XLV.
THE ANNIHILATION OF SUFFERING.
And the Buddha said: "What, my friends, is evil? 1
"Killing is evil; stealing is evil; yielding to sexual passion is evil; lying is evil; slandering is evil; abuse is evil; gossip is evil; envy is evil; hatred is evil; to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things, my friends, are evil. 2
"And what, my friends, is the root of evil? 3
"Desire is the root of evil; hatred is the root of evil; illusion is the root of evil; these things are the root of evil. 4
"What, however, is good? 5
"Abstaining from killing is good; abstaining from theft is good; abstaining from sensuality is good; abstaining from falsehood is good; abstaining from slander is good; suppression of unkindness is good; abandoning gossip is good; letting go all envy is good; dismissing hatred is good; obedience to the truth is good; all these things are good. 6
"And what, my friends, is the root of the good? 7
"Freedom from desire is the root of the good; freedom from hatred and freedom from illusion; these things, my friends, are the root of the good. 8