At one time Venerable Sāriputta was staying in the land of the Vajjis near Ukkacelā on the bank of the Ganges river. Then the wanderer Sāmaṇḍaka went up to Venerable Sāriputta and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to Sāriputta:
“Reverend Sāriputta, in this teaching and training, what is hard to do?”
“Going forth, reverend, is hard to do in this teaching and training.”
“But what’s hard to do for someone who has gone forth?”
“When you’ve gone forth it’s hard to be satisfied.”
“But what’s hard to do for someone who is satisfied?”
“When you’re satisfied, it’s hard to practice in line with the teaching.”
“But if a mendicant practices in line with the teaching, will it take them long to become a perfected one?”
“Not long, reverend.”
Read this translation of Saṁyutta Nikāya 39.16 Dukkarasutta: Hard to Do by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.net. Or listen on PaliAudio.com or SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on
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