Sacca Vibhanga Sutta: Discourse on the analysis of the Truths
By Dr. Ari Ubeysekara
Introduction
Lord Gautama Buddha who lived and preached in India during the 6th and 5th century BC, delivered a vast number of discourses during the ministry of forty five years from enlightenment to passing away at the age of eighty years. Those discourses have been divided into five collections.
- Collection of long discourses (dīgha nikāya)
- Collection of middle length discourses (majjhima nikāya)
- Collection of connected discourses (samyutta nikāya)
- Collection of numerical discourses (anguttara nikāya)
- Collection of minor discourses (khuddaka nikāya)
The collection of the middle length discourses (majjhima nikāya) contain 152 discourses delivered by the Buddha and the Buddha’s chief disciples. The 152 discourses are divided into three parts consisting of 50, 50 and 52 discourses respectively. Sacca vibhanga sutta is the 141st discourse included in the third part. (1)
Content of Sacca vibhanga sutta
Thus have I heard.
[All the discourses of the Buddha contained in the five collections were narrated by Venerable Arahant Ānanda from memory at the first Buddhist council that was held three months after the Buddha’s passing away. He was the chief attendant of the Buddha and was known as the “guardian of the Dhamma” due to his excellent skill in remembering the Buddha’s discourses. At the Buddhist council, each discourse was begun by him with the same phrase found at the beginning of this discourse too, “evaṁ me sutaṁ” meaning “Thus have I heard”.]
At one time, the Buddha was staying in the Deer Park at Isipatana near Benares.
[The Deer Park, known as Migadāya in the Pali language was situated at Isipathana which was so named as holy men and sages (isi) were believed to have landed at this park while they were flying through the air. Following the enlightenment as a Sammā Sambuddha, Lord Gautama Buddha delivered the first sermon called the Dhammacakkappavattana sutta and the second sermon called Anatta Lakkhana sutta to the five ascetic companions at the Deer Park. The Buddha also spent the first rain retreat at the same park.]
There, the Buddha addressed the monks: “Monks.”
The monks replied: “Venerable Sir.”
The Buddha said: “Monks, the matchless Wheel of Dhamma has been set in motion in the Deer Park at Isipatana near Benares by the Tathagata, the Consummate One, the supremely Enlightened One. And that wheel cannot be rolled back by any recluse, or brahmin or Deva or Mara or Brahma or by anyone in the world. It was a proclamation of the four Noble Truths, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing of the four Noble Truths. What four?”
“The proclaiming, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing, of the Noble Truth of suffering. The proclaiming, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing, of the Noble Truth of the origin of suffering. The proclaiming, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing, of the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering. The proclaiming, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing, of the Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering.”
[Lord Gautama Buddha gained enlightenment as a Sammā Sambuddha while meditating under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, on the full moon day of the month of May in 528 BC. Having decided to teach the path of liberation that He discovered, so that others could also liberate themselves from suffering, the Buddha travelled to Isipatana near Varanasi to deliver the first sermon. The five ascetic companions who had supported Him during the six years of practising severe austerity were living there at that time. On the full moon day of the month of July, the Buddha delivered the first sermon called the “Dhammachakkappavattana sutta” meaning “Turning of the Wheel of Truth”. In this sermon, the Buddha emphasized the need to follow the Middle Path avoiding the two extremes of self-indulgence and self- mortification, and explained the four Noble Truths: The truth of universal suffering (dukkha sacca), truth of the origin of suffering (samudaya sacca), truth of the cessation of suffering (nirodha sacca) and the truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering (magga sacca).] (2)
“Monks, the matchless Wheel of Dhamma has been set in motion in the Deer Park at Isipatana near Benares by the Tathagata, the Consummate One, the supremely Enlightened One. And that wheel cannot be rolled back by any recluse, or brahmin or Deva or Mara or Brahma or by anyone in the world. It was a proclamation of the four Noble Truths, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing of the four Noble Truths.”
“Monks, follow Sāriputta and Moggallāna; associate with Sāriputta and Moggallāna. They are wise and helpful to their companions in the holy life. Sāriputta, monks is like a mother; Moggallāna is like a nursing mother. Sāriputta, monks, trains others in the path of the fruit of Stream Winner, and Moggallāna for the highest goal. Sāriputta, monks is able to proclaim, teach, define, establish, clarify, analyse, and elucidate the four Noble Truths in detail.”
[Arahant Sāriputta and Arahant Mahā Moggallāna were the two chef disciples of the Buddha. It is said that Arahant Sāriputta would train the newly ordained monks till they attain the first supra mundane stage of Stream Enterer (Sotāpanna) and from then on Arahant Mahā Moggallāna would teach them until they gain full enlightenment as Arahants. Hence the Buddha has referred to Arahant Sāriputta as a mother and Arahant Mahā Moggallāna as a nursing mother.]
