"The spokes of the wheel are the rules of pure conduct: justice
is the uniformity of their length; wisdom is the tire; modesty
and thoughtfulness are the hub in which the immovable axle of
truth is fixed. 19
"He who recognizes the existence of suffering, its cause, its
remedy, and its cessation has fathomed the four noble truths. He
will walk in the right path. 20
"Right views will be the torch to light his way. Right
aspirations will be his guide. Right speech will be his
dwelling-place on the road. His gait will be straight, for it is
right behavior. His refreshments will be the right way of earning
his livelihood. Right efforts will be his steps: right thoughts
his breath; and right contemplation will give him the peace that
follows in his footprints. 21
"Now, this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning suffering: 22
"Birth is attended with pain, decay is painful, disease is
painful, death is painful. Union with the unpleasant is painful,
painful is separation from the pleasant; and any craving that is
unsatisfied, that too is painful. In brief, bodily conditions
which spring from attachment are painful. 23
"This, then, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning suffering. 24
"Now this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the origin
of suffering: 25
"Verily, it is that craving which causes the renewal of
existence, accompanied by sensual delight, seeking satisfaction
now here, now there, the craving for the gratification of the
passions, the craving for a future life, and the craving for
happiness in this life. 26
"This, then, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the origin
of suffering. 27
"Now this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the
destruction of suffering: 28
"Verily, it is the destruction, in which no passion remains, of
this very thirst; it is the laying aside of, the being free from,
the dwelling no longer upon this thirst. 29
"This, then, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the
destruction of suffering. 30
"Now this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the way
which leads to the destruction of sorrow. Verily! it is this
noble eightfold path; that is to say: 31
"Right views; right aspirations; right speech; right behavior;
right livelihood; right effort; right thoughts; and right
contemplation. 32
"This, then, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the
destruction of sorrow. 33
"By the practice of lovingkindness I have attained liberation of
heart, and thus I am assured that I shall never return in renewed
births. I have even now attained Nirvāna. 34
And when the Blessed One had thus set the royal chariot-wheel of
truth rolling onward, a rapture thrilled through all the
universes. 35
The devas left their heavenly abodes to listen to the sweetness
of the truth; the saints that had parted from life crowded around
the great teacher to receive the glad tidings; even the animals
of the earth felt the bliss that rested upon the words of the
Tathāgata: and all the creatures of the host of sentient beings,
gods, men, and beasts, hearing the message of deliverance,
received and understood it in their own language. 36
And when the doctrine was propounded, the venerable Kondañña, the
oldest one among the five bhikkhus, discerned the truth with his
mental eye, and he said: "Truly, O Buddha, our Lord, thou hast
found the truth!" Then the other bhikkhus too, joined him and
exclaimed: "Truly, thou art the Buddha, thou hast found the
truth." 37
And the devas and saints and all the good spirits of the departed
generations that had listened to the sermon of the Tathāgata,
joyfully received the doctrine and shouted: "Truly, the Blessed
One has founded the kingdom of righteousness. The Blessed One has
moved the earth; he has set the wheel of Truth rolling, which by
no one in the universe, be he god or man, can ever be turned
back. The kingdom of Truth will be preached upon earth; it will
spread; and righteousness, good-will, and peace will reign among
mankind." 38