The Fourth
Noble Truth: The Noble 8-fold Way ceases Suffering!!!
The blessed Buddha once said:
One should dwell reflecting on all phenomena as mental states in the light
of these
Four Noble Truths. How does one do so?
Here, one sees, understands, and knows this
as it verily and really is:
This is suffering!
Craving is causing all this suffering!
Absence of craving ceases all suffering!
This Noble 8-fold Way is the method to cease all suffering!
And what, bhikkhus & friends, is this Noble Truth
of the Way to Cease all Suffering?
It is just this Noble 8-fold Way, namely:
Right
View (sammā-ditthi)
Right Motivation (sammā-sankappa)
Right
Speech (sammā-vācā)
Right
Action (sammā-kammanta)
Right Livelihood (sammā-ājīva)
Right
Effort (sammā-vāyāma)
Right Awareness (sammā-sati)
Right
Concentration (sammā-samādhi)
And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right View?
It is, bhikkhus & friends, knowing such is suffering, such is the cause of suffering,
knowing such is the ceasing of suffering, and knowing such is the way leading to the
cessation of suffering. This
is called Right View...
And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Motivation?
Being motivated by withdrawal, by good-will, and being motivated by utter harmlessness.
This, bhikkhus & friends, is called Right Motivation...
And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Speech?
Refraining from any lying, from slandering, from scolding, & refraining from
empty gossip.
This is called Right Speech...
And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right
Action?
Refraining from all killing, from all stealing & cheating, and avoiding all sexual misconduct.
This is called Right Action...
And
what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Livelihood?
Here, bhikkhus & friends, the Noble Disciple, having given up wrong
livelihood, lives by
right livelihood. This is called Right Livelihood...
And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Effort?
Here, bhikkhus & friends, one makes a decision, makes an
effort, stirs up energy, exerts
the mind and strives to prevent the arising
of unarisen evil disadvantageous mental states.
One makes a decision...and strives
to overcome any evil disadvantageous mental state that
already have arisen. One makes a decision... and strives to develop unarisen
advantageous
mental states. One makes a decision, makes an effort, stirs up energy,
exerts the mind and
strives to
maintain any advantageous mental states that already have arisen, not letting
them fade
away, growing them greater, to the fulfilled perfection of
development.
This is called Right Effort...
And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Awareness?
Here, bhikkhus & friends, a monk dwells considering the body as a group of
mere form,
alert, clearly comprehending & aware, thereby putting aside worldly urge and
trouble...
One dwells considering feelings just as assigned passing mental responses,
alert, clearly
comprehending and aware, thereby putting aside much worldly urge and
troubles...
One dwells considering
mind & mentality just as ever changing moods, alert, clearly
comprehending and aware, thereby putting aside more worldly urge and
trouble...
One dwells considering all phenomena only as always shifting mental states,
alert,
clearly comprehending and aware, thereby putting aside all worldly urge &
trouble....
This is called Right Awareness...
And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right
Concentration?
Here, secluded from sensual desires,
protected from any detrimental mental state,
one enters & dwells in the 1st jhana; full of
Joy & pleasure born
of solitude, joined
with directed & sustained thought.
Again, with the stilling of directed & sustained thought, one enters &
dwells in the
2nd jhana, calmed and assured unification of mind, in
Joy &
pleasure now born of a
concentration, which is devoid of any thought!
Again, friends, with the fading away of joy, one dwells in equanimity, just
aware & clearly
comprehending, still feeling pleasure in the body, one enters upon & remains
in the 3rd jhana,
regarding which the Noble Ones declare: 'In aware
Equanimity one dwells in
pleasure!'
Again, friends, with the leaving behind of both pleasure and pain, & with
the prior fading
away of both Joy & sorrow, one enters & dwells in the 4th jhana;
a serene mental state of
still, open and clear awareness, purified by the
Equanimity of
neither-pain-nor-pleasure!
This is called Right Concentration...
And that, bhikkhus & friends, is called the Way leading all to the Ceasing of Suffering...
Further study on the Noble 8-fold Way:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Middle_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Fulfilled_First_.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Noble_8_fold_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/The_3-fold_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Failed_by_Neglect.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_Noble_8-Fold_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Fruits_of_the_Noble_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_4th_Noble_Truth_on_The_Way_to_Cease_Suffering.htm
Source (edited extract):
The Long Speeches of the Buddha. Digha Nikāya. Book II
[306-314]
Thread: The Foundations of Awareness.
Mahāsatipatthāna
Sutta
22.
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=251033
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/digha/index.html
