Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was staying in the Deer Park at Isipatana near Varanasi. There, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus.”
“Venerable sir,” the bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:
“At Varanasi, bhikkhus, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the |Tathāgata::one who has arrived at the truth, an epithet of a perfectly Awakened One [tathāgata]|, the |Arahant::a worthy one, an epithet of a fully awakened being [arahant]|, the perfectly Awakened One, set in motion the unsurpassed wheel of |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]|, which cannot be rolled back by any ascetic or brahmin, deity, |Māra::the ruler of the sensual realm, often depicted as a tempter who tries to obstruct beings from the path to liberation [māra]|, |Brahmā::God, the first deity to be born at the beginning of a new cosmic cycle and whose lifespan lasts for the entire cycle [brahmā]|, or anyone in the world—that is, the announcing, the pointing out, the describing, the putting forward, the revealing, the analysis, and the exposition of the Four Noble Truths. Of what four?
1) The announcing, the pointing out, the describing, the putting forward, the revealing, the analysis, and the exposition of the noble truth of |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]|; 2) the announcing, the pointing out, the describing, the putting forward, the revealing, the analysis, and the exposition of the noble truth of the |arising of suffering::source of stress, appearance of discomfort [dukkhasamudaya]|; 3) the announcing, ..., and the exposition of the noble truth of the |ending of suffering::ending of discontentment, cessation of distress [dukkhanirodha]|; 4) the announcing, ..., and the exposition of the |way of practice leading to the ending of suffering::i.e. the Noble Eightfold Path consisting of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right collectedness [dukkhanirodhagāmī]|.
At Varanasi, bhikkhus, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One, set in motion the unsurpassed wheel of Dhamma, which cannot be rolled back by any ascetic or brahmin, deity, Māra, Brahmā, or anyone in the world—that is, the announcing, the pointing out, the describing, the putting forward, the revealing, the analysis, and the exposition of these Four Noble Truths.
Associate with |Sāriputta::foremost disciple of the Buddha in great wisdom [sāriputta]| and |Moggallāna::foremost disciple of the Buddha in psychic power; lit. Moggallāna the great [moggallāna]|, bhikkhus; keep company with Sāriputta and Moggallāna. They are |wise::astute, intelligent, learned, skilled [paṇḍita]| bhikkhus who support their fellow spiritual practitioners. Bhikkhus, Sāriputta is like a mother, and Moggallāna is like one who brings up a child. Bhikkhus, Sāriputta |trains::instructs, educates, enjoins [vineti]| others to the fruit of entering the stream, and Moggallāna to the |ultimate goal::summum bonum; supreme goal; epithet of Nibbāna [uttamattha]|. Bhikkhus, Sāriputta is capable of explaining, teaching, describing, establishing, clarifying, analyzing, and fully expounding the Four Noble Truths in detail.”
The Blessed One said this. Having spoken thus, the Well-Gone One rose from his seat and entered his dwelling.
Then, not long after the Blessed One had departed, venerable Sāriputta addressed the bhikkhus: “Friends, bhikkhus!”
“Friend,” those bhikkhus replied to the venerable Sāriputta. The venerable Sāriputta said this:
“At Varanasi, friends, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the perfectly Awakened One, set in motion the unsurpassed wheel of Dhamma, which cannot be rolled back by any ascetic or brahmin, deity, Māra, Brahmā, or anyone in the world—that is, the announcing, the pointing out, the describing, the putting forward, the revealing, the analysis, and the exposition of the Four Noble Truths. Of what four?
1) The announcing, the pointing out, the describing, the putting forward, the revealing, the analysis, and the exposition of the noble truth of suffering; 2) the announcing, the pointing out, the describing, the putting forward, the revealing, the analysis, and the exposition of the noble truth of the arising of suffering; 3) the announcing, ..., and the exposition of the noble truth of the ending of suffering; 4) the announcing, ..., and the exposition of the way of practice leading to the ending 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 getting what one desires is suffering—concisely, the |five aggregates that are subject to clinging::the physical and mental heaps that are appropriated, grasped at, or taken as self; the fivefold collection of form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness bound up with attachment [pañca + upādānakkhandha]| are suffering.
