Russian stacking dolls, an elaborate drop down menu, a plate of spaghetti noodles…the Buddha;s teaching can be bewilderingly complex! Well, reality is complex so we shouldn’t be surprised…but what if there was a single unifying thread?

This Episode continues to explore the teaching of the Buddha from the "Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta" (dhumma-chak-ka-pawat-tana soot-a), or, the “Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dhamma” Sutta.

I also draw on other suttas in order to provide more detail about elements the Buddha mentions in this discourse but about which he does not go into detail.

I am usually relying on the translation of the sutta by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, ie., monk Thanissaro (birth name, Geoffrey DeGraff). The sutta explored in this episode can be found here: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN56_11.html.

There is a site where all of his works can be accessed: www.dhammatalks.org.

For anyone wishing to compare translations of this Sutta, or others, Access to Insight is a helpful resource: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html. The site is technically “retired” but is a treasure trove of resources, translations, and backgrounds to the many translators, etc.

Here is the portion of the Buddha’s teaching being discussed in this Episode: ….

From the Saccavibhanga Sutta, or “Discourse on The Analysis of the Truths”, the translation by Piyadassi Thera:

Right Effort:

"What is right effort? Herein a monk puts forth will, strives, stirs up energy, strengthens his mind, exerts himself to prevent the arising of evil, of unwholesome thoughts that have not yet arisen; puts forth will, strives, stirs up energy, strengthens his mind, exerts himself to banish the evil, unwholesome thoughts that have already arisen; puts forth will, strives, stirs up energy, strengthens his mind, exerts himself to develop wholesome thoughts that have not yet arisen; and puts forth will, strives, stirs up energy, strengthens his mind, exerts himself to maintain, to preserve, increase, to bring them to maturity, development, and to complete the wholesome thoughts that have arisen. This is called right effort.”

Right Mindfulness:

"What is right mindfulness? Herein a monk lives practicing body contemplation on the body, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful (of it), having overcome covetousness and dejection concerning the world (of the body).

"He lives practicing feeling-contemplation on the feelings, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful (of it) having overcome covetousness and dejection concerning the world (of feelings).

"He lives practicing mind-contemplation on the mind, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful (of it) having overcome covetousness and dejection concerning the world (of the mind).

"He lives practicing mind-object contemplation on the mind objects, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful (of it) having overcome covetousness and dejection concerning the world (of mental objects). This is called right mindfulness.”

Right Concentration

"And what is right concentration? Herein a monk aloof from sense desires, aloof from unwholesome thoughts, attains to and abides in the first meditative absorption (jhana) which is detachment-born and accompanied by applied thought, sustained thought, joy, and bliss.

"By allaying applied and sustained thought he attains to, and abides in the second jhana which is inner tranquillity, which is unification (of the mind), devoid of applied and sustained thought, and which has joy and bliss.

"By detachment from joy he dwells in equanimity, mindful, and with clear comprehension and enjoys bliss in body, and attains to and abides in the third jhana which the noble ones (ariyas) call: 'Dwelling in equanimity, mindfulness, and bliss.'

"By giving up of bliss and suffering, by the disappearance already of joy and sorrow, he attains to, and abides in the fourth jhana, which is neither suffering nor bliss, and which is the purity of equanimity-mindfulness. This is called right concentration.”