Sammā Ditthi Sutta: Discourse on Right View
By Dr. Ari Ubeysekara
Introduction
Lord Gautama Buddha who lived and preached in India during the 6th and 5th century BC, delivered a vast number of discourses during the ministry of forty five years from enlightenment to passing away at the age of eighty years. Those discourses have been divided into five collections.
- Collection of long discourses (dīgha nikāya)
- Collection of middle length discourses (majjhima nikāya)
- Collection of connected discourses (samyutta nikāya)
- Collection of numerical discourses (anguttara nikāya)
- Collection of minor discourses (khuddaka nikāya)
The collection of the middle length discourses (majjhima nikāya) contain 152 discourses delivered by the Buddha and the Buddha’s chief disciples. The 152 discourses are divided into three parts consisting of 50, 50 and 52 discourses respectively. Sammā Ditthi sutta, delivered by Arahant Sāriputta is the 9th discourse included in the first part. (1)
Content of Sammā Ditthi sutta
Thus have I heard.
[All the discourses of the Buddha contained in the five collections were narrated by Venerable Arahant Ānanda from memory at the first Buddhist council that was held three months after the Buddha’s passing away. He was the chief attendant of the Buddha and was known as the “guardian of the Dhamma” due to his excellent skill in remembering the Buddha’s discourses. At the Buddhist council, each discourse was begun by him with the same phrase found at the beginning of this discourse too, “evaṃ me sutaṃ” meaning “Thus have I heard”.]
At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatti in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapindika’s monastery.
[At the time that this discourse was delivered, the Buddha was staying at the Jetavana monastery in Sāvatti which was built and donated to the Buddha by the chief benefactor Anāthapindika. It was named Jetavana, as the land on which it was built was bought from a prince named Jeta. Sāvatti was a favourite residence of the Buddha and it is recorded that the Buddha spent twenty five rainy retreats at Sāvatti.]
There, Venerable Sāriputta addressed the monks: “Friends, monks.”
“Friend”, they replied.
Then, Venerable Sāriputta said: “Right view, right view, it is said. Friends, in what way, is a noble disciple a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“Indeed, friend, we would come from afar to learn the meaning of this statement from Venerable Sāriputta. It would be good if Venerable Sāriputta would explain the meaning of this statement. Having heard from him, the monks will remember it.”
“Then friends, listen and pay close attention. I will speak.”
The monks responded: “As you say friend.”
[Arahant Sāriputta was one of the two chief disciples of the Buddha, the other chief disciple being Arahant Mahā Moggallāna. Arahant Sāriputta was generally considered as the first chief disciple and was always seen to be sitting on the right side of the Buddha while Arahant Mahā Moggallāna sat on the left side of the Buddha. Arahant Sāriputta was perhaps the wisest person among the Buddha’s disciples second only to the Buddha Himself in his knowledge of the Buddha’s teaching and it’s application. Hence, the Buddha had declared him to be the foremost male disciple in wisdom among all the disciples.]
Then, Venerable Sāriputta said: “When, friends, a noble disciple understands the unwholesome, understands the roots of the unwholesome, understands the wholesome, understands the roots of the wholesome, in that way, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
“And, what friends, is the unwholesome, what are the roots of the unwholesome, what is the wholesome, what are the roots of the wholesome? Killing living beings is unwholesome; taking what is not given is unwholesome; sexual misconduct is unwholesome; false speech is unwholesome; malicious speech is unwholesome; harsh speech is unwholesome; idle chatter is unwholesome; covetousness is unwholesome; ill-will is unwholesome; wrong view is unwholesome. These, friends, are called the unwholesome.”
“And, what friends, are the roots of the unwholesome? Greed is a root of what is unwholesome; hatred is a root of what is unwholesome; delusion is a root of what is unwholesome. These friends, are the roots of what is unwholesome.”
[The Buddha has described three unwholesome roots (akusala mula): greed (lobha), hatred (dosa) and delusion (moha), which are responsible for all the unwholesome deeds. Ten unwholesome deeds (dasa akusal) have been described including three unwholesome physical deeds, four unwholesome verbal deeds and three unwholesome mental deeds.]
“And, what friends, is the wholesome? Abstaining from killing living beings is wholesome; abstaining from taking what is not given is wholesome; abstaining from sexual misconduct is wholesome; abstaining from false speech is wholesome; abstaining from malicious speech is wholesome; abstaining from harsh speech is wholesome; abstaining from idle chatter is wholesome; abstaining from covetousness is wholesome; abstaining from ill-will is wholesome; abstaining from wrong view is wholesome. These, friends, are called the wholesome.”
“And, what friends, are the roots of the wholesome? Non-greed is a root of what is wholesome; non-hatred is a root of what is wholesome; non-delusion is a root of what is wholesome. These friends, are the roots of what is wholesome.”
