Deep Commentary

These four verses were taught by the Buddha at Jetavana Monastery, relating to five hundred monks. According to the story, one day the Buddha, after traveling throughout the country, returned to Savatthi. At that time, five hundred monks were discussing the roads they had traveled: "The road to this village is smooth, the road to that village is rough, this road is full of gravel, that road has no gravel..." The Buddha saw that these monks had the potential to attain arahantship, so he went to the Dharma hall and asked: "What are you sitting here discussing?" After they told him, he taught: "Monks, those roads are not worth our concern. A monk must follow the Noble Path; only that can liberate one from all suffering." On that occasion, the Buddha spoke these four verses. (Excerpt from The Dhammapada Story Collection, Volume III, Vien Chieu, p. 103) In the Buddha's time, traveling to teach the Dharma did not involve the luxurious and convenient transportation of today. Nowadays, when going to give teachings, monastics often travel by car or plane. The Buddha and the noble Sangha in ancient times walked barefoot from place to place. That is why the monks discussed the roughness or smoothness of the roads. Such discussions brought no benefit to their practice; sometimes they even led to arguments and increased defilements. Therefore, the Buddha reminded the monks not to engage in such useless chatter. Those physical roads are relative and man-made. The most important path is the Noble Eightfold Path. Only this path can lead to complete liberation and peace. Only the Noble Eightfold Path is truly worthy of the monks' attention and cultivation. The Noble Eightfold Path belongs to the Truth of the Path (Magga-sacca), one of the Four Noble Truths. The Truth of the Path plays the most crucial role. In verse 273, the Buddha says: "Of all paths the Eightfold Path is the best." He compares to show that only the Noble Eightfold Path is the most noble and sublime truth. It has the power to lead practitioners to the complete cessation of suffering and the realization of Nibbana. Apart from this path, there is no other way to attain Nibbana. This is the path that the Buddha himself realized and attained. Its factors are: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, and Right Wisdom. "Of all truths the Four Noble Truths are the best" – the Buddha affirms the importance of the Four Noble Truths. They are the noble truth, the process of enlightenment through progressive practice. They have the power to lead practitioners to the source of peaceful and liberated life. The presence of suffering and the investigation of its cause confirm the existence of cause and effect within the mundane world. Next, the Buddha presents the cause and effect of the supramundane: the presence of peace and the cessation of suffering (the Truth of Cessation, the result), and the path leading to that cessation (the Truth of the Path, the cause). With the eye of wisdom, the Buddha sees this clearly. Whether a Buddha appears or not, these four truths remain present in the world. The Buddha only discovers and teaches them to sentient beings. In verse 274, the Buddha clarifies without doubt: "This is the only path; there is none other for the purification of insight." Purification is Nibbana, liberation, the Truth of Cessation. This path is the Noble Eightfold Path, leading unmistakably to peace and happiness. If we follow this Noble Eightfold Path diligently, the armies of ignorance and defilements will have no chance to disturb our minds. We suffer because of our mistaken subjective perceptions, due to lack of Right View. Right View is seeing things as they truly are. Right View is the beginning of the path leading straight to Nibbana. Right View is extremely important for a Buddhist practitioner. With Right View, phenomena cannot deceive us. In verse 275, the Buddha praises those who practice the Noble Eightfold Path: all suffering will end, and all thorns (the roots of greed, hatred, delusion) will disappear. Then the practitioner is truly liberated. In verse 276, the Buddha emphasizes again the essential nature of the path to cessation. He calls on everyone to strive diligently in accordance with his teachings. Buddhism emphasizes direct experience over mere theory. The Buddha shows the path to enlightenment; whether to practice is up to each individual. A recipe cannot fill our stomachs; it only guides us to make cake correctly. If we make mistakes, it is the baker's fault, not the recipe writer's. Similarly, the Buddha only provides the formula showing the path to cessation. If we follow his instructions diligently, we will surely end suffering. According to the law of cause and effect, each person eats and becomes full, each learns and becomes literate. No one can eat or study for another. Happiness and suffering are each person's own responsibility. The Buddha extends one arm to help; the remaining arm is our own duty. The Noble Eightfold Path is a crucial path of meditative contemplation. A Buddhist who does not apply this meditative path has a great deficiency. Only through meditative contemplation can we see deeply into the true nature of phenomena. Wisdom leads this contemplation. With wisdom constantly shining, all deluded thoughts and ignorance will cease. In other words, if practitioners live mindfully and with awareness, desires will have no chance to erupt. Thus, they will attain peace and happiness.