Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling in Sāvatthi, in Jeta‘s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s park. There, the Venerable Sāriputta addressed the bhikkhus: “Friends, bhikkhus.”
“Friend,” those bhikkhus replied to Venerable Sāriputta. Venerable Sāriputta said:
“‘Right view, right view,’ is said, friends. To what extent, friends, does a noble disciple possess right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“Even from far away, friend, we would come to learn the meaning of this statement from the presence of Venerable Sāriputta. It would be good if Venerable Sāriputta himself would clarify the meaning of this statement. After hearing it from Venerable Sāriputta, the bhikkhus will remember it.”
“Then listen, friends, and pay close attention, I will speak,” said he.
“Yes, friend,” those bhikkhus replied to Venerable Sāriputta. Venerable Sāriputta said:
The Unwholesome and the Wholesome
“When, friends, a noble disciple understands the unwholesome and the root of the unwholesome, the wholesome and the root of the wholesome — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.
What, friends, is the unwholesome, what is the root of the unwholesome, what is the wholesome, what is the root of the wholesome? Taking life, friends, is unwholesome; taking what is not given, engaging in sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, idle chatter, covetousness, ill-will, and wrong view — this, friends, is called unwholesome.
And what, friends, is the root of the unwholesome? |Passion::lust, desire, attachment| is an unwholesome root, |aversion::ill-will, hatred, resentment| is an unwholesome root, |delusion::assumption making tendencies, absence of close examination and verification| is an unwholesome root— this, friends, is called the root of the unwholesome.
And what, friends, is the wholesome? Abstaining from taking life is wholesome, abstaining from taking what is not given, abstaining from sexual misconduct, abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from harsh speech, abstaining from idle chatter, non-covetousness, good-will, and right view — this, friends, is called wholesome.
And what, friends, is the root of the wholesome? Contentment is a wholesome root, good-will is a wholesome root, |wisdom::choosing to carefully examine and independently verify| is a wholesome root — this, friends, is called the root of the wholesome.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands the unwholesome and the root of the unwholesome, the wholesome and the root of the wholesome, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion, dispels the underlying tendency to aversion, eradicates the underlying tendency to the view ‘I am’, by abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge, in this very life makes an ending of |suffering::discontentment, stress| — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friend!” those bhikkhus satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta‘s words, and then they asked him a further question: “Might there be another way in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Nutriment
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands nutriment and the origin of nutriment, the ending of nutriment, and the way of practice leading to the ending of nutriment — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.
What, friends, is nutriment, what is the origin of nutriment, what is the ending of nutriment, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of nutriment? There are these four nutriments, friends, for the maintenance of beings that have come to be and for the support of those seeking to be. What are the four? Edible food, coarse or fine, is the first, contact is the second, mental volition is the third, and consciousness is the fourth. The origin of nutriment is craving, the ending of nutriment is the ending of craving, and the noble eightfold path is the way of practice leading to the ending of nutriment, namely — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands nutriment, the origin of nutriment, the ending of nutriment, and the way of practice leading to the ending of nutriment, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion, dispels the underlying tendency to aversion, eradicates the underlying tendency to the view ’I am‘, by abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge, in this very life makes an ending of |suffering::discontentment, stress| — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friend!” those bhikkhus satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta’s words, and then they asked him a further question: “Might there be another way in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
The Four Noble Truths
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands suffering, the origin of suffering, the ending of suffering, and the way of practice leading to the ending of suffering — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, is suffering, what is the origin of suffering, what is the ending of suffering, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of suffering? Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair are suffering; association with the disliked is suffering, separation from the liked is suffering, not getting what one wants is also suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to |clinging::grasping/holding on| are suffering — this, friends, is called suffering. And what, friends, is the origin of suffering? It is craving, which leads to rebirth, accompanied by pleasure and lust, finding delight here and there; namely, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for non-existence — this, friends, is called the origin of suffering. And what, friends, is the ending of suffering? It is the remainderless fading and ending of that same craving, the forsaking and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, non-reliance on it — this, friends, is called the ending of suffering. And what, friends, is the way of practice leading to the ending of suffering? It is this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness — this, friends, is called the way of practice leading to the ending of suffering.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands suffering, the origin of suffering, the ending of suffering, and the way of practice leading to the ending of suffering, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion, dispels the underlying tendency to aversion, eradicates the underlying tendency to the view ‘I am’, by abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge, in this very life makes an ending of suffering— to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta‘s words, asked him a further question: “Might there be another way in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Aging and Death
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands aging and death, the origin of aging and death, the ending of aging and death, and the way of practice leading to the ending of aging and death — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, is aging and death, what is the origin of aging and death, what is the ending of aging and death, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of aging and death? The aging of various beings in their respective classes, the decline, the breaking down of faculties, the wearing out of the body, the weakening of vitality — this, friends, is called aging. And what, friends, is death? The passing away, dissolution, disintegration, the disappearance, dying, death, completion of time, the breaking up of the aggregates, the laying down of the body, the cutting off of the life faculty of various beings in their respective classes — this, friends, is called death. Thus this is aging and this is death— this, friends, is called aging and death. The origin of aging and death is birth, the ending of aging and death is the ending of birth, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of aging and death, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands aging and death, the origin of aging and death, the ending of aging and death, and the way of practice leading to the ending of aging and death, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion … and makes an ending of suffering — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta’s words, asked him a further question: “Might there be another way in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Birth
