Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa

3.2.7 Mahācattārīsakasuttaṃ

Discerning Wrong View and Developing Right View

Mahācattārīsakasuttaṃ Discerning Wrong View and Developing Right View
‘‘Kathañca, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi pubbaṅgamā hoti? “And how, Bhikkhus, does right view come first?
Micchādiṭṭhiṃ ‘micchādiṭṭhī’ti pajānāti,
sammādiṭṭhiṃ ‘sammādiṭṭhī’ti pajānāti –
sāssa hoti sammādiṭṭhi.
Here he understands wrong view properly as
wrong view and he understands right view
properly as right view; this is his right view.
Katamā ca, bhikkhave, micchādiṭṭhi? And what, Bhikkhus, is wrong view?
‘Natthi dinnaṃ, natthi yiṭṭhaṃ, natthi hutaṃ, natthi sukatadukkaṭānaṃ kammānaṃ phalaṃ vipāko, There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed; there is no fruit or result derived from good or bad actions;
natthi ayaṃ loko, natthi paro loko, natthi mātā, natthi pitā, natthi sattā opapātikā, there is not this world nor the other world, neither mother nor father, no spontaneously born beings;
natthi loke samaṇabrāhmaṇā
sammaggatā sammāpaṭipannā
ye imañca lokaṃ parañca lokaṃ sayaṃ abhiññā
sacchikatvā pavedentī’ti –
ayaṃ, bhikkhave, micchādiṭṭhi.
neither are there in this world any samaṇas or brāhmiṇs who after correctly gone to perfection and realized for themselves through direct knowledge are able to declare that there is this world and the other world – this, Bhikkhus is wrong view.
Katamā ca, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi? And what, Bhikkhus, is right view?
Sammādiṭṭhiṃpahaṃ, bhikkhave, dvāyaṃ vadāmi – Right view is, Bhikkhus, I say, of twofold character:
atthi, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi sāsavā puññabhāgiyā upadhivepakkā; there is right view that is influenced by dormant impurities and partaking of merit with attachment ripening and
atthi, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi ariyā anāsavā lokuttarā maggaṅgā. there is right view that is noble, free from impurities, supramundane and a factor of the path.
Katamā ca, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi sāsavā puññabhāgiyā upadhivepakkā? And what, Bhikkhus, is right view that is influenced by dormant impurities and partaking of merit with attachment ripening?
‘Atthi dinnaṃ, atthi yiṭṭhaṃ, atthi hutaṃ, atthi sukatadukkaṭānaṃ kammānaṃ phalaṃ vipāko, ‘There is something given, something offered, something sacrificed; there is fruit or result derived from good or bad actions;
atthi ayaṃ loko, atthi paro loko,
atthi mātā, atthi pitā, atthi sattā opapātikā,
there is this world and the other world; there are mother and father, spontaneously born beings that exist;
atthi loke samaṇabrāhmaṇā
sammaggatā sammāpaṭipannā ye imañca lokaṃ
parañca lokaṃ sayaṃ abhiññā sacchikatvā pavedentī’ti –
there are in this world samaṇas or brāhmiṇs who after correctly gone to perfection and realized for themselves through direct knowledge are able to declare that there is this world and the other world’–
ayaṃ, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi sāsavā puññabhāgiyā upadhivepakkā. this, Bhikkhus, is right view that is influenced by dormant impurities and partaking of merit with attachment ripening.
Katamā ca, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi ariyā anāsavā lokuttarā maggaṅgā? And what, Bhikkhus, is right view that is noble, free from impurities, supramundane and a factor of the path?
Yā kho, bhikkhave, ariyacittassa anāsavacittassa, There is someone, Bhikkhus, of noble mind without any dormant mental impurities,
ariyamaggasamaṅgino ariyamaggaṃ bhāvayato paññā paññindriyaṃ paññābalaṃ, endowed in the Noble Path and developing it, full of wisdom, the faculty and the power of wisdom,
dhammavicayasambojjhaṅgo sammādiṭṭhi maggaṅgaṃ. with the enlightenment factor of investigating the Dhamma and the path factor of right view.
Ayaṃ vuccati, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi ariyā anāsavā lokuttarā maggaṅgā. This is, Bhikkhus, right view that is noble, free from impurities, supramundane and a factor of the path.
So micchādiṭṭhiyā pahānāya vāyamati,
sammādiṭṭhiyā upasampadāya,
svāssa hoti sammāvāyāmo.
He stirs up effort to abandon wrong view and to acquire right view: that is that one’s right effort.
So sato micchādiṭṭhiṃ pajahati,
sato sammādiṭṭhiṃ upasampajja viharati,
sāssa hoti sammāsati.
Thus fully aware he abandons wrong view and acquires right view and dwells therein: that is that one’s right awareness.
Itiyime tayo dhammā sammādiṭṭhiṃ
anuparidhāvanti anuparivattanti, seyyathidaṃ:
sammādiṭṭhi, sammāvāyāmo, sammāsati.” …
These three states follow and circle around right view, these are: right view, right effort and right awareness”. …
… ‘‘Tatra, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi pubbaṅgamā hoti. … “Thus, Bhikkhus, right view comes first.
Kathañca, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi pubbaṅgamā hoti? And how, Bhikkhus, does right view comes first?
Sammādiṭṭhissa, bhikkhave, sammāsaṅkappo pahoti,
sammāsaṅkappassa sammāvācā pahoti,
sammāvācassa sammākammanto pahoti,
sammākammantassa sammāājīvo pahoti,
sammāājīvassa sammāvāyāmo pahoti,
sammāvāyāmassa sammāsati pahoti,
sammāsatissa sammāsamādhi pahoti.
For one of right view, Bhikkhus, right thought originates. For one of right thought, right speech originates. For one of right speech, right action originates. For one of right action, right livelihood originates. For one of right livelihood, right effort originates. For one of right effort, right awareness originates. For one of right awareness, right concentration originates.
Sammāsamādhissa sammāñāṇaṃ pahoti, sammāñāṇassa sammāvimutti pahoti. For one of right concentration, right knowledge originates. For one of right knowledge, right liberation originates.
Iti kho, bhikkhave, aṭṭhaṅgasamannāgato sekkho, dasaṅgasamannāgato arahā hoti.1

