ßAt one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anàthapindika in Jeta's grove in Sàvatthi. From there venerable Sàriputta addressed the bhikkhus:

ßßFriends, bhikkhus, it is said, `Right view; the view, rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, how does the noble disciple come to this good Teaching?û

ß"Friend, we came from afar to hear the meaning of these words from venerable Sàriputta, good that the meaning occurs to venerable Sàriputta, hearing it from venerable Sàriputta, the bhikkhus will bear it in mind."

ß"Then listen carefully and attend. When the noble disciple knows demerit and its roots, merit and its roots, with this much, the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to this good Teaching.

ßFriends, what is demerit, and what are the roots of demerit? Destroying life is demerit, taking the not given is demerit, misbehaviour in sensuality is demerit, telling lies is demerit, slandering is demerit, rough talk is demerit, frivolous talk is demerit, coveting is demerit, bearing the angry mind is demerit, and wrong view is demerit. These are demerit.

ßWhat are the roots of demerit? Greed is a root of demerit, anger is a root of demerit, and delusion is a root of demerit. These are the roots of demerit.

ßWhat is merit? Abstaining from destroying life is merit. Abstaining from taking what is not given is merit. Abstaining from misbehaviour in sensuality is merit. Abstaining from telling lies is merit. Abstaining from slandering is merit. Abstaining from rough talk is merit. Abstaining from frivolous talk is merit. Abstaining from coveting is merit. Not bearing an angry mind is merit and right view is merit. These are merit.

ßWhat are the roots of merit? Non-greed is a root of merit. Non-hate is a root of merit. And non-delusion is a root of merit. These are the roots of merit. When the noble disciple knows demerit and roots of demerit, merit and roots of merit, he gives up all latent tendencies to greed, drives out all latent tendencies to aversion, and completly destroying the latent tendency to measure as `I be', dispels ignorance, arouses science, and here and now makes an end of unpleasantness. With this much, the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, comes to this good Teaching.û

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple would rectify his view, be endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching and would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows supports, the arising of supports, the cessation of supports, and the path to the cessation of supports, with this much, the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to this good Teaching.

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple would rectify his view, be endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching and would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows unpleasantness, the arising of unpleasantness, the cessation of unpleasantness, and the path to the cessation of unpleasantness, with this much, the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to this good Teaching.

ßFriends, what is unpleasantness, what is the arising of unpleasantness, what is the cessation of unpleasantness, and what is the path to the cessation of unpleasantness?

ßFriends, what is unpleasantness? Birth, decay, ailments, death, grief, wailing, displeasure and distress, all these are unpleasant, if one does not get one's desires, that's also unpleasant. In short, the five holding masses are unpleasant. To this is called unpleasantness.

ßFriends, what is the arising of unpleasantness? That same greed to be born again, accompanied with interest and greed, delighting in this and the other such as sensual greed, the greed `to be' and the greed `not to be', this is the arising of unpleasantness. What is the cessation of unpleasantness That same remainderless detachment, cessation, renouncing, giving up, release without settling in cravung, is the cessation of unpleasantness.

ßWhat is the path to the cessation of unpleasanatness? This same noble eightfold path is the path to the cessation of unpleasantness, namely, right view, right thoughts, right words, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

ßWhen the noble disciple knows, `This is unpleasant, this is the arising of unpleasantness, this is the cessation of unpleasantness, and this is the path to the cessation of unpleasantness,' he gives up all latent tendencies to greed, drives out all latent tendencies to aversion, and completely destroying the latent tendency to measure as 'I be', dispels ignorance, arouses science, and here and now makes an end of unpleasantness. With this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to the good Teaching.û

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, `Friend, is there another method by which the noble disciple would rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows decay and death, the arising of decay and death, the cessation of decay and death, the path to the cessation of decay and death, with this much, the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching he comes to this good Teaching.

ßWhat is decay and death, what is the arising of decay and death, what is the cessation of decay and death and what is the path to the cessation of decay and death? Decay, decrepitude, brokenness, greyness of hair, wrinkledness of skin, dwindling in age and the maturity of the faculties of this and other class of beings is decay.

