DHAMMACAKKAPAVATTANA SUTTA.
The First Sermon Delivered by the Buddha to Five Ascetics.
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa.
Vaneration to the Blessed One, The Holy One, The All Enlightened One,
Bhikkhunam Pancavagginam Isipatana Namake Migadhaye Dhammavaram YamTam Nibbana Papakam Sahanpati Namakena Maha Brahmena Yacito Catusaccam Pakasanto Loka natho Adesayi Nanditam Sabhadevehi Sabba Sampatti Sadakam Sabbaloka hitatthaya Dhammacakkam Bhanama He.
At the humble request of the noble Sahampati Brahmana the Lord Buddha kindly consented to preach the Dhammackkapavattana Sutta for the realisation of Nibbana to the five ascetics, namely Kondanna, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama and Assaji at the Isipatana
Deer Park of Benares. Let all of us, therefore, join together and recite this sacred dhamma for the welfare of the mundane and supramundane worlds, delighting all the deities.
1. Evam me sutam Ekam samayam Bhagava Baranasiyam viharati Isipatane Migadaye Tatra kho Bhagava pancavaggiye bhikkhu amantesi
Thus have I heard ; At one time the Lord Buddha dwell at the Isipatana Dear Park in Benares. There the Lord Buddha addressed
the five ascetics.
2. Dveme bhikkhave anta pabbajitena na sevittabba Katame dve Yo cayan kamesu kamasukhalikanuyogo hinogammo puthujjaniko anariyo anatthasamhito. Yo cayam attakilamathanuyogo dukkho anariyo
annattasanihito.
Bhikkhu ! Any one, who is a bhikkhu is not supposed to have recourse to these two extremes.What are these two extremes?
(1) It is kamasukhaleikanuyoga (extrimism of self-gratification or self-indulgence in sensory pleasures) due to canda and raga (sensual desire and lust) which are the evil practices of ignorant villagers, and bad habits of puthujjana (ordinary worldings) and not the good assets of ariya (noble persons), nor is it
conducive to the common welfare.
(2) Attakhilamathanuyogo (extremism of self-mortification or self-torture) such as sitting or sleeping on thorns, stakes etc. , which are the most painful practices of anariya (ignoble per
sons), not conducive to common welfare.
(3) Ete kho bhikkhave ubho ante anupakamma majjhima patipada Tathagatena abhisambuddha cakkhukarani nanakarani uppasamaya abhinnaya sambhodaya nibbanaya samvattati. Katama ca sa bhikkhave majjhima patipada tathagatena abhisambuddha cakkhukarani nanakarani uppasamaya abhinnaya sambhokaya nibbanaya samvattati.
Ayam eva ariyo atthangiko maggo. Seyyathidam Sammaditthi sammasankappo sammavaca sammakammanto sammaajivo sammavayamo
sammasati sammasamadhi.
Ayam kho sa bhikkhave majjhima patipada Tathagatena abhisam-buddha cakkhukarani nanakarani uppasamaya abhinnaya sambhokhaya
nibbanaa samvattati.
Bhikkhu ! Avoiding these two evils, I have discovered a middle way for development of insight, i.e., the eye of intuitive knowledge to envision the four noble truths or to comprehend the four noble truths. It is the middle way which lies in between the two evils of extremism. It is the best practical method for those desirous of escape from the rounds of samsara. It is the best practical method for realisation of saupadisesa nibbana, i.e. ., cessation of kilesa (defilements) or for insight or intuitive knowledge of four noble truths or for attainment of supreme enlightenment,
called anupadisesa nibbanna.
Bhikkhu! What is this middle way? It is the noble eightfold path, namely (1) right view; (2) right aim; (3) right speech; (4) right action; (5) right living; (6) right effort; (7) right mindfulness;
and (8) right concentration.
Bhikkhu! This eightfold noble path, the middle way, is for development of insight, i.e., the eye of intuitive knowledge to envision the four noble truths, or to comprehend the four noble truths and realize saupadiseas nibbana, which is the cessation of kilesa defilements, as well as the supreme enlightenment of
anupadisesa nibbana.
4. Idam kho pana bukkhave dukkam ariyasaccam. Jati pi dukkha jara pi dukkha vyatti pi dukkha maranam pi dukkham appiyehi sampayogodukkho piyehivippayogo dukkho. yam piccham na labhati tam pi dukkham, samkhittena pancupadanakkhandha dukkha.
Bhikkhu! Jati (rebirth) is suffering; jara (old age or decay) is suffering; vyadhi (disease) is suffering; marana (death) is suffering; association with those whom we unlike is suffering; separation from those whom we like is suffering; not getting what we want is suffering; getting; what we do not want is suffering; and in short, the pancakkhandna (five psychophysical aggregates) are
suffering. These are called Ariya Dukkha Sacca (the noble truth
of suffering)
5. Idam kho pana bhikkhave dukkam samudayam ariyasaccam. Yayam tahna ponobbhavika nandi raga thahagata tatra tatra binandim.
Seyyathidam Kamatahna bhavatahna vibhavatahna.
Bhikkhu! It is tahna (craving) which is also called loba (greed) that be gets new birth or rebirth. This tahna (craving) is very fond of new life or rebirth; it delights in new existence (life) what is this thana? It is kamatahna (craving for sensory pleasures); it is bhavatahna (craving for eternal life or eternal existence) motivated by sasata ditthi (eternalist wrong view); and it is vi-bhavatahna (craving for self annihilation or craving for non-existence) motivated by uccedha ditthi (annihilationist wrong view). These are called Ariya Samudaya Sacca (the noble
truth of the cause of suffering)
6. Idam kho pana bhikkhave dukkhanirodham ariyasaccam. Yo tassa yeva tahnaya asesa viraga nirodho cago patinissaggo mutti analayo. Bhikkhu! There is such state as cessation of this tahna or lobha (craving or greed) for sensual pleasures etc., This state of complete cessation is nibbana where suffering of all kinds ceases.
It is, therefore, called Ariya Dukkha Nirodha Sacca (the noble truth of the cessation of suffering), that is nibbana.
7. Idam kho pana bhikkhave dukkhanirodhagamini patipada ariyasaccam.Ayamayva ariyo atthingiko maggo. Seyyathidam Sammaditthi sammasankappo sammavaca sammakammanto sammaajjivo sammavayamo samma
sati sammasamadhi.
Bhikkhu! This ariya magga (noble path) is eightfold as described above. It leads to nibbana where suffering of all kinds comes to an end.What is this noble path? (1) Right view; (2) right aim; (3) right speech; (4) right action; (5) right living; (6) right effort; (7) right mindfulness; and (8) right concentration.It is, therefore, called Ariya Dukkha Nirodhagamini patipada sacca (the noble truth of the path to extinction of suffering).
