Right View

MN 9

This is what I heard.

One time the Buddha was staying near Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s monastery. Then Sariputta said this to the seekers,

“Some speak of ‘right view’ How does a noble follower reach right view? How do they gain confidence in the true Dharma based on understanding?”

They said, “Sir, we would travel a long way to learn the meaning of this from you. Please explain this and we will listen and remember it.”

Sariputta said, “A noble follower understands the wholesome and the unwholesome, and they also understand their roots. When they’ve understood this, they become a noble follower with right view and confidence based on understanding.

What is the unwholesome? Killing living beings, stealing, and sexual wrongdoing and speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or pointless. Also: desire, hostility, and wrong view.

What are the unwholesome roots? Greed, aversion, and delusion.

What is the wholesome? Avoiding all the unwholesome, such as killing living beings and so on.

What are the wholesome roots? Non-greed, non-aversion and non-delusion.

A noble follower knows the wholesome, unwholesome and their roots like this. They’ve totally given up the underlying tendencies of desire, aversion and the egotistic view of “I am”. They’ve given up ignorance and have awakened knowledge. They will end suffering in this very life.

This is someone who has right view, who is correct, who has attained the true Dharma with confidence based on understanding.

The seekers agreed and then asked: “But sir, is there another way to speak of such a noble follower?”

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands food, its origin, its ending and the way that leads to this end. Therefore they know the true Dharma.

But what is “food?” What is its origin and ending?

There are four foods that maintain sentient beings now and help those about to be born:

1. Solid food, gross or fine;
2. Contact,
3. Mental intention,
4. Consciousness

Food arises from craving, it ends when craving ceases. The way that leads to the end of food is just the noble eightfold path: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right lucid unification.

A noble follower fully understands food like this. They have totally given up the subconscious habits of desire, aversion and the egotistic view of “I am”. They’ve given up ignorance and have awakened knowledge. They will end suffering in this very life.

This is someone who has right view, who is correct, who has attained the true Dharma with confidence based on understanding.

The seekers agreed and then asked: “But sir, is there yet another way?”

Sariputta said, “Yes, a noble follower understands suffering, its origin, its ending, and the practice that leads to this end. How?

Suffering is being born, getting old and dying. It is sadness, grieving, stress and pain. It’s when something happens that we don’t want, or when we lose something we love. Suffering is when we want something and can’t get it. Basically, suffering is the five heaps of grasping.

The origin of suffering is when craving leads to a further greedy existence, and you keep trying to look for pleasure everywhere. It is craving for pleasures, craving to exist and craving to end existence.

The end of suffering is the total fading away of craving. It’s letting go, not clinging, and being craving free.

The way leading to the end of suffering is the noble eightfold path.

A noble follower fully understands the truths of suffering like this. They have totally given up the subconscious habits of desire, aversion and the egotistic view of “I am”. They’ve given up ignorance and have awakened knowledge. They will end suffering in this very life.

This is someone who has right view, who is correct, who has attained the true Dharma with confidence based on understanding.

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands aging and death, its origin, its ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

This is ageing: the weakness, broken teeth, gray hair, wrinkling, lack of energy and failing senses of the different kinds of beings.

This is death: the passing away, disappearance, mortality, the breaking up of the heaps, the laying down of the corpse and cutting off of the life force of the different kinds of beings.

Aging and death originate from birth, and they end when birth ends. The way to the end of aging and death is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands birth, its origin, its ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

This is birth: the conception, generation, descent, the arising of the heaps and sense bases of the different kinds of beings. Birth originates from becoming and ends when becoming ends. The way to the end of birth is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands becoming, its origin, its ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

There are three states of becoming: sensuality, form and the formless. Becoming originates from grasping and ends when grasping ends. The way to the end of becoming is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands grasping, its origin, its ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

There are four kinds of grasping: grasping at sensuality, at views, at virtue and vows and at theories of a self. Grasping originates from craving and ends when craving ends. The way to the end of grasping is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands craving, its origin, its ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

There are six cravings: craving for sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and thoughts. Craving originates from feeling tone and ends when feeling tone ends. The way to the end of craving is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands feeling tone, its origin, its ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

There are six feeling tones born through eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mental contact. Feeling tone originates from contact and ends when contact ends. The way to the end of feeling tones is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands contact, its origin, its ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

There six forms of contact: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mental contact. Contact originates from the six sense bases and ends when these bases end. The way to the end of contact is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands the six sense bases, their origin, their ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

There are six sense bases: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and heartmind. The sense bases originate from name and form, and end when name and form ends. The way to the end of the sense bases is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands name and form, its origin, its ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

Feeling tone, perception, intention, contact and attention—this is “name.” The four main properties and any form based on them—this is “form.” Name and form originates from awareness and ends when awareness ends. The way to the end of name and form is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands consciousness, its origin, its ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

There six kinds of consciousness: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mental consciousness. Consciousness originates from activities and ends when activities ends. The way to the end of consciousness is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands activities, their origin, their ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

There are three kinds of activities: body, speech and heart-mind. Activities originate from ignorance and ends when ignorance ends. The way to the end of activities is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands ignorance, its origin, its ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

Ignorance is not knowing the four noble truths. Ignorance originates from the poisons and ends when the poisons end. The way to the end of ignorance is the noble eightfold path. A noble follower fully knows this truth and thus has right view.”

The seekers agreed, and then asked if there was yet another way to describe noble followers.

Sariputta said, “Yes sirs, a noble follower understands the poisons, their origin, their ending and the way that leads to this end. How?

There are three poisons: sensuality, desire for birth, and ignorance. The poisons originate from ignorance and end when ignorance ends. The way to the end of the poisons is the noble eightfold path.

A noble follower fully understands the poisons like this. They have totally given up the subconscious habits of desire, aversion and the egotistic view of “I am”. They’ve given up ignorance and have awakened knowledge. They will end suffering in this very life.

This is someone who has right view, who is correct, who has attained the true Dharma with confidence based on understanding.

This is what Venerable Sariputta said and the seekers were happy.