The Related Suttas Collection 45.150

12. Hard Work

Seeds

“All the plants and seeds that achieve growth, increase, and maturity do so depending on the earth and grounded on the earth. In the same way, a bhikkhu develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path depending on and grounded on ethics, achieving growth, increase, and maturity in good qualities.

And how does a bhikkhu develop the noble eightfold path depending on and grounded on ethics, achieving growth, increase, and maturity in good qualities? It’s when a bhikkhu develops right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion, which rely on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripen as letting go. That’s how a bhikkhu develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path depending on and grounded on ethics, achieving growth, increase, and maturity in good qualities.”