Maha-cattarisaka Sutta: The Great Forty
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
study guideI have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Savatthi, in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. There he addressed the monks: "Monks!"
"Yes, lord," the monks replied.
The Blessed One said, "Monks, I will teach you noble right concentration with its supports and requisite conditions. Listen, and pay close attention. I will speak."
"Yes, lord," the monks replied.
The Blessed One said: "Now what, monks, is noble right concentration with its supports & requisite conditions? Any singleness of mind equipped with these seven factors — right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, & right mindfulness — is called noble right concentration with its supports & requisite conditions.
[1] "Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner? One discerns wrong view as wrong view, and right view as right view. This is one's right view. And what is wrong view? 'There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed. There is no fruit or result of good or bad actions. There is no this world, no next world, no mother, no father, no spontaneously reborn beings; no priests or contemplatives who, faring rightly & practicing rightly, proclaim this world & the next after having directly known & realized it for themselves.' This is wrong view.
"And what is right view? Right view, I tell you, is of two sorts: There is right view with effluents [asava], siding with merit, resulting in the acquisitions [of becoming]; and there is noble right view, without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"And what is the right view that has effluents, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions? 'There is what is given, what is offered, what is sacrificed. There are fruits & results of good & bad actions. There is this world & the next world. There is mother & father. There are spontaneously reborn beings; there are priests & contemplatives who, faring rightly & practicing rightly, proclaim this world & the next after having directly known & realized it for themselves.' This is the right view that has effluents, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions.
"And what is the right view that is without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path? The discernment, the faculty of discernment, the strength of discernment, analysis of qualities as a factor for Awakening, the path factor of right view of one developing the noble path whose mind is noble, whose mind is free from effluents, who is fully possessed of the noble path. This is the right view that is without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"One tries to abandon wrong view & to enter into right view: This is one's right effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong view & to enter & remain in right view: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three qualities — right view, right effort, & right mindfulness — run & circle around right view.
[2] "Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner? One discerns wrong resolve as wrong resolve, and right resolve as right resolve. And what is wrong resolve? Being resolved on sensuality, on ill will, on harmfulness. This is wrong resolve.
"And what is right resolve? Right resolve, I tell you, is of two sorts: There is right resolve with effluents, siding with merit, resulting in the acquisitions [of becoming]; and there is noble right resolve, without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"And what is the right resolve that has effluents, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions? Being resolved on renunciation, on freedom from ill will, on harmlessness. This is the right resolve that has effluents, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions.
And what is the right resolve that is without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path? The thinking, directed thinking, resolve, (mental) fixity, transfixion, focused awareness, & verbal fabrications of one developing the noble path whose mind is noble, whose mind is without effluents, who is fully possessed of the noble path. This is the right resolve that is without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"One tries to abandon wrong resolve & to enter into right resolve: This is one's right effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong resolve & to enter & remain in right resolve: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three qualities — right view, right effort, & right mindfulness — run & circle around right resolve.
[3] "Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner? One discerns wrong speech as wrong speech, and right speech as right speech. And what is wrong speech? Lying, divisive tale-bearing, abusive speech, & idle chatter. This is wrong speech.
"And what is right speech? Right speech, I tell you, is of two sorts: There is right speech with effluents, siding with merit, resulting in the acquisitions [of becoming]; and there is noble right speech, without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"And what is the right speech that has effluents, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions? Abstaining from lying, from divisive tale-bearing, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter. This is the right speech that has effluents, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions.
"And what is the right speech that is without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path? The abstaining, desisting, abstinence, avoidance of the four forms of verbal misconduct of one developing the noble path whose mind is noble, whose mind is without effluents, who is fully possessed of the noble path. This is the right speech that is without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"One tries to abandon wrong speech & to enter into right speech: This is one's right effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong speech & to enter & remain in right speech: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three qualities — right view, right effort, & right mindfulness — run & circle around right speech.
[4] "Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner? One discerns wrong action as wrong action, and right action as right action. And what is wrong action? Killing, taking what is not given, illicit sex. This is wrong action.
