The Buddha explains the wrong way of practice as that which leads to the arising of suffering, and the right way of practice as that which leads to the end of suffering.
Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.
At Sāvatthi.
“micchāpaṭipadañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi sammāpaṭipadañca. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.
“Bhikkhus, I will teach you the |wrong way of practice::wrong course, wrong path of action [micchāpaṭipadā]| and the |right way of practice::correct course, right path of action [sammāpaṭipadā]|. Listen to it, pay close attention, and I will speak.”
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
“Yes, venerable sir,” the bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
“Katamā ca, bhikkhave, micchāpaṭipadā? Avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṁ; viññāṇapaccayā nāmarūpaṁ; nāmarūpapaccayā saḷāyatanaṁ; saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso; phassapaccayā vedanā; vedanāpaccayā taṇhā; taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ; upādānapaccayā bhavo; bhavapaccayā jāti; jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā sambhavanti. Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, micchāpaṭipadā.
“And what, bhikkhus, is the wrong way of practice? |Dependent on::contingent on, supported by, grounded on [paṭicca]| |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]|, bhikkhus, |intentional constructs::the constructive activity that shapes each moment of experience, expressed as bodily, verbal, and mental formations; the accumulated conditioning — patterns, tendencies, and habits — produced by prior action [saṅkhārā]| arise; dependent on intentional constructs, |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 [viññāṇa]| arises; dependent on consciousness, |name and form::combination of mental processes [intending, attention, contact, sensation, and perceiving] and physical form that constitute an individual being, the mental and physical objects of consciousness [nāmarūpa]| arise; dependent on name and form, the |six sense bases::the six internal sense faculties - eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind - that enable sensory experience [saḷāyatana]| arise; dependent on the six sense bases, |contact::sense impingement, raw experience, touch [phassa]| arises; dependent on contact, |felt experience::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, feeling, second of the five aggregates [vedanā]| arises; dependent on felt experience, |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇha]| arises; dependent on craving, |clinging::grasping, acquiring, appropriating, taking possession, identifying; fuel for fire; lit. taking near [upādāna]| arises; dependent on clinging, |existence::being, becoming; continued conditional existence, the karmically conditioned mode of being that leads to future rebirth [bhava]| arises; dependent on existence, |birth::rebirth, conception, coming into existence [jāti]| arises; dependent on birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise. Thus is the arising of this whole mass of suffering. This is called, bhikkhus, the wrong way of practice.
Katamā ca, bhikkhave, sammāpaṭipadā? Avijjāya tveva asesavirāganirodhā saṅkhāranirodho; saṅkhāranirodhā viññāṇanirodho; viññāṇanirodhā nāmarūpanirodho; nāmarūpanirodhā saḷāyatananirodho; saḷāyatananirodhā phassanirodho; phassanirodhā vedanānirodho; vedanānirodhā taṇhānirodho; taṇhānirodhā upādānanirodho; upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho; bhavanirodhā jātinirodho; jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā nirujjhanti. Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sammāpaṭipadā”ti.
“And what, bhikkhus, is the right way of practice? With the |complete fading away and ending::remainderless dispassion and cessation [asesavirāganirodha]| of ignorance comes the ending of intentional constructs; with the ending of intentional constructs comes the ending of consciousness; with the ending of consciousness comes the ending of name and form; with the ending of name and form comes the ending of the six sense bases; with the ending of the six sense bases comes the ending of contact; with the ending of contact comes the ending of felt experience; with the ending of felt experience comes the ending of craving; with the ending of craving comes the ending of clinging; with the ending of clinging comes the ending of existence; with the ending of existence comes the ending of birth; with the ending of birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair cease. Thus is the ending of this whole mass of suffering. This is called, bhikkhus, the right way of practice.”
At Sāvatthi.
“Bhikkhus, I will teach you the |wrong way of practice::wrong course, wrong path of action [micchāpaṭipadā]| and the |right way of practice::correct course, right path of action [sammāpaṭipadā]|. Listen to it, pay close attention, and I will speak.”
“Yes, venerable sir,” the bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
“And what, bhikkhus, is the wrong way of practice? |Dependent on::contingent on, supported by, grounded on [paṭicca]| |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]|, bhikkhus, |intentional constructs::the constructive activity that shapes each moment of experience, expressed as bodily, verbal, and mental formations; the accumulated conditioning — patterns, tendencies, and habits — produced by prior action [saṅkhārā]| arise; dependent on intentional constructs, |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 [viññāṇa]| arises; dependent on consciousness, |name and form::combination of mental processes [intending, attention, contact, sensation, and perceiving] and physical form that constitute an individual being, the mental and physical objects of consciousness [nāmarūpa]| arise; dependent on name and form, the |six sense bases::the six internal sense faculties - eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind - that enable sensory experience [saḷāyatana]| arise; dependent on the six sense bases, |contact::sense impingement, raw experience, touch [phassa]| arises; dependent on contact, |felt experience::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, feeling, second of the five aggregates [vedanā]| arises; dependent on felt experience, |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇha]| arises; dependent on craving, |clinging::grasping, acquiring, appropriating, taking possession, identifying; fuel for fire; lit. taking near [upādāna]| arises; dependent on clinging, |existence::being, becoming; continued conditional existence, the karmically conditioned mode of being that leads to future rebirth [bhava]| arises; dependent on existence, |birth::rebirth, conception, coming into existence [jāti]| arises; dependent on birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise. Thus is the arising of this whole mass of suffering. This is called, bhikkhus, the wrong way of practice.
“And what, bhikkhus, is the right way of practice? With the |complete fading away and ending::remainderless dispassion and cessation [asesavirāganirodha]| of ignorance comes the ending of intentional constructs; with the ending of intentional constructs comes the ending of consciousness; with the ending of consciousness comes the ending of name and form; with the ending of name and form comes the ending of the six sense bases; with the ending of the six sense bases comes the ending of contact; with the ending of contact comes the ending of felt experience; with the ending of felt experience comes the ending of craving; with the ending of craving comes the ending of clinging; with the ending of clinging comes the ending of existence; with the ending of existence comes the ending of birth; with the ending of birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair cease. Thus is the ending of this whole mass of suffering. This is called, bhikkhus, the right way of practice.”
Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.
“micchāpaṭipadañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi sammāpaṭipadañca. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
“Katamā ca, bhikkhave, micchāpaṭipadā? Avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṁ; viññāṇapaccayā nāmarūpaṁ; nāmarūpapaccayā saḷāyatanaṁ; saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso; phassapaccayā vedanā; vedanāpaccayā taṇhā; taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ; upādānapaccayā bhavo; bhavapaccayā jāti; jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā sambhavanti. Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, micchāpaṭipadā.
Katamā ca, bhikkhave, sammāpaṭipadā? Avijjāya tveva asesavirāganirodhā saṅkhāranirodho; saṅkhāranirodhā viññāṇanirodho; viññāṇanirodhā nāmarūpanirodho; nāmarūpanirodhā saḷāyatananirodho; saḷāyatananirodhā phassanirodho; phassanirodhā vedanānirodho; vedanānirodhā taṇhānirodho; taṇhānirodhā upādānanirodho; upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho; bhavanirodhā jātinirodho; jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā nirujjhanti. Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sammāpaṭipadā”ti.