And what, friends, is birth? The birth of the various beings into the various orders of beings, their arising, |descent [into the womb]::conception [okkanti]|, |production::becoming [abhinibbatti]|, appearance of the aggregates, and the acquisition of the sense bases — this, friends, is called birth.
And what, friends, is aging? Aging of the various beings in the various orders of beings is the growing old, deterioration, frailty, graying, wrinkling of the skin, decline of lifespan, and weakening of faculties — this, friends, is called aging.
And what, friends, is death? The passing away, dissolution, disintegration, the disappearance, dying, death, completion of time, the breaking up of the aggregates, the laying down of the body, the cutting off of the life faculty of various beings in the various orders of beings — this, friends, is called death.
And what, friends, is |sorrow::grief, sadness [soka]|? Whatever sorrow arises in one afflicted by some kind of misfortune, struck by some form of painful experience—the grief, the act of grieving, sadness, heartache, deep inner sorrow — this, friends, is called sorrow.
And what, friends, is |lamentation::wailing, crying [parideva]|? Whatever lamentation arises in one afflicted by some kind of misfortune, struck by some form of painful experience—the crying, the mourning, the lamenting, the wailing, the state of mourning and lamentation — this, friends, is called lamentation.
And what, friends, is |pain::unease, discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment [dukkha]|? Bodily discomfort, unease born of bodily contact, a disagreeable felt experience born of bodily contact — this, friends, is called pain.
And what, friends, is [mental] |distress::dejection, depression, unhappiness, grief, negative state of mind [domanassa]|? Mental pain, unease born of mental contact, a disagreeable felt experience born of mental contact — this, friends, is called distress.
And what, friends, is |despair::trouble, difficulty, affliction [upāyāsa]|? Whatever despair arises in one afflicted by some kind of misfortune, struck by some form of painful experience—the trouble, the despair, the affliction, the adversity — this, friends, is called despair.
And what, friends, is ‘not getting what one desires is suffering’? To beings subject to birth, friends, there comes the desire: ‘Oh, if only we were not subject to birth! That birth would not come to us!’ But such is not achievable by desire alone. This, friends, is called ‘not getting what one desires is suffering’. To beings subject to aging, friends, ... to beings subject to illness, friends, ... to beings subject to death, friends, ... to beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair, there comes the desire: ‘Oh, if only we were not subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair! That sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair would not come to us!’ But such is not achievable by desire alone. This too, friends, is called ‘not getting what one desires is suffering’.
And what, friends, concisely are the five aggregates that are subject to clinging and suffering? They are as follows: 1) The |form::materiality, material existence, experience of the material world, i.e. encompassing both one‘s body and external objects, whether near or far, gross or subtle, deficient or refined; first of the five aggregates [rūpa]| aggregate subject to clinging; 2) the |feeling::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, the felt experience, second of the five aggregates [vedanā]| aggregate subject to clinging, 3) the |perception::The mental process of recognizing and giving meaning to experience. It marks things by signs, labels, or associations drawn from memory and the field of contact. Perception shapes how one experiences the world; third of the five aggregates [sañña]| aggregate subject to clinging, 4) the |intentional constructs::intentions, volitions, choices; mental and bodily volitional activities; thought formations and constructed experiences (including proliferative tendencies); kamma-producing processes; fourth of the five aggregates [saṅkhāra]| aggregate subject to clinging, and 5) the |consciousness::quality of awareness — distinctive knowing that arises in dependence on the meeting of eye and form, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and taste, body and tangible object, mind and mind object; fifth of the five aggregates [viññāṇa]| aggregate subject to clinging. These, friends, concisely are the five aggregates that are subject to clinging and suffering. This, friends, is called the noble truth of suffering.
