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 a concentration, 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=251033
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/digha/index.html