8. Idam dukkham ariyasaccan ti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udabadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! With the exception of tahna (craving),all dhamma(i.e.all the phenomena of the three planes of existence) are called the noble truth of suffering. Thus, there arises in me now cakkhum (the eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of suffering; there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend the truth of suffering; there arises vijja (knowledge of fourfold noble truth) to realize the truth of suffering, and there arises aloko(enlightement) throwing light on the truth of suffering and destroying the darkness of
moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
(9) Tam kho panidam dukkham ariyasaccam parinneyan ti me bhikhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! This noble truth of suffering is to be understood
analytically, viz. , this is dukkha (suffering); this dukkha is so much only, no more, no less. Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (the eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of suffering; there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend the truth of suffering; there arises vijja (knowledge of fourfold noble truth) to realize the truth of suffering; and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on the truth of suffering and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
10. Tam kho panidam dukkham ariyassaccam parinnetanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna
udapadi vijji udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! This noble truth of suffering should have been understood analytically like this; “This is the suffering; this suffering is so much only, neither more nor less.” There arises in me now cakkhum (the eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of suffering; there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend jati (rebirth) etc., as truth of suffering; there arises vijja (knowledge of fourfold noble truth) to realize the truth of suffering; and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on the truth of suffering and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
11. Idam dukkha samudayam ariyasaccanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! The said tahna (craving) which is also called loba (greed) is the noble truth of the cause of suffering. Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend that this tahna (craving) is only one, in the main, which is, however, divided into three, namely, (1) kama tahna (craving for sensory pleasure), (2) Bhava tahna (craving for eternal life eternal existence), and (3) vibhava tahna (craving for self-annihilation or craving for non-existence). These three, when multiplied by six such as (1) rupa tahna (craving for visible object or form); (2) sadda tanha (craving for audible object or sound); (3) gandha tanha (craving for odorous object); (4)rasa tanha (craving for sapid object or taste); (5) photthabba tanha (craving for tangible object or bodily impression); and (6) dhamma tanha (craving for ideational object or mental impression), become 18; which, when multiplied by 2, i.e., (1) internal and (2) external, become 36, which, when multiplied by 3, such as (1) past, (2) present and (3) future, become 108, respectively. Thus, there arises in me vijja (knowledge of fourfold noble truth) to realize the truth of the cause of suffering and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on the truth of the cause of suffering and destroying the darkness of moha (delu
sion). I never heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
12. Tam kho panidam dukkhassmudayam anyasaccam pahatabbanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu sakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi
panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! The noble truth of the cause of suffering is to be dispelled; that is to say that ditthi (wrong view) and vicikiccha (doubt) are to be dispelled by sotapatti magga (the path of stream winner);kamaraga (sensual passion) to be dispelled by anagarmimagga (;i.e. path of non-returner) and ruparaga and aruparaga (passions~ for material and immaterial phenomena or objects, also called form and formlessness) by the arahatta magga (sainthood or attainment of fully enlightenment).
Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (the eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises nana (insight); to intuit the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to ------------- this tanha (craving) is only one in the main, ~ which is divided into three, namely (1) kamatahna (craving for sensual pleasure); (2) bhava tanha ~raving for eternal life or eternal existence, and (3) vi-bhava tanha (craving for self-annihilation or for non-existence). These three, when multiplied by six, such as (1) rupa tanha (craving for visible object); (2) sadda tanha (craving for audio or sound); (3) gandha tanha (craving for odorous object); (4) rasa tanha (craving for sapid object or taste); (5) photthabba tanha (craving for tangible object or bodily impression); and (6) dhamma tanha (craving for ideational object or mental impression) become 18, which, when multiplied by 2, viz, (1) internal and (2) external become 36, which, when multiplied by 3, viz., (1) past, (2) present and (3) future, become 108, respectively. Thus, there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize samudaya sacca (the truth of the cause of suffering; and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on samudaya sacca (the truth of the cause of suffering) and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion) I never heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
13. Tam kho panidam dukkha samudayam ariyasaccam pahinan ti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi
panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi
Bhikkhu! This ariya samudaya sacca (noble truth of the cause of suffering) should have been dispelled by the four magga (four paths). Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend that this tanha (craving) is only one in the main, which is divided into 3, viz., (1) kamatanha, (2) bhavatanaha and (3) vi-bhavatanha. These three when multiplied by 6 such as (1) rupa tanha, (2) sadda tanha, (3) gandha tanha, (4) rasa tanha, (5) photthabba tanha and (6) dhamma tanha, become 18, which, when multiplied by 2, viz (1) internal and (2) external, become 36, which, when multiplied by 3, viz (1) past, (2) present and (3) future, become 108. Then, there arises in me vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize samudaya sacca (truth of the cause of suffering) and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on the truth of the cause of suffering and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never
heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
14. Idam dukkha nirodham ariyasaccanti me bhikkave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udapadi
vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu ! This nibbana, that is the extinction of suffering, is called the noble truth. Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize the nirodha sacca (the noble truth of the extinction of suffering); there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of the extinction of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend that this nibbana is only one which is, nevertheless, divided into two, vi~. (1) sa-uppadisesa nibbana and (2) anuppadisesa nibbana (i.e., extinction of kilesa and extinction of all kinds of suffering). These two are sub-divided into 3, viz., (1) sunnata (void), (2) animitta(signless), and (3) appanihita (desireless) Then, there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize nirodha sacca (truth of the extinction of suffering) and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on the truth of the extinction of suffering and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all
these before my Buddhahood.
15. Tam kho panidam dukkha nirodham ariyasaccam saccikatabban ti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam
udapadi panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! The noble truth of the extinction of suffering is to be visualized by the insight knowledge of magga (path), phala (fruition) and paccavakkhana nana (retrospection). Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize nirodha sacca (the noble truth of the extinction of suffering); there arises nana (insight) to intuit nirodha sacca; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend that nibbana is only one which is nevertheless devided into two, viz., (1) sa-uppadisesa nibbana (extinction of kilesa) and (2) anuppadisesa nibbana (extinction of all kinds of suffering) and subdivided into 3, viz., (1) sunnata (void), (2) animitta (signless), and (3) appanihita (desireless). Then, there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize nirodha sacca and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on nirodha sacca and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before my Buddha-hood.
