A Sketch of the Buddha's Life
Readings from the Pali Canon
13,055 words
This modest selection of excerpts from the Pali Canon provides a rough sketch of the life of the Buddha. I hope you will find enough in this rather sparse selection to gain at least an inkling both of the range of the Buddhas teachings and of the sweeping trajectory of his extraordinary life....
One's Duties With Regard To The Four Noble Truths
"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before: This is the noble truth of stress...This noble truth of stress is to be comprehended...This noble truth of stress has been comprehended.
"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before: This is the noble truth of the origination of stress...This noble truth of the origination of stress is to be abandoned...This noble truth of the origination of stress has been abandoned.
"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before: This is the noble truth of the cessation of stress...This noble truth of the cessation of stress is to be directly experienced...This noble truth of the cessation of stress has been directly experienced.
"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before: This is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress...This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress is to be developed...This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress has been developed.