Reading guide
Four terms, one teaching
"I will teach you old deeds, new deeds, the cessation of deeds, and the practice that leads to the cessation of deeds" — the discourse's own four-part structure, announced at the outset and then defined one term at a time.
Old deeds: the six sense fields themselves
"The eye is old deeds. It should be seen as produced by choices and intentions, as something to be felt" — run across all six interior sense fields. This project has already met the identical Pali phrase (purāṇakammaṁ abhisaṅkhataṁ abhisañcetayitaṁ vedaniyaṁ) applied to the body alone at SN 12.37, already published in Book II; this discourse extends the same formula to all six fields, not the body only.
New deeds: what's being done right now
"The deeds you currently perform by way of body, speech, and mind" — a plain, present-tense definition, drawing the line between what has already ripened into existence (old) and what is actively being generated (new) without invoking future result at all.
Cessation and its path, in familiar terms
Cessation of deeds is defined as freedom reached through the cessation of bodily, verbal, and mental activity; the path there is the noble eightfold path by name, closing on the standard exhortation to practice absorption at the roots of trees and in empty huts — the same closing formula this project has already met many times before, here marking the vagga's own opening rather than any discourse's close.
Key terms
The text
§1“Mendicants, I will teach you old deeds, new deeds, the cessation of deeds, and the practice that leads to the cessation of deeds. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak. …
§2And what is old deeds? The eye is old deeds. It should be seen as produced by choices and intentions, as something to be felt. The ear … nose … tongue … body … mind is old deeds. It should be seen as produced by choices and intentions, as something to be felt. This is called old deeds.
§3And what is new deeds? The deeds you currently perform by way of body, speech, and mind. These are called new deeds.
§4And what is the cessation of deeds? When you experience freedom due to the cessation of deeds by body, speech, and mind. This is called the cessation of deeds.
§5And what’s the practice that leads to the cessation of deeds? It 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. This is called the practice that leads to the cessation of deeds.
§6So, mendicants, I’ve taught you old deeds, new deeds, the cessation of deeds, and the practice that leads to the cessation of deeds. Out of sympathy, I’ve done what a teacher should do who wants what’s best for their disciples. Here are these roots of trees, and here are these empty huts. Practice absorption, mendicants! Don’t be negligent! Don’t regret it later! This is my instruction to you.”
Self-check quiz
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