I’m trying to find a sutta where someone asks Ven. Sariputta what the hardest part of the holy life is, and he answers “going forth.” At least, that’s how I remember it.
Does anyone know which sutta this is? thank you!
I don’t know if this is exactly what you’re looking for but this is from the Dhammapada,
https://suttacentral.net/dhp290-305/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none¬es=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin#1
" Going forth is hard, it’s hard to be happy; life at home is hard too, and painful, it’s painful to stay when you’ve nothing in common."
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that’s it! thank you 
I wonder if the commentaries comment on what the terms mean? What is being satisfied? Just being happy with living on alms?
the commentary says: abhiratīti pabbajjāya anukkaṇṭhanatā.
my pali isn’t good enough yet to translate on my own, but chat gpt translated it as “Abhirati refers to the absence of discontentment in ordination.”
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to use my own baby Pali understanding:
“abhirati” is what’s being quoted from the sutta. The ‘ti’ at the end signifies the quote, but it makes the last i of abhirati into ī, presumably because saying titi just sounds unserious :3
pabbaja is going forth
anukkaṇṭhanatā is an + ukkaṇṭhana, which I had to google. Cone’s Pali dictionary has this as “content; lack of fretting”.
Cone also has " pleasure, delighting (in, loc. or ifc); contentment" for abhirati.
This reminds me of MN68, where the Buddha asks Anuruddha (and friends) whether they “abhiratā the holy life or not”
“Anuruddha and friends, I hope you’re satisfied with the spiritual life?”
“kacci tumhe, anuruddhā, abhiratā brahmacariye”ti?
[…]
Take someone who doesn’t achieve the rapture and bliss that are secluded from sensual pleasures and unskillful qualities, or something even more peaceful than that [i.e. first jhana or better]. Their mind is still occupied by desire, ill will, dullness and drowsiness, restlessness and remorse, doubt, discontent, and sloth.Vivekaṁ, anuruddhā, kāmehi vivekaṁ akusalehi dhammehi pītisukhaṁ nādhigacchati aññaṁ vā tato santataraṁ, tassa abhijjhāpi cittaṁ pariyādāya tiṭṭhati, byāpādopi cittaṁ pariyādāya tiṭṭhati, thinamiddhampi cittaṁ pariyādāya tiṭṭhati uddhaccakukkuccampi cittaṁ pariyādāya tiṭṭhati, vicikicchāpi cittaṁ pariyādāya tiṭṭhati, aratīpi cittaṁ pariyādāya tiṭṭhati, tandīpi cittaṁ pariyādāya tiṭṭhati.
Arati also has the meaning of ‘discontent’. So we have abhirati, abhiratā, and arati.
Bhante @sujato, in light of the above, isn’t it natural to read abhirati as abhi + rati, i.e. higher pleasure? That is, Sariputta is saying that after going forth, what is hard is developing the higher pleasure (of the jhanas)?
But then I would wonder why it’s hard to practice in line with the teachings for one who has that higher pleasure 
Here is the sutta being asked about for good measure (SN 38.16):
“Reverend Sāriputta, in this teaching and training, what is hard to do?”
“Kiṁ nu kho, āvuso sāriputta, imasmiṁ dhammavinaye dukkaran”ti?“Going forth, reverend, is hard to do in this teaching and training.”
“Pabbajjā kho, āvuso, imasmiṁ dhammavinaye dukkarā”ti.“But what’s hard to do for someone who has gone forth?”
“Pabbajitena panāvuso, kiṁ dukkaran”ti?“When you’ve gone forth it’s hard to be satisfied.”
“Pabbajitena kho, āvuso, abhirati dukkarā”ti.“But what’s hard to do for someone who is satisfied?”
“Abhiratena panāvuso, kiṁ dukkaran”ti?“When you’re satisfied, it’s hard to practice in line with the teaching.”
“Abhiratena kho, āvuso, dhammānudhammappaṭipatti dukkarā”ti.“But if a mendicant practices in line with the teaching, will it take them long to become a perfected one?”
“Kīvaciraṁ panāvuso, dhammānudhammappaṭipanno bhikkhu arahaṁ assā”ti?“Not long, reverend.”
“Naciraṁ, āvuso”ti.
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