The following texts were quoted to serve as our "Sutra
reader":
(Walpola
Rahula, "What the Buddha Taught". Grove
Press,
New
York, 1974.)
1. Buddha's First Sermon:
SETTING IN MOTION THE WHEEL OF TRUTH
(Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta)
Thus have I heard. The Blessed One was once living in the
Deer Park at Isipatana (the Resort of Seers) near Baranasi(Benares). There he addressed the group of five bhikkhus: 'Bhikkhus, these two
extremes ought not to be practised by one who has
gone forth from the household life. What
are the two?
There is devotion to the indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is
low, common, the way of ordinary people, unworthy and unprofitable; and there
is devotion to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable.
'Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata
has realized the Middle Path: it gives vision, it gives knowledge, and it leads
to calm, to insight, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. And what is that Middle Path
... ? It is simply the Noble Eightfold Path, namely,right view, right thought, right speech, right
action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
This is the Middle Path realized by the Tathagata,
which gives vision, which gives knowledge, and which leads to calm, to insight,
to enlightenment, to Nibbana.
'The Noble Truth of
suffering (Dukkha) is this: Birth is suffering; aging
is suffering; sickness is suffering; death is
suffering; sorrow and lamentation, pain, grief and despair are
suffering; association with the unpleasant is suffering; dissociation from
the pleasant is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering - in brief,
the five aggregates of attachment are suffering.
'The Noble Truth of the
origin of suffering is this: It is this thirst (craving) which produces
re-existence and re-becoming,bound
up with passionate greed. It finds fresh
delight now here and now there, namely, thirst for sense-pleasures; thirst for existence
and becoming; and thirst for non-existence (self-annihilation).
'The Noble Truth of the
Cessation of suffering is this: It is the complete cessation of that very
thirst, giving it up, renouncing it, emancipating oneself from it, detaching
oneself from it.
'The Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of
suffering
is this: It is simply the Noble Eightfold Path, namely right view; right
thought; right speech; right action; right livelihood; right effort; right
mindfulness; right concentration.
'"This is the
Noble Truth of Suffering (Dukkha)": such was
the
vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the science, the light,
that
arose in me with regard to things not heard before. "This
suffering,
as a noble truth, should be fully understood": such was the vision, the
knowledge, the wisdom, the science, the light, that arose in me with regard to
things not heard before. "This
suffering, as a noble truth, has been fully understood": such was the
vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the science, the light,
that arose in me with regard to things not heard before.
'"This is the Noble Truth of the Origin of suffering":
such was the vision, . . . "This Origin of
suffering, as a noble truth, should be abandoned": such was the vision, . . . This Origin of suffering, as a noble truth,
has been abandoned": such was the vision, . . .
with regard to things not heard before.
'"This is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of
suffering":
such
was the vision, . . . "This Cessation of suffering, as a noble truth, should
be realized": such was the vision, . . . "This Cessation of
suffering, as a noble truth, has been realized": such was the vision, . . . with regard to things not heard before.
'"This is the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the
Cessation of suffering": such was the vision, . . .
"This Path leading to the Cessation of suffering, as a noble truth, should
be followed (cultivated)": such was the vision, . . .
"This Path leading to the Cessation of suffering, as a noble truth, has
been followed (cultivated)": such was the vision, the knowledge, the
wisdom, the science, the light, that arose in me with
regard to things not heard before.
'As long as my vision of true knowledge was not fully clear in
these three aspects, in these twelve ways, regarding the Four Noble Truths, I
did not claim to have realized the perfect Enlightenment that is supreme in the
world with its gods, with its Maras and Brahmas, in this world with its
recluses and brahmanas, with its princes and
men. But when my vision of true knowledge
was fully clear in these three aspects, in these twelve ways, regarding the
Four Noble Truths, then I claimed to have realized the perfect Enlightenment
that is supreme in the world with its gods, its Maras and Brahmas, in this
world with its recluses and brahmanas, with its
princes and men. And a vision of true
knowledge arose in me thus: My heart's deliverance is unassailable. This is the last birth. Now there is no more rebecoming
(rebirth.
