3rd Noble Truth & Nibbāna notes | Sean Feit Oakes | nadalila.org | 2016 The Third Noble Truth: Cessation (nirodha) Saṃyutta Nikāya 56.11 — Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma (suttacentral.net/en/sn56.11; Bodhi 75) 4. “Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of sufering: birth is sufering, aging is sufering, illness is sufering, death is sufering; union with what is displeasing is sufering; separation from what is pleasing is sufering; not to get what one wants is sufering; in brief, the fve aggregates subject to clinging are sufering. 5. “Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the origin of sufering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination. 6. “Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the cessation of sufering: it is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, nonreliance on it. The Three Characteristics: Impermanence (anicca), Suffering (dukkha), Not-Self (anattā) Saṃyutta Nikāya 22.45 — Impermanent (suttacentral.net/en/sn22.45; Bodhi 342) 1. At Savatthi. “Bhikkhus, form is impermanent. What is impermanent is sufering. What is sufering is nonself. What is nonself should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ When one sees this thus as it really is with correct wisdom, the mind becomes dispassionate and is liberated from the taints by nonclinging. 2. “Feeling is impermanent…. Perception is impermanent…. Volitional formations are impermanent…. Consciousness is impermanent. What is impermanent is sufering. What is sufering is nonself. What is nonself should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ When one sees this thus as it really is with correct wisdom, the mind becomes dispassionate and is liberated from the taints by nonclinging. 3. “If, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu’s mind has become dispassionate towards the form element, it is liberated from the taints by nonclinging. If his mind has become dispassionate towards the feeling element … towards the perception element … towards the volitional formations element … towards the consciousness element, it is liberated from the taints by nonclinging. 4. “By being liberated, it is steady; by being steady, it is content; by being content, he is not agitated. Being unagitated, he personally attains Nibbāna. He understands: ‘Destroyed is birth, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being.’” 1 3rd Noble Truth & Nibbāna notes | Sean Feit Oakes | nadalila.org | 2016 The Three Fires [Roots]: Lust/Attachment (rāga), Hate/Aversion (dosa), Delusion (moha) Itivuttaka 93 — The Fires (suttacentral.net/en/iti93) This was said by the Blessed One… “Bhikkhus, there are But those engaged in practising these three fres. What three? The fre of lust, the fre of The Buddha’s teaching day and night hate, and the fre of delusion. These, bhikkhus, are the Ever perceiving the body’s foulness, three fres.” Extinguish the fre of lust. The fre of lust burns mortals Those best of humans by loving-kindness Infatuated by sensual pleasures; Extinguish the fre of hate, The fre of hate burns malevolent people And they extinguish the fre of delusion Who kill other living beings; By wisdom that leads to penetration. The fre of delusion burns the bewildered, Having extinguished these fres, Ignorant of the Noble One’s Dhamma. Unwearied night and day, Being unaware of these three fres, Those discerning ones attain Nibbāna Humankind delights in personal existence. And overcome all sufering. Unfree from the bonds of Māra The noble seers, masters of knowledge, They swell the ranks of hell, Wise ones with perfect understanding, Existence in the animal realm, By directly knowing the end of birth Asura-demons and the sphere of ghosts. Come no more to renewal of being. Signless, Boundless, Luminous Dīgha Nikāya 11.81-5 — To Kevaṭṭa (suttacentral.net/en/dn11) ...“Now the question, monk, should not be asked as “And the answer is: you have put it. Instead of asking where the four Consciousness that is signless, limitless, all-illuminating, great elements cease without remainder, you should Then water, earth, fre, & wind fnd no footing, have asked: Then long & short, small & large, pleasant & unpleasant - ‘Where do earth, water, fre & air no footing fnd? Then “name-&-form” are all brought to an end. Where are long & short, small & great, fair & foul – With the cessation of viññāṇa [divided-knowing] Where are “name-and-form” brought to an end?’ all this is brought to an end.’” 2 3rd Noble Truth & Nibbāna notes | Sean Feit Oakes | nadalila.org | 2016 