sn.45.48 Saṁyutta Nikāya (Linked Discourses)

Extinguishment by Not Grasping

At Sāvatthī.
“Mendicants, if wanderers who follow another path were to ask you:
‘Reverends, what’s the purpose of leading the spiritual life under the ascetic Gotama?’ You should answer them like this:
‘The purpose of leading the spiritual life under the Buddha is extinguishment by not grasping.’
If wanderers who follow other paths were to ask you:
‘Is there a path and a practice for extinguishment by not grasping?’ You should answer them like this:
‘There is a path and a practice for extinguishment by not grasping.’
And what is that path, what is that practice for extinguishment by not grasping?
It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is:
right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.
This is the path, this is the practice for extinguishment by not grasping.
When questioned by wanderers who follow other paths, that’s how you should answer them.”