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Translated
from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.
I
have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Savatthi, in
Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. There he addressed the monks:
"Monks!"
"Yes,
lord," the monks replied.
The
Blessed One said, "Monks, I will teach you noble right concentration with
its supports and requisite conditions. Listen, and pay close attention. I will
speak."
"Yes,
lord," the monks replied.
The
Blessed One said: "Now what, monks, is noble right concentration with its
supports & requisite conditions? Any singleness of mind equipped with these
seven factors -- right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, & right mindfulness -- is called noble right
concentration with its supports & requisite conditions.
"[1]
Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner?
One discerns wrong view as wrong view, and right view as right view. This is
one's right view. And what is wrong view? 'There is
nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed. There is no fruit or result
of good or bad actions. There is no this world, no next world, no mother, no
father, no spontaneously reborn beings; no priests or contemplatives who,
faring rightly & practicing rightly, proclaim this world & the next
after having directly known & realized it for themselves.' This is wrong
view.
"And
what is right view? Right view, I tell you, is of two sorts: There is right
view with fermentations [asava], siding with merit, resulting in the
acquisitions [of becoming]; and there is noble right view, without
fermentations, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"And
what is the right view that has fermentations, sides with merit, & results
in acquisitions? 'There is what is given, what is offered, what is sacrificed.
There are fruits & results of good & bad actions. There is this world
& the next world. There is mother & father. There are spontaneously
reborn beings; there are priests & contemplatives who, faring rightly &
practicing rightly, proclaim this world & the next after having directly
known & realized it for themselves.' This is the right view that has
fermentations, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions.
"And
what is the right view that is without fermentations, transcendent, a factor of
the path? The discernment, the faculty of discernment, the strength of
discernment, analysis of qualities as a factor of Awakening, the path factor of
right view in one developing the noble path whose mind is noble, whose mind is
free from fermentations, who is fully possessed of the noble path. This is the
right view that is without fermentations, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"One
tries to abandon wrong view & to enter into right view: This is one's right
effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong view & to enter & remain in
right view: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three qualities --
right view, right effort, & right mindfulness -- run & circle around
right view.
"[2]
Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner?
One discerns wrong resolve as wrong resolve, and right resolve as right
resolve. And what is wrong resolve? Being resolved on sensuality, on ill will,
on harmfulness. This is wrong resolve.
"And
what is right resolve? Right resolve, I tell you, is of two sorts: There is
right resolve with fermentations, siding with merit, resulting in the
acquisitions [of becoming]; and there is noble right resolve, without
fermentations, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"And
what is the right resolve that has fermentations, sides with merit, &
results in acquisitions? Being resolved on renunciation, on freedom from ill
will, on harmlessness. This is the right resolve that has fermentations, sides
with merit, & results in acquisitions.
"And
what is the right resolve that is without fermentations, transcendent, a factor
of the path? The thinking, directed thinking, resolve, mental absorption,
mental fixity, focused awareness, & verbal fabrications in one developing
the noble path whose mind is noble, whose mind is without fermentations, who is
fully possessed of the noble path. This is the right resolve that is without
fermentations, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"One
tries to abandon wrong resolve & to enter into right resolve: This is one's
right effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong resolve & to enter &
remain in right resolve: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three
qualities -- right view, right effort, & right mindfulness -- run &
circle around right resolve.
"[3]
Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner?
One discerns wrong speech as wrong speech, and right speech as right speech.
And what is wrong speech? Lying, divisive tale-bearing, abusive speech, &
idle chatter. This is wrong speech.
"And
what is right speech? Right speech, I tell you, is of two sorts: There is right
speech with fermentations, siding with merit, resulting in the acquisitions [of
becoming]; and there is noble right speech, without fermentations,
transcendent, a factor of the path.
"And
what is the right speech that has fermentations, sides with merit, &
results in acquisitions? Abstaining from lying, from divisive tale-bearing,
from abusive speech, & from idle chatter. This is the right speech that has
fermentations, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions.
"And
what is the right speech that is without fermentations, transcendent, a factor
of the path? The abstaining, desisting, abstinence, avoidance of the four forms
of verbal misconduct in one developing the noble path whose mind is noble,
whose mind is without fermentations, who is fully possessed of the noble path.
This is the right speech that is without fermentations, transcendent, a factor
of the path.
"One
tries to abandon wrong speech & to enter into right speech: This is one's
right effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong speech & to enter &
remain in right speech: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three
qualities -- right view, right effort, & right mindfulness -- run &
circle around right speech.
"[4]
Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner?
One discerns wrong action as wrong action, and right action as right action.
And what is wrong action? Killing, taking what is not given, illicit sex. This
is wrong action.
