This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, as I have heard:
“Bhikkhus, this spiritual life is not lived for the purpose of deceiving people, nor for the purpose of winning favor with people, nor for the sake of |acquisitions::gain, money, profit, possessions [lābha]|, honor, and fame, nor for the thought ‘Let people know me.’ But rather, bhikkhus, this spiritual life is lived |for the purpose of restraint::for the sake of self-control, following of the precepts and sense-restraint [saṃvaratthaṃ]| and |for the purpose of letting go::for the sake of giving up [pahānattha]|.”
The Blessed One spoke on this matter. In this regard, it is said:
“For the purpose of restraint, for the purpose of letting go,
the spiritual life is not |based on tradition::a legend, hearsay, mere talk [itiha]|;
The Blessed One taught the spiritual life,
leading to and grounded upon |Nibbāna::complete cooling, letting go of everything, deathless, freedom from calamity, the non-disintegrating [nibbāna]|.
This is the path followed by the illustrious ones,
traveled by the great sages;
Whoever practices it,
as taught by the Buddha;
will make an end to suffering,
fulfilling the teacher’s instruction.”
This matter too was spoken by the Blessed One, as I have heard.