Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Analysing the Four Noble Truth in detail through Mahasatipathana Sutta
Mahasatipatthana Sutta (VI) : (e. Section on The Four Noble Truths)
17."Again, monks, a monk abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objectsin respect of the Four Noble Truths.
How does he do so?
Here, a monk knows as it really is : "This is suffering" ;
He knows as it really is : "This is the origin of suffering" ;
He knows as it really is : "This is the cessation of suffering" ;
He knows as it really is : "This is the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering."
18. And what, monks, is the Noble Truth of Suffering ?
Birth is suffering,Aging is suffering,Death is suffering,Sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness and distress are suffering,Being attached to the unloved is suffering,Being separated from the loved is suffering,Not getting what one wants is suffering.In short, the five aggregates of grasping are suffering.
"And what, monks, is birth ?In whatever beings, of whatever groups of beings,there is birth, coming-to-be, coming forth,the appearance of the aggregates,the acquisition of the sense-bases,that, monks, is called birth.
"And what is aging ?In whatever beings, of whatever group of beings,there is aging, decrepitude, broken teeth,grey hair, wrinkled skin, shrinking with age, decay of the sense-faculties,that, monks, is called aging.
"And what is death ?In whatever beings, of whatever group of beings,there is passing away, a removal,a cutting-off of the aggregates, a discarding of the body,that, monks, is called death.
"And what is sorrow ?Whenever, by any kind of misfortune,anyone is affected by something of a painful nature,sorrow, mourning, distress,inward grief, inward woe,that, monks, is called sorrow.
"And what is lamentation ?Whenever, by any kind of misfortune,anyone is affected by something of a painful nature andthere is crying out, lamenting,making much noise for grief,making great lamentation,that, monk, is called lamentation.
"And what is pain ?Whatever bodily painful feeling,bodily unpleasant feeling,painful or unpleasant feelings results from bodily contact,that, monks, is called pain.
"And what is sadness ?Whatever, mental painful feeling,mental unpleasant feeling,painful or unpleasant sensation results from mental contact,that, monks, is called sadness.
"And what is distress ?Whenever, by anything kind of misfortune,anybody is affected by something of a painful nature,distress, great distress,affliction with distresswith great distress,that, monks, is called distress.
"And what, monks, is being attached to the unloved ?Here, whoever has unwanted,disliked, unpleasant sight-objects, sounds, smells,tastes, tangibles or mind-objects, orwhoever encounters ill-wishers,wishers of harm, of discomfort, of insecurity,with whom they have concourse, intercourse, connection, union,that, monks, is called being attached to the unloved.
"And what, monks, is being is separated from the loved ?Here, whoever has what is wanted,liked, pleasant sight-objects, sounds, smells,tastes, tangibles or mind-objects, orwhoever encounters well-wishers,wishers of good, of comfort, of security,like mother or father or brother or sister oryounger kinsmen of friends or colleagues or blood-relations,and then is deprived of such concourse, intercourse, connection, or union,that, monks, is called being separated from the loved.
"And what is not getting what one wants?In beings subject to birth, monks, this wish arises :"Oh, that we were not subject to birth, that we might not come to birth!"But this cannot be gained by wishing. That is not getting what one wants.In beings subject to aging, to disease, to death, to sorrow, lamentation,pain, sadness and distress, this wish arises :"Oh that were not subject to aging ... distress, that we might not come to see these things!"But this cannot be gained by wishing. That’s not getting what ones wants."
"And how, monks, in short, are the five aggregates of grasping suffering?They are as follows: The aggregate of grasping that is form,The aggregate of grasping that is feeling, The aggregate of grasping that is perception,The aggregate of grasping that is mental formations,The aggregate of grasping that is consciousness,These are, in short, the five aggregates of grasping are suffering.
And that, monks, is called the Noble Truth of Suffering.
19. "And what, monks, is the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering ?
It is the cravingwhich gives rise to rebirth, bound up with pleasure and lust, finding fresh delight now here, now there :
that is to say sensual craving, craving for existence, andcraving for non-existence.
"And where does this craving arise and establish itself?Whenever in the world there is anything agreeable and pleasurable, there this craving arises and establishes itself."
"And what is there in the world that is agreeable and pleasurable?The eye in the world is agreeable and pleasurable,the ear in the world is agreeable and pleasurable,the nose in the world is agreeable and pleasurable,the tongue in the world is agreeable and pleasurable,the body in the world is agreeable and pleasurable,the mind in the world is agreeable and pleasurable ,And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"Eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness,tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mind-consciousnessin the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is craving arises and establishes itself."
"Eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, mind-contact in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is craving arises and establishes itself."
"Feeling born of eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, mind-contact, in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is craving arises and establishes itself."
"The perception of sights, of sounds, of smells, of tastes, of tangibles, of mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"Volition in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"The craving in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"Thinking of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"Pondering of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
And that monks, is called the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering.
20. "And what, monks, is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering ?
It is the complete fading-away and extinction of this craving,its forsaking and abandonment,liberation from it,detachment from it.
And how does this craving come to be abandoned,how does its cessation come about?
"Wherever in the world there is anything that is agreeable and pleasurable,there its cessation comes about.
And what is there in the world that is agreeable and pleasurable ?
The eye, the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, the mind in the world is agreeable and pleasurable ,and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousnesss, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mind-consciousnesssin the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, mind-contact in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
The perception of sights, of sounds, of smells, of tastes, of tangibles, of mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Volition in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Craving in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Thinking in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Pondering in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable, and there is this craving comes to an end, there its cessation comes about."
And that, monks, is called the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering.
21. "And what, monks, is the Noble Truth of the Way of Practice Leading to the Cessation of Suffering ?
It is just this Noble Eightfold Path, namely : -Right View, Right Thought,Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood,Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.
"And what, monks, is Right View?It is, monks,the knowledge of suffering,the knowledge of the origin of suffering,the knowledge of the cessation of suffering, andthe knowledge of the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering.This is called the Right View.
"And what, monks, is Right Thought?the thought of renunciation,the thought of non-ill-will,the thought of harmlessness.This, monks, is called the Right Thought.
"And what, monks, is Right Speech?Refraining from lying,Refraining from slandering,Refraining from harsh speech,Refraining from frivolous speech.This is called the Right Speech.
"And what, monks, is Right Action?Refraining from taking life,Refraining from taking what is not given,Refraining from sexual misconduct,This is called the Right Action.
"And what, monks, is Right Livelihood?Here, monks, the Ariyan disciple,having given up the wrong livelihood,Keeps himself by the right livelihood.This is called the Right Livelihood.
"And what, monks, is Right Effort?Here, monks, a monk,arouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to prevent the arising of unarisen evil unwholesome mental states.
He arouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to overcome evil unwholesome mental states that have arisen.
He arouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to produce unarisen mental states.
He rouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to maintain wholesome mental states that have arisen,not let them fade away, to bring them to greater growth, to the full perfection of development.This is called the Right Effort.
"And what, monks, is Right Mindfulness?Here, monks, a monk abidescontemplating body as body, ardent, clearly aware and mindful,having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.
He abides contemplating feelings as feelings ardent, clearly aware and mindful,having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.
He abides contemplating mind as mind, ardent, clearly aware and mindful,having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.
He abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects, ardent, clearly aware and mindful,having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.This is called Right Mindfulness.
"And what, monks, is Right Concentration?Here, a monk, detached from sense-desires,detached from unwholesome mental states,enters and remains in the First Jhana,which is with thinking and pondering (initial application and sustained application),born of detachment, filled with delight and joy.
And with the subsiding of thinking and pondering,by gaining inner tranquillity and oneness of mind,enters and remains in the Second Jhana,which without thinking and pondering (initial application and sustained application),born of concentration, filled with delight and joy.
And with the fading away of delight,remaining imperturable,mindful and clearly aware,he experiences in himself the joy of which the Noble Ones say:"Happy is he who dwells with equanimity and mindfulness",he enters the Third Jhana.
And, having given up pleasure and pain, and with the disappearance of former gladness and sadness,he enters and remains in the Fourth Jhana, which is beyond pleasure and pain,and purified by equanimity and mindfulness.This is called Right Concentration.
And that, monks, is called the Way of Practice Leading to the Cessation of Suffering.
17."Again, monks, a monk abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objectsin respect of the Four Noble Truths.
How does he do so?
Here, a monk knows as it really is : "This is suffering" ;
He knows as it really is : "This is the origin of suffering" ;
He knows as it really is : "This is the cessation of suffering" ;
He knows as it really is : "This is the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering."
18. And what, monks, is the Noble Truth of Suffering ?
Birth is suffering,Aging is suffering,Death is suffering,Sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness and distress are suffering,Being attached to the unloved is suffering,Being separated from the loved is suffering,Not getting what one wants is suffering.In short, the five aggregates of grasping are suffering.
"And what, monks, is birth ?In whatever beings, of whatever groups of beings,there is birth, coming-to-be, coming forth,the appearance of the aggregates,the acquisition of the sense-bases,that, monks, is called birth.
"And what is aging ?In whatever beings, of whatever group of beings,there is aging, decrepitude, broken teeth,grey hair, wrinkled skin, shrinking with age, decay of the sense-faculties,that, monks, is called aging.
"And what is death ?In whatever beings, of whatever group of beings,there is passing away, a removal,a cutting-off of the aggregates, a discarding of the body,that, monks, is called death.
"And what is sorrow ?Whenever, by any kind of misfortune,anyone is affected by something of a painful nature,sorrow, mourning, distress,inward grief, inward woe,that, monks, is called sorrow.
"And what is lamentation ?Whenever, by any kind of misfortune,anyone is affected by something of a painful nature andthere is crying out, lamenting,making much noise for grief,making great lamentation,that, monk, is called lamentation.
"And what is pain ?Whatever bodily painful feeling,bodily unpleasant feeling,painful or unpleasant feelings results from bodily contact,that, monks, is called pain.
"And what is sadness ?Whatever, mental painful feeling,mental unpleasant feeling,painful or unpleasant sensation results from mental contact,that, monks, is called sadness.
"And what is distress ?Whenever, by anything kind of misfortune,anybody is affected by something of a painful nature,distress, great distress,affliction with distresswith great distress,that, monks, is called distress.
"And what, monks, is being attached to the unloved ?Here, whoever has unwanted,disliked, unpleasant sight-objects, sounds, smells,tastes, tangibles or mind-objects, orwhoever encounters ill-wishers,wishers of harm, of discomfort, of insecurity,with whom they have concourse, intercourse, connection, union,that, monks, is called being attached to the unloved.
"And what, monks, is being is separated from the loved ?Here, whoever has what is wanted,liked, pleasant sight-objects, sounds, smells,tastes, tangibles or mind-objects, orwhoever encounters well-wishers,wishers of good, of comfort, of security,like mother or father or brother or sister oryounger kinsmen of friends or colleagues or blood-relations,and then is deprived of such concourse, intercourse, connection, or union,that, monks, is called being separated from the loved.
"And what is not getting what one wants?In beings subject to birth, monks, this wish arises :"Oh, that we were not subject to birth, that we might not come to birth!"But this cannot be gained by wishing. That is not getting what one wants.In beings subject to aging, to disease, to death, to sorrow, lamentation,pain, sadness and distress, this wish arises :"Oh that were not subject to aging ... distress, that we might not come to see these things!"But this cannot be gained by wishing. That’s not getting what ones wants."
"And how, monks, in short, are the five aggregates of grasping suffering?They are as follows: The aggregate of grasping that is form,The aggregate of grasping that is feeling, The aggregate of grasping that is perception,The aggregate of grasping that is mental formations,The aggregate of grasping that is consciousness,These are, in short, the five aggregates of grasping are suffering.
And that, monks, is called the Noble Truth of Suffering.
19. "And what, monks, is the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering ?
It is the cravingwhich gives rise to rebirth, bound up with pleasure and lust, finding fresh delight now here, now there :
that is to say sensual craving, craving for existence, andcraving for non-existence.
"And where does this craving arise and establish itself?Whenever in the world there is anything agreeable and pleasurable, there this craving arises and establishes itself."
"And what is there in the world that is agreeable and pleasurable?The eye in the world is agreeable and pleasurable,the ear in the world is agreeable and pleasurable,the nose in the world is agreeable and pleasurable,the tongue in the world is agreeable and pleasurable,the body in the world is agreeable and pleasurable,the mind in the world is agreeable and pleasurable ,And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"Eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness,tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mind-consciousnessin the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is craving arises and establishes itself."
"Eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, mind-contact in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is craving arises and establishes itself."
"Feeling born of eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, mind-contact, in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is craving arises and establishes itself."
"The perception of sights, of sounds, of smells, of tastes, of tangibles, of mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"Volition in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"The craving in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"Thinking of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
"Pondering of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.And there is this craving arises and establishes itself."
And that monks, is called the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering.
20. "And what, monks, is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering ?
It is the complete fading-away and extinction of this craving,its forsaking and abandonment,liberation from it,detachment from it.
And how does this craving come to be abandoned,how does its cessation come about?
"Wherever in the world there is anything that is agreeable and pleasurable,there its cessation comes about.
And what is there in the world that is agreeable and pleasurable ?
The eye, the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, the mind in the world is agreeable and pleasurable ,and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousnesss, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mind-consciousnesssin the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, mind-contact in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
The perception of sights, of sounds, of smells, of tastes, of tangibles, of mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Volition in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Craving in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Thinking in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable.and there is this craving comes to be abandoned, there its cessation comes about."
Pondering in regard to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world is agreeable and pleasurable, and there is this craving comes to an end, there its cessation comes about."
And that, monks, is called the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering.
21. "And what, monks, is the Noble Truth of the Way of Practice Leading to the Cessation of Suffering ?
It is just this Noble Eightfold Path, namely : -Right View, Right Thought,Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood,Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.
"And what, monks, is Right View?It is, monks,the knowledge of suffering,the knowledge of the origin of suffering,the knowledge of the cessation of suffering, andthe knowledge of the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering.This is called the Right View.
"And what, monks, is Right Thought?the thought of renunciation,the thought of non-ill-will,the thought of harmlessness.This, monks, is called the Right Thought.
"And what, monks, is Right Speech?Refraining from lying,Refraining from slandering,Refraining from harsh speech,Refraining from frivolous speech.This is called the Right Speech.
"And what, monks, is Right Action?Refraining from taking life,Refraining from taking what is not given,Refraining from sexual misconduct,This is called the Right Action.
"And what, monks, is Right Livelihood?Here, monks, the Ariyan disciple,having given up the wrong livelihood,Keeps himself by the right livelihood.This is called the Right Livelihood.
"And what, monks, is Right Effort?Here, monks, a monk,arouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to prevent the arising of unarisen evil unwholesome mental states.
He arouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to overcome evil unwholesome mental states that have arisen.
He arouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to produce unarisen mental states.
He rouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to maintain wholesome mental states that have arisen,not let them fade away, to bring them to greater growth, to the full perfection of development.This is called the Right Effort.
"And what, monks, is Right Mindfulness?Here, monks, a monk abidescontemplating body as body, ardent, clearly aware and mindful,having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.
He abides contemplating feelings as feelings ardent, clearly aware and mindful,having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.
He abides contemplating mind as mind, ardent, clearly aware and mindful,having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.
He abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects, ardent, clearly aware and mindful,having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.This is called Right Mindfulness.
"And what, monks, is Right Concentration?Here, a monk, detached from sense-desires,detached from unwholesome mental states,enters and remains in the First Jhana,which is with thinking and pondering (initial application and sustained application),born of detachment, filled with delight and joy.
And with the subsiding of thinking and pondering,by gaining inner tranquillity and oneness of mind,enters and remains in the Second Jhana,which without thinking and pondering (initial application and sustained application),born of concentration, filled with delight and joy.
And with the fading away of delight,remaining imperturable,mindful and clearly aware,he experiences in himself the joy of which the Noble Ones say:"Happy is he who dwells with equanimity and mindfulness",he enters the Third Jhana.
And, having given up pleasure and pain, and with the disappearance of former gladness and sadness,he enters and remains in the Fourth Jhana, which is beyond pleasure and pain,and purified by equanimity and mindfulness.This is called Right Concentration.
And that, monks, is called the Way of Practice Leading to the Cessation of Suffering.
Labels: Four Noble truth, Mahasatipathana Sutta, Noble Eightfold Path, Sutta