The Buddha said this and having said so, the Well-farer rose from His seat and entered His dwelling. Then not long after the Buddha has gone, Venerable Sāriputta addressed the monks:
“Reverend friends”.
“Reverend friend”, the monks replied.
Then, Venerable Sāriputta said:
“Friends, the matchless Wheel of Dhamma has been set in motion in the Deer Park at Isipatana near Benares by the Tathagata, the Consummate One, the supremely Enlightened One. And that wheel cannot be rolled back by any recluse, or brahmin or Deva or Mara or Brahma or by anyone in the world. It was a proclamation of the four Noble Truths, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing of the four Noble Truths. What four?”
“The proclaiming, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing, of the Noble Truth of suffering. The proclaiming, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing, of the Noble Truth of the origin of suffering. The proclaiming, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing, of the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering. The proclaiming, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing, of the Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering.”
“And what, friends, is the Noble Truth of suffering? Birth is suffering; ageing is suffering; death is suffering; grief, lamentation, physical pain, mental pain, and despair are suffering; to be associated with the unpleasant is suffering; to be separated from the pleasant is suffering; not getting what one desires is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates of clinging are suffering.”
“And what, friends, is birth? It is the birth of beings in various planes of sentient beings; the production, conception, coming into existence, appearance of the five aggregates, acquisition of the sense bases. This friends, is called birth.”
[The five aggregates are: Form (rūpa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saññā), mental formations (sankhāra) and consciousness (viññāna). The six sense bases are the six internal sense bases: The eye (cakku), ear (sota), nose (ghāna), tongue (jivhā), body (kāya) and mind (mana).]
“What friends, is ageing? It is the ageing of sentient beings in various planes of sentient beings, their decay, broken teeth, grey hair, wrinkled skin, the dwindling of their lie span, the wearing out of the sense organs. This friends, is called ageing.”
“What friends, is death? The passing away, breaking up, disintegration, death, dying, one’s time being up, breaking up of the aggregates, laying down of the body, and cutting off of the life faculty of the various sentient beings in various planes of sentient beings. This friends, is called death.”
“What friends, is grief? It is the grief, sorrow, sorrowfulness, the state of sorrow, inner grief, overwhelming inner grief, in someone who has undergone some misfortune, who has experienced some painful state. This friends, is called grief.”
“What friends, is lamentation? It is the crying, the wailing, the act of crying, the state of wailing and lamentation in someone who has undergone some misfortune, who has experienced some painful state. This friends, is called lamentation.”
“What friends, is physical pain? It is the physical pain, physical unpleasantness, the painful, unpleasant feeling that is arising from physical contact. This friends, is called physical pain.”
“What friends, is mental pain? It is the mental pain, mental unpleasantness, painful or unpleasant feeling that is arising from mental contact. This friends, is called mental pain.”
“What friends, is despair? It is stress, distress, despair, the state of despair in someone who has undergone some misfortune, who has experienced some painful state. This friends, is called despair.”
“What friends, is not getting what one desires? In beings subject to birth, this desire arises: O might we not be subject to birth, and birth not come to us, but, this cannot be gained just by wishing. So not getting what one desires is suffering. In beings subject to ageing, this desire arises: O might we not be subject to ageing, and ageing not come to us, but, this cannot be gained just by wishing. So not getting what one desires is suffering. In beings subject to disease, this desire arises: O might we not be subject to disease, and disease not come to us, but, this cannot be gained just by wishing. So not getting what one desires is suffering. In beings subject to death, this desire arises: O might we not be subject to death, and death not come to us, but, this cannot be gained just by wishing. So not getting what one desires is suffering. In beings subject to grief, lamentation, physical pain, mental pain, and despair, this desire arises: O might we not be subject to grief, lamentation, physical pain, mental pain, and despair, and grief, lamentation, physical pain, mental pain, and despair not come to us, but, this cannot be gained just by wishing. So not getting what one desires is suffering.
“What friends, are in brief, the five aggregates of clinging that are suffering? These are the aggregate of clinging that is form, the aggregate of clinging that is feeling, the aggregate of clinging that is perception, the aggregate of clinging that are formations, the aggregate of clinging that is consciousness. These friends, are called, in brief, the five aggregates of clinging that are suffering.”
“This friends, is called the Noble Truth of suffering.”
“And what, friends, is the Noble Truth of the origin of suffering? It is this craving which produces rebirth, accompanied by pleasure and lust, finding delight now here now there, namely the craving for sense pleasures, craving for existence and craving for non-existence. This friends, is called the Noble Truth of the origin of suffering.”
