Asalha Puja or Dhamma Day | 13-14 July 2022

During Asalha Puja or Dhamma Day, Buddhists celebrate the Buddha's turning the wheel of the Dhamma. The Dhamma wheel is often portrayed with eight spokes which symbolizes the Noble Eightfold Path. This is how the scriptures define them:-​

The Blessed One said, "Now what, monks, is the Noble Eightfold Path? Right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.​

1) "And what is right view?

(i) Knowledge with regard to stress,

(ii) knowledge with regard to the origination of stress,

(iii) knowledge with regard to the stopping of stress,

(iv) knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the stopping of stress: ​

2) "And what is right resolve?

(i)Being resolved on renunciation,

(ii) on freedom from ill will,

(iii) on harmlessness:​

3) "And what is right speech?

(i) Abstaining from lying,

(ii) abstaining from divisive speech,

(iii) abstaining from abusive speech,

(iv) abstaining from idle chatter: ​

4) "And what is right action?

(i) Abstaining from taking life,

(ii) abstaining from stealing,

(iii) abstaining from unchastity: ​

5) "And what is right livelihood? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood:​

6) "And what is right effort?

(i) There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen.

(ii) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the abandonment of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen.

(iii) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen.

(iv) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, & culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen:​

7) "And what is right mindfulness?

(i) There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, aware, & mindful — putting away greed & distress with reference to the world.

(ii) He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves — ardent, aware, & mindful — putting away greed & distress with reference to the world.

(iii) He remains focused on the mind in & of itself — ardent, aware, & mindful — putting away greed & distress with reference to the world.

(iv) He remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, aware, & mindful — putting away greed & distress with reference to the world.​

8) "And what is right concentration?

(i) There is the case where a monk — quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful (mental) qualities — enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation.

(ii) With the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation — internal assurance.

(iii) With the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding.'

(iv) With the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress — he enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. ​

-exerpt from Magga-vibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Path, SN 45.8

𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗣𝗵𝗿𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗴