1.1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—So I have heard.1.2ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca ānando āyasmā ca bhaddo pāṭaliputte viharanti kukkuṭārāme.At one time the venerables Ānanda and Bhadda were staying near Pāṭaliputta, in the Chicken Monastery.¹1.3Atha kho āyasmā bhaddo sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā ānandena saddhiṁ sammodi.Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Bhadda came out of retreat, went to Venerable Ānanda, and exchanged greetings with him.1.4Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā bhaddo āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca:When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to Ānanda:

2.1PTS 5.16“‘Abrahmacariyaṁ, abrahmacariyan’ti, āvuso ānanda, vuccati.“Reverend, they speak of this thing called ‘not the spiritual path’.²2.2Katamaṁ nu kho, āvuso, abrahmacariyan”ti?What is not the spiritual path?”

2.3“Sādhu sādhu, āvuso bhadda.“Good, good, Reverend Bhadda!2.4Bhaddako kho te, āvuso bhadda, ummaṅgo, bhaddakaṁ paṭibhānaṁ, kalyāṇī paripucchā.Your approach and eloquence are excellent, and it’s a good question.2.5Evañhi tvaṁ, āvuso bhadda, pucchasi:For you asked:2.6‘abrahmacariyaṁ, abrahmacariyanti, āvuso ānanda, vuccati.‘They speak of this thing called “not the spiritual path”.2.7Katamaṁ nu kho, āvuso, abrahmacariyan’”ti?What is not the spiritual path?’”

2.8“Evamāvuso”ti.“Yes, reverend.”

2.9“Ayameva kho, āvuso, aṭṭhaṅgiko micchāmaggo abrahmacariyaṁ, seyyathidaṁ—“What is not the spiritual path is simply the wrong eightfold path, that is:2.10micchādiṭṭhi …pe… micchāsamādhī”ti.wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong immersion.”

2.11Aṭṭhamaṁ.