Now this, monks, is The Noble Truth of Stress:
Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair are stressful; association with the unbeloved is stressful, separation from the loved is stressful, not getting what is wanted is stressful.
In short, the five aggregates for sustenance are stressful.
And this, monks, is The Noble Truth of the Origination of Stress:
The craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion and delight, relishing now here and now there — i.e., craving for sensual pleasure, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming.
And this, monks, is The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Stress:
The remainderless fading and cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release and letting go of that very craving.
And this, monks, is The Noble Truth of the Way Leading to the Cessation of Stress:
Precisely this Noble Eightfold Path — Right view, Right intention, Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness, Right concentration. — S LVI.11
The Blessed One said,
"Now what, monks, is The Noble Eightfold Path?
Right view, Right resolve, Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness, Right concentration.
"And what, monks, is Right View?
Knowledge with regard to stress, knowledge with regard to the origination of stress, knowledge with regard to the stopping of stress, knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the stopping of stress:
This, monks, is called Right View.
"And what is Right Resolve?
Being resolved on renunciation, on freedom from ill will, on harmlessness:
This is called Right Resolve.
"And what is Right Speech?
Abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from abusive speech, abstaining from idle chatter:
This, monks, is called Right Speech.
"And what, monks, is Right Action?
Abstaining from taking life, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from unchastity:
This, monks, is called Right Action.
"And what, monks, is Right Livelihood?
There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood:
This, monks, is called Right Livelihood.
"And what, monks, is Right Effort?
(i) There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen.
(ii) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the abandonment of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen.
(iii) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen.
(iv) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, & culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen:
This, monks, is called Right Effort.
"And what, monks, is Right Mindfulness?
(i) There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, aware, & mindful — putting away greed & distress with reference to the world.
(ii) He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves — ardent, aware, & mindful — putting away greed & distress with reference to the world.
(iii) He remains focused on the mind in & of itself — ardent, aware, & mindful — putting away greed & distress with reference to the world.
(iv) He remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, aware, & mindful — putting away greed & distress with reference to the world.
This, monks, is called Right Mindfulness.
"And what, monks, is Right Concentration?
(i) There is the case where a monk — quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful (mental) qualities — enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation.
(ii) With the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation — internal assurance.
(iii) With the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding.'
(iv) With the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress — he enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain.
This, monks, is called Right Concentration."
That is what the Blessed One said.
Gratified, the monks delighted at his words.
— S XLV.8"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before:
'This is the noble truth of stress'...
'This noble truth of stress is to be comprehended'...
'This noble truth of stress has been comprehended.'
'This is the noble truth of the origination of stress'...
'This noble truth of the origination of stress is to be abandoned' ...
'This noble truth of the origination of stress has been abandoned.'
'This is the noble truth of the cessation of stress'...
'This noble truth of the cessation of stress is to be directly experienced'...
'This noble truth of the cessation of stress has been directly experienced.'
'This is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress'...
'This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress is to be developed'...
'This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress has been developed.'
"And, monks, as long as this — my three-round, twelve-permutation knowledge & vision concerning these Four Noble Truths as they have come to be was — NOT pure, I did not claim to have directly awakened to the right self-awakening unexcelled in the cosmos with its deities, Maras, & Brahmas, with its contemplatives & priests, its royalty & commonfolk.
BUT as soon as this — my three-round, twelve-permutation knowledge & vision concerning these four noble truths as they have come to be — was TRULY pure, then I did claim to have directly awakened to the right self-awakening unexcelled in the cosmos with its deities, Maras & Brahmas, with its contemplatives & priests, its royalty & commonfolk.
Knowledge & vision arose in me: 'Unprovoked is my release. This is the last birth. There is now no further becoming.'"
- http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html
- The Buddha, Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion
