Path (अणगार मग्ग गइ)

सुणेह मे एगग्गमणा, मग्गं बुद्धेहिं देसियं ।
जमायरंतो भिक्खू, दुक्खाणंतकरे भवे ॥३५.१॥

With concentrated mind, listen from me to the path shown by the Omniscient; the monk who practices it becomes the ender of suffering.

This opening verse establishes the purpose and tone of the entire chapter. The speaker invites monks to listen with undivided, single-pointed attention to the path of the homeless ascetic as taught by the Omniscient One. The promise is direct and unambiguous: the monk who actually practices this path becomes the one who brings all suffering to its end.

The simple version: Listen carefully with your full attention — here is the path the all-knowing one showed, and a monk who truly follows it will end all his suffering.

गिहवासं परिच्छज्ज, पव्वज्जामस्सिए मुणी ।
इमे संगे वियाणिज्जा, जेहिं सज्जंति माणवा ॥३५.२॥

The monk who has renounced household life and taken refuge in renunciation should recognize these attachments by which human beings become entangled.

Having introduced the path, this verse identifies the first fundamental challenge: the pull of domestic relationships. The instruction is to "recognize"—to clearly see the nature of these connections as bonds that generate fresh karmic entanglement. Awareness of the trap is the first step toward freedom from it.

The simple version: Once someone becomes a monk, they should clearly understand that family relationships are the very things that keep humans tied to the world.

तहेव हिंसं अलियं, चोज्जं अबंभसेवणं ।
इच्छाकामं च लोभं च, संजओ परिवज्जए ॥३५.३॥

Likewise, the disciplined monk should completely abandon violence, falsehood, stealing, the practice of non-celibacy, sensual desires, and greed.

This verse presents the core ethical foundation—the five great vows in their active form. Violence, falsehood, theft, non-celibacy, and possessiveness are recognized as the root causes of continued bondage. True discipline means uprooting these at the level of intention, not merely restraining overt behavior.

The simple version: A disciplined monk must completely give up all forms of harm, lying, stealing, sexual activity, craving, and greed.

मणोहरं चित्तघरं, मल्लधूवेण वासियं ।
सकवाडं पंडुरुल्लोयं, मणसा वि ण पत्थए ॥३५.४॥

The monk should not even mentally desire a beautiful, painting-adorned dwelling perfumed with garlands and incense, furnished with fine doors, and most attractively decorated.

The monk's relationship with his physical environment is critical. This instruction targets the subtlest level of craving: the inner wish for luxury. Sensory-rich environments feed passion-energies, so a monk should prefer simplicity to avoid undermining his restraint.

The simple version: A monk should not even silently wish for a beautiful, fragrant, decorated house — not even in his own mind.

इंदियाणि उ भिक्खुस्स, तारिसम्मि उवस्सए ।
दुक्कराइं णिवारेउं, कामराग विवडड्डणे ॥३५.५॥

For a monk staying in such a desire-inflaming dwelling, it becomes extremely difficult to restrain the senses.

This verse explains why luxury is avoided: the environment shapes the mind. In a stimulating atmosphere, the effort to control the senses becomes enormously difficult. A wise monk chooses surroundings that support restraint rather than working against it.

The simple version: Staying in a beautiful, pleasant house makes it very hard for a monk to keep his senses under control.

सुसाणे सुण्णगारे वा, रुक्खमूले व इक्कओ ।
पडिरिक्के परकडे वा, वास तत्थाभिरोयए ॥३५.६॥

The monk should prefer to live — alone, free from attraction and aversion — in a cremation ground, an empty house, at the root of a tree, in a secluded spot, or in a place built by others.

The prescribed dwellings are deliberately austere: cremation grounds, tree roots, or abandoned buildings. These environments prevent social engagement and sensory stimulation. The goal is the equanimity of one who is genuinely at peace in simple, solitary circumstances.

The simple version: A monk should prefer to live alone in simple, plain places like a cremation ground or under a tree.

फासुयम्मि अणाबाहे, इत्थीहिं अणभिदुए ।
तत्थ संकप्पए वासं, भिक्खू परमसंजए ॥३५.७॥

The supremely disciplined monk should resolve to stay in a place that is free from living organisms, free from disturbances, and free from the trouble caused by women and others.

The ideal dwelling must be safe for tiny life forms, quiet for the monk's practice, and free from social distractions. Choosing such a place is a matter of wisdom and intention, reflecting a deep commitment to maintaining the highest standards of discipline.