And what, friends, is the noble truth of the arising of suffering? It is this craving that leads to renewed |existence::continued conditional existence, the karmically conditioned mode of being that leads to future rebirth [bhava]|, accompanied by |delight::pleasure, enjoyment, relish [nandi]| and |passion::intense desire, strong emotion, infatuation, obsession, lust [rāga]|, i.e. |seeking delight here and there::thoroughly enjoying this and that [tatratatrābhinandī]|—namely, craving for sensual pleasure, |craving for becoming::craving for existence, craving for something to be [bhavataṇhā]|, and |craving for non-becoming::A craving to end suffering through erasure of current experience or identity, e.g. “This self is unbearable; I want out.” [vibhavataṇhā]| — this, friends, is called the noble truth of the arising of suffering.
And what, friends, is the noble truth of the ending of suffering? It is the |complete fading away and ending::remainderless dispassion and cessation [asesavirāganirodha]| of that very craving, giving up of it, |relinquishing of it::abandoning of it, complete giving up of it [paṭinissagga]|, freedom from it, and |non-reliance on::non-attachment to [anālaya]| it — this, friends, is called the noble truth of the ending of suffering.
And what, friends, is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the ending of suffering? It is this very Noble Eightfold Path, namely: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and |right collectedness::stability of mind, stillness of mind, mental composure [samādhi]|.
And what, friends, is right view? It is the |wisdom::insight, knowing [ñāṇa]| of suffering, the wisdom of the arising of suffering, the wisdom of the ending of suffering, and the wisdom of the way of practice leading to the ending of suffering — this, friends, is called right view.
And what, friends, is right intention? An |intention rooted in renunciation::thought related to giving up of sensual pleasure [nekkhammasaṅkappa]|, an |intention rooted in non-ill-will::thought related to benevolence, kindliness [abyāpādasaṅkappa]|, and an |intention rooted in not-harming::thought related to non-cruelty [avihiṃsāsaṅkappa]| — this, friends, is called right intention.
And what, friends, is right speech? Abstention from |false speech::lying, deliberately speaking falsehood [musāvāda]|, abstention from |divisive speech::defamatory words, slanderous speech, speech intended to create division [pisuṇāya + vācā]|, abstention from |harsh speech::speech that is rough, rude, or unkind [pharusa + vācā]|, abstention from |frivolous chatter::meaningless talk, gossip, idle speech [samphappalāpa]| — this, friends, is called right intention.
And what, friends, is right action? Abstention from |killing living beings::taking life, destruction of life [pāṇātipāta]|, abstention from |taking what is not given::theft, stealing, taking what is not offered [adinnādāna]|, abstention from |sexual misconduct::unchastity [abrahmacariya]| — this, friends, is called right action.
And what, friends, is right livelihood? Here, friends, a disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned wrong livelihood, earns a living by right livelihood — this, friends, is called right livelihood.
And what, friends, is right effort? 1) Here, friends, a bhikkhu produces |a wholesome motivation::an aspiration, a goal, an interest, an objective [chanda]|, |exerts effort::engages in intentional effort [vāyamati]|, |initiates and sustains energy::the initial spark of motivation and action along with the persistence needed to follow through, even as challenges arise [vīriya + ārabhati]|, |uplifts::befriends and holds it up [paggaṇhāti]| the mind, and strives to prevent the arising of unarisen |harmful::injurious, destructive, bad, or evil [pāpaka]| and |unwholesome::unhealthy, unskillful, unbeneficial, or karmically unprofitable [akusala]| qualities; 2) He produces a wholesome motivation, exerts effort, initiates and sustains energy, uplifts the mind, and strives for the |giving up::letting go, abandoning, removing [pahāna]| of arisen harmful and unwholesome qualities; 3) He produces a wholesome motivation, exerts effort, initiates and sustains energy, uplifts the mind, and strives for the |arising::appearance, coming into being [uppāda]| of unarisen |wholesome::healthy, beneficial, useful [kusala]| qualities; 4) He produces a wholesome motivation, exerts effort, initiates and sustains energy, uplifts the mind, and strives for the |stability::establishment, constancy, continuity [ṭhiti]| and |retention::non-confusion and non-decline [asammosa]|, |growth::further development, multiplication [bhiyyobhāva]| and |full development::expansion and maturity [vepulla]| of arisen wholesome qualities — this, friends, is called right effort.