“And what, friends, is the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering? It is the complete cessation of that very craving, giving it up, relinquishing it, being free from it, and detaching oneself from it. This friends, is called the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering.”
“And what, friends, is the Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering? It is this Noble Eight-fold Path itself, namely: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.”
[The fourth Noble Truth is the path leading to the cessation of suffering. It is the Noble Eight-fold Path which is also known as the Middle Path. It consists of the eight factors of: right view (sammā-ditthi), right intention (sammā-sankappa), right speech (sammā-vācā), right action (sammā-kammanta), right livelihood (sammā-ājīva), right effort (sammā-vāyāma), right mindfulness (sammā-sati) and right concentration (sammā-samādhi).]
“And what, friends, is right view? It is the knowledge of suffering, knowledge of the origin of suffering, knowledge of the cessation of suffering, knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. This friends, is right view.”
“And what, friends, is right intention? It is the thought of renunciation, thought of goodwill, thought of harmlessness. This friends, is right intention.”
“And what, friends, is right speech? Abstaining from lying, abstaining from slander, abstaining from harsh speech, abstaining from idle chatter. This friends, is right speech.”
“And what, friends, is right action? Abstaining from killing any living beings, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from sexual misconduct. This friends, is right action.”
“And what, friends, is right livelihood? Herein, the noble disciple, having given up wrong livelihood, makes his living through right livelihood. This friends, is right livelihood.”
“And what, friends, is right effort? Herein, a monk puts forth will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, strengthens his mind, strives himself to prevent the arising of un-arisen unwholesome mental states. He puts forth will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, strengthens his mind, strives himself to abandon the unwholesome mental states that have arisen. He puts forth will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, strengthens his mind, strives himself to cultivate un-arisen wholesome mental states. He puts forth will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, strengthens his mind, strives himself to maintain, to preserve, to increase, to develop and to bring to maturity any wholesome mental states that have arisen. This friends, is right effort.”
“And what, friends, is right mindfulness? Herein, a monk dwells ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, contemplating the body in the body, having put away covetousness and displeasure concerning the world. He dwells ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, contemplating feelings in feelings, having put away covetousness and displeasure concerning the world. He dwells ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, contemplating mind in the mind having put away covetousness and displeasure concerning the world. He dwells ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, contemplating mind objects in mind objects, having put away covetousness and displeasure concerning the world. This friends, is right mindfulness.”
“And what, friends, is right concentration? Herein, a monk, detached from sensual pleasures, detached from unwholesome mental states, enters and dwells in the first meditative absorption, accompanied by initial application and sustained application, accompanied by joy and happiness born of detachment. By allaying initial application and sustained application, by gaining inner calm and unification of the mind, he enters and dwells in the second meditative absorption free from application and sustained application accompanied by joy and happiness born of concentration. With the fading away of joy, he dwells in equanimity, mindful with clear comprehension, experiencing happiness with the body, he enters and dwells in the third deep absorption which the noble ones call: Dwelling in equanimity, mindfulness and happiness. With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, with the earlier disappearance of joy and sorrow, he enters and dwells in the fourth deep absorption which is neither pleasant nor painful, with mindfulness fully purified by equanimity. This friends, is right concentration.”
“This friends, is called the Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation suffering.”
“Friends, the matchless Wheel of Dhamma has been set in motion in the Deer Park at Isipatana near Benares by the Tathagata, the Consummate One, the supremely Enlightened One. And that wheel cannot be rolled back by any recluse, or brahmin or Deva or Mara or Brahma or by anyone in the world. It was a proclamation of the four Noble Truths, by way of teaching, defining, establishing, clarifying, analysing, and revealing of the four Noble Truths.”
“This is what Venerable Sāriputta said. Satisfied, the monks approved what Venerable Sāriputta said.
The Buddha has delivered the Sacca Vibhanga sutta to the monks in the Deer Park at Isipatana near Benares, where the Buddha had delivered the first sermon called Dhammachakkappavattana sutta on an earlier occasion. Having briefly mentioned the four Noble Truths that the Buddha had stated in the first sermon, the Buddha described Arahants Sāriputta and Mahā Moggallāna as wise and helpful and advised the monks to follow and associate with them. The Buddha also praised Arahant Sāriputta, as a monk who is able to proclaim, teach, define, establish, clarify, analyse, and elucidate the four Noble Truths in detail. When the Buddha retired after making this brief statement, Arahant Sāriputta has given a detailed description of the four Noble Truths which forms the main body of this discourse. Sacca Vibhanga sutta is a discourse in which one can find the most detailed and clear description of the four Noble Truths including the Noble Eight-fold Path.
References
- Bhikkhu Nānamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi 1995, Sacca vibhanga sutta, Translation of the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom Publications.
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 1999, Dhammachakkappavattana sutta, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Samyutta Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
End.
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