I have heard that at one time the Blessed One was staying at the Deer park at Isipatani (the resort of Saints) near Varanasi (Benares.) There he spoke to the monks: “Monks!”
“Yes, venerable sir,” the monks answered.
The most perfect wheel of Dhamma that was set turning by the Tathagata, the faultless one, the supremely Enlightened One, in the Deer Park at Isipatani near Varanasi, cannot be stopped by an ascetic or brahmana or Deva or Mara or Brahma or by anyone in the world. Setting in motion the wheel of Dhamma, this means the setting down of the Four Noble Truths by teaching them, opening them up, analysing and making them clear.
What Four Noble Truths have been set down? The noble truth of suffering (dukkha), the noble truth of the cause of suffering, the noble truth of the ending of suffering, and the noble truth of the path leading to the ending of suffering, all have been set down by teaching them, opening them up, analysing them and making them clear.
Monks, follow Sariputta and Moggallana; associate with Sariputta and Moggallana. Wise monks look to help those who work on themselves, who follow the path to go out. Monks, Sariputta is like a mother, Moggallana is like a foster-mother to a child. Sariputta, monks, instructs people in the path to stream-entry (Sotapanna.) Moggalana is the one who trains people in the highest goal of becoming arahant.
Sariputta, monks, is able to set down, teach, open up, analyse, and make clear the Four Noble Truths. This the Blessed One said, and after he finished speaking, he rose from his seat and went into his room. After he left, the Venerable Sariputta spoke to the monks, saying, “Honoured friends.” “We are honoured to hear your teaching,” the monks answered the Venerable Sariputta.
The Venerable Sariputta said, “The most perfect wheel of Dhamma that was set turning by the Tathagata, the faultless one, the supremely Enlightened One, in the Deer Park at Isipatani near Varanasi, cannot be stopped by an ascetic or brahmana or Deva or Mara or Brahma or by anyone in the world. Setting in motion the wheel of Dhamma, that means the setting down of the Four Noble Truths by teaching them, opening them up, analysing and making them clear.
“What Four Noble Truths have been set down?
The noble truth of suffering (dukkha), the noble truth of the cause of suffering, the noble truth of the ending of suffering, and the noble truth of the path leading to the ending of suffering.
“What is the Noble Truth of Suffering?
Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, death is suffering; grief and sadness, loss, crying, body pain, mental pain, anxiety, agitation and despair are suffering; not getting what you want, that too is suffering: in brief, the five aggregates that are held-onto are suffering.
“What is birth? It means beings being born in the many different worlds, that is: they are begun, they are made, they come into existence, the five aggregates appear for them, they get hold of the six sense-doors through which they know the world. This is called birth.
What is aging? It is the aging of beings in all the different worlds of existence, their decay, broken teeth, hair going gray, wrinkled skin, the length of life coming to its close, the sense-organs wearing out and breaking down. This is called aging.
What is death? It is the ending of the life of beings in all the different worlds of existence, the falling away, breaking up, disappearance, the death of them, making the end of their life, the scattering and breaking apart of the five aggregates – the body becoming lifeless and still, decaying and turning to bones, food for others. This is called death.
What is grief and sadness? It is the grief, sorrow, being sorrowful and sad, the state of sadness, being heartbroken, intense and painful sadness caused by some loss or disaster, hit by some unhappy event, touched by a painful thing. This is called grief and sadness.
What is crying? It is the weeping, moaning, crying, wailing, being in a state of weeping and shedding tears, wailing of somebody over some loss or disaster, or when hit by some unhappy event. This is called crying.
What is physical suffering? It is bodily pain, disagreeable physical sensations, discomfort, the painful and unpleasant feelings produced and born from contact with the body. This is called suffering of the body.
What is mental suffering: misery and depression? It is suffering produced by the mind, the mind’s pain and suffering, the low, painful, desperate feelings born from contact with the mind. This is called depression and misery.
What is despair, what is hopelessness? It is the state of being without hope, being wretched and joyless after some disaster or some unfortunate event. This is called hopelessness and despair.
What is meant by not getting what you want, that too is suffering? To beings who are born, there can come the desire, the wish “Oh I wish I might never be born, that birth will not come to me.” But that cannot be achieved just by wishing for it. So not getting what you want, that too is suffering.
To beings who are bound to get old, there comes the desire, the wish “O I wish I could stay young and not get old!” But that can’t be achieved just by wishing for it. So not getting what you wish for, that too is suffering.
To beings who can get sick, there is the desire, “I hope I will not get sick, I wish that I might stay healthy.” But that can’t be achieved just by hoping or wishing for it. So not getting what you hope for, that too is suffering.