ßFriends what is death? Disappearing, ceasing, breaking up and fading, ending in death, the breaking up of the holding masses, and laying down the body of this and other class of beings is death. This decay and this death is decay and death, With birth, decay and death arises; with the cessation of birth, decay and death cease. This same noble eightfold path is the path to the cessation of decay and death, namely, right view, right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. When the noble disciple knows, `This is decay and death, this is the arising of decay and death, this is the cessation of decay and death, and this is the path to the cessation of decay and death,' he gives up all latent tendencies to greed, drives out all latent tendencies to aversion, and completely destroying the latent tendency to measure as 'I be', dispels ignorance, arouses science, and here and now makes an end of unpleasantness. With this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, comes to the good Teaching.û

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, `Friend, is there another method by which the noble disciple would rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, would come to this good Teaching?

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows birth, the arising of birth, the cessation of birth, and the path to the cessation of birth, with this much, the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching he comes to this good Teaching.

ßWhat is birth, what is the arising of birth, what is the cessation of birth, and what is the path to the cessation of birth? Birth, origin, coming to be, rebirth, the arising of the masses, the gain of mental faculties, in this and other class of beings, is birth. With the arising of being there is the arising of birth; with the cessation of being there is cessation of birth. This same noble eightfold path is the path to the cessation of birth, such as right view, right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right cconcentration. When the noble disciple knows, `This is birth, this is the arising of birth, this is the cessation of birth and this is the path to the cessation of birth,' he gives up all latent tendencies to greed, drives out all latent tendencies to aversion and, completely destroying the latent tendency to measure as `I be', dispels ignorance, arouses science, and here and now makes an end of unpleasantness. With this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, comes to this good Teaching.û

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple would rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows being, the arising of being, the cessation of being, and the path to the cessation of being, with this much, the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to this good Teaching.

ßWhen the noble disciple knows, `This is being, this is the arising of being, this is the cessation of being and this is the path to the cessation of being,' he gives up all latent tendencies to greed, drives out all latent tendencies to aversion, and, completely destroying the latent tendency to measure as 'I be', dispels ignorance, arouses science, and here and now makes an end of unpleasantness. With this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, comes to this good Teaching.û

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple would rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows holding, the arising of holding, the cessation of holding, and the path to the cessation of holding, with this much, the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to this good Teaching.

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple would rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows craving, the arising of craving, the cessation of craving, and the path to the cessation of craving, with this much, the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to this good Teaching.

ßWhat is craving, what is the arising of craving, what is the cessation of craving, and what is the path to the cessation of craving. Friends, there are six bodies of craving: craving for forms, craving for sounds, craving for smells, craving for tastes, craving for touches, and craving for ideas. With the arising of feelings, craving arises; with the cessation of feelings craving ceases. This same noble eightfold path is the path to the cessation of craving; such as right view, right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. When the noble disciple knows, `This is craving, this is the arising of craving, this is the cessation of craving, and this is the path to the cessation of craving, he gives up all the latent tendencies to greed, drives out all latent tendencies to aversion, and, completely destroying the latent tendency to measure as `I be', dispels ignorance, arouses science, and here and now makes an end of unpleasantness. With this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, comes to this good Teaching.û

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple would rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows feelings, the arising of feelings, the cessation of feelings, and the path to the cessation of feelings, with this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to the good Teaching.

ßWhat are feelings, what is the arising of feelings, what is the cessation of feelings, and what is the path to the cessation of feelings? Friends, these six are the bodies of feeling: feelings born of eye-contact, feelings born of ear-contact, feelings born of nose-contact, feelings born of tongue-contact, feelings born of body-contact and feelings born of mind-contact. With the arising of contact arise feelings, with the cessation of contact, feelings cease. This same noble eightfold path is the path to the cessation of feelings, namely, right view, right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

ßWhen the noble disciple knows feelings thus, knows the arising of feelings thus, knows the cessation of feelings thus, and the path to the cessation of feelings thus, he gives up the latent tendencies to greed, drives out all latent tendencies to aversion, and, completely destroying the latent tendency to measure as `I be', dispels ignorance, arouses science, and here and now makes an end of unpleasantness. With this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, comes to this good Teaching.û

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple would rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows contact, the arising of contact, the cessation of contact and the path to the cessation of contact, with this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to the good Teaching.

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple would rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows the six mental spheres, the arising of the six mental spheres, the cessation of the six mental spheres, and the path to the cessation of the six mental spheres, with this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to the good Teaching.

