Thus have I heard. At one time the Lord was staying near Savatthi in the Jeta Wood at
Anathapindika's monastery. On that occasion the Lord was instructing ... the bhikkhus with
a Dhamma talk connected with Nibbana, and those bhikkhus ... were intent on listening to
Dhamma.
Then, on realizing its significance, the Lord uttered on that occasion this inspired
utterance:
There is, bhikkhus, a not-born, a not-brought-to-being, a not-made, a
not-conditioned. If, bhikkhus, there were no not-born, not-brought-to-being, not-made,
not-conditioned, no escape would be discerned from what is born, brought-to-being, made,
conditioned. But since there is a not-born, a not-brought-to-being, a not-made, a
not-conditioned, therefore an escape is discerned from what is born, brought-to-being,
made, conditioned.