"And what is right action? Right action, I tell you, is of two sorts: There is right action with effluents, siding with merit, resulting in the acquisitions [of becoming]; and there is noble right action, without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"And what is the right action that has effluents, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions? Abstaining from killing, from taking what is not given, & from illicit sex. This is the right action that has effluents, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions.
"And what is the right action that is without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path? The abstaining, desisting, abstinence, avoidance of the three forms of bodily misconduct of one developing the noble path whose mind is noble, whose mind is without effluents, who is fully possessed of the noble path. This is the right action that is without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"One tries to abandon wrong action & to enter into right action: This is one's right effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong action & to enter & remain in right action: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three qualities — right view, right effort, & right mindfulness — run & circle around right action.
[5] "Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner? One discerns wrong livelihood as wrong livelihood, and right livelihood as right livelihood. And what is wrong livelihood? Scheming, persuading, hinting, belittling, & pursuing gain with gain. This is wrong livelihood.
"And what is right livelihood? Right livelihood, I tell you, is of two sorts: There is right livelihood with effluents, siding with merit, resulting in the acquisitions [of becoming]; and there is noble right livelihood, without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"And what is the right livelihood that has effluents, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones abandons wrong livelihood and maintains his life with right livelihood. This is the right livelihood that has effluents, sides with merit, & results in acquisitions.
"And what is the right livelihood that is without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path? The abstaining, desisting, abstinence, avoidance of wrong livelihood of one developing the noble path whose mind is noble, whose mind is without effluents, who is fully possessed of the noble path. This is the right livelihood that is without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path.
"One tries to abandon wrong livelihood & to enter into right livelihood: This is one's right effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong livelihood & to enter & remain in right livelihood: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three qualities — right view, right effort, & right mindfulness — run & circle around right livelihood.
"Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner? In one of right view, right resolve comes into being. In one of right resolve, right speech comes into being. In one of right speech, right action... In one of right action, right livelihood... In one of right livelihood, right effort... In one of right effort, right mindfulness... In one of right mindfulness, right concentration... In one of right concentration, right knowledge... In one of right knowledge, right release comes into being. Thus the learner is endowed with eight factors, and the arahant with ten.
"Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner? In one of right view, wrong view is abolished. The many evil, unskillful qualities that come into play with wrong view as their condition are also abolished, while the many skillful qualities that have right view as their condition go to the culmination of their development. In one of right resolve, wrong resolve is abolished... In one of right speech, wrong speech is abolished... In one of right action, wrong action is abolished... In one of right livelihood, wrong livelihood is abolished... In one of right effort, wrong effort is abolished... In one of right mindfulness, wrong mindfulness is abolished... In one of right concentration, wrong concentration is abolished... In one of right knowledge, wrong knowledge is abolished... In one of right release, wrong release is abolished. The many evil, unskillful qualities that come into play with wrong release as their condition are also abolished, while the many skillful qualities that have right release as their condition go to the culmination of their development.
"Thus, monks, there are twenty factors siding with skillfulness, and twenty with unskillfulness.
"This Dhamma discourse on the Great Forty has been set rolling and cannot be stopped by any contemplative or priest or deva or Mara and Brahma or anyone at all in the world.
"If any priest or contemplative might think that this Great Forty Dhamma discourse should be censured & rejected, there are ten legitimate implications of his statement that would form grounds for censuring him here & now. If he censures right view, then he would honor any priests and contemplatives who are of wrong view; he would praise them. If he censures right resolve... right speech... right action... right livelihood... right effort... right mindfulness... right concentration... right knowledge... If he censures right release, then he would honor any priests and contemplatives who are of wrong release; he would praise them. If any priest or contemplative might think that this Great Forty Dhamma discourse should be censured & rejected, there are these ten legitimate implications of his statement that would form grounds for censuring him here & now.
"Even Vassa & Bhañña — those teachers from Okkala who were proponents of no-causality, no-action, & no-existence — would not think that this Dhamma discourse on the Great Forty should be censured & rejected. Why is that? For fear of criticism, opposition, & reproach."
That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed One's words.
