And what, monks, is the Noble Truth of the Way of Practice Leading to the Cessation of Suffering ?
It is just this Noble Eightfold Path, namely: - Right View, Right Thought; Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood; Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.
'And what, monks, is Right View ?
It is, monks, the knowledge of suffering, the knowledge of the origin of suffering, the knowledge of the cessation of suffering, and the knowledge of the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering.
This is called Right View.
'And what, monks, is Right Thought?
The thought of renunciation, the thought of non- ill-will, the thought of harmlessness.
This, monks, is called Right Thought.
'And what, monks, is Right Speech?
Refraining from lying, refraining from slander, refraining from harsh speech, refraining from frivolous speech.
This is called Right Speech.
'And what, monks, is Right Action?
Refraining from taking life, refraining from taking what is not given, refraining from sexual mis- conduct.
This is called Right Action.
'And what, monks, is Right Livelihood?
Here, monks, the Ariyan disciple, having given up wrong livelihood, keeps himself by right livelihood.
'And what, monks, is Right Effort?
Here, monks, a monk rouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to prevent the arising of unarisen evil unwholesome mental states.
He rouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to overcome evil unwholesome mental states that have arisen.
He rouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to produce unarisen wholesome mental states.
He rouses his will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind and strives to maintain wholesome mental states that have arisen, not to let them fade away, to bring them to greater growth, to the full perfection of development.
This is called Right Effort.
'And what, monks, is Right Mindfulness?
Here, monks, a monk abides contemplating body as body, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world; he abides contemplating feelings as feelings, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world; he abides contemplating mind as mind, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world; he abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.
This is called Right Mindfulness.
'And what, monks, is Right Concentration?
Here, a monk, detached from sense-desires, detached from unwholesome mental states, enters and remains in the first jhāna, which is with thinking and pondering, born of detachment, filled with delight and joy. And with the subsiding of thinking and pondering, by gaining inner tranquillity and oneness of mind, he enters and remains in the second jhāna, which is without thinking and pondering, born of concentration, filled with delight and joy. And with the fading away of delight, remaining imperturbable, mindful and clearly aware, he experiences in himself the joy of which the Noble Ones say: "Happy is he who dwells with equanimity and mindfulness", he enters the third jhana. And, having given up pleasure and pain, and with the disappearance of former gladness and sadness, he enters and remains in the fourth jhäna, which is beyond pleasure and pain, and purified by equanimity and mindfulness.
This is called Right Concentration.
And that, monks, is called the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering.'
