[At Saavatthii a certain (unnamed) monk came to the Blessed One and said:] "It would be well for me, Lord, if the Blessed One would teach me briefly a doctrine so that having heard it I might dwell alone, in seclusion, unwearied, ardent and resolute."

"Monk, if you cling to anything, you are in bondage to Maara.[1] If you do not cling, you are free of the Evil One."

"I have understood, Blessed One, I have understood, Well-farer!"

"But how, monk, do you understand in full what I have stated in brief?"

"Lord, if one clings to the body, one is in bondage to Maara. If one does not cling to the body, one is free of the Evil One. [Similarly with 'feelings,' 'perceptions,' 'mental formations,' 'consciousness.'] That, Lord, is how I understand in full the sense of what the Blessed One has stated in brief."

"Good, good, monk! You have well understood in full the sense of what I stated in brief. If you cling to the body,... feelings,... perceptions,... mental formations,... consciousness, you are in bondage to Maara. If you do not cling, you are free of the Evil One. That is how the sense of what I have stated in brief is to be understood in full."