Vibhaṅga Sutta – The Noble Eightfold Path
At Sāvatthī.
The Blessed One addressed the monks: “Monks, I shall teach and analyze for you the Noble Eightfold Path. Listen carefully.”
The monks replied: “Yes, venerable sir.”
The Blessed One said:
The Noble Eightfold Path
“What is the Noble Eightfold Path?
Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.”
1. Right View (Sammā-diṭṭhi)
“And what is Right View?
Knowledge of suffering, of the origin of suffering, of the cessation of suffering, and of the path leading to the cessation of suffering — this is called Right View.”
2. Right Intention (Sammā-saṅkappa)
“And what is Right Intention?
The intention of renunciation, the intention of non-ill will, the intention of harmlessness — this is called Right Intention.”
3. Right Speech (Sammā-vācā)
“And what is Right Speech?
Intention to abstain from false speech, from divisive speech, from harsh speech, and from idle chatter — this is called Right Speech.”
4. Right Action (Sammā-kammanta)
“And what is Right Action?
Intention to abstain from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, and from sexual misconduct — this is called Right Action.”
5. Right Livelihood (Sammā-ājīva)
“And what is Right Livelihood?
A noble disciple abandons wrong livelihood and lives by right livelihood — this is called Right Livelihood.”
6. Right Effort (Sammā-vāyāma)
“And what is Right Effort?
A monk arouses desire, endeavors, applies effort, upholds and sustains the mind:
• to prevent unwholesome states not yet arisen • to abandon unwholesome states that have arisen • to produce wholesome states not yet arisen • to strengthen, increase, and perfect wholesome states already arisen
This is called Right Effort.”
7. Right Mindfulness (Sammā-sati)
“And what is Right Mindfulness?
A monk contemplates the body in the body, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having removed covetousness and grief for the world.
He contemplates feelings in feelings… mind in mind… mental objects in mental objects… ardent, fully aware, mindful, having removed covetousness and grief for the world.
This is called Right Mindfulness.”
8. Right Concentration (Sammā-samādhi)
“And what is Right Concentration?
A monk, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of seclusion.
With the subsiding of applied and sustained thought, he enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, without applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of concentration.
With the fading away of rapture, he dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly aware; he experiences pleasure with the body; he enters and dwells in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare: ‘He has a pleasant abiding who has equanimity and is mindful.’
With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna: purity of mindfulness due to equanimity, neither pain nor pleasure.
This is called Right Concentration.”
End of the Vibhaṅga Sutta