The simple version: The best kind of monk actively chooses to stay only in places that are safe, quiet, and free from distractions.

ण सयं गिहाइं कुच्छिज्जा, णेव अण्णेहिं कारए ।
गिहकम्मसमारंभे, भूयाण दिस्सए वहो ॥३५.८॥

The monk should neither build a house himself nor have it built by others, because in the undertaking of house-building, the killing of living beings is clearly evident.

House construction is prohibited because it inevitably destroys life—from digging earth to cutting wood. Causing another to build is equally harmful, as the monk would share the karmic burden. Accepting an existing dwelling is fine, but initiating construction is not.

The simple version: A monk should never build a house or ask someone else to build one, because construction kills many tiny living beings.

तसाणं थावराणं च, सुहुमाणं बायराण य ।
तम्हा गिहसमारंभं, संजओ परिवज्जए ॥३५.९॥

Because house-building causes harm to mobile beings and stationary beings, subtle beings and gross beings — therefore the disciplined monk should completely refrain from the undertaking of house construction.

This verse cataloguing precisely which categories of life are harmed. Construction injures everything from visible animals to microscopic earth-bodied beings. A monk's compassion for all life requires total abstinence from involvement in any building activity.

The simple version: Building a house harms all sorts of beings, tiny and large, so a self-controlled monk must completely avoid it.

तहेव भत्तपाणेसु, पयणे पयावणेसु य ।
पाण भूयदयट्टाए, ण पए ण पयावए ॥३५.१०॥

Likewise, out of compassion for living beings and elementary organisms, the monk should neither cook food and water himself nor have it cooked by others.

Cooking is prohibited for the same reason as building: it destroys life. Fire, water, and grains all harbor organisms that die during preparation. The monk accepts only food already prepared by householders for themselves, avoiding any direct or indirect harm.

The simple version: A monk neither cooks for himself nor asks others to cook for him, because cooking harms many tiny beings.

जलधण्णणिस्सिया जीवा, पुढवी कट्टुणिस्सिया ।
हम्मंति भत्तपाणेसु, तम्हा भिक्खू ण पयावए ॥३५.११॥

Living beings that depend on water and grain, and those that depend on earth and firewood, are killed in the preparation of food and water; therefore the monk should not have food cooked.

This verse names specific categories of life destroyed in cooking. What seems like a simple act of boiling water or cooking rice is, at a deeper level, an act of mass destruction. The monk's rule is to accept what exists without instigating any new harm.

The simple version: Cooking destroys many tiny beings in water, grain, and wood, which is why a monk doesn't have food cooked for him.

विसप्पे सव्वओ धारे, बहुपाणी विणासणे ।
णत्थि जोइसमे सत्थे, तम्हा जोई ण दीवए ॥३५.१२॥

There is no weapon comparable to fire — spreading in all directions like the edge of a blade, destroying multitudes of living beings; therefore the monk should not light a fire.

Fire is compared to a deadly weapon that destroys life in every direction—in the air, the ground, and the fuel. The monk's prohibition on fire is absolute because the cost in living beings is too high for any purpose like warmth or light.

The simple version: Fire is like a weapon that destroys countless beings, so a monk never lights one.

हिरण्णं जायरूवं च, मणसा वि ण पत्थए ।
समलेट्टु कंचणे भिक्खू, विरए कयविक्कए ॥३५.१३॥

The monk who sees no difference between a clod of mud and gold, who is completely detached from all buying and selling, should not desire silver or gold even mentally.

True non-possessiveness means the monk's inner state treats gold and dirt as equivalent. This is a transformation of perception. Inner covetousness is the real bondage, so the monk must be entirely detached from wealth and the world of commerce.

The simple version: A monk should care no more for gold than for mud, and have nothing to do with buying or selling.

किणंतो कइओ होइ, विक्किणंतो य वाणिओ ।
कयविक्कयम्मि वट्टंतो, भिक्खू ण भवइ तारिसो ॥३५.१४॥

One who buys becomes a customer; one who sells becomes a merchant; one engaged in buying and selling is not the kind of monk described in the scriptures.

Commerce and monkhood are mutually exclusive. Market activity involves calculation, competition, and pursuit of gain—all of which oppose spiritual detachment. A person cannot be both a market participant and a monk who has truly renounced the world.

The simple version: Someone who buys is a shopper, and someone who sells is a merchant—a monk is neither one.

