhena missaṃ. Ettha kāraṇaṃ vadāmi. Atthi, mahārāja, rājūnaṃ rajjasukhaṃ nāmā”ti? “Āma, bhante, atthi rājūnaṃ rajjasukhan”ti. “Api nu kho taṃ, mahārāja, rajjasukhaṃ dukkhena missan”ti? “Na hi, bhante”ti. “Kissa pana te, mahārāja, rājāno paccante kupite tesaṃ pac­can­ta­nissitā­naṃ paṭisedhāya amaccehi pariṇāyakehi bhaṭehi balatthehi parivutā pavāsaṃ gantvā ḍaṃ­samaka­sa­vātāta­pa­paṭi­pīḷitā samavisame paridhāvanti, mahāyuddhañca karonti, jīvita­saṃ­sayañca pāpuṇantī”ti? “Netaṃ, bhante nāgasena, rajjasukhaṃ nāma, rajjasukhassa pariyesanāya pubbabhāgo eso, dukkhena, bhante nāgasena, rājāno rajjaṃ pariyesitvā rajjasukhaṃ anubhavanti, evaṃ, bhante nāgasena, rajjasukhaṃ dukkhena amissaṃ, aññaṃ taṃ rajjasukhaṃ, aññaṃ dukkhan”ti. “Evameva kho, mahārāja, ekantasukhaṃ nibbānaṃ, na dukkhena missaṃ. Ye pana taṃ nibbānaṃ pariyesanti, te kāyañca cittañca ātāpetvā ṭhāna­caṅka­ma­nisaj­jā­sayanā­hāraṃ pariggahetvā middhaṃ uparundhitvā āyatanāni paṭipīḷetvā kāyañca jīvitañca pariccajitvā dukkhena nibbānaṃ pariyesitvā ekantasukhaṃ nibbānaṃ anubhavanti, nihata­pac­cā­mittā viya rājāno rajjasukhaṃ. Evaṃ, mahārāja, ekantasukhaṃ nibbānaṃ, na dukkhena missaṃ, aññaṃ nibbānaṃ, aññaṃ dukkhanti.

Aparampi, mahārāja, uttariṃ kāraṇaṃ suṇohi ekantasukhaṃ nibbānaṃ, na dukkhena missaṃ, aññaṃ dukkhaṃ, aññaṃ nibbānanti. Atthi, mahārāja, ācariyānaṃ sippavantānaṃ sippasukhaṃ nāmā”ti? “Āma, bhante, atthi ācariyānaṃ sippavantānaṃ sippasukhan”ti. “Api nu kho taṃ, mahārāja, sippasukhaṃ dukkhena missan”ti? “Na hi, bhante”ti. “Kissa pana te, mahārāja, ācariyā ācariyānaṃ abhi­vāda­na­pac­cuṭ­ṭhā­nena uda­kāhara­ṇa­ghara­sammaj­ja­nadan­ta­kaṭṭha­mu­kho­dakā­nuppadā­nena ucchiṭ­ṭha­paṭig­gaha­ṇa­uc­chāda­na­nahā­pana­pādapa­ri­kam­mena sakacittaṃ nikkhipitvā para­cittā­nu­vatta­nena dukkhaseyyāya visama­bhoja­nena kāyaṃ ātāpentī”ti? “Netaṃ, bhante nāgasena, sippasukhaṃ nāma, sippa­pari­yesanāya pubbabhāgo eso, dukkhena, bhante nāgasena, ācariyā sippaṃ pariyesitvā sippasukhaṃ anubhavanti, evaṃ, bhante nāgasena, sippasukhaṃ dukkhena amissaṃ, aññaṃ taṃ sippasukhaṃ, aññaṃ dukkhan”ti. “Evameva kho, mahārāja, ekantasukhaṃ nibbānaṃ, na dukkhena missaṃ. Ye pana taṃ nibbānaṃ pariyesanti, te kāyañca cittañca ātāpetvā ṭhāna­caṅka­ma­nisaj­jā­sayanā­hāraṃ pariggahetvā middhaṃ uparundhitvā āyatanāni paṭipīḷetvā kāyañca jīvitañca pariccajitvā dukkhena nibbānaṃ pariyesitvā ekantasukhaṃ nibbānaṃ anubhavanti, ācariyā viya sippasukhaṃ. Evaṃ, mahārāja, ekantasukhaṃ nibbānaṃ, na dukkhena missaṃ, aññaṃ dukkhaṃ, aññaṃ nibbānan”ti. “Sādhu, bhante nāgasena, evametaṃ tathā sampaṭicchāmī”ti.

Ekanta­su­kha­nib­bā­na­pañho navamo.