The 4th Noble Truth on The Way to Cease Suffering ... !!!

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The Fourth Noble Truth: The Noble 8-fold Way ceases Suffering!!!

 

The blessed Buddha once said:One should dwell reflecting on all phenomena as mental states in the light of these Four Noble Truths. How does one do so? Here, one sees, understands, and knows this as it verily and really is:

 

 

 

This is suffering! Craving is causing all this suffering!Absence of craving ceases all suffering!This Noble 8-fold Way is the method to cease all suffering!

And what, bhikkhus & friends, is this Noble Truth of the Way to Cease all Suffering? It is just this Noble 8-fold Way, namely:

 

 

 

Right View (sammā-ditthi)Right Motivation (sammā-sankappa)Right Speech (sammā-vācā)Right Action (sammā-kammanta)Right Livelihood (sammā-ājīva)Right Effort (sammā-vāyāma)Right Awareness (sammā-sati)Right Concentration (sammā-samādhi)

And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right View?It is, bhikkhus & friends, knowing such is suffering, such is the cause of suffering, knowing such is the ceasing of suffering, and knowing such is the way leading to the cessation of suffering. This is called Right View...And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Motivation?Being motivated by withdrawal, by good-will, and being motivated by utter harmlessness. This, bhikkhus & friends, is called Right Motivation...And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Speech? Refraining from any lying, from slandering, from scolding, & refraining from empty gossip. This is called Right Speech...And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Action? Refraining from all killing, from all stealing & cheating, and avoiding all sexual misconduct. This is called Right Action... And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Livelihood? Here, bhikkhus & friends, the Noble Disciple, having given up wrong livelihood, lives by right livelihood. This is called Right Livelihood... And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Effort? Here, bhikkhus & friends, one makes a decision, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts the mind and strives to prevent the arising of unarisen evil disadvantageous mental states. One makes a decision...and strives to overcome any evil disadvantageous mental state that already have arisen. One makes a decision... and strives to develop unarisen advantageous mental states. One makes a decision, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts the mind and strives to maintain any advantageous mental states that already have arisen, not letting them fade away, growing them greater, to the fulfilled perfection of development. This is called Right Effort...And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Awareness? Here, bhikkhus & friends, a monk dwells considering the body as a group of mere form, alert, clearly comprehending & aware, thereby putting aside worldly urge and trouble...One dwells considering feelings just as assigned passing mental responses, alert, clearly comprehending and aware, thereby putting aside much worldly urge and troubles...One dwells considering mind & mentality just as ever changing moods, alert, clearly comprehending and aware, thereby putting aside more worldly urge and trouble...One dwells considering all phenomena only as always shifting mental states, alert, clearly comprehending and aware, thereby putting aside all worldly urge & trouble.... This is called Right Awareness...And what, bhikkhus & friends, is Right Concentration? Here, secluded from sensual desires, protected from any detrimental mental state, one enters & dwells in the 1st jhana; full of joy & pleasure born of solitude, joined with directed & sustained thought. Again, with the stilling of directed & sustained thought, one enters & dwells in the 2nd jhana, calmed and assured unification of mind, in joy & pleasure now born of aconcentration, which is devoid of any thought! Again, friends, with the fading away of joy, one dwells in equanimity, just aware & clearly comprehending, still feeling pleasure in the body, one enters upon & remains in the 3rd jhana, regarding which the Noble Ones declare: 'In aware equanimity one dwells in pleasure!' Again, friends, with the leaving behind of both pleasure and pain, & with the prior fading away of both joy & sorrow, one enters & dwells in the 4th jhana; a serene mental state of still, open and clear awareness, purified by the equanimity of neither-pain-nor-pleasure!This is called Right Concentration...And that, bhikkhus & friends, is called the Way leading all to the Ceasing of Suffering...

 

 

Source (edited extract):The Long Speeches of the Buddha. Digha Nikaya. Book II [306-314] Thread: The Foundations of Awareness. Mahāsatipatthāna Sutta 22. http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=251033http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/digha/index.html

 

 

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