So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Ukkaṭṭhā, in the Subhaga Forest at the root of a magnificent sal tree. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants: “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this: “Mendicants, I will teach you the explanation of the root of all things. Listen and pay close attention, I will speak.” “Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Take an uneducated ordinary person who has not seen the noble ones, and is neither skilled nor trained in their teaching. They’ve not seen good persons, and are neither skilled nor trained in their teaching. They perceive earth as earth. But then they conceive earth, they conceive regarding earth, they conceive as earth, they conceive that ‘earth is mine’, they take pleasure in earth. Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive water as water. But then they conceive water … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive fire as fire. But then they conceive fire … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive air as air. But then they conceive air … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive creatures as creatures. But then they conceive creatures … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive gods as gods. But then they conceive gods … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the Creator as the Creator. But then they conceive the Creator … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive Brahmā as Brahmā. But then they conceive Brahmā … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the gods of streaming radiance as the gods of streaming radiance. But then they conceive the gods of streaming radiance … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the gods replete with glory as the gods replete with glory. But then they conceive the gods replete with glory … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the gods of abundant fruit as the gods of abundant fruit. But then they conceive the gods of abundant fruit … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the Overlord as the Overlord. But then they conceive the Overlord … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the dimension of infinite space as the dimension of infinite space. But then they conceive the dimension of infinite space … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the dimension of infinite consciousness as the dimension of infinite consciousness. But then they conceive the dimension of infinite consciousness … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the dimension of nothingness as the dimension of nothingness. But then they conceive the dimension of nothingness … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception as the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. But then they conceive the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the seen as the seen. But then they conceive the seen … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the heard as the heard. But then they conceive the heard … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the thought as the thought. But then they conceive the thought … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive the cognized as the cognized. But then they conceive the cognized … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive oneness as oneness. But then they conceive oneness … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive diversity as diversity. But then they conceive diversity … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive all as all. But then they conceive all … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

They perceive extinguishment as extinguishment. But then they conceive extinguishment, they conceive regarding extinguishment, they conceive as extinguishment, they conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, they take pleasure in extinguishment. Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

A mendicant who is a trainee, who hasn’t achieved their heart’s desire, but lives aspiring to the supreme sanctuary, directly knows earth as earth. But they shouldn’t conceive earth, they shouldn’t conceive regarding earth, they shouldn’t conceive as earth, they shouldn’t conceive that ‘earth is mine’, they shouldn’t take pleasure in earth. Why is that? So that they may completely understand it, I say.

They directly know water … fire … air … creatures … gods … the Creator … Brahmā … the gods of streaming radiance … the gods replete with glory … the gods of abundant fruit … the Overlord … the dimension of infinite space … the dimension of infinite consciousness … the dimension of nothingness … the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception … the seen … the heard … the thought … the cognized … oneness … diversity … all … They directly know extinguishment as extinguishment. But they shouldn’t conceive extinguishment, they shouldn’t conceive regarding extinguishment, they shouldn’t conceive as extinguishment, they shouldn’t conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, they shouldn’t take pleasure in extinguishment. Why is that? So that they may completely understand it, I say.

A mendicant who is perfected—with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their own goal, utterly ended the fetters of rebirth, and is rightly freed through enlightenment—directly knows earth as earth. But they don’t conceive earth, they don’t conceive regarding earth, they don’t conceive as earth, they don’t conceive that ‘earth is mine’, they don’t take pleasure in earth. Why is that? Because they have completely understood it, I say.

They directly know water … fire … air … creatures … gods … the Creator … Brahmā … the gods of streaming radiance … the gods replete with glory … the gods of abundant fruit … the Overlord … the dimension of infinite space … the dimension of infinite consciousness … the dimension of nothingness … the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception … the seen … the heard … the thought … the cognized … oneness … diversity … all … They directly know extinguishment as extinguishment. But they don’t conceive extinguishment, they don’t conceive regarding extinguishment, they don’t conceive as extinguishment, they don’t conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, they don’t take pleasure in extinguishment. Why is that? Because they have completely understood it, I say.

A mendicant who is perfected—with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their own goal, utterly ended the fetters of rebirth, and is rightly freed through enlightenment—directly knows earth as earth. But they don’t conceive earth, they don’t conceive regarding earth, they don’t conceive as earth, they don’t conceive that ‘earth is mine’, they don’t take pleasure in earth. Why is that? Because they’re free of greed due to the ending of greed.

