8.
The Discourse on Analysis
8.
At Sāvatthī.
"I will teach you, monks, the noble eightfold path and I will analyse it.
Listen to that, pay close attention;
I will speak."
"Yes, venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
"And what, monks, is the noble eightfold path? That is: right view, etc. right concentration.
"And what, monks, is right view? Whatever knowledge of suffering, knowledge of the origin of suffering, knowledge of the cessation of suffering, knowledge of the practice leading to the cessation of suffering - this is called, monks, right view.
"And what, monks, is right thought? Whatever thought of renunciation, thought of non-anger, thought of non-violence - this is called, monks, right thought.
"And what, monks, is right speech? Whatever abstention from lying, abstention from divisive speech, abstention from harsh speech, abstention from idle chatter - this is called, monks, right speech.
"And what, monks, is right action? Whatever abstention from killing living beings, abstention from taking what is not given, abstention from not practising the holy life - this is called, monks, right action.
"And what, monks, is right livelihood? Here, monks, a noble disciple, having abandoned wrong livelihood, earns his living by right livelihood - this is called, monks, right livelihood.
"And what, monks, is right effort? Here, monks, a monk generates desire for the non-arising of unarisen evil unwholesome mental states, he strives, arouses energy, exerts the mind, and strives; he generates desire for the abandoning of arisen evil unwholesome mental states, etc. he generates desire for the arising of unarisen wholesome mental states, etc. he generates desire for the presence, non-decay, increase, expansion, development, and fulfilment of arisen wholesome mental states, he strives, arouses energy, exerts the mind, and strives - this is called, monks, right effort.
"And what, monks, is right mindfulness? Here, monks, a monk dwells observing the body in the body, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure regarding the world; he dwells observing feelings in feelings, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure regarding the world; he dwells observing mind in mind, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure regarding the world; he dwells observing mental phenomena in mental phenomena, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure regarding the world - this is called, monks, right mindfulness.
"And what, monks, is right concentration? Here, monks, a monk, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome mental states, enters and dwells in the first meditative absorption, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, with rapture and happiness born of seclusion. With the subsiding of applied and sustained thought, he enters and dwells in the second meditative absorption, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without applied thought and without sustained thought, with rapture and happiness born of concentration. With the fading away of rapture, he dwells equanimous, mindful and fully aware, and experiences happiness with the body - that which the noble ones declare: 'One who is equanimous and mindful, one who dwells in happiness' - he enters and dwells in the third meditative absorption. With the abandoning of pleasure and with the abandoning of pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and displeasure, he enters and dwells in the fourth meditative absorption, which has neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant and purity of mindfulness due to equanimity - this is called, monks, right concentration." The eighth.