[The Buddha has described three wholesome roots (kusala mula): non-greed (alobha), non-hatred (adosa) and non-delusion (amoha), which are responsible for all the wholesome deeds. Ten wholesome deeds (dasa kusal) have been described including three wholesome physical deeds, four wholesome verbal deeds and three wholesome mental deeds.]
“When a noble disciple has thus understood the unwholesome, the root of what is unwholesome, the wholesome and the root of what is wholesome, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands food, understands the arising of food, understands the cessation of food, understands the path leading to the cessation of food, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is food, what is the arising of food, what is the cessation of food, what is the path leading to the cessation of food?”
“There are, friends, four kinds of food for the maintenance of beings that are already in existence and for the support of those who are seeking a new birth. Which four? Physical food, gross or subtle, sense impression as the second, mental formation as the third, and consciousness as the fourth. With the arising of craving, there is the arising of food. With the cessation of craving, there is cessation of food. The path leading to the cessation of food is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.”
[The Buddha has described the Noble Eight-fold Path as the path leading to the cessation of suffering. It consists of eight factors: right view (sammā-ditthi), right intention (sammā-sankappa), right speech (sammā-vācā), right action (sammā-kammanta), right livelihood (sammā-ājīva), right effort (sammā-vāyāma), right mindfulness (sammā-sati) and right concentration (sammā-samādhi).]
“When a noble disciple has thus understood food, arising of food, cessation of food and the path leading to the cessation of food, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
[In the Puttamansa sutta of the Samyutta Nikāya (collection of the Buddha’s connected discourses), the Buddha while addressing the monks has described four types of food (āhāra) that sustain the life of sentient beings already born and support the beings who are seeking to be born. They are: physical food (kabalinkāhāra), sense impression (phassāhāra), mental formation (mano sancetanāhāra) and consciousness (vinnānāhāra).] (2)
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands suffering, understands the arising of suffering, understands the cessation of suffering, understands the path leading to the cessation of suffering, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is suffering, what is the arising of suffering, what is the cessation of suffering, what is the path leading to the cessation of suffering? Birth is suffering, ageing is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are suffering, association with what is unpleasant is suffering, dissociation from what is pleasant is suffering, not getting what one desires is suffering, in short, the five aggregates of clinging are suffering. This, friends, is called suffering.”
“And what, friends, is the arising of suffering? It is craving, which brings renewal of existence, is accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this and that; that is craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for non-existence. This, friends, is called the arising of suffering.”
“And what, friends, is the cessation of suffering? It is the remainder-less fading and cessation, giving up, relinquishment, release and letting go, of that same craving. This, friends, is called the cessation of suffering.”
“And what, friends, is the path leading to the cessation of suffering? It is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation of suffering.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood suffering, arising of suffering, cessation of suffering and the path leading to the cessation of suffering, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
[In the Buddhist teaching, right view is mainly described as the understanding of the four Noble Truths. In the Buddha’s very first discourse called “Dhammacakkappavattana sutta”, the Buddha has described the four Noble Truths that the Buddha had realised during the process of enlightenment: the truth of suffering (dukkha sacca), truth of the arising of suffering (samudaya sacca), truth of cessation of suffering (nirodha sacca) and the truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering (magga sacca).] (3)
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands ageing and death, understands the arising of ageing and death, understands the cessation of ageing and death, understands the path leading to the cessation of ageing and death, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is ageing and death, what is the arising of ageing and death, what is the cessation of ageing and death, what is the path leading to the cessation of ageing and death? Ageing, decaying, broken teeth, grey hair, wrinkled skin, decline of life, weakness of the faculties, in various groups of beings, here and there, this, friends, is called ageing. And, what friends, is death? It is falling away, passing away, dissolution, disappearance, death, dying, completion of the time, breaking up of the aggregates, laying down of the body, in various groups of beings, here and there, is called death. So, this ageing and this death are called ageing and death. With the arising of birth, there is the arising of ageing and death. With the cessation of birth, there is the cessation of ageing and death. The path leading to the cessation of ageing and death is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation of ageing and death.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood ageing and death, arising of ageing and death, cessation of ageing and death, and the path leading to the cessation of ageing and death, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands birth, understands the arising of birth, understands the cessation of birth, understands the path leading to the cessation of birth, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is birth, what is the arising of birth, what is the cessation of birth, what is the path leading to the cessation of birth? Whatever birth, taking birth, descent, arising, coming forth, appearance of the aggregates, obtaining the sense bases in various groups of beings, here and there, is called birth. With the arising of becoming, there is the arising of birth. With the cessation of becoming, there is the cessation of birth. The path leading to the cessation of birth is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation birth.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood birth, arising of birth, cessation of birth, and the path leading to the cessation of birth, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands becoming, understands the arising of becoming, understands the cessation of becoming, understands the path leading to the cessation of becoming, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is becoming, what is the arising of becoming, what is the cessation of becoming, what is the path leading to the cessation of becoming? There are, friends, these three types of becoming: sense sphere becoming, form sphere becoming and formless sphere becoming. This is called becoming. With the arising of clinging, there is the arising of becoming. With the cessation of clinging, there is the cessation of becoming. The path leading to the cessation of becoming is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation becoming.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood becoming, arising of becoming, cessation of becoming, and the path leading to the cessation of becoming, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands clinging, understands the arising of clinging, understands the cessation of clinging, understands the path leading to the cessation of clinging, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is clinging, what is the arising of clinging, what is the cessation of clinging, what is the path leading to the cessation of clinging? There are, friends, these four types of clinging: clinging to sensual pleasures, clinging to views, clinging to rites and rituals, clinging to the belief of a self. This is called clinging. With the arising of craving, there is the arising of clinging. With the cessation of craving, there is the cessation of clinging. The path leading to the cessation of clinging is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation clinging.