English
When, friend, a noble disciple understands consciousness, and understands the origin of consciousness, and understands the cessation of consciousness, and understands the practice leading to the cessation of consciousness – to this extent, friend, a noble disciple has right view, his view is straight, he is endowed with unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, he has come to this true Dhamma. But what, friend, is consciousness? What is the origin of consciousness? What is the cessation of consciousness? What is the practice leading to the cessation of consciousness? These six, friend, are classes of consciousness: eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mind-consciousness. From the origin of volitional formations, there is the origin of consciousness. From the cessation of volitional formations, there is the cessation of consciousness. This very Noble Eightfold Path is the practice leading to the cessation of consciousness, that is to say – right view…and so on…right concentration. “When, friend, a noble disciple thus understands consciousness, thus understands the origin of consciousness, thus understands the cessation of consciousness, thus understands the practice leading to the cessation of consciousness, he, having entirely abandoned the underlying tendency of lust…and so on… becomes one who makes an end of suffering. To this extent, friend, a noble disciple has right view, his view is straight, he is endowed with unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, he has come has come to this True Dhamma.” 102. “Good, friend,” they said…pe… they asked, “Is it possible, friend…pe… “It is possible, friend. When, friend, a noble disciple understands formations, understands the origin of formations, understands the cessation of formations, and understands the path leading to the cessation of formations—to this extent, friend, a noble disciple is one of right view, their view is straightened, they are endowed with unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, they have come to this True Dhamma. And what, friend, are formations? What is the origin of formations? What is the cessation of formations? What is the path leading to the cessation of formations? There are these three formations, friend: bodily formation, verbal formation, mental formation. With the origin of ignorance is the origin of formations; with the cessation of ignorance is the cessation of formations; this Noble Eightfold Path itself is the path leading to the cessation of formations, namely: right view…pe… right concentration. “When, friend, a noble disciple thus understands formations, thus understands the origin of formations, thus understands the cessation of formations, thus understands the path leading to the cessation of formations, then, having entirely abandoned the underlying tendency of lust, having dispelled the underlying tendency of aversion, having uprooted the underlying tendency of the conceit ‘I am,’ having abandoned ignorance and generated knowledge, they are an ender of suffering in this very life—to this extent, friend, a noble disciple is one of right view, their view is straightened, they are endowed with unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, they have come to this True Dhamma.” 103. “Good, friend,” they said…pe… they asked, “Is it possible, friend…pe… “It is possible, friend. When, friend, a noble disciple understands ignorance, understands the origin of ignorance, understands the cessation of ignorance, and understands the path leading to the cessation of ignorance—to this extent, friend, a noble disciple is one of right view, their view is straightened, they are endowed with unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, they have come to this True Dhamma. And what, friend, is ignorance? What What is ignorance? What is the origin of ignorance? What is the cessation of ignorance? What is the path leading to the cessation of ignorance? Friends, the not knowing of suffering, the not knowing of the origin of suffering, the not knowing of the cessation of suffering, the not knowing of the path leading to the cessation of suffering – this, friends, is called ignorance. With the origin of the taints, there is the origin of ignorance. With the cessation of the taints, there is the cessation of ignorance. This Noble Eightfold Path itself is the path leading to the cessation of ignorance, that is to say: Right View… Right Concentration. Friends, when a noble disciple thus understands ignorance, thus understands the origin of ignorance, thus understands the cessation of ignorance, thus understands the path leading to the cessation of ignorance, then, having entirely abandoned the underlying tendency to lust, having dispelled the underlying tendency to aversion, having uprooted the underlying tendency to the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and generated knowledge, he makes an end of suffering in this very life. To this extent, friends, a noble disciple is one of right view, his view is straightened, he is endowed with unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, he has entered this True Dhamma. “Good, friend,” those bhikkhus, having delighted in and approved of the Venerable Sāriputta’s words, asked the Venerable Sāriputta a further question: “Is there, friend, another way whereby a noble disciple is one of right view, his view is straightened, he is endowed with unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, he has entered this True Dhamma?” “There is, friends. Friends, when a noble disciple understands the taints, understands the origin of the taints, understands the cessation of the taints, understands the path leading to the cessation of the taints – to this extent, friends, a noble disciple is one of right view, his view is straightened, he is endowed with unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, he has entered this True Dhamma. But what, friends, are the taints? What is the origin of the taints? What is the cessation of the taints? What is the path leading to the cessation of the taints? There are these three taints, friends: the taint of sensual desire, the taint of becoming, the taint of ignorance.” From the arising of ignorance, there is the arising of the taints. From the cessation of ignorance, there is the cessation of the taints. This Noble Eightfold Path is the practice leading to the cessation of the taints, namely: Right View… Right Concentration. “When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands the taints, thus understands the origin of the taints, thus understands the cessation of the taints, thus understands the practice leading to the cessation of the taints, then, having entirely abandoned the underlying tendency of lust, having dispelled the underlying tendency of aversion, having uprooted the underlying tendency of the view and conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and generated knowledge, he makes an end of suffering in this very life. To this extent, friends, a noble disciple has Right View, his view is straight, he is endowed with unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, he has entered this True Dhamma.” Venerable Sāriputta said this. Those bhikkhus were delighted and rejoiced in the venerable Sāriputta’s words. The Discourse on Right View, the ninth, is finished. [After this, in some manuscripts, these verses are also seen: Suffering, old age-and-death, clinging, the six sense-bases, name-and-form, consciousness, that which is beyond. What, friends, are the terms? What are birth, craving, and feeling? The fourfold method of ignorance. What are the four beyond? What, friends, are the terms? Nutrition, becoming, contact, volitional formations, the fifth being the taints. What are the five beyond? What, friends, are the terms? What is said to be sixfold? What are the fourfold? What is said to be fivefold? The fivefold method terms of all single enumerations.] 10. The Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness 105. Thus have I heard: On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Kurus, at Kammāsadhamma, a market town of the Kurus. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: “Bhikkhus!” “Venerable sir!” the bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One spoke thus: Summary 106. “This is the direct path, bhikkhus, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the passing beyond suffering for the fading away of sorrow and lamentation, for the overcoming of pain and displeasure, for the attainment of the method, for the realization of Nibbāna, namely, these four foundations of mindfulness. “Which four? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu dwells contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, removing covetousness and displeasure in the world; he dwells contemplating feelings in feelings, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, removing covetousness and displeasure in the world; he dwells contemplating mind in mind, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, removing covetousness and displeasure in the world; he dwells contemplating phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, removing covetousness and displeasure in the world. The summary is finished. Contemplation of the Body: The Section on Breathing 107. “And how, bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu dwell contemplating the body in the body? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, having gone to the forest, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, sits down, having folded his legs crosswise, set his body erect, and established mindfulness in front of him. Mindful, he breathes in; mindful, he breathes out. Breathing in a long breath, he knows: ‘I breathe in a long breath’; breathing out a long breath, he knows: ‘I breathe out a long breath.’ Breathing in a short breath, he knows: ‘I breathe in a short breath’; breathing out a short breath, he knows: ‘I breathe out a short breath.’ He trains himself: ‘I shall breathe in experiencing the whole body’; he trains himself: ‘I shall breathe out experiencing the whole body.