16. Tam kho panidam dukkanirodham ariyasaccam sacchikatanti me bhikkave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi
panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! The noble truth of the extinction of suffering should have been visualized by the knowledge of magga (path), phala (fruittion) and paccavakkhananana (retrospection). Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize nirodha sacca (noble truth of the extinction of suffering); there arises nana (insight) to intuit nirodha sacca; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend that the nibbana is only one which is nevertheless divided into two, viz., (1) sa-uppadisesa nibbana and (2) anuppadisesa nibbana (i.e., extinction of kilesa and extinction of all kinds of suffering), and subdivided into three viz., (1) sunnata (void), (2)animitta (signless) and (3) appanihita (desireless). Then, there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize nirodha sacca and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on nirodha sacca and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before
my Buddhahood.
17. Idam dukkhanirodhagamini patipada ariyasaccanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna
udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhus! This eightfold magga (path) is called ariya sacca (noble truth leading to nibbana, which is extinction of suffering. Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize magga sacca; there arises nana (insight) to intuit magga sacca; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend sammaditthit (right view) etc. Then, there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realise magga sacca and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on magga sacca and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before my
Buddhahood.
18. Tam kho panidam dukkhanirodhagamini patipada ariyasaccam bhavetabbanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhus! This noble truth of the path leading to extinction of suffering is to be developed. Thus, there arises in cakkkum (eye of wisdom) to visualize magga sacca; there arises nana (insight) to intuit magga sacca; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend sammaditthi (right view) etc.; there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize magga sacca; and there arises aloko(enlightenment) throwing light on magga sacca and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all
these before my Buddhahood.
19. Tam kho panidam dukkhanirodhagamini patipada ariyasaccam bhavitanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhus! This noble truth of the path) leading to extinction of suffering should have been developed Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize magga sacca;there arise nana (insight) to intuit magga sacca; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend sammaditthi (right view) etc., there arises vijja (knowledge of fourfold noble truth) to realize magga sacca; there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on magga sacca and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all
these before my Buddhahood.
20. Yava kivanca me bhikkhave imesu catusu ariyasaccesu evam
tiprivattam dvadassakaram yathabutam nanadassanam nasuvisuddham ahosi.
Nevatavaham bhikkhave sadevake loke samarake sabrahmake sassamanabramaniya pajaya sadevamanussaya anuttaram
sammasambhodim abhisambuddho ti paccannasim.
Bhikkhus! So long as the fourfold noble truth, each in three aspects, such as sacca nana (knowledge of truth), kicca nana (knowledge of function) and kata nana (knowledge of action), altogether 12 in all, were not pristine clear and perfectly known to me as they really were, so long would I not have declared myself an All-Enlightened Buddha, the Holy One, to gods of the five celestial worlds of sensual pleasures, to the Brahmas of the okasaloka (deities of the worlds of space) and to the world of
human beings, kings, recluses, etc.
21. Yato ca kho me bhikkhave imesu catosu ariyasaccesu evam tiprivattam dvadassakaram yathabutam nanadassanam suvisuddham ahosi.
Athaham bhikkhave sadevake loke samarake sabrahmake sassamanabrahmaniya pajaya sadeva manussaya anuttaram samma
sambhodim abhisambuddho ti paccannasim.
Bhikkhus! Now that the fourfold noble truth, each in three aspects, such as sacca nana (knowledge of truth), kicca nana (knowledge of function and kata nana (knowledge of action), altogether 12 in all, has been pristine clear and perfectly known to me as they really are, I declare myself an All-Enlightened Buddha, the Holy One, to the gods of five celestial worlds, to the Brahamas of the okasaloka,to the world of human beings, kings,
recluses, etc.
22. Nananca pana me dassanam udapadi “Akauppa me vimutti syam
antima jati natthidani punabbhavo” ti.
Now that paccavakkhana nana (knowledge of retrospection) has dawned on me, there is nothing to disrupt my arahatship. This is the last jati (last rebirth); there will be no more rebirth hereafter. Thus, there arises in me the paccavakkhana nana (knowledge
of retrospection).
23. Idhamavoca Bhagava, Attamana pancavaggiya bhikkhus Bhagavato
bhasitam abhinandum ti.
The five ascetics were very pleased with the sermon delivered by the Buddha and bowed their heads in acknowledgement there of most respectfully before calling out the three cheers of Sadhu! Sadhu!
Sadhu!
24. Imasmin ca pana veyakaranasmin bhinnamane ayasmato Kondannassa virajam vitamalam dhammacakkhum udapadi. ‘Yam kinci samudayadhamam
sabbam barn ‘nirodhadhamman ti”
At the end of the sermon, a version of questions and answers, the
bound to disappear from the world.
25. Atha kho Bhagava iman udanamudanesi. “Annasivata bho Kondanno annasivata bho Kondanno” ti. Iti hidam ayasamato Kondannassa
Annasi Kondanno tveva namam ahosi.
Then, the Blessed One was very pleased and proclaimed to all dwelling in the ten thousand cosmic world systems as follows
Kondanna has actually realized the fourfold noble truth! Bhikkhus! Kondanna has actually realized the fourfold noble truth!”
Thus, Ashin Kondanna became known as Annasi Kondanna.
26. Atha kho ayasma Annasi Kondanno ditthadhammo
pattadhammo viditadhammo pariyogahladhammo tinnaviccikiceho vikatakathandatho vesarijjapatto aparappaccayo satthusasane bhagavantam etadavoca “Labeyaham bhante bhagavato santike pabbajjam
labeyam upasampadanti.”
On becoming a sotapanna, Annasi Kondanna visualized the noble truth, attained to the noble truth, realized the noble truth, intuited the noble truth, all by himself without any help from others, discarded the wrong view together with the 16 or 8 kinds of doubt, and abiding very boldly in the Buddha’s sasana (Buddha’s teaching), he requested the Buddha as follows: please allow me, Blessed One, to become a bhikkhu in the service of your
Lordship’s sasana.”
27. “Ayehi Bhikkhu ti” Bhavgava avoca svakkhato dhammo cara brahmacariyam sammadukkassa antakariyati sava tassa ayasmato
upasampada ahosi ti.
The Blessed One then said: Bhikkhu! Come! Come! I have preached the noble dhamma very well. You had better develop the remaining three higher noble paths and get rid of all the kinds of suffering.Ashin Annasi Kondanna thus became a bhikkhu.
Short Notes on Four Noble Truths
The doctrine taught by the Lord Buddha for the emancipation of all beings is a profound and subtle truth. Its difficulty does not arise from any deliberate putting together of an elaborate metaphysical system, but from the wrong ideas that have to be cleared away before the true knowledge can be gained.
The Enlightened One declared that he came to teach the Four Noble Truths, in the understanding of which lies the seed of
transcendental wisdom.
