There were recently some posts about really short ‘summaries’ of the Path. It was an aside there, but I thought it would be fun to keep it going… There are so many Gems in the Suttas, why not share a few
So the text needs to encompass the Whole Path and be from the suttas, and be no more than a couple of sentences long. Extra points for the shortest one… And Extra Extra points for obscure ones
So here is my first offering - (might be a few more)…
MN149 Mahasalayatanikasutta
These are the things that should be realized by direct knowledge.
When you truly know and see the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind, thoughts, mind consciousness, mind contact, and what is felt as pleasant, painful, or neutral that arises conditioned by mind contact, you are not aroused by desire for these things. …
And so, mendicants, the knowledge and vision of freedom is the purpose and benefit of dispassion. Dispassion is the purpose and benefit of disillusionment. Disillusionment is the purpose and benefit of truly knowing and seeing. Truly knowing and seeing is the purpose and benefit of immersion. Immersion is the purpose and benefit of bliss. Bliss is the purpose and benefit of tranquility. Tranquility is the purpose and benefit of rapture. Rapture is the purpose and benefit of joy. Joy is the purpose and benefit of not having regrets. Not having regrets is the purpose and benefit of skillful ethics. And so, mendicants, good qualities flow on and fill up from one to the other, for going from the near shore to the far shore.”
I don’t know if it applies because it is more than 2 sentences, but pretty short and all-emcompassing passage nontheless. If you wish to keep 2 sentences or less I will delete the post.
This gem was shared to me some time ago by @faujidoc1 Thanks a lot for this!
Also, thank you to SuttaCentral team and all involved parties that have made the sharing possible.
I’ll start with something obscure but not the shortest.
Here’s a deva summarising how she attained the fruit of once-return in the human realm:
With a happy mind, I offered rice, honey-covered cake, vegetables, and rice-gruel to those virtuous monks who were dedicated to Dhamma practice.
…
I was delighted to keep these Five Precepts every day.
…
I was wise enough to realize the Four Noble Truths. Vv19
And something shorter but less obscure:
One should associate only with the good;
With the good one should foster intimacy.
Having learnt the true Dhamma of the good,
One is released from all suffering. SN1.31
Thank you for starting this topic, what a great idea!
“Realizing that this body is as fragile as a clay pot, and fortifying this mind like a well-fortified city, fight out Mara with the sword of wisdom. Then, guarding the conquest, remain unattached.”
Abandoning the dark way, let the wise man cultivate the bright path. Having gone from home to homelessness, let him yearn for that delight in detachment, so difficult to enjoy. Giving up sensual pleasures, with no attachment, let the wise man cleanse himself of defilements of the mind.
Let go of the past, let go of the future, let go of the present, and cross over to the farther shore of existence. With mind wholly liberated, you shall come no more to birth and death.
@Stu I’m afraid that has gone right over my head and @Jacky I’m afraid I don’t understand what you are getting at
@Invo I suppose technically that is a bit too long… but it is a lovely one . The next challenge for you is to find a shorter example
Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu!
And a relevant exerpt regarding this topic from Dhp 76-89 (as quoted by @Nipaka above)
He who drinks deep the Dhamma lives happily with a tranquil mind. The wise man ever delights in the Dhamma made known by the Noble One (the Buddha). SuttaCentral.
I thought of adding that one too
Dhammapada is full of those Gems
Not despising, not harming, restraint according to the code of monastic discipline, moderation in food, dwelling in solitude, devotion to meditation—this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
There is no satisfying sensual desires, even with the rain of gold coins. For sensual pleasures give little satisfaction and much pain. Having understood this, the wise man finds no delight even in heavenly pleasures. The disciple of the Supreme Buddha delights in the destruction of craving.
He who has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the Teaching and his Order, penetrates with transcendental wisdom the Four Noble Truths—suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the cessation of suffering.
It’s what the Buddha used to ordain the first disciples. It’s translated as “come bhikkhu” When I first heard it in Pali, I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew that I was home.
“Every poison has its antidote, black eliminates white, white cancels out black. O King Sakka, the disease of sensual passion is cured by the contemplation of impurity.”
Aṅguttara Nikāya 1:16
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even one other thing on account of which unarisen sensual desire does not arise and arisen sensual desire is abandoned so much as the perception of impurity. For one who attends carefully to the perception of impurity, unarisen sensual desire does not arise and arisen sensual desire is abandoned.”
“Mendicants, the four kinds of mindfulness meditation are the path to convergence. They are in order to purify sentient beings, to get past sorrow and crying, to make an end of pain and sadness, to end the cycle of suffering, and to realise extinguishment.”
Thank you everyone for these beautiful quotes. These have resonated with me lately.
MN 1 Because he has understood that relishing is the root of suffering, and that rebirth comes from continued existence; whoever has come to be gets old and dies. That’s why the Realized One—with the ending, fading away, cessation, giving up, and letting go of all cravings—has awakened to the supreme perfect Awakening, I say.
MN 19 I saw that unskillful qualities have the drawbacks of sordidness and corruption, and that skillful qualities have the benefit and cleansing power of renunciation.
MN 75 For such a long time I’ve been cheated, tricked, and deceived by this mind. For what I have been grasping is only form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness.
And of course the classics: ( Actually, almost every perception from this sutta could probably be included here…)
AN 10.60 ‘This is peaceful; this is sublime—that is, the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, extinguishment.’
…
‘This is peaceful; this is sublime—that is, the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, cessation, extinguishment.’
Aaaand one more, there are so many! Obscure bonus from the Theragāthā. A bit too long perhaps, but you just gotta have some monkeys.
Thag 2.3.A monkey went up to the little hut
with five doors.
He circles around, knocking
on each door, again and again.
Stand still monkey, don’t run!
Things are different now;
you’ve been caught by wisdom—
you won’t go far.
If you wish to keep 2 sentences or less I will delete the post. 
and 
. The next challenge for you is to find a shorter example 
It’s my favourite ever teaching. It speaks directly to my heart.