They directly know water … fire … air … creatures … gods … the Creator … Brahmā … the gods of streaming radiance … the gods replete with glory … the gods of abundant fruit … the Overlord … the dimension of infinite space … the dimension of infinite consciousness … the dimension of nothingness … the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception … the seen … the heard … the thought … the cognized … oneness … diversity … all … They directly know extinguishment as extinguishment. But they don’t conceive extinguishment, they don’t conceive regarding extinguishment, they don’t conceive as extinguishment, they don’t conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, they don’t take pleasure in extinguishment. Why is that? Because they’re free of greed due to the ending of greed.

A mendicant who is perfected—with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their own goal, utterly ended the fetters of rebirth, and is rightly freed through enlightenment—directly knows earth as earth. But they don’t conceive earth, they don’t conceive regarding earth, they don’t conceive as earth, they don’t conceive that ‘earth is mine’, they don’t take pleasure in earth. Why is that? Because they’re free of hate due to the ending of hate.

They directly know water … fire … air … creatures … gods … the Creator … Brahmā … the gods of streaming radiance … the gods replete with glory … the gods of abundant fruit … the Overlord … the dimension of infinite space … the dimension of infinite consciousness … the dimension of nothingness … the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception … the seen … the heard … the thought … the cognized … oneness … diversity … all … They directly know extinguishment as extinguishment. But they don’t conceive extinguishment, they don’t conceive regarding extinguishment, they don’t conceive as extinguishment, they don’t conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, they don’t take pleasure in extinguishment. Why is that? Because they’re free of hate due to the ending of hate.

A mendicant who is perfected—with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their own goal, utterly ended the fetters of rebirth, and is rightly freed through enlightenment—directly knows earth as earth. But they don’t conceive earth, they don’t conceive regarding earth, they don’t conceive as earth, they don’t conceive that ‘earth is mine’, they don’t take pleasure in earth. Why is that? Because they’re free of delusion due to the ending of delusion.

They directly know water … fire … air … creatures … gods … the Creator … Brahmā … the gods of streaming radiance … the gods replete with glory … the gods of abundant fruit … the Overlord … the dimension of infinite space … the dimension of infinite consciousness … the dimension of nothingness … the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception … the seen … the heard … the thought … the cognized … oneness … diversity … all … They directly know extinguishment as extinguishment. But they don’t conceive extinguishment, they don’t conceive regarding extinguishment, they don’t conceive as extinguishment, they don’t conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, they don’t take pleasure in extinguishment. Why is that? Because they’re free of delusion due to the ending of delusion.

The Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha directly knows earth as earth. But he doesn’t conceive earth, he doesn’t conceive regarding earth, he doesn’t conceive as earth, he doesn’t conceive that ‘earth is mine’, he doesn’t take pleasure in earth. Why is that? Because the Realized One has completely understood it to the end, I say.

He directly knows water … fire … air … creatures … gods … the Creator … Brahmā … the gods of streaming radiance … the gods replete with glory … the gods of abundant fruit … the Overlord … the dimension of infinite space … the dimension of infinite consciousness … the dimension of nothingness … the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception … the seen … the heard … the thought … the cognized … oneness … diversity … all … He directly knows extinguishment as extinguishment. But he doesn’t conceive extinguishment, he doesn’t conceive regarding extinguishment, he doesn’t conceive as extinguishment, he doesn’t conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, he doesn’t take pleasure in extinguishment. Why is that? Because the Realized One has completely understood it to the end, I say.

The Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha directly knows earth as earth. But he doesn’t conceive earth, he doesn’t conceive regarding earth, he doesn’t conceive as earth, he doesn’t conceive that ‘earth is mine’, he doesn’t take pleasure in earth. Why is that? Because he has understood that relishing is the root of suffering, and that rebirth comes from continued existence; whoever has come to be gets old and dies. That’s why the Realized One—with the ending, fading away, cessation, giving up, and letting go of all cravings—has awakened to the supreme perfect Awakening, I say.

He directly knows water … fire … air … creatures … gods … the Creator … Brahmā … the gods of streaming radiance … the gods replete with glory … the gods of abundant fruit … the Overlord … the dimension of infinite space … the dimension of infinite consciousness … the dimension of nothingness … the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception … the seen … the heard … the thought … the cognized … oneness … diversity … all … He directly knows extinguishment as extinguishment. But he doesn’t conceive extinguishment, he doesn’t conceive regarding extinguishment, he doesn’t conceive as extinguishment, he doesn’t conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, he doesn’t take pleasure in extinguishment. Why is that? Because he has understood that relishing is the root of suffering, and that rebirth comes from continued existence; whoever has come to be gets old and dies. That’s why the Realized One—with the ending, fading away, cessation, giving up, and letting go of all cravings—has awakened to the supreme perfect Awakening, I say.”

That is what the Buddha said. But the mendicants were not happy with what the Buddha said.