In this way, Bhikkhus, the sekkho, the one in training, is endowed with eight links, the arahant, is endowed with ten links.
Tatra, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi pubbaṅgamā hoti. Kathañca, bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi pubbaṅgamā hoti? Thus, right view, Bhikkhus, comes first. And how, Bhikkhus, does right view comes first?
Sammādiṭṭhissa, bhikkhave, micchādiṭṭhi nijjiṇṇā hoti. Ye ca micchādiṭṭhipaccayā aneke pāpakā akusalā dhammā sambhavanti te cassa nijjiṇṇā honti. For one of right view, Bhikkhus, wrong view is removed and at the same time the manifold unwholesome states that have their base in wrong view get removed.
Sammādiṭṭhipaccayā aneke kusalā dhammā bhāvanāpāripūriṃ gacchanti. The many wholesome states that have their base in right view come to fulfilment by developing them.
Sammāsaṅkappassa, bhikkhave, micchāsaṅkappo nijjiṇṇo hoti… pe … For one of right thought, Bhikkhus, wrong thought is removed and at the same time the manifold unwholesome states that have their base in wrong thought get removed. The many wholesome states that have their base in right thought come to fulfilment by developing them.
sammāvācassa, bhikkhave, micchāvācā nijjiṇṇā hoti…pe… For one of right speech, Bhikkhus, wrong speech is removed and at the same time the manifold unwholesome states that have their base in wrong speech get removed. The many wholesome states that have their base in right speech come to fulfilment by developing them.
sammākammantassa, bhikkhave, micchākammanto nijjiṇṇo hoti…pe… For one of right action, Bhikkhus, wrong action is removed and at the same time the manifold unwholesome states that have their base in wrong action get removed. The many wholesome states that have their base in right action come to fulfilment by developing them.
sammāājīvassa, bhikkhave, micchāājīvo nijjiṇṇo hoti…pe… For one of right livelihood, Bhikkhus, wrong livelihood is removed and at the same time the manifold unwholesome states that have their base in wrong livelihood get removed. The many wholesome states that have their base in right livelihood come to fulfilment by developing them.
sammāvāyāmassa, bhikkhave, micchāvāyāmo nijjiṇṇo hoti… For one of right effort, Bhikkhus, wrong effort is removed and at the same time the manifold unwholesome states that have their base in wrong effort get removed. The many wholesome states that have their base in right effort come to fulfilment by developing them.
sammāsatissa, bhikkhave, micchāsati nijjiṇṇā hoti…pe… For one of right awareness, Bhikkhus, wrong awareness is removed and at the same time the manifold unwholesome states that have their base in wrong awareness get removed. The many wholesome states that have their base in right awareness come to fulfilment by developing them.
sammāsamādhissa, bhikkhave, micchāsamādhi nijjiṇṇo hoti…pe… For one of right concentration, Bhikkhus, wrong concentration is removed and at the same time the manifold unwholesome states that have their base in wrong concentration get removed. The many wholesome states that have their base in right concentration come to fulfilment by developing them.
sammāñāṇassa, bhikkhave, micchāñāṇaṃ nijjiṇṇaṃ hoti… For one of right knowledge, Bhikkhus, wrong knowledge is removed and at the same time the manifold unwholesome states that have their base in wrong knowledge get removed. The many wholesome states that have their base in right knowledge come to fulfilment by developing them.
sammāvimuttassa, bhikkhave, micchāvimutti nijjiṇṇā hoti. Ye ca micchāvimuttipaccayā aneke pāpakā akusalā dhammā sambhavanti te cassa nijjiṇṇā honti. Sammāvimuttipaccayā ca aneke kusalā dhammā bhāvanāpāripūriṃ gacchanti. For one of right liberation, Bhikkhus, wrong liberation is removed and at the same time the manifold unwholesome states that have their base in wrong liberation get removed. The many wholesome states that have their base in right liberation come to fulfilment by developing them.

  1. The term sekkho comprises the first three of the cattāri purisayugāni. Their right view is said to be fixed in destiny (niyata: fixed, certain) because they will necessarily attain liberation. The arahant additionally possesses sammāñāṇa and sammāvimutti thus having realises all ten factors, that is why he is called asekha. For the ‘four pairs of men’ see 1.4.7 Ānāpānassatisuttaṃ, Part One - Free from Prattle and Chatter Is This Assembly, as well as 1.4.9 Ratanasuttaṃ - Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Saṅgha.1

Last modified: Monday, 14 October 2024, 8:41 AM