This the Blessed One
said. The group of five bhikkhus was
glad,
and they rejoiced at his words.
2. Buddha's Last Words:
THE LAST WORDS OF THE BUDDHA
(Mahaparinibbana-sutta
of the Digha-nikaya, Sutta
No. 16)
Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Ananda:
'It may be, Ananda, that to some of you the thought
may come: "Here are (we have) the Words of the Teacher who is gone; our
Teacher we have with us no more".
But Ananda, it should not be considered in
this light. What I have taught and laid
down, Ananda, as Doctrine (Dhamma)
and Discipline (Vinaya), this will, be your teacher
when I am gone.
'Just as, Ananda, the bhikkhus now address
one another with the word "Friend" (Avuso),
they should not do so when I am gone. A
senior bhikkhu, Ananda, may
address a junior by his name, his family name or with the word
"Friend"; a junior bhikkhu should address a
senior as "Sir" (Bhante) or
"Venerable"(Ayasma).
'If the Sangha (the Community, the Order) should wish it,
Ananda,
let them, when I am gone, abolish the lesser and minor
precepts
(rules).
'When I am gone, Ananda, the highest penalty should be imposed on the Bhikkhu Channa.'
'But, Sir, what is the highest penalty?'
'Let the Bhikkhu Channa
say what he likes, Ananda; the bhikkhus
should neither speak to him, nor advise him, nor exhort him.'
Then the Blessed One
addressed the bhikkhus: 'It may be, Bhikkhus, that there may be doubt or perplexity in the mind
of even one bhikkhu about the Buddha, or the Dhamma, or the Sangha, or the
Path, or the Practice. Ask Bhikkhus. Do not reproach
yourselves afterwards with the thought: "Our Teacher was face to face with
us; we could not ask the Blessed One when we were face to face with him".'
When this was said, the bhikkhus
remained silent.
A second time and a third time too the
Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus ... as above.
The bhikkhus remained silent even for
the third time.
Then the Blessed One addressed them and said: 'It may be,Bhikkhus, that you put no
questions out of reverence for your Teacher.
Then, Bhikkhus, let friend speak to friend.'
Even at this, those bhikkhus remained
silent.
Then the Venerable Ananda said to the
Blessed One: 'It is wonderful, Sir. It
is marvellous, Sir.
I have this faith, Sir, in the community of bhikkhus
here, that not even one of them has any doubt or perplexity about the Buddha,
or the Dhamma, or the Sangha,
or the Path, or the Practice.'
'You speak out of faith, Ananda. But in this matter, Ananda,
the Tathagata (i.e. Buddha) knows, and knows for
certain, that in this community of bhikkhus there is
not even one bhikkhu who has any doubt or perplexity
about the Buddha, or the Dhamma, or the Sangha, or the Path, or the Practice. Indeed, Ananda,
even the lowest in spiritual attainments among these five hundred bhikkhus is a Stream-entrant (Sotapanna),
not liable to fall (into lower states), is assured, and is bound for
Enlightenment.'
Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus,
saying: 'Then,Bhikkhus, I
address you now: Transient are conditioned things.
Try to accomplish your aim with diligence.'
These were the last words of the Tathagata.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The following texts were quoted to serve as our "Sutra reader": (Walpola Rahula, "What the Buddha Taught". Grove Press, New York, 1974.) 1. Buddha's First Sermon: SETTING IN MOTION THE WHEEL OF TRUTH (Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta) Thus have I heard. The Blessed One was once living in the Deer Park at Isipatana (the Resort of Seers) near Baranasi (Benares). There he addressed the group of five bhikkhus: 'Bhikkhus, these two extremes ought not to be practised by one who has gone forth from the household life. What are the two? There is devotion to the indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, common, the way of ordinary people, unworthy and unprofitable; and there is devotion to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable. 'Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata has realized the Middle Path: it gives vision, it gives knowledge, and it leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. And what is that Middle Path ... ? It is simply the Noble Eightfold Path, namely, right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This is the Middle Path realized by the Tathagata, which gives vision, which gives knowledge, and which leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. 'The Noble Truth of suffering (Dukkha) is this: Birth issuffering; aging is suffering; sickness is suffering; death is
suffering; sorrow and lamentation, pain, grief and despair are
suffering; association with the unpleasant is suffering; dissociation from the pleasant is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering - in brief, the five aggregates of attachment are suffering.
