Tripiṭaka Nibbānavagga
Nibbāna Chapter
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“bhante nāgasena, yo na labhati nibbānaṁ, jānāti so ‘sukhaṁ nibbānan’”ti?
“Venerable Nāgasena, does one who does not attain nibbāna know the happiness of nibbāna?”
“Āma, mahārāja, yo na labhati nibbānaṁ, jānāti so ‘sukhaṁ nibbānan’”ti.
“Yes, your majesty, one who does not attain nibbāna knows the happiness of nibbāna.”
“Kathaṁ, bhante nāgasena, alabhanto jānāti ‘sukhaṁ nibbānan’”ti?
“How, Venerable Nāgasena, not attaining it does one know the happiness of nibbāna?”
“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, mahārāja, yesaṁ nacchinnā hatthapādā, jāneyyuṁ te, mahārāja, ‘dukkhaṁ hatthapādacchedanan’”ti?
“What do you think, your majesty, would those who haven’t had their hands and feet cut off know the suffering of having one’s hands and feet cut off?”
“Aññesaṁ, bhante, chinnahatthapādānaṁ paridevitasaddaṁ sutvā jānanti ‘dukkhaṁ hatthapādacchedanan’”ti.
“Having heard, venerable sir, the sounds of lamentation of those who have had their hands and feet cut off, they would know the suffering of having one’s hands and feet cut off.”
“Evameva kho, mahārāja, yesaṁ diṭṭhaṁ nibbānaṁ, tesaṁ saddaṁ sutvā jānāti ‘sukhaṁ nibbānan’”ti.
“In the same way, your majesty, having heard the sound of one who has seen nibbāna, one knows the happiness of nibbāna.”