Luminous Mind (pabhassara-citta) Aṅguttara Nikāya 1.49 — Luminous (suttacentral.net/en/an1.49-52) Luminous is this mind, brightly shining, but it is colored by the attachments that visit it. This unlearned people do not really understand, and so do not cultivate the mind. Luminous is this mind, brightly shining, and it is free of the attachments that visit it. This the noble follower of the way really understands; so for them there is cultivation of the mind. Destruction of the 10 Fetters Majjhima Nikāya 118 — Mindfulness of Breathing (suttacentral.net/en/mn118) 9. “In this Sangha of bhikkhus there are bhikkhus who are arahants with taints destroyed, who have lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached their own goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and are completely liberated through fnal knowledge—such bhikkhus are there in this Sangha of bhikkhus. 10. “In this Sangha of bhikkhus there are bhikkhus who, with the destruction of the fve lower fetters, are due to reappear spontaneously in the Pure Abodes and there attain fnal Nibbāna, without ever returning from that world— such bhikkhus are there in this Sangha of bhikkhus. 11. “In this Sangha of bhikkhus there are bhikkhus who, with the destruction of three fetters and with the attenuation of lust, hate, and delusion, are once-returners, returning once to this world to make an end of sufering —such bhikkhus are there in this Sangha of bhikkhus. 12. “In this Sangha of bhikkhus there are bhikkhus who, with the destruction of the three fetters, are stream- enterers, no longer subject to perdition, bound for deliverance, headed for enlightenment—such bhikkhus are there in this Sangha of bhikkhus. The 10 Fetters (saṁyojana) 1. Identity View (sakkāyadiṭṭhi) 6. Lust for Form (rūparāgo) 2. Doubt (vicikicchā) 7. Lust for the Formless (arūparāgo) 3. Wrong View of Rites & Rituals (sīlabbataparāmāso) 8. Conceit of Self (māno) 4. Sensual Desire (kāmacchando) 9. Restlessness (uddhaccaṁ) 5. Ill Will (vyāpādo) 10. Ignorance (avijjā) The 4 Paths (magga) 1. Destruction of Fetters 1-3: Stream-Enterer (sotāpatti) 3. Destruction of 1-5: Non-Returner (anāgāmi) 2. AND Weakening of 4-5: Once-Returner (sakadāgāmi) 4. Destruction of all 10: Perfected One (arahatta) 3 3rd Noble Truth & Nibbāna notes | Sean Feit Oakes | nadalila.org | 2016 The Perfection of Wisdom Heart Sutra (Red Pine, trans.) The Noble Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva Heart Sutra Notes while practicing the deep practice of Prajñaparamita A. Sees the Emptiness (śunyatā) of… looked upon the Five Skandhas 5 Aggregates (khandha/skandha) and seeing they were empty of self-existence, said: Form (Pāli: rūpa) “Here, Shariputra, form is emptiness, emptiness is form; Feeling/Sensation (vedanā) emptiness is not separate from form, form is not separate from emptiness; Perception (saññā) whatever is form is emptiness, whatever is emptiness is form. Formations/Memory (sankhāra) The same holds for sensation and perception, memory and consciousness. Consciousness (viññāna) Here, Shariputra, all dharmas are defned by emptiness not birth or destruction, purity or deflement, completeness or defciency. Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no memory and no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, and no mind; no shape, no sound, no smell, no taste, no feeling, and no thought; 6 Sense Faculties (indriya) no element of perception, from eye to conceptual consciousness; 6 Sense Objects no causal link, from ignorance to old age and death, and 6 Sense Consciousnesses no end of causal link, from ignorance to old age and death; 12 Links of Dependent Origination no sufering, no source, no relief, no path; (paṭicca-samuppāda) no knowledge, no attainment, and no non-attainment. 4 Noble Truths (ariya-saccāni) Therefore, Shariputra, without attainment bodhisattvas take refuge in Prajñaparamita and live without walls of the mind. Without walls of the mind and thus without fears, “There is no distinction what- they see through delusions and fnally nirvana. soever between saṃsāra & nirvāṇa” All buddhas past, present and future Nagārjuna, Mūlamadhyamakakārikā take refuge in Prajñaparamita and realize unexcelled perfect enlightenment. You should therefore know the great mantra of Prajñaparamita the mantra of great magic, the unexcelled mantra, the mantra equal to the unequalled, which heals all sufering and is true, not false, the mantra in Prajñaparamita spoken thus: “Gone, Gone, Gone Beyond, Fully gate gate paragate parasangate bodhi svaha Beyond. Awakening!” 4.