'The Noble Truth of the origin of suffering is this: It is this thirst (craving) which produces re-existence and re-becoming, bound up with passionate greed. It finds fresh delight now here and now there, namely, thirst for sense-pleasures; thirst for existence and becoming; and thirst for non-existence (self-annihilation. 'The Noble Truth of the Cessation of suffering is this: It is the complete cessation of that very thirst, giving it up, renouncing it, emancipating oneself from it, detaching oneself from it. 'The Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of suffering is this: It is simply the Noble Eightfold Path, namely right view; right thought; right speech; right action; right livelihood;right effort; right mindfulness; right concentration. '"This is the Noble Truth of Suffering (Dukkha)": such wasthe vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the science, the light,
that arose in me with regard to things not heard before. "This
suffering, as a noble truth, should be fully understood": such was the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the science, the light, that arose in me with regard to things not heard before. "This suffering, as a noble truth, has been fully understood": such was the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the science, the light, that arose in me with regard to things not heard before.
'"This is the Noble Truth of the Origin of suffering": such was the vision, . . . "This Origin of suffering, as a noble truth, should be abandoned": such was the vision, . . . This Origin of suffering, as a noble truth, has been abandoned": such was the vision, . . . with regard to things not heard before. '"This is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of suffering":such was the vision, . . . "This Cessation of suffering, as a noble truth, should be realized": such was the vision, . . . "This Cessation of suffering, as a noble truth, has been realized": such was the vision, . . . with regard to things not heard before.
'"This is the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of suffering": such was the vision, . . . "This Path leading to the Cessation of suffering, as a noble truth, should be followed (cultivated)": such was the vision, . . . "This Path leading to the Cessation of suffering, as a noble truth, has been followed (cultivated)": such was the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the science, the light, that arose in me with regard to things not heard before. 'As long as my vision of true knowledge was not fully clear in these three aspects, in these twelve ways, regarding the Four Noble Truths, I did not claim to have realized the perfect Enlightenment that is supreme in the world with its gods, with its Maras and Brahmas, in this world with its recluses and brahmanas, with its princes and men. But when my vision of true knowledge was fully clear in these three aspects, in these twelve ways, regarding the Four Noble Truths, then I claimed to have realized the perfect Enlightenment that is supreme in the world with its gods, its Maras and Brahmas, in this world with its recluses and brahmanas, with its princes and men. And a vision of true knowledge arose in me thus: My heart's deliverance is unassailable. This is the last birth. Now there is no more rebecoming (rebirth). This the Blessed One said. The group of five bhikkhus was glad, and they rejoiced at his words. 2. Buddha's Last Words: THE LAST WORDS OF THE BUDDHA (Mahaparinibbana-sutta of the Digha-nikaya, Sutta No. 16) Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Ananda: 'It may be, Ananda, that to some of you the thought may come: "Here are (we have) the Words of the Teacher who is gone; our Teacher we have with us no more". But Ananda, it should not be considered in this light. What I have taught and laid down, Ananda, as Doctrine (Dhamma) and Discipline (Vinaya), this will, be your teacher when I am gone. 'Just as, Ananda, the bhikkhus now address one another with the word "Friend" (Avuso), they should not do so when I am gone. A senior bhikkhu, Ananda, may address a junior by his name, his family name or with the word "Friend"; a junior bhikkhu should address a senior as "Sir" (Bhante) or "Venerable"(Ayasma). 'If the Sangha (the Community, the Order) should wish it, Ananda, let them, when I am gone, abolish the lesser and minor precepts (rules). 'When I am gone, Ananda, the highest penalty should be imposed on the Bhikkhu Channa 'But, Sir, what is the highest penalty?' 'Let the Bhikkhu Channa say what he likes, Ananda; the bhikkhus should neither speak to him, nor advise him, nor exhort him.' Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: 'It may be, Bhikkhus, that there may be doubt or perplexity in the mind of