• There is Dukkha, i.e.,  unsatisfactoriness/suffering/discontent/stress (to be Understood)

• The cause of dukkha is clinging (to be Abandoned)

• Dukkha ceases with the relinquishment of clinging (to be Realized)

• The path leading to the cessation of dukkha is the Noble Eightfold Path (to be Developed)

Wisdom/Discernment (panna)

1. Wise/Right View or Understanding (samma-ditthi) – Understanding based on the framework of the Four Noble Truths

2. Wise/Right Intention or Resolve (samma-sankappa) – Resolved on Renunciation, Loving-kindness, Harmlessness

Virtue (sila)

3. Wise/Right Speech (samma-vaca) – abstaining from lying, malicious or divisive speech, abusive or harsh speech, and idle chatter

4. Wise/Right Action (samma-kammanta) – abstaining from killing, stealing and sexual misconduct

5. Wise/Right Livelihood (samma–ajiva) – abstaining from dishonest and harmful means of livelihood

Concentration/Meditation (samadhi)

6. Wise/Right Effort (samma-vayama) – the effort of avoiding and overcoming unskillful qualities, and of developing and maintaining skillful qualities

7. Wise/Right Mindfulness (samma-sati) – (see The Four Foundations of Mindfulness)

8. Wise/Right Concentration (samma-samadhi) – (see the Four Jhanas)

Anything we experience or perceive is

• Impermanent  or inconstant (anicca)

• Unsatisfactory or suffering (dukkha)

• Not-self (anatta) – empty of inherent existence; not “me”, “myself”, nor “what I am”

• Generosity (dana)

• Moral restraint (sila)

• Meditation (bhavana) – consists of Concentration (samadhi) and Mindfulness (sati)

• Greed (lobha) – mindfulness transforms this into Faith

• Aversion/hatred (dosa) – mindfulness transforms this into discriminating Wisdom

• Delusion (moha) – mindfulness transforms this into Equanimity

• Buddha – both the historical Buddha and one’s own innate potential for Awakening

• Dhamma – the Buddha’s teaching of liberation and the truth towards which it points

• Sangha – the community of followers of the Buddhist path and/or the community of those who have achieved some degree of Awakening

• Dukkha as pain (dukkha–dukkhata) – body or mental pain

• Dukkha that is inherent in formation (sankhara-dukkhata) – maintenance of body and things, oppressive nature of continuous upkeep

• Dukkha of change (viparinama-dukkhata) – pleasant and happy conditions in life are not permanent

• Desire (chanda)

• Persistence/Energy/Effort (viriya)

• Intention, Mind, Thoughtfulness (citta)

• Investigation/Discrimination (vimamsa or panna)

Heavenly or sublime abodes (best home). Near enemy is a quality that can masquerade as the original, but is not the original. Far enemy is the opposite quality.

• Lovingkindness, good-will (metta): Near enemy: attachment; far enemy: hatred

• Compassion (karuna): Near enemy: pity; far enemy: cruelty

• Sympathetic joy, Appreciation (mudita), joy at the good fortune of others: Near enemy: comparison,hypocrisy, insincerity, joy for others but tinged with identification (my team, my child); far enemy: envy

• Equanimity (upekkha): Near enemy: indifference; far enemy: anxiety, greed

• Mindfulness of the body (kaya)

• Mindfulness of feeling (vedana)-pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral

• Mindfulness of mind/consciousness (citta), of the mind-states, moods (greed, aversion, delusion and their opposites)

• Mindfulness of mind objects / mental events (dharmas); Five categories of dhammas: Five hindrances, Five aggregates, Six sense bases, Seven factors of enlightenment, Four Noble Truths

• First Jhana, characterized by intense pleasure, has five jhanic factors: applied thought (vittaka), sustained thought(vicara), joy (piti), happiness (sukha), one-pointednesss (ekkagata)

• Second Jhana, characterized by joy, has 3 factors: joy (piti), happiness (sukha) , and one–pointedness (ekkagata)

• Third Jhana, characterized by contentment, has 2 factors: contentment and one-pointedness (ekkagata)

• Fourth Jhana, characterized by equanimity and stillness, has 1 factor: one-pointedness (ekkagata)

• An old person

• A sick person

• A corpse

• A wandering monastic

• Not to let an unwholesome/unskillful thought, which has not yet arisen, arise; (Guard)

• Not to let an unwholesome/unskillful thought, which has already arisen, continue; (Abandon)

• To make a wholesome/skillful thought, which has not yet arisen, arise; (Develop)

• To make a wholesome/skillful thought, which has already arisen, continue; (Sustain)

• attachment to sensuality

• attachment to existence/to becoming

• ignorance of the dhamma (of the way things are)

