“Kassapa, someone may practice all those forms of self-mortification, but if they haven’t developed and realized any accomplishment in ethics, mind, and wisdom, they are far from being a true ascetic or brahmin. But take a mendicant who develops a heart of love, free of enmity and ill will. And they realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements. When they achieve this, they’re called a mendicant who is a ‘true ascetic’ and also ‘a true brahmin’.

When he had spoken, Kassapa said to the Buddha, “It’s hard, Master Gotama, to be a true ascetic or a true brahmin.”

“It’s typical, Kassapa, in this world to think that it’s hard to be a true ascetic or brahmin. But someone might practice all those forms of self-mortification. And if it was only because of just that much, only because of that self-mortification that it was so very hard to be a true ascetic or brahmin, it wouldn’t be appropriate to say that it’s hard to be a true ascetic or brahmin.

For it would be quite possible for a householder or a householder’s child—or even the bonded maid who carries the water-jar—to practice all those forms of self-mortification.

It’s because there’s something other than just that much, something other than that self-mortification that it’s so very hard to be a true ascetic or brahmin. And that’s why it is appropriate to say that it’s hard to be a true ascetic or brahmin. Take a mendicant who develops a heart of love, free of enmity and ill will. And they realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements. When they achieve this, they’re called a mendicant who is a ‘true ascetic’ and also ‘a true brahmin’.

When he had spoken, Kassapa said to the Buddha, “It’s hard, Master Gotama, to know a true ascetic or a true brahmin.”

“It’s typical in this world to think that it’s hard to know a true ascetic or brahmin. But someone might practice all those forms of self-mortification. And if it was only by just that much, only by that self-mortification that it was so very hard to know a true ascetic or brahmin, it wouldn’t be appropriate to say that it’s hard to know a true ascetic or brahmin.

For it would be quite possible for a householder or a householder’s child—or even the bonded maid who carries the water-jar—to know that someone is practicing all those forms of self-mortification.

It’s because there’s something other than just that much, something other than that self-mortification that it’s so very hard to know a true ascetic or brahmin. And that’s why it is appropriate to say that it’s hard to know a true ascetic or brahmin. Take a mendicant who develops a heart of love, free of enmity and ill will. And they realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements. When they achieve this, they’re called a mendicant who is a ‘true ascetic’ and also ‘a true brahmin’.”