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands birth, the origin of birth, the ending of birth, and the way of practice leading to the ending of birth — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, is birth, what is the origin of birth, what is the ending of birth, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of birth? The birth, coming into existence, entry, emergence of the aggregates, and obtaining the sense bases of various beings in their respective classes — this, friends, is called birth. The origin of birth is continued existence, the ending of birth is the ending of continued existence, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of birth, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands birth, the origin of birth, the ending of birth, and the way of practice leading to the ending of birth, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion … and makes an ending of suffering — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta‘s words, asked him a further question: “Might there be another way in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Continued Existence
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands continued existence, the origin of continued existence, the ending of continued existence, and the way of practice leading to the ending of continued existence — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, is continued existence, what is the origin of continued existence, what is the ending of continued existence, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of continued existence? There are these three kinds of continued existence, friends — sensual continued existence, form continued existence, formless continued existence. The origin of continued existence is clinging, the ending of continued existence is the ending of clinging, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of continued existence, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands continued existence, the origin of continued existence, the ending of continued existence, and the way of practice leading to the ending of continued existence, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion … and makes an ending of suffering. To this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta’s words, asked him a further question: “Might there be another way in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Clinging
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands clinging, the origin of clinging, the ending of clinging, and the way of practice leading to the ending of |clinging::grasping| — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, is clinging, what is the origin of clinging, what is the ending of clinging, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of clinging? There are these four kinds of clinging, friends — clinging to sensual pleasures, clinging to views, clinging to rituals and observances, clinging to a doctrine of self. The origin of clinging is craving, the ending of clinging is the ending of craving, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of clinging, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands clinging, the origin of clinging, the ending of clinging, and the way of practice leading to the ending of clinging, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion … and makes an ending of suffering— to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta‘s words, asked him a further question: “Might there be another way in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Craving
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands craving, the origin of craving, the ending of craving, and the way of practice leading to the ending of craving — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, is craving, what is the origin of craving, what is the ending of craving, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of craving? There are these six classes of craving, friends — craving for forms, craving for sounds, craving for odors, craving for tastes, craving for tactile sensations, craving for mental phenomena. The origin of craving is feeling, the ending of craving is the ending of feeling, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of craving, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands craving, the origin of craving, the ending of craving, and the way of practice leading to the ending of craving, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion … and makes an ending of suffering— to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta’s words, asked him further: “Might there be another way, friends, in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Feeling
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands feeling, the origin of feeling, the ending of feeling, and the way of practice leading to the ending of feeling — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, is feeling, what is the origin of feeling, what is the ending of feeling, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of feeling? There are these six classes of feeling — feeling born of eye-contact, feeling born of ear-contact, feeling born of nose-contact, feeling born of tongue-contact, feeling born of body-contact, feeling born of mind-contact. The origin of feeling is contact, the ending of feeling is the ending of contact, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of feeling, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands feeling, the origin of feeling, the ending of feeling, and the way of practice leading to the ending of feeling, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion … and makes an ending of suffering— to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta‘s words, asked him further: “Might there be another way, friends, in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Contact
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands contact, the origin of contact, the ending of contact, and the way of practice leading to the ending of contact — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, is contact, what is the origin of contact, what is the ending of contact, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of contact? There are these six classes of contact — eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, mind-contact. The origin of contact is the six sense bases, the ending of contact is the ending of the six sense bases, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of contact, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands contact, the origin of contact, the ending of contact, and the way of practice leading to the ending of contact, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion … and makes an ending of suffering— to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta’s words, asked him further: “Might there be another way, friends, in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
The Six Sense Bases
