Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati gijjhakūṭe pabbate.
Once upon a time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha, on the Vulture Peak Mountain.
Atha kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “āyāma, bhikkhave, yena paṭibhānakūṭo tenupasaṅkamissāma divāvihārāyā”ti.
Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, “Come, bhikkhus, let us approach the Inspiration Peak for the day’s abiding.”
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Atha kho bhagavā sambahulehi bhikkhūhi saddhiṁ yena paṭibhānakūṭo tenupasaṅkami.
“Yes, venerable sir,” those bhikkhus responded to the Blessed One. Thereupon, the Blessed One, together with several bhikkhus, approached the Inspiration Peak.
Addasā kho aññataro bhikkhu paṭibhānakūṭe mahantaṁ papātaṁ. Disvāna bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “mahā vatāyaṁ, bhante, papāto subhayānako, bhante, papāto. Atthi nu kho, bhante, imamhā papātā añño papāto mahantataro ca bhayānakataro cā”ti?
There, a certain bhikkhu saw a great |precipice::cliff, steep drop [papāta]| at the Inspiration Peak and, having seen it, said to the Blessed One, “This, venerable sir, is a great precipice, truly frightening, venerable sir. Is there, venerable sir, another precipice greater and more terrifying than this one?”
“Atthi kho, bhikkhu, imamhā papātā añño papāto mahantataro ca bhayānakataro cā”ti.
“There is, bhikkhu, another precipice that is greater and more terrifying than this one.”
“Katamo pana, bhante, imamhā papātā añño papāto mahantataro ca bhayānakataro cā”ti?
“And what, venerable sir, is another precipice greater and more terrifying than this one?”
“Ye hi keci, bhikkhave, samaṇā vā brāhmaṇā vā ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānanti, ‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānanti, ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānanti, ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānanti, te jātisaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu abhiramanti, jarāsaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu abhiramanti, maraṇasaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu abhiramanti, sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsasaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu abhiramanti. Te jātisaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu abhiratā jarāsaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu abhiratā maraṇasaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu abhiratā sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsasaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu abhiratā jātisaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre abhisaṅkharonti, jarāsaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre abhisaṅkharonti, maraṇasaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre abhisaṅkharonti, sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsasaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre abhisaṅkharonti. Te jātisaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre abhisaṅkharitvā jarāsaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre abhisaṅkharitvā maraṇasaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre abhisaṅkharitvā sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsasaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre abhisaṅkharitvā jātipapātampi papatanti, jarāpapātampi papatanti, maraṇapapātampi papatanti, sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsapapātampi papatanti. Te na parimuccanti jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi. ‘Na parimuccanti dukkhasmā’ti vadāmi.
“Whatever ascetics and brahmins who do not understand as it truly is, ‘This is |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]|,’ who do not understand as it truly is, ‘This is the |arising of suffering::source of stress, appearance of discomfort [dukkhasamudaya]|,’ who do not understand as it truly is, ‘This is the |end of suffering::ending of discontentment, cessation of distress [dukkhanirodha]|,’ and who do not understand as it truly is, ‘This is the |way of practice leading to the end of suffering::i.e. the Noble Eightfold Path consisting of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right collectedness [dukkhanirodhagāmī]|,’ they delight in |intentional constructs::intentions, volitions, and choices expressed as mental, verbal, and bodily activities; thought formations and constructed experiences (including proliferative tendencies); processes that produce kamma [saṅkhāra]|leading to rebirth, in intentional constructs leading to aging, in intentional constructs leading to death, and in intentional constructs leading to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair. Delighting in intentional constructs leading to rebirth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair, they choose to act on these intentional constructs. Having acted on these intentional constructs leading to rebirth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair, they fall into the precipice of rebirth, the precipice of aging, the precipice of death, and the precipice of sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair. They do not escape from birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair. I say, ‘They do not escape from suffering.’
Ye ca kho keci, bhikkhave, samaṇā vā brāhmaṇā vā ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yathābhūtaṁ pajānanti …pe… ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yathābhūtaṁ pajānanti, te jātisaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu nābhiramanti, jarāsaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu nābhiramanti, maraṇasaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu nābhiramanti, sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsasaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu nābhiramanti. Te jātisaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu anabhiratā, jarāsaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu anabhiratā, maraṇasaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu anabhiratā, sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsasaṁvattanikesu saṅkhāresu anabhiratā, jātisaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre nābhisaṅkharonti, jarāsaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre nābhisaṅkharonti, maraṇasaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre nābhisaṅkharonti, sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsasaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre nābhisaṅkharonti. Te jātisaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre anabhisaṅkharitvā, jarāsaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre anabhisaṅkharitvā, maraṇasaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre anabhisaṅkharitvā, sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsasaṁvattanikepi saṅkhāre anabhisaṅkharitvā, jātipapātampi nappapatanti, jarāpapātampi nappapatanti, maraṇapapātampi nappapatanti, sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsapapātampi nappapatanti. Te parimuccanti jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi. ‘Parimuccanti dukkhasmā’ti vadāmi.
And those ascetics and brahmins who understand as it truly is, ‘This is suffering,’ who understand as it truly is, ‘This is the arising of suffering,’ who understand as it truly is, ‘This is the end of suffering,’ and who understand as it truly is, ‘This is the way of practice leading to the end of suffering,’ they do not delight in intentional constructs leading to rebirth, aging, death, and sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair. Not delighting in these intentional constructs, they do not choose to act on these intentional constructs. Not acting on these intentional constructs leading to rebirth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair, they do not fall into the precipice of rebirth, the precipice of aging, the precipice of death, and the precipice of sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair. They escape from birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair. I say, ‘They escape from suffering.’
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yogo karaṇīyo”ti.
Therefore, bhikkhus, effort should be made to |fully understand::understand in principle, then discern in each moment and then experientially penetrate|: ‘This is suffering’;
effort should be made to fully understand: ‘This is the arising of suffering’;
effort should be made to fully understand: ‘This is the end of suffering’;
effort should be made to fully understand: ‘This is the way of practice leading to the end of suffering.’”