Discourse
on the Analysis of the Truths
(Saccavibhanga Sutta) (1)
Thus have
I heard:
On one occasion
the Blessed One was living in the Deer Park at Isipatana (the
Resort of Saints) near Varanasi (Benares). Then he addressed
the monks saying: 'O Monks'. 'Venerable Sir', replied those
monks in assent to the Blessed One. Thereupon he said:
'The matchless
Wheel of Dhamma set in motion by the Tathagata (2),
the Consummate One, the supremely Enlightened One, in the Deer
Park at Isipatana near Varanasi, cannot be set in motion by
a recluse or brahmana or Deva or Mara or Brahma or by anyone
in the world. That is to say, it was a proclamation of the Four
Noble Truths, by way of teaching, laying down, establishing,
opening up, analysing and elucidating them.
Of what
four: It was a proclamation of the Noble Truth of suffering
(Dukkha), by way of teaching
..(as before) and elucidating
it; of the Noble Truth of the arising (cause) of suffering
..of
the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering
..of the
Noble Truth of the Path leading to the cessation of suffering.
This matchless Wheel of Dhamma, monks, set in motion by the
Tathagata, the Consummate One, the supremely Enlightened One,
in the Deer Park at Isipatana near Varanasi, cannot be set in
motion by a recluse
..or by anyone in the world. That is
to say, it was a proclamation of the Four Noble Truths, by way
of teaching, laying down, establishing, opening up, analysing
and elucidating them.'
'Monks,
follow Sariputta and Moggallana; associate with Sariputta and
Moggallana. Wise monks do help (materially and spiritually)
those who live the holy life. Monks, Sariputta is like unto
a mother, Moggallana is like unto a foster-mother to a child.
Sariputta, monks, trains (beings) in the path (3)
of stream-attainment. Moggallana in the highest goal (Arahantship)
(4). Sariputta, monks, is able to proclaim,
teach, lay down, establish, open up, analyse and elucidate the
Four Noble Truths.'
This the
Blessed One said, and having said so, the Welcome Being (suggata)
(5) rose from his seat and entered (his)
abode. Not long after the Blessed One had departed, the Venerable
Sariputta addressed the monks, saying: 'Reverend friends'. 'Your
reverence', the monks replied the Venerable Sariputta in assent.
This the
Venerable Sariputta said:
'Your reverence,
the matchless Wheel of Dhamma set in motion by the Tathagata,
the Consummate One, the supremely Enlightened One, in the Deer
Park, at Isipatana near Varanasi, cannot be set in motion by
a recluse or brahmana
..(as before) in the world. That
is to say, it was a proclamation of the Four Noble Truths, by
way of teaching, laying down, establishing, opening up, analysing
and elucidating them.
Of what
four? It was a proclamation of the Noble Truth of suffering
(Dukkha) by way of teaching
..elucidating it; of
the Noble Truth of the arising of suffering.
.of the Noble
Truth of the cessation of suffering
..of the Noble Truth
of the Path leading to the cessation of suffering.
What, your
reverence, is the Noble Truth of suffering? Birth is suffering;
ageing is suffering; death is suffering; grief, lamentation,
bodily pain, mental pain and despair are suffering; not getting
what one desires, that too is suffering: In brief the five aggregates
subject to grasping are suffering.
What is
birth? It is the birth of beings in the various classes (planes)
of beings; the production, their conception, coming into existence
(re-birth), the appearance of the aggregates, acquiring of the
sense-bases. This is called birth.
What is
ageing? It is the ageing of beings in the various classes of
beings, their decay, broken teeth, graying hair, wrinkled skin,
the dwindling of the life-span, the wearing out of the sense-organs.
This is called ageing.
What is
death? It is the passing away of beings in the various classes
of beings; the falling away, the breaking up, the disappearance,
the death, making end of life, the breaking up of the aggregates,
the laying down of the body. This is called death.
What is
grief? It is the grief, sorrow, sorrowfulness, the state of
being sorry, inward sorrow, inward intense sorrow visited by
some calamity or other, smitten by some kind of ill or other.
This is called grief.
What is
lamentation? It is the crying, the wailing, the act of crying,
the act of wailing, the state of crying, the state of wailing
of one visited by some calamity or other, smitten by some kind
of ill or other. This is called lamentation.
What is
suffering? It is bodily suffering, bodily unpleasantness, the
painful and unpleasant feeling produced by bodily contact. This
is called suffering.
What is
misery? It is mental suffering, unpleasantness, the painful
and unpleasant feeling produced by mental contact. This is called
misery.
What is
despair? It is despondency, despair, the state of despondency,
the state of despair of one visited by some calamity or other.
This is called despair.
What is
meant by not getting what one desires, that too is suffering?
To beings subject to birth there comes desire: "O might
we not be subject to birth, and birth not come to us."
But this cannot be attained by mere desiring. So not getting
what one desires, that too, is suffering. To beings subject
to ageing there comes the desire: "O might we not be subject
to ageing, and ageing not come to us
.." (as before).
To beings subject to disease there comes the desire: "O
might we not be subject to disease and disease not come to us
.."
