Samyuktagama (Sanskrit fragments) 50.5

50.5

阿難白佛：「世尊！若外道出家來問我言：『阿難！世尊何故教人修諸梵行？』者，我當答言：『為於色修厭、離欲、滅盡、解脫、不生故，世尊教人修諸梵行；為於受、想、行、識，修厭、離欲、滅盡、解脫、不生故，教人修諸梵行。』世尊！若有外道出家作如是問者，我當作如是答。」

Ānanda told the Buddha, “If a mendicant from another religion were to come and asked me, ‘Ānanda, why does the Bhagavān instruct people to cultivate religious practices?’ I would answer: ‘The Bhagavān instructs people to cultivate religious practices so that they will cultivate disillusionment with form, part with desire for it, completely cease it, be freed from it, and for it not to arise. He instructs people to cultivate religious practices so that they will cultivate disillusionment with feeling … conception … volition … awareness, part with desire for it, completely cease it, be freed from it, and for it not to arise.’ Bhagavān, if a mendicant from another religion were to question me thus, I would answer them in this way.”