The Rosewood Grove

On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Kosambi in a rosewood grove. Then the Blessed One took up a few rosewood leaves in his hand and said to the monks, "What do you think, monks, which is more numerous: these few rosewood leaves I hold in my hand or the leaves in the grove overhead?"

"Venerable Sir, the rosewood leaves that the Blessed One holds in his hand are few, but those in the rosewood grove overhead are numerous."

"So too, monks, the things I have directly known but have not taught you are numerous, while the things I have taught you are few. And why, monks, have I not taught those things? Because they are unbeneficial, irrelevant to the fundamentals of the holy life, and do not lead to revulsion, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nirvana. Therefore I have not taught them.

"And what, monks, have I taught? I have taught: 'This is dukkha'; I have taught: 'This is the origin of dukkha'; I have taught: 'This is the cessation of dukkha'; I have taught: 'This is the way leading to the cessation of dukkha.' And why, monks, have I taught this? Because this is beneficial, relevant to the fundamentals of the holy life, and leads to revulsion, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to Nirvana. Therefore I have taught this.

"Therefore, monks, an exertion should be made to understand: 'This is dukkha'; an exertion should be made to understand: 'This is the origin of dukkha'; an exertion should be made to understand; 'This is the cessation of dukkha'; an exertion should be made to understand: 'This is the way leading to the cessation of dukkha.'"

~The Samyutta Nikaya 56:31