SN45.8 — Vibhaṅgasutta

At Sāvatthi.

I will teach you the noble eightfold path and analyze it.

Listen to it, pay close attention, I will speak.

Yes, lord, the disciples replied to the Blessed One.

The Blessed One said:

And what is the noble eightfold path?

Namely: right view … etc. … right concentration.

And what is right view?

It is the knowing of suffering, the knowing of the origin of suffering, the knowing of the cessation of suffering, and the knowing of the path leading to the cessation of suffering:

this is called right view.

And what is right intention?

It is the intention of renunciation, the intention of non-ill will, the intention of harmlessness: this is called right intention.

And what is right speech?

It is abstaining from false speech, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from harsh speech, abstaining from idle chatter: this is called right speech.

And what is right action?

It is abstaining from taking life, abstaining from taking what is not given, abstaining from sexual misconduct: this is called right action.

And what is right livelihood?

Here a noble disciple, having abandoned wrong livelihood, earns his living by a right livelihood: this is called right livelihood.

And what is right effort?

Here a disciple generates desire, makes an effort, arouses energy, exerts his mind, and strives to prevent the arising of unarisen evil unwholesome states, to abandon arisen evil unwholesome states, to arouse unarisen wholesome states, and to maintain and bring to perfection arisen wholesome states: this is called right effort.

And what is right mindfulness?

Here 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, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world; he dwells contemplating mind in mind, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world; he dwells contemplating phenomena in phenomena, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world: this is called right mindfulness.

And what is right concentration?

Here a disciple, detached from sensual pleasures, detached from unwholesome states, enters and remains in the first jhāna, which includes applied thought, sustained thought, with joy and pleasure born of detachment.

With the stilling of applied and sustained thoughts, he enters and remains in the second jhāna, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without applied and sustained thought, and has joy and pleasure born of concentration.

With the fading away of joy, he remains equanimous, mindful, and fully aware, and experiences pleasure with the body, he enters and remains in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare, He is equanimous, mindful, dwelling in pleasure.

With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, he enters and remains in the fourth jhāna, which has neither pain nor pleasure and purity of mindfulness due to equanimity:

this is called right concentration.

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