Saɱyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
56. Sacca Saɱyutta
1. Samādhi Vagga

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha
V. The Great Book
56. Connected Discourses on the Truths
I. Concentration

Sutta 7

Vitakkā Suttaɱ

Thoughts

Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi

Copyright Bhikkhu Bodhi 2000, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha (Wisdom Publications, 2000)
This selection from The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saɱyutta Nikāya by Bhikkhu Bodhi is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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[1][pts] At Sāvatthī.

"Bhikkhus, do not think evil unwholesome thoughts; that is, sensual thought, thought of ill will, thought of harming.

For what reason?

These thoughts, bhikkhus, are unbeneficial, irrelevant to the fundamentals of the holy life, and do not lead to revulsion, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna.

"When you think, bhikkhus, you should think:

'This is suffering';

you should think:

'This is the origin of suffering';

you should think:

'This is the cessation of suffering';

you should think:

'This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.'

For what reason?

These thoughts, bhikkhus, are beneficial, relevant to the fundamentals of the holy life, and lead to revulsion, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna.

"Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand:

'This is suffering.'...

An exertion should be made to understand:

'This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.'"