1At Sāvatthī.

“Mendicants, all the hard work that gets done depends on the earth and is grounded on the earth. In the same way, a mendicant develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path depending on and grounded on ethics.

And how does a mendicant grounded on ethics develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path? It’s when a mendicant develops right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion, which rely on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripen as letting go. That’s how a mendicant grounded on ethics develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path.”

“… which culminate in the removal of greed, hate, and delusion …”

“… culminate, finish, and end in the deathless …”

“… slants, slopes, and inclines to extinguishment …”

1Sāvatthi­nidānaṁ.

"Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, ye keci balakaraṇīyā kammantā karīyanti, sabbe te pathaviṁ nissāya pathaviyaṁ patiṭṭhāya evamete balakaraṇīyā kammantā karīyanti; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodha­nissitaṁ vossaggapari­ṇāmiṁ … pe … evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarotīti.

2(Paragangāpeyyālīvaṇṇiyato paripuṇṇasuttanti vitthāramaggī.)

3Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, ye keci balakaraṇīyā kammantā karīyanti, sabbe te pathaviṁ nissāya pathaviyaṁ patiṭṭhāya evamete balakaraṇīyā kammantā karīyanti; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti. Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti rāgavinayapari­yosānaṁ dosavinayapariyosānaṁ mohavinayapariyosānaṁ … pe … sammāsamādhiṁ bhāveti rāgavinayapari­yosānaṁ dosavinayapariyosānaṁ mohavinayapariyosānaṁ. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarotīti.

4Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, ye keci balakaraṇīyā kammantā karīyanti, sabbe te pathaviṁ nissāya pathaviyaṁ patiṭṭhāya evamete balakaraṇīyā kammantā karīyanti; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti. Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti amatogadhaṁ amataparāyanaṁ amata­pariyosānaṁ … pe … sammāsamādhiṁ bhāveti amatogadhaṁ amataparāyanaṁ amata­pariyosānaṁ. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarotīti.

5Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, ye keci balakaraṇīyā kammantā karīyanti, sabbe te pathaviṁ nissāya pathaviyaṁ patiṭṭhāya evamete balakaraṇīyā kammantā karīyanti; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti. Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti nibbānaninnaṁ nibbānapoṇaṁ nibbāna­pabbhāraṁ … pe … sammāsamādhiṁ bhāveti nibbānaninnaṁ nibbānapoṇaṁ nibbāna­pabbhāraṁ. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarotī"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.