117 Mahācattārīsaka Sutta The Great Forty
SUMMARY
The Buddha defines the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path and explains their
interrelationships. One interesting aspect of this discourse is that it clearly
shows the Noble Eightfold Path as a way to practice not only for ordinary
persons, but also for those who have already entered the stream.
NOT ES
The mundane path describes practice up to the point where it turns into the
supramundane path, which is what takes one to streamentry
and beyond.
The Buddha begins the discourse by saying, “Unification of mind equipped
with these seven factors is called noble right concentration with its supports and
its requisites.” The Buddha then describes each other factor on the path, but
does not refer back to the factor of concentration. He rather highlights the
importance of right view.
[49]
Right view comes first. One must know the difference between right
view and wrong view.
Mundane right view: There is fruit and result of good and bad actions; there is
this world and the other world; there are enlightened beings.
Path (or supramundane) right view: the faculty of wisdom and its power (Note
1103: Elsewhere noble right view would be the direct penetration of the noble
truths by realizing Nibbāna with the path.)
[9] QUOTE: “One makes an effort to abandon wrong view and to enter upon
right view: this is one’s right effort. Mindfully one abandons wrong view,
mindfully one enters upon and abides in right view: this is one’s right
mindfulness. Thus these three states run and circle around right view, that is,
right view, right effort, and right mindfulness.”
In the sections that follow, at the end of each path factor, this emphasis on
right view, right effort and right mindfulness is repeated.
[1015]
Right intention:
Mundane: intention of renunciation, nonill
will, noncruelty
(standard
definition).
Path: thinking, intention, mental absorption (jhāna), mental fixity, directing of
mind, verbal formation [toward absorption]. “One makes an effort to abandon
wrong intention…” With right view, one makes an effort to abandon wrong
intention with mindfulness. (Note 1107: Right intention is identified with applied
thought (vitakka) responsible for absorption by fixing and directing the mind
upon its object.)
[1621]
Right speech:
Mundane: abstinence from four kinds of wrong speech.
Path: Same as mundane, “One makes an effort to abandon wrong speech…”
(Note 1109 indicates the difference between mundane and path is that the path
factor cuts through the underlying tendencies toward these four kinds of
speech.)
[2227]
Right action:
Mundane: abstinence from killing, from taking what is not given, from sexual
misconduct [Ed: “Sensual” in the text. In many other definitions of right action, the
third factor is abstinence from sexual intercourse, rather than sensual
misconduct. For more clarification, I received this note from a Pali student, John
Kelly in Australia: “The Pali phrase that Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi translates here as
‘sensual misconduct’ is ‘kāmesu micchācāra,’ which literally means, ‘misconduct
in sensual pleasures.’ Note that the word ‘kāma’ that is used here, while meaning
sensual, has strong connotations of ‘sexual.’ And in all the places in the canon
where this phrase is used and where the sutta goes on to describe in detail what
this precept means, the description is about sexual misconduct (see MN41.8, for
example). Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is entirely consistent in translating this particular
Pali phrase as ‘sensual misconduct’ or ‘misconduct in sensual pleasures’
throughout the Majjhima wherever the Buddha is talking about morality for lay
people. In places where the Buddha talks about morality for bhikkhus, then
‘abrahmacariya’ is used, which means ‘uncelibacy.’”]
Path: Same as mundane, “One makes an effort to abandon wrong action…”
[2833]
Right livelihood:
Mundane: abandons wrong livelihood, gains right livelihood.
Path: Same as mundane, “One makes an effort to abandon wrong livelihood…”
[34] There are two additional factors possessed by the arahant: right
knowledge, whereby one knows one has destroyed all the defilements, and
right deliverance, the direct experience of this.
[34, 35] When the wrong view of each path factor has been abolished, the states
originating from that wrong view are also abolished. When one has right view,
the states originating from that view come into being.
[36] “The Great Forty” are the twenty factors on the wholesome side (ten right
factors and the states that originate from each) and the twenty factors on the
unwholesome side (ten wrong factors and the states that originate from each).
PRACT ICE
Take one particular action (for example, harsh speech or wrong livelihood) and
apply each of the factors from the Noble Eightfold Path to bring about a
wholesome change in that action. Understand how all the factors are
interconnected.