In Buddhism the word ‘Thikkha” which we can only translate as “suffering” is the central fact of experience in all the planes of beings; it is in fact the same as the problem of pain which we find at the root of all religions and philosophies. So long as a being lives he experiences suffering in one form or another. Not only religion but science also is primarily concerned with the amelioration of suffering. But in Buddhist philosophy the fact of suffering assumes cosmological proportions, for the very life process itself; being a process of continual change and transformation, and therefore of unrest and uncertainty, a process of
suffering.
Primarily, Buddhism is not concerned with the problem of good versus evil. Good and evil themselves are not ultimate values, but only by-products of wrong thinking and wrong directed
activity; they belong to the realm of relative values.
To be separated from that which is pleasant and to be in contact with that which is painful are states of Dukkha, so also are disease, poverty, grief, old age and death. This we all know, and it needs no reiteration. What we often overlook, however, is the predominant part that suffering plays in life. In all of us there is a tendency to dwell upon pleasant memories and suppress those that are parrami. When we take a realistic view of the world we live in we are forced to recognise that it contains more sorrow than joy Though we ourselves may happen to be enjoying pleasures at any given moment, if we have any sympathy and compassion we must be aware that at that very moment millions of others are suffering. Even if we are so selfish that this thought does not take the edge off our enjoyment, we only have to pause and reflect upon the brief and transient nature of all such pleasures, for our enjoyment to ______ at once. We may grasp at pleasure as it passes, but we cannot hold it And when it leaves us, what emptiness takes its place! We are awesome with yarning, and the only way our minds can cope with the situation is by finding a fresh object of desire. If we get it the same will disappear without stopping for a moment. So it is clear that quite apart from a mere process of arising and vanishing and, therefore, endless suffering, there is nothing else. The saying that there is only one
thing worse than not obtaining one’s desire, and that is obtaining it, is quite true. Only Buddha, his Arahats and Ariya Puggalas
have realized this truth.
This first Truth is drawn from a critical examination, not only of the human predikcament but of all aspects of the life of sentient beings. The Buddhist emphasis on it is the essential preliminary to diagnosis and treatment; it is the stage at which the physician tells the patient that he is ailing.Let us stop this Noble Truth of Suffering here. We have deal with it at length
already.
Samudaya Sacca
Craving is a fire that is consuming all beings; it is the driving force in life, because every activity is motivated by some desire from the very moment of conscious existence. Its intensity varies and its objects are many They range from the simple physical cravings of animals to the complex and often artificially stimulated desires of civilized man.
Craving and craving alone sustains this amoral universe. The order of becoming, centred in craving, can be illustrated by just a few links of the Dependent Origination (Paticca Samuppada) thus:From the sense organs (Salayatana) we get contact (Phassa)”
It is man’s lust for power and sensory pleasure that produces crime, warfare and oppression; it is also that which causes rebirth in the various planes of Kama Loka (the world of sense-desires). All about us we see beings born into the world diseased, poverty,stricken, infirm, sometimes mentally defective so that they are less intelligent than some animals, and we see there not anything else more any body else, but the result of actions, words and thoughts projected in the past. The law of Kamma is an inevitable operation of cause and effect, and the individual not an entity or soul but the embodiment of his past Kamma, which has given rise to the Sankhara, the Kamma producing volition, in which the present consciousness is rooted. Scientists today are inclined to believe that the life-force itself may be only some form of electrical energy, and this is quite in agreement with the Buddhist view of living beings as a collection of aggregates that come into being and pass away again to give place to others.
Nirodha Sacca
The Third Noble Truth proclaimed by the All-Compassionate Buddha tells us there is cessation of suffering, a state which is not subject to the laws of birth, decay and death. That subline state is Nibbana, the extinction of craving. Lord Buddha made no further attempt to define it than this; that it is Asankliata Dhatu, the absolute unconditioned state beyond the range of material being, where in there is neither sun nor moon, neither bliss nor fleshier, neither coming be nor passing away, not any of the manifold phenomena of Samsara. It is the highest state, above all the Deva realms, which are themselves subject to change.
Now we are faced with the problem of how to attain this goal, Nibbana is not just an abstract concept, a theoretical solution that lies outside our hope of realisation. There is, unfortunately a tendency to think of it in that way now-a-days. Admittedly, the influences all about us in the world at present are not favourable; there are powerful forces of greed and hatred at work. But, science is helping mankind, in its own way, towards understanding the nature of life and the laws that control the universe, and by its aid there are more people to-day who are capable of understanding Buddhism than there were, say, fifty years ago. Science is, indeed, rapidly emerging from the materialism that once enveloped it, and is giving us a fresh angle from which to view the world. For the first time we are looking at matter from within, and we find it to be vastly different from its out ward appearance. Knowing it to be only relative reality we are forced to seek beyond it for the ultimate reality.
Magga Sacca
The way to the realisation of Nibbana is the Fourth Noble Truth taught by Buddha, and it is meant to be followed here and now. It is the Ariya Atthangika Magga, the Noble Eightfold Path, Viz; (1) Right view means the acceptance of truth through an investigation into the law of cause and effect and thereby seeing things as they are. Buddha exhorted us not to accept anything on harry or in blind faith, but to put all theories to the test of practical experience. To lead a wholesome and righteous life, extending love and compassion to all living beings, and thus to purify our minds to enter the above of Truth, was It is message. By the renunciation of ego-centric views and sensual attachments we can free ourselves from the hindrances that stand in the way of the supreme truth. We must regard all things in the light of Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta, i.e., permanent, subject to suffering and no-self (2) Right aspiration is the intention to reach the supreme state of Dukkha Nirodha, the cessation of suffering. It stands for desires that are lofty and noble; it is that which inspires us to work for the welfare of others, showing loving kindness to all creatures, helping and guiding those who need our guidance, keeping the precepts and offering alms Right views and Right Aspiration belong to the sphere of wisdom; the next three, (3) Right Speech, (4) Right Action and (5) Right livelihood indicate the path of virtue by right Speech is meant truthfulness and the avoidance of harsh and abusive words. So it is also with Right Action. It is almost the same as Right Speech; difference lies only in word and action. The essence of Right Livelihood is the
same as that of Right Action; it is to gain one’s ____ ______ means, not in any way that brings hardship ____ ____.
The last three (6) Right Exertion, (7) Right Mindfulness and
(8) Right Concentration deal with the highest activity of the
Buddhist life.
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The First Sermon Delivered by the Buddha to Five Ascetics.
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa.
