MN141 — Saccavibhaṅga Sutta
Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was dwelling at Bārāṇasī, in the Deer Park at Isipatana. There, the Blessed One addressed the disciples:
Disciples.
Venerable Sir, those disciples replied to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
In Bārāṇasī, at the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Fully Enlightened One, has set in motion the unsurpassed Wheel of Dhamma, which cannot be stopped by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Mara or Brahma or anyone in the world, that is: the declaration, teaching, proclamation, establishment, revelation, explanation, and making it clear of the four noble truths.
Which four?
The declaration, teaching, proclamation, establishment, revelation, explanation, and making it clear of the noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of the origin of suffering, the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, and the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering.
The Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Fully Enlightened One, in Bārāṇasī, at the Deer Park at Isipatana, has set in motion the unsurpassed Wheel of Dhamma, which cannot be stopped by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Mara or Brahma or anyone in the world, that is: the declaration, teaching, proclamation, establishment, revelation, explanation, and making it clear of these four noble truths.
Associate with Sāriputta and Moggallāna;
Frequent Sāriputta and Moggallāna.
Wise disciples are supporters of their fellow disciples.
Just as a mother, so is Sāriputta; just as a bringer forth of those born, so is Moggallāna.
Sāriputta leads in the fruit of stream-entry, Moggallāna in the highest goal.
Sāriputta is capable of declaring, teaching, proclaiming, establishing, revealing, explaining, and making it clear the four noble truths in detail.
This is what the Blessed One said.
Having said this, the Well-Gone One, rising from his seat, entered the monastery.
Not long after the Blessed One had left, the Venerable Sāriputta addressed the disciples:
Friends, disciples.
Friend, those disciples replied to the Venerable Sāriputta.
The Venerable Sāriputta said this:
The Tathāgata, friend, the Arahant, the Fully Enlightened One, in Bārāṇasī, at the Deer Park at Isipatana, has set in motion the unsurpassed Wheel of Dhamma, which cannot be stopped by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Mara or Brahma or anyone in the world, that is: the declaration, teaching, proclamation, establishment, revelation, explanation, and making it clear of the four noble truths.
Which four?
The declaration, teaching, proclamation, establishment, revelation, explanation, and making it clear of the noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of the origin of suffering, the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, and the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering.
And what, friends, is the noble truth of suffering?
Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair are suffering, not to get what one wants is suffering; in short, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.
And what, friends, is birth?
For the various beings in the various orders of beings, their coming to birth, precipitation [in a womb], generation, manifestation of the aggregates, obtaining the bases for contact: this is called birth.
And what, friends, is aging?
For the various beings in the various orders of beings, their aging, decay, brokenness, graying, wrinkling, decline of life, weakening of the faculties: this is called aging.
And what, friends, is death?
For the various beings in the various orders of beings, their passing away, dissolution, disappearance, death, completion of time, the breaking up of the aggregates, the laying down of the body, the cutting off of the life faculty: this is called death.
And what, friends, is sorrow?
For one who has encountered some misfortune or is affected by some painful state, the sorrow, sorrowing, sorrowfulness, inner sorrow, inner woe: this is called sorrow.
And what, friends, is lamentation?
For one who has encountered some misfortune or is affected by some painful state, the wailing, lamentation, wailing and lamentation, lamenting: this is called lamentation.
And what, friends, is pain?
The physical pain, bodily pain, painful bodily feeling, painful, unpleasant feeling born of bodily contact: this is called pain.
Physical suffering is unpleasant, born of physical contact, felt as pain. This is called suffering. What, friends, is sadness? That mental suffering, unpleasant, born of mental contact, felt as pain, this is called sadness.
What, friends, is despair? For one afflicted by some misfortune, touched by some painful state, the distress, the despair, the state of being distressed, this is called despair.
What, friends, is the suffering of not getting what one wants? For beings subject to birth, the wish arises: Oh, that we were not subject to birth! That birth would not come to us. But this cannot be achieved by wishing. This too is called the suffering of not getting what one wants. For beings subject to aging, to sickness, to death, to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and despair, the wish arises: Oh, that we were not subject to these things! That these things would not come to us. But this cannot be achieved by wishing. This too is called the suffering of not getting what one wants.
What, friends, in brief, are the five aggregates subject to clinging that are suffering? Namely, the form aggregate subject to clinging, the feeling aggregate, the perception aggregate, the formations aggregate, the consciousness aggregate. These are called the five aggregates subject to clinging that are suffering. This is called the noble truth of suffering.
What, friends, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering? It is craving, which leads to rebirth, accompanied by delight and lust, finding delight here and there. This is called the noble truth of the origin of suffering.
What, friends, is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering? It is the remainderless fading and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, non-reliance on it. This is called the noble truth of the cessation of suffering.
What, friends, is the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering? It is this noble eightfold path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
What, friends, is right view? It is the knowing of suffering, the knowing of the origin of suffering, the knowing of the cessation of suffering, the knowing of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. This is called right view.
What, friends, is right intention? It is the intention of renunciation, the intention of non-ill will, the intention of non-harmfulness. This is called right intention.
What, friends, is right speech? Abstaining from false speech, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from harsh speech, abstaining from idle chatter. This is called right speech.
What, friends, is right action? Abstaining from taking life, abstaining from taking what is not given, abstaining from sexual misconduct. This is called right action.
What, friends, is right livelihood? Here, friends, a noble disciple, having abandoned wrong livelihood, earns his living by a right livelihood. This is called right livelihood.
What, friends, is right effort? Here, friends, a disciple generates desire for the non-arising of unarisen evil, unwholesome states; he exerts himself, arouses energy, applies his mind, and strives. He generates desire for the abandoning of arisen evil, unwholesome states; for the arising of unarisen wholesome states; for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, and fulfillment of arisen wholesome states. This is called right effort.
What, friends, is right mindfulness? Here, friends, a disciple dwells contemplating the body in the body, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He dwells contemplating feelings in feelings, mind in mind, and phenomena in phenomena, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. This is called right mindfulness.
What, friends, is right concentration? Here, friends, a disciple, detached from sensual pleasures, detached from unwholesome states, enters and remains in the first jhana, which includes directed thought and evaluation, as well as joy and pleasure born of detachment.
With the stilling of directed thoughts and evaluations, he enters and remains in the second jhana, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without directed thought and evaluation, and has joy and pleasure born of concentration.
... the third jhāna ...
having attained the fourth jhāna, dwells in it, this is called, friends: right concentration.
This is called, friends: the path leading to the cessation of suffering, the noble truth.
By the Tathagata, friends, the Arahant, the Fully Enlightened One, in the Deer Park at Isipatana near Varanasi, the supreme Wheel of Dhamma was set in motion, irreversible by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Mara or Brahma or anyone in the world, that is: the declaration, teaching, exposition, establishment, revelation, analysis, and elucidation of these four noble truths.
This was said by the venerable Sariputta.
The disciples were pleased and delighted in the venerable Sariputta's words.