And what, friends, is right mindfulness? 1) Here, friends, a bhikkhu dwells observing the body in and of itself, with continuous effort, fully aware and being present, having removed |craving and distress::greediness and dissatisfaction, wanting and unhappiness, craving and aversion [abhijjhā + domanassa]| with regard to the world; 2) he dwells observing the felt experience in and of itself, with continuous effort, fully aware and being present, having removed craving and distress with regard to the world; 3) he dwells observing the mind in and of itself, with continuous effort, fully aware and being present, having removed craving and distress with regard to the world; 4) he dwells observing the |mental qualities::characteristics, traits, and tendencies of the mind, shaped by repeated actions and sustained attention, guided by particular ways of understanding; they may be wholesome or unwholesome, bright or dark [dhammā]| in and of themselves, with continuous effort, fully aware and being present, having removed craving and distress with regard to the world — this, friends, is called right mindfulness.
And what, friends, is right collectedness? 1) Here, friends, a bhikkhu, quite secluded from sensual pleasures and unwholesome mental states, enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is |accompanied by reflection::with thinking [savitakka]| and |examination::with investigation, evaluation [savicāra]|, |born from seclusion::secluded from the defilements [vivekaja]|, and is |filled with joyful pleasure::imbued with joy and happiness, with delight and ease, sometimes experienced as an intense joy or pleasure, rapture [pītisukha]|; 2) with the |settling::calming, conciliation, subsiding [vūpasama]| of reflection and examination, the bhikkhu enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which is characterized by internal |tranquility::calming, settling, confidence [sampasādana]| and |unification::singleness, integration [ekodibhāva]| of mind, is without reflection and examination, |born from collectedness::born from a stable mind [samādhija]|, and is filled with joyful pleasure; 3) with the fading away of joyful pleasure, the bhikkhu dwells in a |state of equanimity::mental poised, mentally balanced, equanimous, non-reactive, disregarding [upekkhaka]|, |mindful and fully aware::attentive and completely comprehending [sata + sampajāna]|, experiencing |ease::comfort, contentedness, happiness, pleasure [sukha]| with the body. He enters and dwells in the third jhāna, which the Noble Ones describe as, ’one who dwells equanimous, mindful, and at ease;‘ 4) with the abandoning of ease and |discontentment::discomfort, unpleasantness, something unsatisfactory, stress [dukkha]|, and with the settling down of |joy and sorrow::craving and aversion, pleasure and displeasure, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, gladness and dejection, positive state of mind and negative state of mind [somanassadomanassa]|, the bhikkhu enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna, which is characterized by purification of mindfulness through |equanimity::mental poise, mental balance, equipoise, non-reactivity, composure [upekkhā]|, experiencing a feeling which is neither-painful-nor-pleasant — this, is called right collectedness.
This, friends, is called the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the ending of suffering.
Friends, at Varanasi, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the perfectly Awakened One, set in motion the unsurpassed wheel of Dhamma, which cannot be rolled back by any ascetic or brahmin, deity, Māra, Brahmā, or anyone in the world—that is, the announcing, the pointing out, the describing, the putting forward, the revealing, the analysis, and the exposition of these four noble truths.”
This was said by the venerable Sāriputta. The bhikkhus rejoiced in and approved of venerable Sāriputta’s words.