Reading guide
Four rounds, in the shape of the four noble truths
The discourse's structural announcement echoes SN 22.26's withheld-until-understood claim, but specifies the required understanding as four rounds per aggregate: directly knowing the aggregate itself, its origin, its cessation, and the practice leading to its cessation. This is the four noble truths' own shape — a thing, its arising, its ending, and the path — applied at a more granular level, once for each of the five aggregates rather than once for suffering as a whole.
Form: the four principal states and what derives from them
Form is defined precisely as the four principal states (mahābhūta — earth, water, fire, and air) and form derived from them. Its origin is nutriment (āhāra, rendered here as “fuel”); when fuel ceases, form ceases. This is a distinctive originating condition — not craving in general, but the specific physical process of nutriment.
Feeling, perception, and choices: six classes, one shared origin
Feeling, perception, and choices are each defined by six classes corresponding to the six sense doors (eye through mind), and each is said to originate from contact (phassa); when contact ceases, each of the three ceases. Three different aggregates, defined by different content, share the identical originating and ceasing condition — a precision not spelled out this way elsewhere in the book.
Consciousness: originating from name and form
Consciousness, likewise defined by six classes corresponding to the six sense doors, is given a distinctive originating condition of its own: name and form (nāmarūpa); when name and form cease, consciousness ceases. This directly recalls the mutual-conditioning relationship between consciousness and name-and-form explored at length in Book II's Nidānavagga, now stated in this discourse as a simple, direct dependency.
The identical path named for every aggregate
Despite the different originating conditions for each aggregate, the practice leading to each one's cessation is stated identically every time: the noble eightfold path, spelled out in full — right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. The causes differ aggregate by aggregate; the remedy does not.
Key terms
The text
§1“Mendicants, there are these five grasping aggregates. What five? The grasping aggregates of form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. As long as I didn’t truly understand these five grasping aggregates in four rounds, I didn’t announce my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and Divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans. But when I did truly understand these five grasping aggregates in four rounds, I announced my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and Divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans.
§2And how are there four rounds? I directly knew form, its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation.
§3consciousness, its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation.
§4And what is form? The four principal states, and form derived from the four principal states. This is called form. Form originates from fuel. When fuel ceases, form ceases. The practice that leads to the cessation of form is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.
§5Whatever ascetics and brahmins have directly known form in this way—and its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation—and are practicing for disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding form: they are practicing well. Those who practice well have a footing in this teaching and training.
§6Those ascetics and brahmins who have directly known form in this way—and its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation—and due to disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding form, are freed by not grasping: they are well freed. Those who are well freed are consummate ones. For consummate ones, there is no cycle of rebirths to be found.
§7And what is feeling? There are these six classes of feeling: feeling born of contact through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. This is called feeling. Feeling originates from contact. When contact ceases, feeling ceases. The practice that leads to the cessation of feelings is simply this noble eightfold path …
§8And what is perception? There are these six classes of perception: perceptions of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and ideas. This is called perception. Perception originates from contact. When contact ceases, perception ceases. The practice that leads to the cessation of perceptions is simply this noble eightfold path …
§9And what are choices? There are these six classes of intention: intention regarding sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and ideas. These are called choices. Choices originate from contact. When contact ceases, choices cease. The practice that leads to the cessation of choices is simply this noble eightfold path …
§10And what is consciousness? There are these six classes of consciousness: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind consciousness. This is called consciousness. Consciousness originates from name and form. When name and form cease, consciousness ceases. The practice that leads to the cessation of consciousness is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.
§11Whatever ascetics and brahmins have directly known consciousness in this way—and its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation—and are practicing for disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding consciousness: they are practicing well. Those who practice well have a footing in this teaching and training.
§12Those ascetics and brahmins who have directly known consciousness in this way—and its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation—and due to disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding consciousness, are freed by not grasping: they are well freed. Those who are well freed are consummate ones. For consummate ones, there is no cycle of rebirths to be found.”
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