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood clinging, arising of clinging, cessation of clinging, and the path leading to the cessation of clinging, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands craving, understands the arising of craving, understands the cessation of craving, understands the path leading to the cessation of craving, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is craving, what is the arising of craving, what is the cessation of craving, what is the path leading to the cessation of craving? There are, friends, these six types of craving: craving for forms, craving for sounds, craving for smells, craving for tastes, craving for touches, craving for mental objects. This is called craving. With the arising of feeling, there is the arising of craving. With the cessation of feeling, there is the cessation of craving. The path leading to the cessation of craving is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation craving.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood craving, arising of craving, cessation of craving, and the path leading to the cessation of craving, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands feeling, understands the arising of feeling, understands the cessation of feeling, understands the path leading to the cessation of feeling, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is feeling, what is the arising of feeling, what is the cessation of feeling, what is the path leading to the cessation of feeling? There are, friends, these six types 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. This is called feeling. With the arising of contact, there is the arising of feeling. With the cessation of contact, there is the cessation of feeling. The path leading to the cessation of feeling is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation feeling.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood feeling, arising of feeling, cessation of feeling, and the path leading to the cessation of feeling, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands contact, understands the arising of contact, understands the cessation of contact, understands the path leading to the cessation of contact, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is contact, what is the arising of contact, what is the cessation of contact, what is the path leading to the cessation of contact? There are, friends, these six types of contact: eye contact, ear contact, nose contact, tongue contact, body contact, mind contact. This is called contact. With the arising of six sense bases, there is the arising of contact. With the cessation of six sense bases, there is the cessation of contact. The path leading to the cessation of contact is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation contact.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood contact, arising of contact, cessation of contact, and the path leading to the cessation of contact, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands the six sense bases, understands the arising of the six sense bases, understands the cessation of the six sense bases, understands the path leading to the cessation of the six sense bases, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what are the six sense bases, what is the arising of the six sense bases, what is the cessation of the six sense bases, what is the path leading to the cessation of the six sense bases? There are, friends, these six sense bases: eye base, ear base, nose base, tongue base, body base, mind base. These are the six sense bases. With the arising of name and form, there is the arising of the six sense bases. With the cessation of name and form, there is the cessation of the six sense bases. The path leading to the cessation of the six sense bases is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation of the six sense bases.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood the six sense bases, arising of the six sense bases, cessation of the six sense bases, and the path leading to the cessation of the six sense bases, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands name and form, understands the arising of name and form, understands the cessation of name and form, understands the path leading to the cessation of name and form, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is name and form, what is the arising of name and form, what is the cessation of name and form, what is the path leading to the cessation of name and form? Feeling, perception, volition, contact and attention. These are called name. The four great elements and the material form derived from them. These are called form. With the arising of consciousness, there is the arising of name and form. With the cessation of consciousness, there is the cessation of name and form. The path leading to the cessation of name and form is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation of name and form.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood name and form, arising of name and form, cessation of name and form, and the path leading to the cessation of name and form, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands consciousness, understands the arising of consciousness, understands the cessation of consciousness, understands the path leading to the cessation of consciousness, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is consciousness, what is the arising of consciousness, what is the cessation of consciousness, what is the path leading to the cessation of consciousness? There are, friends, these six types of consciousness: eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, mind consciousness. These are the six types of consciousness. With the arising of fabrication, there is the arising of consciousness. With the cessation of fabrication, there is the cessation of consciousness. The path leading to the cessation of consciousness is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation of consciousness.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood consciousness, arising of consciousness, cessation of consciousness, and the path leading to the cessation of consciousness, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands fabrication, understands the arising of fabrication, understands the cessation of fabrication, understands the path leading to the cessation of fabrication, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is fabrication, what is the arising of fabrication, what is the cessation of fabrication, what is the path leading to the cessation of fabrication? There are, friends, these three types of fabrication: bodily fabrication, verbal fabrication, mental fabrication. These are the three types of fabrication. With the arising of ignorance, there is the arising of fabrication. With the cessation of ignorance, there is the cessation of fabrication. The path leading to the cessation of fabrication is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation of fabrication.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood fabrication, arising of fabrication, cessation of fabrication, and the path leading to the cessation of fabrication, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands ignorance, understands the arising of ignorance, understands the cessation of ignorance, understands the path leading to the cessation of ignorance, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is ignorance, what is the arising of ignorance, what is the cessation of ignorance, what is the path leading to the cessation of ignorance? Not understanding suffering, not understanding the origin of suffering, not understanding the cessation of suffering, not understanding the path leading to the cessation of suffering, these are called ignorance. With the arising of fermentation, there is the arising of ignorance. With the cessation of fermentation, there is the cessation of ignorance. The path leading to the cessation of ignorance is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation of ignorance.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood ignorance, arising of ignorance, cessation of ignorance, and the path leading to the cessation of ignorance, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
Saying, “Good, friend”, the monks having delighted in and approved the words of Venerable Sāriputta, asked him a further question: “But, friend, would there be another way in which a noble disciple is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma?”