• attachment to opinions/views (most suttas do not include this one)

Physical and mental components of sensory experience

• Form/physical phenomena, body (rupa )

• Feeling (vedana ) pleasant, unpleasant, neutral. Feelings arise when there is contact between the 6 internal organs and the 6 external objects: (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind and corresponding: sight, sound, odor, taste touch, mental object)

• Perception (sanna) – recognition

• Mental Formations (sankhara) – includes mental states, emotions, volition (fabrications)

• Consciousness (vinnana) – grasps the characteristics of the 6 external objects

• I am of the nature to grow old; I cannot avoid aging

• I am of the nature to become ill or injured; I cannot avoid illness or injury.

• I am of the nature to die; I cannot avoid death.

• All that is mine, dear and delightful, will change and vanish.

• I am the owner of my actions;

  • I am born of my actions;
    I am related to my actions;
    I am supported by my actions;
    Any thoughts, words or deeds I do, good or evil, those I will inherit.

* from AN V.57  Upajjhatthana Sutta: Subjects for Contemplation

• Faith (saddha)

• Energy/Effort/Persistence (viriya)

• Mindfulness (sati)

• Concentration (samadhi)

• Wisdom/Discernment (panna)

• Sensual desire (kamacchanda)

• Aversion / Ill-will (vyapada)

• Sloth and torpor (thina middha)

• Restlessness (uddhacca-kukkucca)

• Skeptical doubt (vicikiccha)

• To refrain from killing

• To refrain from taking that which is not freely offered

• To refrain from sexual misconduct

• To refrain from lying, harsh speech, idle speech, and slander

  • Guidelines for Wise Speech:  Is it true?   Is it kind?   Is it helpful?   Is this the right time to say it?

• To refrain from taking intoxicants that cloud the mind and cause heedlessness

• I am of the nature to grow old; I cannot avoid aging.

• I am of the nature to become ill or injured; I cannot avoid illness or injury.

• I am of the nature to die; I cannot avoid death.

• All that is mine, dear and delightful, will change and vanish.

• I am the owner of my actions; I am born of my actions; I am related to my actions; I am supported by my actions; Any thoughts, words or deeds I do, good or evil, those I will inherit.

• Admirable friends

• Morality, virtue

• Hearing the dharma

• Effort in abandoning unskillful qualities and cultivating skillful ones

• Awareness of impermanence

• Seeing

• Hearing

• Smelling

• Tasting

• Touching

• Thinking

• Mindfulness (sati)

• Investigation of phenomena (dhamma vicaya)

• Energy/Effort (viriya)

• Rapture/Joy (piti)

• Calm/tranquility (passaddhi)

• Concentration (samadhi)

• Equanimity (upekkha)

• Gain and Loss

• Pleasure and Pain

• Praise and Blame

• Fame and Disrepute

• Generosity (dana)

• Morality/virtue/integrity (sila)

• Renunciation (nekkhamma)

• Wisdom (pañña)

• Energy/Strength (viriya)- effort

• Patience (khanti)

• Truthfulness (sacca)

• Resolve / determination (adhitthana)

• Lovingkindness (metta)

• Equanimity (upekkha)

• Self-identity beliefs

• Doubt

• Clinging to rites and rituals

• Sensual craving

• Ill will

• Attachment to form

• Attachment to formless phenomena

• Conceit (comparing oneself to others)

• Restlessness

• Ignorance

• The Stream-enterer (sotapanna) has eradicated the first three fetters.

• The Once-returner (sakadagami) has eradicated the first three fetters and weakened the fourth and fifth fetters.

• The Non-returner (anagami) has eradicated the first five fetters.

• The Arahat has eradicated all ten fetters.

• Ignorance

• From ignorance (avijja) comes karma formations/fabrications/volitional formations (sankhara)

• From karma formations comes consciousness (vinnana)

• From consciousness comes mind and matter (nama-rupa)

• From mind and matter come the six senses (salayatana)

• From the six senses comes contact (phassa)

• From contact comes feeling (vedana)

• From feeling comes craving (tanha)

• From craving comes clinging (upadana)

• From clinging comes becoming/existence (bhava)

• From becoming/existence comes birth (jati)

• From birth, then aging and death

• Suffering (dukkha)

• Faith (saddha)

• Joy (pamojja)

• Rapture (piti)

• Tranquility (passaddhi)

• Happiness (sukha)

• Concentration (samadhi)

• Knowledge and vision of things as they are (yathabhutananadassana)

• Disenchantment (nibbida)

• Dispassion (viraga)

• Emancipation (vimutti)

• Knowledge of destruction of the cankers (asavakkhaye nana)