"And
what is right action? Right action, I tell you, is of two sorts: There is right
action with fermentations, siding with merit, resulting in the acquisitions [of
becoming]; and there is noble right action, without fermentations,
transcendent, a factor of the path.
"And
what is the right action that has fermentations, sides with merit, &
results in acquisitions? Abstaining from killing, from taking what is not
given, & from illicit sex. This is the right action that has fermentations,
sides with merit, & results in acquisitions.
"And
what is the right action that is without fermentations, transcendent, a factor
of the path? The abstaining, desisting, abstinence, avoidance of the three
forms of bodily misconduct in one developing the noble path whose mind is
noble, whose mind is without fermentations, who is fully possessed of the noble
path. This is the right action that is without fermentations, transcendent, a
factor of the path.
"One
tries to abandon wrong action & to enter into right action: This is one's
right effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong action & to enter &
remain in right action: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three
qualities -- right view, right effort, & right mindfulness -- run &
circle around right action.
"[5]
Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner?
One discerns wrong livelihood as wrong livelihood, and right livelihood as
right livelihood. And what is wrong livelihood? Scheming, persuading, hinting,
belittling, & pursuing gain with gain. This is wrong livelihood.
"And
what is right livelihood? Right livelihood, I tell you, is of two sorts: There
is right livelihood with fermentations, siding with merit, resulting in the
acquisitions [of becoming]; and there is noble right livelihood, without
fermentations, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"And
what is the right livelihood that has fermentations, sides with merit, &
results in acquisitions? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones
abandons wrong livelihood and maintains his life with right livelihood. This is
the right livelihood that has fermentations, sides with merit, & results in
acquisitions.
"And
what is the right livelihood that is without fermentations, transcendent, a
factor of the path? The abstaining, desisting, abstinence, avoidance of wrong
livelihood in one developing the noble path whose mind is noble, whose mind is
without fermentations, who is fully possessed of the noble path. This is the
right livelihood that is without fermentations, transcendent, a factor of the
path.
"One
tries to abandon wrong livelihood & to enter into right livelihood: This is
one's right effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong livelihood & to enter
& remain in right livelihood: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these
three qualities -- right view, right effort, & right mindfulness -- run
& circle around right livelihood.
"Of
those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner? In
one of right view, right resolve comes into being. In one of right resolve,
right speech comes into being. In one of right speech, right action... In one
of right action, right livelihood... In one of right livelihood, right
effort... In one of right effort, right mindfulness... In one of right
mindfulness, right concentration... In one of right concentration, right
knowledge... In one of right knowledge, right release comes into being. Thus
the learner is endowed with eight factors, and the Arahant with ten.
"Of
those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner? In
one of right view, wrong view is abolished. The many evil, unskillful qualities
that come into play with wrong view as their condition are also abolished,
while the many skillful qualities that have right view as their condition go to
the culmination of their development. In one of right resolve, wrong resolve is
abolished... In one of right speech, wrong speech is abolished... In one of
right action, wrong action is abolished... In one of right livelihood, wrong
livelihood is abolished... In one of right effort, wrong effort is abolished...
In one of right mindfulness, wrong mindfulness is abolished... In one of right
concentration, wrong concentration is abolished... In one of right knowledge,
wrong knowledge is abolished... In one of right release, wrong release is
abolished. The many evil, unskillful qualities that come into play with wrong
release as their condition are also abolished, while the many skillful
qualities that have right release as their condition go to the culmination of
their development.
"Thus,
monks, there are twenty factors siding with skillfulness, and twenty with
unskillfulness.
"This
Dhamma discourse on the Great Forty has been set rolling and cannot be stopped
by any contemplative or priest or deva or Mara and Brahma or anyone at all in
the world.
"If
any priest or contemplative might think that this Great Forty Dhamma discourse
should be censured & rejected, there are ten legitimate implications of his
statement that would form grounds for censuring him here & now. If he
censures right view, then he would honor any priests and contemplatives who are
of wrong view; he would praise them. If he censures right resolve... right
speech... right action... right livelihood... right effort... right
mindfulness... right concentration... right knowledge... If he censures right
release, then he would honor any priests and contemplatives who are of wrong
release; he would praise them. If any priest or contemplative might think that
this Great Forty Dhamma discourse should be censured & rejected, there are
these ten legitimate implications of his statement that would form grounds for
censuring him here & now.
"Even
Vassa & Bhañña -- those teachers from Okkala who were proponents of no-causality, no-action, &
no-existence -- would not think that this Dhamma discourse on the Great Forty
should be censured & rejected. Why is that? For fear of criticism,
opposition, & reproach."
That
is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed
One's words.
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