Bhikkhu
At Savatthī. “Herein, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu understands aging-and-death, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation. He understands birth … existence … clinging … craving … feeling … contact … the six sense bases … name-and-form … consciousness … volitional formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation.
“And what, bhikkhus, is aging-and-death?… as in preceding sutta … Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of volitional formations; that is, right view … right concentration.
“When, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu thus understands aging-and-death, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation; when he thus understands birth … existence … clinging … craving … feeling … contact … the six sense bases … name-and-form … consciousness … volitional formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation, he is then called a bhikkhu who is accomplished in view, accomplished in vision, who has arrived at this true Dhamma, who sees this true Dhamma, who possesses a trainee’s knowledge, a trainee’s true knowledge, who has entered the stream of the Dhamma, a noble one with penetrative wisdom, one who stands squarely before the door to the Deathless.”
- Translator: Bhikkhu Bodhi
- Editor: Blake Walsh
A Mendicant
This is called death.
At Sāvatthī.
“A mendicant understands old age and death, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. They understand rebirth …
continued existence …
grasping …
craving …
feeling …
contact …
the six sense fields …
name and form …
consciousness …
They understand choices, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation.
And what is old age and death?
The old age, decrepitude, broken teeth, grey hair, wrinkly skin, diminished vitality, and failing faculties of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings.
This is called old age.
The passing away, perishing, disintegration, demise, mortality, death, decease, breaking up of the aggregates, and laying to rest of the corpse of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings.
Such is old age, and such is death.
This is called old age and death.
Rebirth is the origin of old age and death.
When rebirth ceases, old age and death cease.
The practice that leads to the cessation of old age and death is simply this noble eightfold path,
that is: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.
And what is rebirth? …
And what is continued existence? …
And what is grasping? …
And what is craving? …
feeling …
contact …
the six sense fields …
name and form …
consciousness …
And what are choices?
There are three kinds of choices.
Choices by way of body, speech, and mind.
These are called choices.
Ignorance is the origin of choices.
When ignorance ceases, choices cease.
The practice that leads to the cessation of choices is simply this noble eightfold path,
that is: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.
A mendicant understands old age and death, their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation. They understand rebirth …
continued existence …
grasping …
craving …
feeling …
contact …
the six sense fields …
name and form …
consciousness …
They understand choices,
their origin,
their cessation,
and the practice that leads to their cessation.
Such a mendicant is called ‘one accomplished in view’, ‘one accomplished in vision’, ‘one who has come to the true teaching’, ‘one who sees this true teaching’, ‘one endowed with a trainee’s knowledge’, ‘one who has entered the stream of the teaching’, ‘a noble one with penetrative wisdom’, and ‘one who stands pushing open the door of the deathless’.”
