15/05/2022
The Noble Eightfold Path
The Way to the End of Suffering
Right understanding (Samma ditthi)
1) Knowledge, bhikkhus, about Ill (dukkha),
2) knowledge about the coming to be of Ill (dukkha-samudaya), 3) knowledge about the cessation of Ill (dukkha-nirodha),
4) knowledge about the Way that leads to the cessation of Ill (dukkha-nirodha- gāminī paṭipadā)
Right thought (Samma sankappa)
1) The aspiration towards renunciation4 (nekkhamma-saṅkappa),
2) the aspiration towards benevolence (abyāpāda-saṅkappa),
3) the aspiration towards kindness (avihiṁsā-saṅkappa).
This is what is called right aspiration.
Right speech (Samma vaca)
1) Abstaining from lying (musāvāda),
2) [abstaining from] slander (pisuṇāvācā),
3) [abstaining from] abuse (pharusavācā)
4) [abstaining from] idle talk (samphappalāpa).
Right action (Samma kammanta)
1) Abstaining from taking life (pāṇātipāta),
2) [abstaining from] taking what is not given (adinnādāna),
3) [abstaining from] carnal indulgence (kāmesumicchācāra).
Right livelihood (Samma ajiva)
Put away wrong livelihood,
supports himself by right livelihood.
Right effort (Samma vayama)
1) Herein, O bhikkhus, a brother makes effort in bringing forth will that evil and bad states that have not arisen within him may not arise, to that end he stirs up energy, he grips and forces his mind.
2) That he may put away evil and bad states that have arisen within him he puts forth will, he makes effort, he stirs up energy, he grips and forces his mind.
3) That good states which have not arisen may arise he puts forth will, he makes effort, he stirs up energy, he grips and forces his mind.
4) That good states which have arisen may persist, may not grow blurred, may multiply, grow abundant, develop and come to perfection, he puts forth will, he makes effort, he stirs up energy, he grips and forces his mind.
Right mindfulness (Samma sati)
1) Herein, O bhikkhus, a brother, as to the body, continues so to look upon the body, that remains ardent, self-possessed and mindful, having overcome both the hankering and the dejection common in the world.
2) And in the same way as to feelings,
3) thoughts and
4) ideas,
he so looks upon each, that he remains ardent, self-possessed and mindful,
having overcome the hankering and the dejection that is common in the world.
Right concentration (Samma samadhi)
1) Herein, O bhikkhus, a brother, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna, wherein there is cogitation and deliberation, which is born of solitude and is full of joy and ease,
2) Suppressing cogitation and deliberation, he enters into and abides in the Second Jhāna, which is self-evoked, born of concentration, full of joy and ease, in that, set free from cogitation and deliberation, the mind grows calm and sure, dwelling on high.
3) And further, disenchanted with joy, he abides calmly contemplative while, mindful and self-possessed, he feels in his body that ease whereof Aryans declare “He that is calmly contemplative and aware, he dwelleth at ease.” So does he enter into and abide in the Third Jhāna.
4) And further, by putting aside ease and by putting aside malaise, by the passing away of the happiness and of the melancholy he used to feel, he enters into and abides in the Fourth Jhāna, rapture of utter purity of mindfulness and equanimity, wherein neither ease if felt nor any ill.