To beings subject to death there comes the desire: "O might
we not be subject to death and death not come to us
.."
To beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, misery
and despair there comes the desire: "O might we not be
subject to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, misery and despair,
and sorrow, lamentation, suffering, misery and despair not come
to us." But this cannot be attained by merely desiring.
So not getting what one desires that too is suffering.
What, in
brief, are the five aggregates subject to grasping that are
suffering? These are the aggregate of matter subject to grasping,
the aggregate of feeling
., the aggregate of perception
..,
the aggregate of mental (volitional) formations
.., the
aggregate of consciousness subject to grasping. These are called,
in brief, the five aggregates subject to grasping that are suffering.
This is called the Noble Truth of suffering.
What is
the Noble Truth of the arising of suffering? It is this craving
which produces re-becoming (re-birth) accompanied by passionate
greed, and finding delight now here now there, namely the craving
for sense pleasures, craving for existence and craving for non-existence
(self-annihilation). This is called the Noble Truth of the arising
of suffering.
What is
the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering? It is the complete
cessation of that very craving, giving it up, relinquishing
it, liberating oneself from it, and detaching oneself from it.
This is called the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering.
And what
is the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the cessation of suffering?
It is this Noble Eightfold Path itself, namely: right understanding,
right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood,
right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
What is
right understanding? It is this knowledge of suffering, knowledge
of the arising of suffering, knowledge of the cessation of suffering,
knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of suffering
- this is called right understanding.
What is
right thought? Thought of renunciation, thought of goodwill,
thought of not harming - this is called right thought.
What is
right speech? Abstention from false speech, abstention from
tale-bearing, abstention from harsh (abusive) speech, abstention
from idle chatter (gossip), this is called right speech.
What is
right action? Abstention from killing, abstention from stealing,
abstention from illicit sexual indulgence, this is called right
action.
What is
right livelihood? Herein (in this dispensation) the ariyan disciple
avoiding wrong livelihood, makes his living by right livelihood,
this is called right livelihood.
What is
right effort? Herein a monk puts forth will, strives, stirs
up energy, strengthens his mind, exerts himself to prevent the
arising of evil, of unwholesome thoughts that have not yet arisen;
puts forth will
..(as before) to banish the evil, unwholesome
thoughts that have already arisen; puts forth will
..to
develop wholesome thoughts that have not yet arisen; and puts
forth will, strives, stirs up energy, strengthens his mind,
exerts himself to maintain, to preserve, increase, to bring
them to maturity, development, and to complete the wholesome
thoughts that have arisen. This is called right effort.
What is
right mindfulness? Herein a monk lives practicing body contemplation
on the body, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful (of it),
having overcome covetousness and dejection concerning the world
(of the body).
He lives
practicing feeling-contemplation on the feelings, ardent, clearly
comprehending and mindful (of it) having overcome covetousness
and dejection concerning the world (of feelings).
He lives
practicing mind-contemplation on the mind, ardent, clearly comprehending
and mindful (of it) having overcome covetousness and dejection
concerning the world (of the mind).
He lives
practicing mind-object contemplation on the mind objects, ardent,
clearly comprehending and mindful (of it) having overcome covetousness
and dejection concerning the world (of mental objects). This
is called right mindfulness.
And what
is right concentration? Herein a monk aloof from sense desires,
aloof from unwholesome thoughts, attains to and abides in the
first meditative absorption (Jhana) which is detachment-born
and accompanied by applied thought, sustained thought, joy and
bliss.
By allaying
applied and sustained thought he attains to, and abides in the
second Jhana which is inner tranquility, which is unification
(of the mind), devoid of applied and sustained thought, and
which has joy and bliss.
By detachment
from joy he dwells in equanimity, mindful and with clear comprehension
and enjoys bliss in body, and attains to and abides in the third
Jhana which the noble ones (Ariyas) call: "Dwelling
in equanimity, mindfulness and bliss".
By giving
up of bliss and suffering, by the disappearance already of joy
and sorrow, he attains to, and abides in the fourth Jhana,
which is neither suffering nor bliss, and which is the purity
of equanimity-mindfulness. This is called right concentration.
This is
called the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the cessation
of suffering.'
'Your reverence,
the matchless Wheel of Dhamma set in motion by the Tathagata,
the Consumate One, the supremely Enlightened One, in the Deer
Park, at Isipatana near Varanasi, cannot be set in motion by
a recluse or brahmana or deva or Brahma or by anyone in the
world. That is to say, it was a proclamation of the Four Noble
Truths, by way of teaching, laying down, establishing, opening
up, analysing and elucidating them.'
This the
Venerable Sariputta said.
Those monks
glad at heart rejoiced at the words of the Venerable Sariputta.
NOTES:
1. M.
141.
2. See Sutta 17, comment 3.
3. Literally 'fruit', 'sotapatti phale'.
4. To train in the path of stream-attainment is more difficult
than to train in the path of arahantship for the reason that
in the former case one has to deal with undeveloped beings,
and in the latter case with those who are already developed,
and who are, by virtue of their development, not destined to
fall back.
5. This is another epithet of the Buddha.