Vaneration to the Blessed One, The Holy One, The All Enlightened One,
Bhikkhunam Pancavagginam Isipatana Namake Migadhaye Dhammavaram YamTam Nibbana Papakam Sahanpati Namakena Maha Brahmena Yacito Catusaccam Pakasanto Loka natho Adesayi Nanditam Sabhadevehi Sabba Sampatti Sadakam Sabbaloka hitatthaya Dhammacakkam Bhanama He.
At the humble request of the noble Sahampati Brahmana the Lord Buddha kindly consented to preach the Dhammackkapavattana Sutta for the realisation of Nibbana to the five ascetics, namely Kondanna, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama and Assaji at the Isipatana
Deer Park of Benares. Let all of us, therefore, join together and recite this sacred dhamma for the welfare of the mundane and supramundane worlds, delighting all the deities.
1. Evam me sutam Ekam samayam Bhagava Baranasiyam viharati Isipatane Migadaye Tatra kho Bhagava pancavaggiye bhikkhu amantesi
Thus have I heard ; At one time the Lord Buddha dwell at the Isipatana Dear Park in Benares. There the Lord Buddha addressed
the five ascetics.
2. Dveme bhikkhave anta pabbajitena na sevittabba Katame dve Yo cayan kamesu kamasukhalikanuyogo hinogammo puthujjaniko anariyo anatthasamhito. Yo cayam attakilamathanuyogo dukkho anariyo
annattasanihito.
Bhikkhu ! Any one, who is a bhikkhu is not supposed to have recourse to these two extremes.What are these two extremes?
(1) It is kamasukhaleikanuyoga (extrimism of self-gratification or self-indulgence in sensory pleasures) due to canda and raga (sensual desire and lust) which are the evil practices of ignorant villagers, and bad habits of puthujjana (ordinary worldings) and not the good assets of ariya (noble persons), nor is it
conducive to the common welfare.
(2) Attakhilamathanuyogo (extremism of self-mortification or self-torture) such as sitting or sleeping on thorns, stakes etc. , which are the most painful practices of anariya (ignoble per
sons), not conducive to common welfare.
(3) Ete kho bhikkhave ubho ante anupakamma majjhima patipada Tathagatena abhisambuddha cakkhukarani nanakarani uppasamaya abhinnaya sambhodaya nibbanaya samvattati. Katama ca sa bhikkhave majjhima patipada tathagatena abhisambuddha cakkhukarani nanakarani uppasamaya abhinnaya sambhokaya nibbanaya samvattati.
Ayam eva ariyo atthangiko maggo. Seyyathidam Sammaditthi sammasankappo sammavaca sammakammanto sammaajivo sammavayamo
sammasati sammasamadhi.
Ayam kho sa bhikkhave majjhima patipada Tathagatena abhisam-buddha cakkhukarani nanakarani uppasamaya abhinnaya sambhokhaya
nibbanaa samvattati.
Bhikkhu ! Avoiding these two evils, I have discovered a middle way for development of insight, i.e., the eye of intuitive knowledge to envision the four noble truths or to comprehend the four noble truths. It is the middle way which lies in between the two evils of extremism. It is the best practical method for those desirous of escape from the rounds of samsara. It is the best practical method for realisation of saupadisesa nibbana, i.e. ., cessation of kilesa (defilements) or for insight or intuitive knowledge of four noble truths or for attainment of supreme enlightenment,
called anupadisesa nibbanna.
Bhikkhu! What is this middle way? It is the noble eightfold path, namely (1) right view; (2) right aim; (3) right speech; (4) right action; (5) right living; (6) right effort; (7) right mindfulness;
and (8) right concentration.
Bhikkhu! This eightfold noble path, the middle way, is for development of insight, i.e., the eye of intuitive knowledge to envision the four noble truths, or to comprehend the four noble truths and realize saupadiseas nibbana, which is the cessation of kilesa defilements, as well as the supreme enlightenment of
anupadisesa nibbana.
4. Idam kho pana bukkhave dukkam ariyasaccam. Jati pi dukkha jara pi dukkha vyatti pi dukkha maranam pi dukkham appiyehi sampayogodukkho piyehivippayogo dukkho. yam piccham na labhati tam pi dukkham, samkhittena pancupadanakkhandha dukkha.
Bhikkhu! Jati (rebirth) is suffering; jara (old age or decay) is suffering; vyadhi (disease) is suffering; marana (death) is suffering; association with those whom we unlike is suffering; separation from those whom we like is suffering; not getting what we want is suffering; getting; what we do not want is suffering; and in short, the pancakkhandna (five psychophysical aggregates) are
suffering. These are called Ariya Dukkha Sacca (the noble truth
of suffering)
5. Idam kho pana bhikkhave dukkam samudayam ariyasaccam. Yayam tahna ponobbhavika nandi raga thahagata tatra tatra binandim.
Seyyathidam Kamatahna bhavatahna vibhavatahna.
Bhikkhu! It is tahna (craving) which is also called loba (greed) that be gets new birth or rebirth. This tahna (craving) is very fond of new life or rebirth; it delights in new existence (life) what is this thana? It is kamatahna (craving for sensory pleasures); it is bhavatahna (craving for eternal life or eternal existence) motivated by sasata ditthi (eternalist wrong view); and it is vi-bhavatahna (craving for self annihilation or craving for non-existence) motivated by uccedha ditthi (annihilationist wrong view). These are called Ariya Samudaya Sacca (the noble
truth of the cause of suffering)
6. Idam kho pana bhikkhave dukkhanirodham ariyasaccam. Yo tassa yeva tahnaya asesa viraga nirodho cago patinissaggo mutti analayo. Bhikkhu! There is such state as cessation of this tahna or lobha (craving or greed) for sensual pleasures etc., This state of complete cessation is nibbana where suffering of all kinds ceases.
It is, therefore, called Ariya Dukkha Nirodha Sacca (the noble truth of the cessation of suffering), that is nibbana.
7. Idam kho pana bhikkhave dukkhanirodhagamini patipada ariyasaccam.Ayamayva ariyo atthingiko maggo. Seyyathidam Sammaditthi sammasankappo sammavaca sammakammanto sammaajjivo sammavayamo samma
sati sammasamadhi.
Bhikkhu! This ariya magga (noble path) is eightfold as described above. It leads to nibbana where suffering of all kinds comes to an end.What is this noble path? (1) Right view; (2) right aim; (3) right speech; (4) right action; (5) right living; (6) right effort; (7) right mindfulness; and (8) right concentration.It is, therefore, called Ariya Dukkha Nirodhagamini patipada sacca (the noble truth of the path to extinction of suffering).
