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- Majjhima Nikaya 117
- Maha-Cattarisaka Sutta
- The Great Forty
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
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 noble disciple 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.