“There might be, friends.”
“When friends, a noble disciple understands fermentation, understands the arising of fermentation, understands the cessation of fermentation, understands the path leading to the cessation of fermentation, in that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma. And, friends, what is fermentation, what is the arising of fermentation, what is the cessation of fermentation, what is the path leading to the cessation of fermentation? There are, friends, these three types of fermentation: fermentation of sensuality, fermentation of becoming, fermentation of ignorance. These are called fermentations. With the arising of ignorance, there is the arising of fermentation. With the cessation of ignorance, there is the cessation of fermentation. The path leading to the cessation of fermentation is just this Noble Eight-fold Path, that is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, friends, is called the path leading to the cessation of fermentation.”
“When a noble disciple has thus understood fermentation, arising of fermentation, cessation of fermentation, and the path leading to the cessation of fermentation, having entirely abandoned the latent tendency to lust, abolished the latent tendency to aversion, uprooted the latent tendency to the view and the conceit ‘I am’, having abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, he puts an end to suffering here and now. In that way too, he is a person of right view, of straight view, with perfect confidence in the Dhamma, and has arrived at this true Dhamma.”
That is what Venerable Sāriputta said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in Venerable Sāriputta’s words.
It should be noted that in the Buddhist teaching, there are two types of right view: mundane right view (lokiya sammā ditthi) and supra mundane right view (lokuttara sammā ditthi). Mundane right view is having a correct understanding of the moral law of cause and effect (kamma). It has also been described in relation to the following ten right views (dasavattuka sammā ditthi): there is merit in alms giving, there is merit in large offerings, there is merit in small offerings, good and bad deeds leads to good and bad results, there is merit in what is done to mother, there is merit in what is done to father, there are beings of instantaneous birth, there is this human world, there are other worlds and there are ascetics who attain super knowledge and make it known to others.
In the Magga-vibhanga sutta of the Samyutta Nikāya, the Buddha has described the supra mundane right view as follows:
“And, what monks, is right view? Knowledge with regard to suffering, knowledge with regard to the origination of suffering, knowledge with regard to the cessation of stress, knowledge with regard to the path leading to the cessation of suffering, this monks, is called right view” (4)
In the Sammā Ditthi sutta, Venerable Sāriputta has described sixteen means of attaining the supra mundane right view, focussing on factors such as the wholesome and unwholesome deeds and their roots, the four types of food, the four Noble Truths, and the factors of Dependent Origination (paticca samuppāda). Ageing and death (jarā marana), birth (jāti), becoming (bhava), clinging (upādāna), craving (tanhā), feeling (vedanā), contact (phassa), six sense bases (salāyatana), name and form (nāma rūpa), consciousness (viññāna), fabrication (sankhāra) and ignorance (avijjā) are the twelve factors of Dependent Origination. (5) In this discourse, Venerable Sāriputta has also included fermentation (āsava) as the origin of ignorance, with which it seems to have a mutually dependent relationship. With the attainment of supra mundane right view, one enters the Noble Eight-fold Path as a Stream Enterer (Sotāpanna) who is guaranteed to attain liberation either in the same life time or within a maximum of seven births.
References
- Bhikkhu Nanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi1995, Sammā Ditthi sutta, Translation of the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom Publications.
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 1999, Puttamansa sutta, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Samyutta Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 1999, Dhammacakkappavatthana sutta, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Samyutta Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 1999, Magga Vibhanga sutta, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Samyutta Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 1999, Vibhanga sutta, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Samyutta Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
End.
