I
have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying at
Varanasi in the Deer Park at Isipatana. There he addressed the group
of five monks:
"There
are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has
gone forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with
reference to sensual objects: base, vulgar, common, ignoble,
unprofitable; and that which is devoted to self-affliction: painful,
ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of these extremes, the middle
way realized by the Tathagata [the Buddha] — producing vision,
producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding.
"And
what is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that — producing
vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge,
to self-awakening, to Unbinding? Precisely this Noble Eightfold Path:
right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
This is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that — producing
vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge,
to self-awakening, to Unbinding.
"Now
this, monks, is the noble truth of stress: Birth is stressful, aging
is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain,
distress, and despair are stressful; association with the disliked is
stressful, separation from the loved is stressful, not getting what
is wanted is stressful. In short, the five clinging-aggregates are
stressful.
"And
this, monks, is the noble truth of the origination of stress: the
craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion
and delight, relishing now here and now there — i.e., craving for
sensual pleasure, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming.
"And
this, monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of stress: the
remainderless fading and cessation, renunciation, relinquishment,
release, and letting go of that very craving.
"And
this, monks, is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the
cessation of stress: precisely this Noble Eightfold Path — right
view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood,
right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
"Vision
arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose,
illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard
before: 'This is the noble truth of stress.' Vision arose, insight
arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within
me with regard to things never heard before: 'This noble truth of
stress is to be comprehended.' Vision arose, insight arose,
discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with
regard to things never heard before:' This noble truth of stress has
been comprehended.'
"Vision
arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose,
illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard
before: 'This is the noble truth of the origination of stress'...
'This noble truth of the origination of stress is to be abandoned'...
'This noble truth of the origination of stress has been abandoned.'
"Vision
arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose,
illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard
before: 'This is the noble truth of the cessation of stress'... 'This
noble truth of the cessation of stress is to be directly
experienced'... 'This noble truth of the cessation of stress has been
directly experienced.'
"Vision
arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose,
illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard
before: 'This is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to
the cessation of stress'... 'This noble truth of the way of practice
leading to the cessation of stress is to be developed'... 'This noble
truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress has
been developed.'
"And,
monks, as long as this — my three-round, twelve-permutation
knowledge and vision concerning these four noble truths as they have
come to be — was not pure, I did not claim to have directly
awakened to the right self-awakening unexcelled in the cosmos with
its deities, Maras, and Brahmas, with its contemplatives and
brahmans, its royalty and commonfolk. But as soon as this — my
three-round, twelve-permutation knowledge and vision concerning these
four noble truths as they have come to be — was truly pure, then I
did claim to have directly awakened to the right self-awakening
unexcelled in the cosmos with its deities, Maras and Brahmas, with
its contemplatives and brahmans, its royalty and commonfolk.
Knowledge and vision arose in me: 'Unprovoked is my release. This is
the last birth. There is now no further becoming.'"
That
is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the group of five monks
delighted at his words. And while this explanation was being given,
there arose to Kondañña the dustless, stainless Dharma eye:
Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to cessation.
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