Katamaa ca /saa, /bhikkhave/, majjhimaa/ pa.tipadaa/
What and, /this/ monks/ / middle/ /practice/
Tathaagatena/ abhisambuddhaa/ cakkhukara.nii,/
by the Tathagata/, perfectly realized/ producing the eye ( insight),
/~naa.nakara.nii/, upasamaaya/, abhi~n~naaya/,
producing knowledge/, to calmness/, to higher knowledge,
sambodhaaya/, nibbaanaaya/ sa.mvattati?
to enlightenment/, to nibbaana/ leads
----------
And what, monks, is this middle way, perfectly realized by the
Tathagata, which produces insight, produces knowledge, and leads to
calmness, higher knowledge, enlightenment, and nibbaana?
------------
Ayam'eva/ ariyo /a.t.tha"ngiko/ maggo/, seyyathida.m/ - sammaadi.t.thi,/
Just this /noble /eightfold / path /, that is/
- right view,
sammaasa"nkappo/, sammaavaacaa/, sammaakammanto/,
right thinking/, right speech/, right action/
sammaa-aajiivo,/ sammaavaayaamo/, sammaasati/, sammaasamaadhi/.
right livelihood, / right effort, /right mindfulness, /
right concentration.
----------------
Just this noble eightfold path, that is - right view, right thinking,
right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, and right concentration.
----------------
Aya.m kho/ saa,/ bhikkhave, /majjhimaa pa.tipadaa/ Tathaagatena/
This indeed/the/ monks/ /middle practice/ by the
Tathaagata/
abhi~n~naaya, / sambodhaaya,/ nibbaanaaya/ sa.mvattati.
to higher knowledge/, to enlightenment/, to nibbbaana/ leads to/
This, monks, is the middle way, perfectly realized by the Tathagata,
which produces insight, produces knowledge, and leads to calmness,
higher knowledge, enlightenment, and nibbaana.
----------------
And what, monks, is this middle way, perfectly realized by the
Tathagata, which produces insight, produces knowledge, and leads to
calmness, higher knowledge, enlightenment, and nibbaana?
Just this noble eightfold path, that is - right view, right
intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right
effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
This, monks, is the middle way, perfectly realized by the Tathagata,
which produces insight, produces knowledge, and leads to calmness,
higher knowledge, enlightenment, and nibbaana.
------------
N: Ven. Narada translates sammaasa"nkappo by right thoughts. Piya
translates it by right thought. Ven. Nanamoli translates it by right
intention.
I prefer to translate sammaasa"nkappo literally by right thinking,
instead of right intention.
All these Path factors are cetasikas, mental factors arising with the
citta that cultivates the Path. Citta never arises alone, it has to
be accompanied by cetasikas that assist the citta. The Path that is
mundane, being developed, not lokuttara, has as object a mental
phenomenon (naama) or physical phenomenon (ruupa) that is experienced
at the present moment through one of the six doors.
The Buddha spoke about all that can be experienced through the
senses and through the mind in order to help people to develop
understanding of realities and to know the truth about them, to
realize them as impermanent, dukkha and not self. Seeing is a
reality, but it is not self, hearing is a reality, but it is not
self, thinking is a reality, but it is not self.
We take realities for self, we take them for a person, for the
world. We take seeing, hearing, thinking, good qualities and bad
qualities for self. In being mindful and developing right
understanding of realities that appear one at a time wrong view can
be eliminated.
The cetasikas that are Path-factors perform their own function while
they accompany the citta that develops the eightfold Path.
Sammaadi.t.thi, another word for pa~n~naa, can realize the true
nature of naama and ruupa; it understands them as elements that are
not self, not belonging to a self, arisen because of conditions. It
is assisted by sammaasa"nkappo, the cetasika vitakka, thinking. It
�touches� or hits the object that presents itself so that
sammaadi.t.thi can realize its true nature. sammaad.t.thi and
sammaasa"nkappo are called the wisdom of the eightfold Path.
Sammaavaacaa, sammaakammanto, sammaa-aajiivo are called the siila of
the eightfold Path. As we have seen, when the Path is mundane, they
arise one at a time as the occasion presents itself.
Sammaavaayaamo, sammaasati, sammaasamaadhi are called the
concentration of the eightfold Path. When there is awareness of a
nama or rupa there is also right effort and right concentration that
focusses on the naama or ruupa that appears at that moment.
*******
Nina.
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