To beings who are headed for death, there comes the desire: “I wish that I would never die and death will never come to me!” But that can’t be achieved just by wishing for it. So not getting what you wish for, that too is suffering.
To beings who are sure to have grief and sadness, physical pain, crying, misery and depression, despair and hopelessness, there is the desire, “I that I will be happy and not suffer from grief and sadness, physical pain, crying, misery, depression, despair and hopelessness.” But that can’t be achieved just by wishing for it. So not getting what you wish for, that too is suffering.
What are the five aggregates that are held-onto? These are the aggregates of physical body (rupa), feelings (vedana), perception/memory (sanna), thoughts and intentions (sankhara), and knowing at the six sense doors (vinnana) , which are held-onto, grasped (and taken as my own).
All this is called the Noble Truth of Suffering.
What is the Noble Truth of how suffering is born?
It is this craving, (tanha), which leads to new existence again and again, and involves love and attachment, looking for enjoyment in this or that. It is summarised as craving for pleasures of the senses, craving to continue existence, and craving for ending existence, to not exist and be finished with life. All this is called the Noble truth of how suffering is born.
What is the Noble Truth of the ending of suffering?
It is the complete ending of that very craving, giving it up, letting it go, renouncing it, being free from it. This is called the Noble Truth of the ending of suffering.
And what is the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the ending of suffering?
It is this Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
“What is right view? It is this knowledge of suffering, knowledge of how suffering is born, knowledge of the ending of suffering, knowledge of the path leading to the ending of suffering — this is called right view.
What is right thought: It is intentions and thoughts of renunciation rather than those of desire and attachment, thoughts and intentions of good-will, rather than anger and hatred, thoughts and intentions that are free of trouble, harmless. This is called right intention.
What is right speech? Not lying, not tale-telling or back-biting, not speaking harshly or abusively , not engaging in useless speech, this is called right speech.
What is right action? It means not killing, not stealing and not engaging in sexual misconduct – this is called right action.
What is right livelihood? In this, the student of the noble ones who avoids wrong livelihoods, makes a living by right ways of living, this is called right livelihood.
What is right effort? In right effort a practitioner makes an act of will, brings up and stirs up energy, does his utmost, strives, strengthens and exerts his mind, makes effort to prevent bad, unwholesome qualities from arising if they have not yet arisen, makes effort to throw out the bad, unwholesome qualities that have already arisen, makes effort to develop and grow good and wholesome qualities that have not arisen, and makes an act of will, stirs up energy, does his utmost, strives, strengthens and exerts his mind to maintain, to keep, to grow, to bring to maturity, strengthen and develop the good and wholesome that have arisen. This is called right effort.
What is right mindfuness? In this, in regard to the body: a practitioner meditates observing the body with dedication, mindfulness and attentiveness, removing desires and sorrows of the world.
In regard to the mind: he meditates observing the mind with dedication, mindfulness and attentiveness, removing desires and sorrows of the world.
In regard to feelings: he meditates observing feelings with dedication, mindfulness and attentiveness, removing desires and sorrows of the world.
In regard to dhammas: he meditates observing dhammas with dedication, mindfulness and attentiveness, removing desires and sorrows of the world.
This is called right mindfulness.
And what is ‘right concentration’? In this, a practitioner whose mind is detached from sensual desires, whose mind is without unwholesome states, enters and continues in the first jhana, which includes thinking and analysing, as well as the joy and happiness which is born from detachment from unwholesome qualities.
As thinking and analysing stops, and calm and concentration grows, he enters and continues in the second jhana, without thinking or analysing, and with joy and happiness born of inward concentration.
As joy passes away, he meditates detached and neutral, mindful and with clear awareness, experiencing physical comfort and ease, so that the noble ones say of him, ‘here is one who is mindful and detached, while living in ease.’ In this way, he enters and continues in the third jhana.
By abandoning physical agreeable and disagreeable feelings, along with the previous stopping of mental joy and unhappiness, he attains and continues in the fourth jhana, in which there is neither joy nor sorrow, nothing agreeable nor disagreeable: pure detachment and mindfulness.
This is called right concentration.
Honoured and respected friends, the most perfect wheel of Dhamma that was set turning by the Tathagata, the perfect one, the supremely Enlightened One, in the Deer Park at Isipatani near Varanasi, cannot be stopped by an ascetic or brahmana or Deva or Mara or Brahma or by anyone in the world. Setting in motion the wheel of Dhamma, that means the setting down of the Four Noble Truths by teaching them, opening them up, analysing and making them clear.”
This, the Venerable said. The monks that heard him were joyful of heart, and delighted in his words.