8. Idam dukkham ariyasaccan ti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udabadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! With the exception of tahna (craving),all dhamma(i.e.all the phenomena of the three planes of existence) are called the noble truth of suffering. Thus, there arises in me now cakkhum (the eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of suffering; there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend the truth of suffering; there arises vijja (knowledge of fourfold noble truth) to realize the truth of suffering, and there arises aloko(enlightement) throwing light on the truth of suffering and destroying the darkness of
moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
(9) Tam kho panidam dukkham ariyasaccam parinneyan ti me bhikhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! This noble truth of suffering is to be understood
analytically, viz. , this is dukkha (suffering); this dukkha is so much only, no more, no less. Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (the eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of suffering; there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend the truth of suffering; there arises vijja (knowledge of fourfold noble truth) to realize the truth of suffering; and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on the truth of suffering and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
10. Tam kho panidam dukkham ariyassaccam parinnetanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna
udapadi vijji udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! This noble truth of suffering should have been understood analytically like this; “This is the suffering; this suffering is so much only, neither more nor less.” There arises in me now cakkhum (the eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of suffering; there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend jati (rebirth) etc., as truth of suffering; there arises vijja (knowledge of fourfold noble truth) to realize the truth of suffering; and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on the truth of suffering and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
11. Idam dukkha samudayam ariyasaccanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! The said tahna (craving) which is also called loba (greed) is the noble truth of the cause of suffering. Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend that this tahna (craving) is only one, in the main, which is, however, divided into three, namely, (1) kama tahna (craving for sensory pleasure), (2) Bhava tahna (craving for eternal life eternal existence), and (3) vibhava tahna (craving for self-annihilation or craving for non-existence). These three, when multiplied by six such as (1) rupa tahna (craving for visible object or form); (2) sadda tanha (craving for audible object or sound); (3) gandha tanha (craving for odorous object); (4)rasa tanha (craving for sapid object or taste); (5) photthabba tanha (craving for tangible object or bodily impression); and (6) dhamma tanha (craving for ideational object or mental impression), become 18; which, when multiplied by 2, i.e., (1) internal and (2) external, become 36, which, when multiplied by 3, such as (1) past, (2) present and (3) future, become 108, respectively. Thus, there arises in me vijja (knowledge of fourfold noble truth) to realize the truth of the cause of suffering and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on the truth of the cause of suffering and destroying the darkness of moha (delu
sion). I never heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
12. Tam kho panidam dukkhassmudayam anyasaccam pahatabbanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu sakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi
panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! The noble truth of the cause of suffering is to be dispelled; that is to say that ditthi (wrong view) and vicikiccha (doubt) are to be dispelled by sotapatti magga (the path of stream winner);kamaraga (sensual passion) to be dispelled by anagarmimagga (;i.e. path of non-returner) and ruparaga and aruparaga (passions~ for material and immaterial phenomena or objects, also called form and formlessness) by the arahatta magga (sainthood or attainment of fully enlightenment).
Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (the eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises nana (insight); to intuit the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to ------------- this tanha (craving) is only one in the main, ~ which is divided into three, namely (1) kamatahna (craving for sensual pleasure); (2) bhava tanha ~raving for eternal life or eternal existence, and (3) vi-bhava tanha (craving for self-annihilation or for non-existence). These three, when multiplied by six, such as (1) rupa tanha (craving for visible object); (2) sadda tanha (craving for audio or sound); (3) gandha tanha (craving for odorous object); (4) rasa tanha (craving for sapid object or taste); (5) photthabba tanha (craving for tangible object or bodily impression); and (6) dhamma tanha (craving for ideational object or mental impression) become 18, which, when multiplied by 2, viz, (1) internal and (2) external become 36, which, when multiplied by 3, viz., (1) past, (2) present and (3) future, become 108, respectively. Thus, there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize samudaya sacca (the truth of the cause of suffering; and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on samudaya sacca (the truth of the cause of suffering) and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion) I never heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
13. Tam kho panidam dukkha samudayam ariyasaccam pahinan ti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi
panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi
Bhikkhu! This ariya samudaya sacca (noble truth of the cause of suffering) should have been dispelled by the four magga (four paths). Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of the cause of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend that this tanha (craving) is only one in the main, which is divided into 3, viz., (1) kamatanha, (2) bhavatanaha and (3) vi-bhavatanha. These three when multiplied by 6 such as (1) rupa tanha, (2) sadda tanha, (3) gandha tanha, (4) rasa tanha, (5) photthabba tanha and (6) dhamma tanha, become 18, which, when multiplied by 2, viz (1) internal and (2) external, become 36, which, when multiplied by 3, viz (1) past, (2) present and (3) future, become 108. Then, there arises in me vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize samudaya sacca (truth of the cause of suffering) and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on the truth of the cause of suffering and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never
heard of all these before my Buddhahood.
14. Idam dukkha nirodham ariyasaccanti me bhikkave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udapadi
vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu ! This nibbana, that is the extinction of suffering, is called the noble truth. Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize the nirodha sacca (the noble truth of the extinction of suffering); there arises nana (insight) to intuit the truth of the extinction of suffering; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend that this nibbana is only one which is, nevertheless, divided into two, vi~. (1) sa-uppadisesa nibbana and (2) anuppadisesa nibbana (i.e., extinction of kilesa and extinction of all kinds of suffering). These two are sub-divided into 3, viz., (1) sunnata (void), (2) animitta(signless), and (3) appanihita (desireless) Then, there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize nirodha sacca (truth of the extinction of suffering) and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on the truth of the extinction of suffering and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all
these before my Buddhahood.
15. Tam kho panidam dukkha nirodham ariyasaccam saccikatabban ti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam
udapadi panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! The noble truth of the extinction of suffering is to be visualized by the insight knowledge of magga (path), phala (fruition) and paccavakkhana nana (retrospection). Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize nirodha sacca (the noble truth of the extinction of suffering); there arises nana (insight) to intuit nirodha sacca; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend that nibbana is only one which is nevertheless devided into two, viz., (1) sa-uppadisesa nibbana (extinction of kilesa) and (2) anuppadisesa nibbana (extinction of all kinds of suffering) and subdivided into 3, viz., (1) sunnata (void), (2) animitta (signless), and (3) appanihita (desireless). Then, there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize nirodha sacca and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on nirodha sacca and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before my Buddha-hood.
16. Tam kho panidam dukkanirodham ariyasaccam sacchikatanti me bhikkave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi
panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhu! The noble truth of the extinction of suffering should have been visualized by the knowledge of magga (path), phala (fruittion) and paccavakkhananana (retrospection). Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize nirodha sacca (noble truth of the extinction of suffering); there arises nana (insight) to intuit nirodha sacca; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend that the nibbana is only one which is nevertheless divided into two, viz., (1) sa-uppadisesa nibbana and (2) anuppadisesa nibbana (i.e., extinction of kilesa and extinction of all kinds of suffering), and subdivided into three viz., (1) sunnata (void), (2)animitta (signless) and (3) appanihita (desireless). Then, there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize nirodha sacca and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on nirodha sacca and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before
my Buddhahood.
17. Idam dukkhanirodhagamini patipada ariyasaccanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna
udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhus! This eightfold magga (path) is called ariya sacca (noble truth leading to nibbana, which is extinction of suffering. Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize magga sacca; there arises nana (insight) to intuit magga sacca; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend sammaditthit (right view) etc. Then, there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realise magga sacca and there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on magga sacca and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all these before my
Buddhahood.
18. Tam kho panidam dukkhanirodhagamini patipada ariyasaccam bhavetabbanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhus! This noble truth of the path leading to extinction of suffering is to be developed. Thus, there arises in cakkkum (eye of wisdom) to visualize magga sacca; there arises nana (insight) to intuit magga sacca; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend sammaditthi (right view) etc.; there arises vijja (knowledge of the fourfold noble truth) to realize magga sacca; and there arises aloko(enlightenment) throwing light on magga sacca and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all
these before my Buddhahood.
19. Tam kho panidam dukkhanirodhagamini patipada ariyasaccam bhavitanti me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu cakkhum udapadi nanam udapadi panna udapadi vijja udapadi aloko udapadi.
Bhikkhus! This noble truth of the path) leading to extinction of suffering should have been developed Thus, there arises in me cakkhum (eye of wisdom) to visualize magga sacca;there arise nana (insight) to intuit magga sacca; there arises panna (knowledge) to comprehend sammaditthi (right view) etc., there arises vijja (knowledge of fourfold noble truth) to realize magga sacca; there arises aloko (enlightenment) throwing light on magga sacca and destroying the darkness of moha (delusion). I never heard of all
these before my Buddhahood.
20. Yava kivanca me bhikkhave imesu catusu ariyasaccesu evam
tiprivattam dvadassakaram yathabutam nanadassanam nasuvisuddham ahosi.
Nevatavaham bhikkhave sadevake loke samarake sabrahmake sassamanabramaniya pajaya sadevamanussaya anuttaram
sammasambhodim abhisambuddho ti paccannasim.
Bhikkhus! So long as the fourfold noble truth, each in three aspects, such as sacca nana (knowledge of truth), kicca nana (knowledge of function) and kata nana (knowledge of action), altogether 12 in all, were not pristine clear and perfectly known to me as they really were, so long would I not have declared myself an All-Enlightened Buddha, the Holy One, to gods of the five celestial worlds of sensual pleasures, to the Brahmas of the okasaloka (deities of the worlds of space) and to the world of
human beings, kings, recluses, etc.
21. Yato ca kho me bhikkhave imesu catosu ariyasaccesu evam tiprivattam dvadassakaram yathabutam nanadassanam suvisuddham ahosi.
Athaham bhikkhave sadevake loke samarake sabrahmake sassamanabrahmaniya pajaya sadeva manussaya anuttaram samma
sambhodim abhisambuddho ti paccannasim.
Bhikkhus! Now that the fourfold noble truth, each in three aspects, such as sacca nana (knowledge of truth), kicca nana (knowledge of function and kata nana (knowledge of action), altogether 12 in all, has been pristine clear and perfectly known to me as they really are, I declare myself an All-Enlightened Buddha, the Holy One, to the gods of five celestial worlds, to the Brahamas of the okasaloka,to the world of human beings, kings,
recluses, etc.
22. Nananca pana me dassanam udapadi “Akauppa me vimutti syam
antima jati natthidani punabbhavo” ti.
Now that paccavakkhana nana (knowledge of retrospection) has dawned on me, there is nothing to disrupt my arahatship. This is the last jati (last rebirth); there will be no more rebirth hereafter. Thus, there arises in me the paccavakkhana nana (knowledge
of retrospection).
23. Idhamavoca Bhagava, Attamana pancavaggiya bhikkhus Bhagavato
bhasitam abhinandum ti.
The five ascetics were very pleased with the sermon delivered by the Buddha and bowed their heads in acknowledgement there of most respectfully before calling out the three cheers of Sadhu! Sadhu!
Sadhu!
24. Imasmin ca pana veyakaranasmin bhinnamane ayasmato Kondannassa virajam vitamalam dhammacakkhum udapadi. ‘Yam kinci samudayadhamam
sabbam barn ‘nirodhadhamman ti”
At the end of the sermon, a version of questions and answers, the
bound to disappear from the world.
25. Atha kho Bhagava iman udanamudanesi. “Annasivata bho Kondanno annasivata bho Kondanno” ti. Iti hidam ayasamato Kondannassa
Annasi Kondanno tveva namam ahosi.
Then, the Blessed One was very pleased and proclaimed to all dwelling in the ten thousand cosmic world systems as follows
Kondanna has actually realized the fourfold noble truth! Bhikkhus! Kondanna has actually realized the fourfold noble truth!”
Thus, Ashin Kondanna became known as Annasi Kondanna.
26. Atha kho ayasma Annasi Kondanno ditthadhammo
pattadhammo viditadhammo pariyogahladhammo tinnaviccikiceho vikatakathandatho vesarijjapatto aparappaccayo satthusasane bhagavantam etadavoca “Labeyaham bhante bhagavato santike pabbajjam
labeyam upasampadanti.”
On becoming a sotapanna, Annasi Kondanna visualized the noble truth, attained to the noble truth, realized the noble truth, intuited the noble truth, all by himself without any help from others, discarded the wrong view together with the 16 or 8 kinds of doubt, and abiding very boldly in the Buddha’s sasana (Buddha’s teaching), he requested the Buddha as follows: please allow me, Blessed One, to become a bhikkhu in the service of your
Lordship’s sasana.”
27. “Ayehi Bhikkhu ti” Bhavgava avoca svakkhato dhammo cara brahmacariyam sammadukkassa antakariyati sava tassa ayasmato
upasampada ahosi ti.
The Blessed One then said: Bhikkhu! Come! Come! I have preached the noble dhamma very well. You had better develop the remaining three higher noble paths and get rid of all the kinds of suffering.Ashin Annasi Kondanna thus became a bhikkhu.
Short Notes on Four Noble Truths
The doctrine taught by the Lord Buddha for the emancipation of all beings is a profound and subtle truth. Its difficulty does not arise from any deliberate putting together of an elaborate metaphysical system, but from the wrong ideas that have to be cleared away before the true knowledge can be gained.