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands the six sense bases, the origin of the six sense bases, the ending of the six sense bases, and the way of practice leading to the ending of the six sense bases — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, are the six sense bases, what is the origin of the six sense bases, what is the ending of the six sense bases, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of the six sense bases? These are the six sense bases — the eye base, the ear base, the nose base, the tongue base, the body base, the mind base. The origin of the six sense bases is name-and-form, the ending of the six sense bases is the ending of name-and-form, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of the six sense bases, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands the six sense bases, the origin of the six sense bases, the ending of the six sense bases, and the way of practice leading to the ending of the six sense bases, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion … and makes an ending of suffering — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta‘s words, asked him further: “Might there be another way, friends, in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Name and Form
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands name-and-form, the origin of name-and-form, the ending of name-and-form, and the way of practice leading to the ending of name-and-form — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, is name-and-form, what is the origin of name-and-form, what is the ending of name-and-form, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of name-and-form? Feeling, perception, intention, contact, attention — this, friends, is called name; the four great elements, and the form dependent on the four great elements — this, friends, is called form. Thus, this is name and this is form — this, friends, is called name-and-form. The origin of name-and-form is consciousness, the ending of name-and-form is the ending of consciousness, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of name-and-form, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands name-and-form, the origin of name-and-form, the ending of name-and-form, and the way of practice leading to the ending of name-and-form, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion, dispels the underlying tendency to aversion, eradicates the underlying tendency to the view ’I am‘, by abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge, in this very life makes an ending of suffering — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta’s words, asked him further: “Might there be another way, friends, in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Consciousness
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands consciousness, the origin of consciousness, the ending of consciousness, and the way of practice leading to the ending of consciousness — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, is consciousness, what is the origin of consciousness, what is the ending of consciousness, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of consciousness? These are the six classes of consciousness— eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mind-consciousness. The origin of consciousness is formations, the ending of consciousness is the ending of formations, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of consciousness, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands consciousness, the origin of consciousness, the ending of consciousness, and the way of practice leading to the ending of consciousness, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion … and makes an ending of suffering— to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta‘s words, asked him further: “Might there be another way, friends, in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Formations
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands formations, the origin of formations, the ending of formations, and the way of practice leading to the ending of formations — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, are formations, what is the origin of formations, what is the ending of formations, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of formations? There are these three kinds of formations — bodily formation, verbal formation, mental formation. The origin of formations is ignorance, the ending of formations is the ending of ignorance, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of formations, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands formations, the origin of formations, the ending of formations, and the way of practice leading to the ending of formations, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion, dispels the underlying tendency to aversion, eradicates the underlying tendency to the view ’I am‘, by abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge, in this very life makes an ending of suffering — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“Good, friends!” those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta’s words, asked him further: “Might there be another way, friends, in which a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?”
Ignorance
“There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands ignorance, the origin of ignorance, the ending of ignorance, and the way of practice leading to the ending of ignorance — to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma. What, friends, is ignorance, what is the origin of ignorance, what is the ending of ignorance, what is the way of practice leading to the ending of ignorance? Not knowing suffering, not knowing the origin of suffering, not knowing the ending of suffering, not knowing the way of practice leading to the ending of suffering — this, friends, is called ignorance. The origin of ignorance is the |taints::defilements|, the ending of ignorance is the ending of the taints, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of ignorance, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
”When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands ignorance, understands the origin of ignorance, understands the ending of ignorance, understands the way of practice leading to the ending of ignorance, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion, dispels the underlying tendency to aversion, eradicates the underlying tendency to the view ‘I am’, by abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge, in this very life makes an ending of suffering— to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.“
”Good, friends!“ those bhikkhus, having satisfied and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta‘s words, then asked him a further question: ”Might there be another method, friends, whereby a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma?“
Taints
”There might be, friends. When, friends, a noble disciple understands the |taints::defilements|, understands the origin of the taints, understands the ending of the taints, and understands the way of practice leading to the ending of the taints— to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.
What, friends, are the |taints::defilements|, what is the origin of the taints, what is the ending of the taints, and what is the way of practice leading to the ending of the taints? There are these three taints, friends — the taint of sensual desire, the taint of continued existence, the taint of ignorance. The origin of the taints is ignorance, the ending of the taints is the ending of ignorance, and the Noble Eightfold Path is the way of practice leading to the ending of the taints, that is — right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right collectedness.
When, friends, a noble disciple thus understands the taints, understands the origin of the taints, understands the ending of the taints, understands the way of practice leading to the ending of the taints, he entirely abandons the underlying tendency to passion, dispels the underlying tendency to aversion, eradicates the underlying tendency to the view ’I am‘, by abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge, in this very life makes an ending of suffering— to this extent, friends, a noble disciple possesses right view, his view straight, equipped with experiential confidence in the Dhamma, having arrived at this true Dhamma.”
This was said by Venerable Sāriputta. The bhikkhus were joyful and pleased with Venerable Sāriputta’s words.