Why Study the Mahācattārīsaka Sutta (MN 117)

                 

1.1 Evaṃ me sutaṃ 

Thus have I heard.

→ Traditional opening by Ven. Ānanda, signifying the authenticity of oral transmission.

1.2 Ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā Sāvatthiyaṃ viharati Jetavane Anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
At one time the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

→ Standard setting formula: Sāvatthī = chief city; Jetavana donated by the lay devotee Anāthapiṇḍika.

1.3 Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “Bhikkhavo”ti.
There the Blessed One addressed the monks: ‘Monks!’

→ Āmantesi means “addressed” — beginning of the dialogue.

1.4 ‘Bhadante’ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṃ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
They replied, ‘Venerable sir.’ The Blessed One said this.

→ The respectful response (bhadante) marks readiness to receive teaching.

1.5 ‘Ariyaṃ vo, bhikkhave, sammāsamādhiṃ desessāmi saupanisaṃ saparikkhāraṃ.
Monks, I will teach you noble right concentration, with its supporting conditions and requisites.

→ Saupanisa = with supporting causes; saparikkhāra = with requisites.

1.6 Taṃ suṇātha, sādhukaṃ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī’ti.
 Listen carefully and attend well; I will speak.

→ Standard exhortation before teaching.

1.7 ‘Evaṃ, bhante’ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṃ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
 They replied, ‘Yes, venerable sir.’ The Blessed One said this.

→ Marks the formal beginning of the doctrinal explanation.

1.8 ‘Katamo ca, bhikkhave, ariyo sammāsamādhi saupaniso saparikkhāro?
 And what, monks, is noble right concentration with its supports and requisites?

→ The Buddha poses a defining question.

1.9 Seyyathidaṃ—sammādiṭṭhi, sammāsaṅkappo, sammāvācā, sammākammanto, sammāājīvo, sammāvāyāmo, sammāsati;
That is: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, and right mindfulness.

→ Seven path factors act as the supports for right concentration.

1.10 Yā kho, bhikkhave, imehi sattahaṅgehi cittassa ekaggatā parikkhatā—
The one-pointedness of mind that is purified through these seven factors—

→ Ekaggatā = mental unification; parikkhatā = refined, perfected.

1.11 Ayaṃ vuccati, bhikkhave, ariyo sammāsamādhi saupaniso itipi, saparikkhāro itipi.
 This, monks, is called noble right concentration—both with its supports and with its requisites.

→ Emphasizes that true concentration arises from the integration of all seven preceding path factors.

To view or download the full-size version of the Noble Eightfold Path poster, click here. 

Notes for the Introduction to the Mahācattārīsaka Sutta (MN 117)

Before we explore the Noble Eightfold Path, let us first understand the Four Noble Truths, within which the Path itself is presented as the way leading out of suffering. Please click here to download a copy of the Four Noble Truths poster.

The Buddha identifies three types of dukkha in the SN 45.165 – Dukkhatā Sutta:

1. Dukkha-dukkhatā —pain/ suffering due to pain

2. Vipariṇāma-dukkhatā — pain/suffering due to change

3. Saṅkhāra-dukkhatā — pain/suffering inherent in conditioned existence

You can also watch a Dhamma talk I gave at the Setia Alam Buddhist Society, where I explained that not every dukkha is suffering. Click here to watch it.

Why should we learn the Mahācattārīsaka Sutta (MN 117)? What makes this sutta especially valuable for understanding and practicing the Noble Eightfold Path?

1. It Defines “Noble Right Concentration” with Its Supporting Factors

The Buddha declares:

“Monks, I will teach you noble right concentration (ariyaṃ sammāsamādhiṃ), with its supporting conditions (saupani­saṃ) and requisites (saparikkhāraṃ).” (MN 117.2)

• Here, the sutta uniquely explains that right concentration (sammā samādhi) cannot arise alone—it depends on supporting causes (e.g. right view, right effort, right mindfulness) and requisites (the one-pointedness of mind that is purified through these seven factors).

• This emphasizes interdependence among the path factors, showing how sīla, samādhi, and paññā nourish one another.

2. It Classifies the Path into Three Levels

The sutta explicitly distinguishes:

• Wrong Path (micchā-magga) — rooted in akusala. 

• Right Path with conditioned factors, partaking of merit (sāsava puññabhāgiyā) — worldly or preparatory right path (linked with good karma and merit).

• Noble Path without conditioned factors (ariyā anāsavā) — transcendent right path leading to liberation (nibbāna).

This triadic structure makes MN 117 crucial for understanding how practice evolves from mundane morality to supramundane wisdom.

3. It Places Right View at the Core of All Eight Factors

• The Buddha declares right view (sammā diṭṭhi) as both the forerunner and guide for all other factors.

• Each path factor (right intention, speech, action, living, etc.) is “right” insofar as it is guided by right view.

• This reveals that ethical and meditative training must be grounded in wisdom and understanding of reality — especially the Four Noble Truths.

4. It Explains the Conditional Structure of the Path

MN 117 shows how one factor conditions and supports another:

Right view gives rise to right intention;
right intention gives rise to right speech;
right speech to right action; … and so on, culminating in right concentration.

Thus, the sutta serves as a feedback map of progressive cultivation — each step nourishes the next and reinforces the previous, forming a dynamic, holistic system rather than isolated practices.

5. It Unifies the Whole Teaching on Morality, Concentration, and Wisdom

• Sīla (morality) → right speech, right action, right living

• Samādhi (concentration) → right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration

• Paññā (wisdom) → right view, right  intention

MN 117 shows how these three trainings integrate into one liberating path (magga). 

6. It Corrects Misunderstandings of Mindfulness and Concentration

In modern times, mindfulness (sati) and concentration (samādhi) are often treated in isolation.

MN 117 clarifies that:

“Right mindfulness is supported by right view and right effort;
right concentration is supported by all seven preceding factors.”

Hence, without ethical and wisdom foundations, concentration is not truly ‘right’—it becomes merely a neutral or even unwholesome mental absorption.

You may download the PowerPoint slides of the talk I delivered at Ateneo de Manila University on this topic here. 

7. It clarifies that no path factor can be accomplished without three supporting path factors.

The Mahācattārīsaka Sutta (MN 117) emphasizes that to cultivate any noble path factor effectively, one must integrate right view, right effort, and right mindfulness. These three serve as the essential saupani­sa (supporting conditions) and saparikkhāra (requisites) that sustain and complete the practice of each factor on the Noble Eightfold Path.

8. It Provides a Blueprint for Progressive Liberation

Finally, the Mahācattārīsaka Sutta functions as a roadmap for the gradual purification of mind:

1. Begin with right understanding of kamma and its fruits.

2. Cultivate right intention aligned with renunciation, goodwill, and harmlessness.

3. Establish moral discipline and mindful awareness.

4. Deepen right concentration, culminating in the realization of the unconditioned.

It thus embodies the gradual training (anupubbasikkhā) that runs throughout the Buddha’s teaching.

We should also compare this sutta with other major discourses on the Noble Eightfold Path—such as the Saccavibhaṅga Sutta (MN 141) and the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11). None of these, however, examines the Path with the same analytical depth and integrative synthesis found in the Mahācattārīsaka Sutta (MN 117).

- Vibhaṅga Sutta (SN 45.8) 

- Cūḷavedalla Sutta (MN 44)