भिक्खियव्वं ण केयव्वं, भिक्खुणा भिक्खवत्तिणा ।
कयिवक्कओ महादोसो, भिक्खिवत्ती सुहावहा ॥३५.१५॥

The monk who lives by alms should sustain himself by begging alone and not purchase anything; engaging in buying and selling is a great fault, while the practice of begging is beneficial in this life and the next.

Seeking alms is a beneficial way of life that generates no new harm. Commerce entangles the mind in self-interest, making it a "great fault" for a monk. By contrast, alms-seeking supports the monk's liberation and the householder's merit.

The simple version: A monk must live by asking for food, not buying it, because trading damages spiritual life.

समुयाणं उंछमेसिज्जा, जहासुत्तमणिंदियं ।
लाभालाभम्मि संतुट्टे, पिंडवायं चरे मुणी ॥३५.१६॥

The monk should seek communal alms, collecting a little from many non-censured households as prescribed in scripture, remaining content whether he receives food or not.

Collecting small portions from many homes prevents special attachments and avoids burdening any single family. Most importantly, the monk must maintain equanimity, remaining genuinely content whether he receives food or nothing at all.

The simple version: A monk should collect a little food from many houses and be happy whether he gets food or not.

अलोले ण रसे गिद्धे, जिभ्भादंते अमुच्छिए ।
ण रसट्टाए भुंजिज्जा, जवणट्टाए महामुणी ॥३५.१७॥

Not gluttonous, not greedy for tastes, with the tongue-faculty under control, free from infatuation — the great sage should eat not for savoring but for the sustenance of his journey of restraint.

A monk eats for maintenance, not pleasure. He treats food as fuel for his spiritual journey, keeping his tongue and taste-cravings under control. He doesn't anticipate meals or linger over them, maintaining a functional relationship with nourishment.

The simple version: A monk eats only to keep his body strong enough to continue his spiritual path, not because food tastes good.

अच्चणं रयणं चेव, वंदणं पूयणं तहा ।
इडुईसक्कारसम्माणं, मणसा वि ण पत्थए ॥३५.१८॥

Ceremonial reception with forehead markings, auspicious welcome arrangements, reverential salutation, worship with fine offerings, and all forms of honor, reception, and respect — the monk should not desire even these in his mind.

Detachment must extend even to social esteem and honor. Craving for respect is a subtle but persistent desire. A truly free monk is inwardly indifferent to whether he is publicly honored or completely ignored, seeking no recognition for his path.

The simple version: A monk should not even want to be welcomed, respected, or honored by anyone.

सुक्कज्झाणं झियाएज्जा, अणियाणे अकिंचणे ।
वोसटुकाए विहरेज्जा, जाव कालस्स पज्जओ ॥३५.१९॥

Free from ulterior motive, free from all possessions, with the body inwardly relinquished, the monk should meditate on pure, flawless contemplation and wander thus until the time of death arrives.

This describes the highest daily practice: pure, flawless meditation. The meditator has no ulterior motives, no possessions, and no identification with the body. This state is maintained continuously until the final moment of death arrives.

The simple version: Free from wanting and owning, the monk meditates deeply every single day until it is time to die.

णिज्जूहिऊण आहारं, कालधम्मे उवट्टिए ।
जहिऊण माणुसं बोंदिं, पहू दुक्खा विमुच्चइ ॥३५.२०॥

When the time of natural death arrives, having relinquished all food and abandoned the human body, the capable monk is freed from all suffering.

The final act is the conscious relinquishment of food as death approaches. Approached with calm mastery, this is the final liberation from physical life. The powerful monk leaves the body behind, bringing all suffering to a permanent end.

The simple version: When a monk's time to die comes, he stops eating, lets go of his body, and is freed from all suffering.

णिम्ममो णिरहंकारो, वीयरागो अणासवो ।
संपत्तो केवलं णाणं, सासयं परिणव्वुए ॥ ति बेमि ॥३५.२१॥

Free from possessiveness, free from ego, free from attachment and aversion, free from all inflow of karma — having attained complete, perfect knowledge, such a being attains eternal liberation. Thus I say.

The ultimate fruit is the state of perfect inner freedom. Without ego or attachment, the soul attains omniscience—perfect, unbounded knowledge. This is followed permanently by eternal liberation. Thus I say—the teacher's seal of truth.

The simple version: When a monk becomes completely free of selfishness and ego, he attains perfect all-knowing awareness and is forever liberated. Thus I say.