I have heard thus: Once, the Buddha travelled to Śrāvastī and stayed at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove.

At that time, the Venerable Ānanda rose from his seat of repose in the afternoon and went to Buddha. He bowed his head at his feet and then withdrew to sit at one side. He said: “World Honored One, what is the meaning of this: ‘to keep precepts’?”

The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of keeping the precepts is to bring about non-regret. Ānanda, if someone were to keep the precepts, he would readily attain non-regret.”

Again, he asked: “World Honored One, what is the meaning of this: ‘non-regret’?”

The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of non-regret is to bring about encouragement. Ānanda, if someone were to have non-regret, he would readily attain encouragement.”

Again, he asked: “World Honored One, what is the meaning of this: ‘encouragement’?”

The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of encouragement is to bring about ease. Ānanda, if someone were to be encouraged, he would readily attain his ease.”

Again, he asked: “World Honored One, what is the meaning of this: ‘ease’?”

The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of ease is to bring about calm. Ānanda, if someone were to be at ease, he would readily be able to calm himself.”

Again, he asked: “World Honored One, what is the meaning of this: ‘calm’?”

The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of calm is to bring about happiness. Ānanda, if someone were to be calmed, he would readily become awake and happy.”

Again, he asked: “World Honored One, what is the meaning of this: ‘happiness’?”

The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of happiness is to bring about concentration. Ānanda, if someone were to be happy, he would readily attain a concentrated mind.”

Again, he asked: “World Honored One, what is the meaning of this: ‘concentration’?”

The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of concentration is to bring about seeing according to reality and knowing according to reality. Ānanda, if someone were to be concentrated, he would readily attain the seeing that is according to reality and the knowing that is according to reality.”

Again, he asked: “World Honored One, what is the meaning of this: ‘to see according to reality and to know according to reality’?”

The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of seeing according to reality and knowing according to reality is to bring about disenchantment. Ānanda, if someone were to see according to reality and know according to reality, he would readily become disenchanted.”

Again, he asked: “World Honored One, what is the meaning of this: ‘disenchanted’?”

The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of disenchantment is to bring about desirelessness. Ānanda, if someone were to be disenchanted, he would readily become desireless.”

Again, he asked: “World Honored One, what is the meaning of this: ‘desireless’?”

The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of desirelessness is liberation. Ānanda, if someone were to be desireless, he would readily be liberated from all cravings, animosities, and delusions.”

“Therefore, Ānanda: The cause of keeping the precepts leads to non-regret. The cause of non-regret leads to encouragement. The cause of encouragement leads to ease. The cause of ease leads to calm. The cause of calm leads to happiness. The cause of happiness leads to concentration.

“Ānanda, the well-versed disciple is caused by concentration to attain seeing according to reality and knowing according to reality. The cause of seeing according to reality and knowing according to reality leads to disenchantment. The cause of disenchantment leads to desirelessness. The cause of desirelessness leads to liberation. The cause of liberation leads to knowing one’s liberation thus: ‘Birth is at an end, the divine practice has been established, what needed to be done has been done, I am no more to experience the existences!’ This is known as it really is.

“Ānanda, this is the advantange of going from dharma to dharma, the causation of going from dharma to dharma. It is thus that keeping the precepts leads to the supreme (best). That is, they are the ford from this shore over to the other shore.”

The Buddha thus spoke. The Venerable Ānanda and the bhikṣus who had heard what the Buddha had said were elated, took it up, and left.