ßWhat are the six mental spheres, what is the arising of the six mental spheres, what is the cessation of the six mental spheres, and what is the path to the cessation of the six mental spheres" Friends, these six are the mental spheres: the sphere of the eye, the sphere of the ear, the sphere of the nose, the sphere of the tongue, the sphere of the body, and the sphere of the mind. With the arising of name-and-matter arise the six mental spheres; with the cessation of name-and-matter the six mental spheres cease. This same noble eightfold path is the path to the cessation of the mental spheres, namely, right view, right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. When the noble disciple knows mental spheres thus, knows the arising of the mental spheres thus, knows the cessation of the mental spheres thus and the path to the cessation of the mental spheres thus, he gives up the latent tendencies to greed, drives out the latent tendencies to aversion, and, completely destroying the latent tendency to measure as `I be', dispels ignorance, arouses science, and here and now makes an end of unpleasantness. With this much the view rectified, endowed with unwvering faith in the Teaching, comes to this good Teaching.û

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple would rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows name-and-matter, the arising of name-and-matter, the cessation of name-and-matter, and the path to the cessation of name-and-matter, with this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to the good Teaching.

ßWhat is name-and-matter, what is the arising of name-and-matter, what is the cessation of name-and-matter, and what is the path to the cessation of name-and-matter? Feelings, perceptions, mental cognition, contact, and attention: this is name. The four primary elements, and this held form made out of the four primary elements, is matter. They together make name-and-matter. With the arising of consciousness arise name-and-matter. With the cessation of consciousness, name-and-matter ceases. This same noble eightfold path is the path to the cessation of name-and-matter, namely, right view, right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. When the noble disciple knows name-and-matter thus, knows the arising of name-and-matter thus, knows the cessation of name-and-matter thus, and the path to the cessation of name-and-matter thus, he gives up the latent tendencies to greed, drives out the latent tendencies to aversion, and, completely destroying the latent tendency to measure as `I be', dispels ignorance, arouses science, and here and now makes an end of unpleasantness. With this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching comes to this good Teaching.û

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends, When the noble disciple knows consciousness, the arsing of consciousness, the cessation of consciousness, and the path to the cessation of consciousness, with this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to this good Teaching.

What is consciousness, what is the arising of consciousness, what is the cessation of consciousness, and what is the path to the cessation of consciousness? Friends, these six are the conscious bodies: eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-conscioussness, body-consciousness and mind-consciousness. With the arising of determinations arise consciousness, with the cessation of determinations consciousness ceases. This same noble eightfold path is the path to the cessation of consciousness, namely, right view, right thoughts, right speech, right actions right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. When the noble disciple knows consciousness thus, the arising of consciousness thus, the cessation of consciousness thus and the path to the cessation of consciousness thus, he gives up the latent tendencies to greed, drives out the latent tendencies to aversion, and, completely destroying the latent tendency to measure as `I be', dispels ignorance, arouses science, and here and now makes an end of unpleasantness. With this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching comes to this good Teaching.û

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows determinations, the arising of determinations, the cessation of determinations, and the path to the cessation of determinations, with this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to this good Teaching.

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows ignorance, the arising of ignorance, the cessation of ignorance, and the path to the cessation of ignorance, with this much, the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to this good Teaching.

ßWhat is ignorance, what is the arising of ignorance, what is the cessation of ignorance and what is the path to the cessation of ignorance: Friends, the not knowing unpleasantness, the arising of unpleasantness, the cessation of unpleasantness and not knowing the path to the cessation of unpleasantness, that is ignorance. With the arising of desires arise ignoranace, with the cessation of desires cease ignorance. This noble eightfold path is the path to the cessation of ignorance, namely, right view, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. When the noble disciple knows ignorance thus, knows the arising of ignorance thus, knows the cessation of ignoeance thus and the path to the cessation of ignorance thus, he gives up the latent tendencies to greed, drives out the latent tendencies to aversion, and, completely destroying the latent tendency to measure as `I be', dispels ignorance, arouses science, and here and now makes an end of unpleasantness. With this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching comes to this good Teaching.û

Those bhikkhus, accepting and delighting in the words of venerable Sàriputta asked, ßFriend, is there another method by which the noble disciple rectify his view, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, would come to this good Teaching?û

ßThere is, friends. When the noble disciple knows desires, the arising of desires, the cessation of desires, and the path to the cessation of desires, with this much the view rectified, endowed with unwavering faith in the Teaching, he comes to this good Teaching.

Venerable Sàriputta said thus and those bhikkhus delighted in his words.