Saṃyukta Āgama (367)

Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: "You should diligently apply appropriate methods to cultivate meditation and contemplation, inwardly stilling the mind. Why is this so? Bhikkhus, when diligently applying methods to contemplate in meditation, with the mind purified and stilled, the Dhamma will be manifested in the mind as it truly is. How is it manifested as it truly is? Old age and death manifest as they truly are; one comprehends what old age and death are and their cause. The arising of old age and death manifests as it truly is; one comprehends that the arising of old age and death is caused by the arising of birth. The cessation of old age and death manifests as it truly is; one comprehends that the cessation of birth leads to the cessation of old age and death. The path leading to the cessation of old age and death also manifests as it truly is; one knows that the Noble Eightfold Path must be cultivated to eradicate old age and death.

Birth, becoming, clinging, craving, feeling, contact, the six sense bases, name-and-form, consciousness, and volitional formations manifest as they truly are. The arising of volitional formations manifests as it truly is; the cessation of volitional formations manifests as it truly is; the path leading to the cessation of volitional formations manifests as it truly is. All these phenomena—impermanent, conditioned, and tainted—manifest as they truly are."

When the Buddha had spoken this discourse, the bhikkhus, having heard his words, rejoiced and undertook it respectfully.

Explanation: The Blessed One told the bhikkhus: "You should diligently seek appropriate methods to cultivate meditation and contemplation, stilling the mind inwardly. Why should this be done? Because when a bhikkhu diligently and skillfully contemplates in meditation, once the mind becomes pure and still, the Dhamma will be manifested within it as described. What Dhamma is manifested as it truly is? The truth of old age and death manifests as it truly is, enabling one to comprehend what old age and death are and their conditioning cause. The arising of old age and death manifests as it truly is, enabling one to comprehend that the arising of old age and death is caused by the arising of birth. The cessation of old age and death manifests as it truly is, enabling one to comprehend that the cessation of birth results in the cessation of old age and death. The path and method leading to the cessation of old age and death also manifest as it truly is, enabling one to know that the Noble Eightfold Path must be practiced to eliminate the phenomenon of old age and death."