The Enlightened One declared that he came to teach the Four Noble Truths, in the understanding of which lies the seed of
transcendental wisdom.
In Buddhism the word ‘Thikkha” which we can only translate as “suffering” is the central fact of experience in all the planes of beings; it is in fact the same as the problem of pain which we find at the root of all religions and philosophies. So long as a being lives he experiences suffering in one form or another. Not only religion but science also is primarily concerned with the amelioration of suffering. But in Buddhist philosophy the fact of suffering assumes cosmological proportions, for the very life process itself; being a process of continual change and transformation, and therefore of unrest and uncertainty, a process of
suffering.
Primarily, Buddhism is not concerned with the problem of good versus evil. Good and evil themselves are not ultimate values, but only by-products of wrong thinking and wrong directed
activity; they belong to the realm of relative values.
To be separated from that which is pleasant and to be in contact with that which is painful are states of Dukkha, so also are disease, poverty, grief, old age and death. This we all know, and it needs no reiteration. What we often overlook, however, is the predominant part that suffering plays in life. In all of us there is a tendency to dwell upon pleasant memories and suppress those that are parrami. When we take a realistic view of the world we live in we are forced to recognise that it contains more sorrow than joy Though we ourselves may happen to be enjoying pleasures at any given moment, if we have any sympathy and compassion we must be aware that at that very moment millions of others are suffering. Even if we are so selfish that this thought does not take the edge off our enjoyment, we only have to pause and reflect upon the brief and transient nature of all such pleasures, for our enjoyment to ______ at once. We may grasp at pleasure as it passes, but we cannot hold it And when it leaves us, what emptiness takes its place! We are awesome with yarning, and the only way our minds can cope with the situation is by finding a fresh object of desire. If we get it the same will disappear without stopping for a moment. So it is clear that quite apart from a mere process of arising and vanishing and, therefore, endless suffering, there is nothing else. The saying that there is only one
thing worse than not obtaining one’s desire, and that is obtaining it, is quite true. Only Buddha, his Arahats and Ariya Puggalas
have realized this truth.
This first Truth is drawn from a critical examination, not only of the human predikcament but of all aspects of the life of sentient beings. The Buddhist emphasis on it is the essential preliminary to diagnosis and treatment; it is the stage at which the physician tells the patient that he is ailing.Let us stop this Noble Truth of Suffering here. We have deal with it at length
already.
Samudaya Sacca
Craving is a fire that is consuming all beings; it is the driving force in life, because every activity is motivated by some desire from the very moment of conscious existence. Its intensity varies and its objects are many They range from the simple physical cravings of animals to the complex and often artificially stimulated desires of civilized man.
Craving and craving alone sustains this amoral universe. The order of becoming, centred in craving, can be illustrated by just a few links of the Dependent Origination (Paticca Samuppada) thus:From the sense organs (Salayatana) we get contact (Phassa)”
It is man’s lust for power and sensory pleasure that produces crime, warfare and oppression; it is also that which causes rebirth in the various planes of Kama Loka (the world of sense-desires). All about us we see beings born into the world diseased, poverty,stricken, infirm, sometimes mentally defective so that they are less intelligent than some animals, and we see there not anything else more any body else, but the result of actions, words and thoughts projected in the past. The law of Kamma is an inevitable operation of cause and effect, and the individual not an entity or soul but the embodiment of his past Kamma, which has given rise to the Sankhara, the Kamma producing volition, in which the present consciousness is rooted. Scientists today are inclined to believe that the life-force itself may be only some form of electrical energy, and this is quite in agreement with the Buddhist view of living beings as a collection of aggregates that come into being and pass away again to give place to others.
Nirodha Sacca
The Third Noble Truth proclaimed by the All-Compassionate Buddha tells us there is cessation of suffering, a state which is not subject to the laws of birth, decay and death. That subline state is Nibbana, the extinction of craving. Lord Buddha made no further attempt to define it than this; that it is Asankliata Dhatu, the absolute unconditioned state beyond the range of material being, where in there is neither sun nor moon, neither bliss nor fleshier, neither coming be nor passing away, not any of the manifold phenomena of Samsara. It is the highest state, above all the Deva realms, which are themselves subject to change.
Now we are faced with the problem of how to attain this goal, Nibbana is not just an abstract concept, a theoretical solution that lies outside our hope of realisation. There is, unfortunately a tendency to think of it in that way now-a-days. Admittedly, the influences all about us in the world at present are not favourable; there are powerful forces of greed and hatred at work. But, science is helping mankind, in its own way, towards understanding the nature of life and the laws that control the universe, and by its aid there are more people to-day who are capable of understanding Buddhism than there were, say, fifty years ago. Science is, indeed, rapidly emerging from the materialism that once enveloped it, and is giving us a fresh angle from which to view the world. For the first time we are looking at matter from within, and we find it to be vastly different from its out ward appearance. Knowing it to be only relative reality we are forced to seek beyond it for the ultimate reality.
Magga Sacca
The way to the realisation of Nibbana is the Fourth Noble Truth taught by Buddha, and it is meant to be followed here and now. It is the Ariya Atthangika Magga, the Noble Eightfold Path, Viz; (1) Right view means the acceptance of truth through an investigation into the law of cause and effect and thereby seeing things as they are. Buddha exhorted us not to accept anything on harry or in blind faith, but to put all theories to the test of practical experience. To lead a wholesome and righteous life, extending love and compassion to all living beings, and thus to purify our minds to enter the above of Truth, was It is message. By the renunciation of ego-centric views and sensual attachments we can free ourselves from the hindrances that stand in the way of the supreme truth. We must regard all things in the light of Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta, i.e., permanent, subject to suffering and no-self (2) Right aspiration is the intention to reach the supreme state of Dukkha Nirodha, the cessation of suffering. It stands for desires that are lofty and noble; it is that which inspires us to work for the welfare of others, showing loving kindness to all creatures, helping and guiding those who need our guidance, keeping the precepts and offering alms Right views and Right Aspiration belong to the sphere of wisdom; the next three, (3) Right Speech, (4) Right Action and (5) Right livelihood indicate the path of virtue by right Speech is meant truthfulness and the avoidance of harsh and abusive words. So it is also with Right Action. It is almost the same as Right Speech; difference lies only in word and action. The essence of Right Livelihood is the
same as that of Right Action; it is to gain one’s ____ ______ means, not in any way that brings hardship ____ ____.
The last three (6) Right Exertion, (7) Right Mindfulness and
(8) Right Concentration deal with the highest activity of the
Buddhist life.
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