English
having felt a tactile sensation with the body... having cognized a mental phenomenon with the mind, he does not grasp at its general appearance or its details. Because of that through which, if the mind faculty were unrestrained, covetousness and distress, evil unwholesome states, might flow in, he practices for its restraint, he guards the mind faculty, he undertakes restraint of the mind faculty. Endowed with this noble sense-restraint, he experiences unmolested happiness within himself. Thus, O great king, is a monk guarded in his sense faculties. Mindfulness and Clear Comprehension 214. “And how, O great king, is a monk endowed with mindfulness and clear comprehension? Here, O great king, a monk acts with clear comprehension when going forward and returning; when looking ahead and looking around; when bending and stretching his limbs; when wearing his robes and carrying his bowl; when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting; when defecating and urinating; when walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking, and remaining silent, he acts with clear comprehension. Thus, O great king, is a monk endowed with mindfulness and clear comprehension. Contentment 215. “And how, O great king, is a monk content? Here, O great king, a monk is content with robes sufficient to protect his body, with a robe, with almsfood just enough to sustain the body. Wherever he goes, he goes taking them with him. Just as, great king, a bird, a fowl, wherever it flies, flies only with its wings as its burden. Even so, great king, a bhikkhu is content with a robe just enough to sustain the body, with almsfood just enough to sustain the body. Wherever he goes, he goes taking them with him. Thus, great king, a bhikkhu is content. Abandoning the Hindrances 216. He, endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, endowed with this noble restraint of the senses, endowed with this noble mindfulness and clear comprehension, endowed with this noble contentment, resorts to a secluded dwelling: a forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a jungle thicket, an open space, a heap of straw. After his meal, having returned from his alms round, he sits down, folding his legs crosswise, setting his body erect, and establishing mindfulness in front of him. 217. He, having abandoned covetousness for the world, dwells with a mind free from covetousness, purifying his mind from covetousness. Having abandoned ill will and malevolence, he dwells with a mind free from ill will, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings, purifying his mind from ill will and malevolence. Having abandoned sloth and torpor, he dwells free from sloth and torpor, perceiving light, mindful and clearly comprehending, purifying his mind from sloth and torpor. Having abandoned restlessness and remorse, he dwells unagitated, with his mind inwardly peaceful, purifying his mind from restlessness and remorse. Having abandoned doubt, he dwells having crossed over doubt, without perplexity regarding wholesome states, purifying his mind from doubt. 218. Just as, great king, a man might borrow a loan and invest it in business. His business might prosper. He might pay off his old debts, and there might be a surplus left over for the support of his family. He might think: 'Indeed, I... Formerly I borrowed money and invested it in business. Those businesses of mine prospered. And I paid off those old debts, and there is a surplus remaining for the support of my family. He would obtain joy from that, he would experience happiness. 219. Just as, O great king, a man might be sick, suffering, gravely ill; and food would not appeal to him, and there would be no strength in his body. He, after some time, would be freed from that illness; and food would appeal to him, and there would be strength in his body. He would think thus: 'Indeed, I was formerly sick, suffering, gravely ill; and food did not appeal to me, and there was no strength in my body. But now I am freed from that illness; and food appeals to me, and there is strength in my body.' He would obtain joy from that, he would experience happiness. 220. Just as, O great king, a man might be imprisoned in a jail. He, after some time, would be freed from that jail, safely and without danger, and there would be no loss of his possessions. He would think thus: 'Indeed, I was formerly imprisoned in a jail, but now I am freed from that jail, safely and without danger. And there is no loss of my possessions.' He would obtain joy from that, he would experience happiness. 221. Just as, O great king, a man might be a slave, not master of himself, dependent on others, not able to go where he wishes. He, after some time, would be freed from that slavery, master of himself, independent, a free man, able to go where he wishes. He would think thus: 'Indeed, I was formerly a slave, not master of myself, dependent on others, not able to go where I wished. But now I am freed from that slavery, master of myself, independent, a free man, able to go where I wish.' He would obtain joy from that, he would experience happiness. 222. Just as, O great king, a man with wealth, with possessions He might enter a wilderness road, a famine-stricken, fearful place. Then, after some time, he would cross that wilderness safely, he would reach a village border, secure and fearless. He would think thus: ‘Indeed, I formerly, with wealth and possessions, entered a wilderness road, a famine-stricken, fearful place. Now I have crossed that wilderness safely, I have reached a village border, secure and fearless.’ From that, he would gain joy, he would attain gladness. 223. “Even so, great king, the monk sees in himself these five hindrances, unabandoned, like a debt, like a disease, like a prison, like slavery, like a wilderness road. 224. “Just as, great king, like freedom from debt, like health, like release from prison, like freedom, like a secure land; even so, great king, the monk sees in himself these five hindrances, abandoned. 225. “When he sees these five hindrances abandoned in himself, joy arises in him; being joyful, delight arises; with a delighted mind, his body is tranquil; with a tranquil body, he feels pleasure; with pleasure, his mind becomes concentrated. The First Jhāna 226. “Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, he enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure. He permeates, pervades, fills, and suffuses this very body with the rapture and pleasure born of seclusion; there is no part of his entire body that is not suffused with the rapture and pleasure born of seclusion. 227. “Just as, great king, a skilled bath attendant or his apprentice would scatter bathing powder in a bronze basin, and then moisten it with water, sprinkle by sprinkle, until the ball of bathing powder is saturated, permeated, moistened within and without with moisture, yet not overflowing; even so, great king, the monk permeates this very body with the rapture and pleasure born of seclusion. He soaks, pervades, fills, and suffuses it. Nothing of his whole body is untouched by the joy and happiness born of seclusion. This too, great king, is a visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and sublime than the former visible fruits of recluseship. The Second Jhāna 228. Furthermore, great king, a monk, with the fading away of initial and sustained thought, with inner tranquility and unification of mind, without initial and sustained thought, with joy and happiness born of concentration, enters and abides in the second jhāna. He soaks, pervades, fills, and suffuses this very body with the joy and happiness born of concentration. Nothing of his whole body is untouched by the joy and happiness born of concentration. 229. Just as, great king, a deep lake with spring water would have no inlet for water from the east, no inlet for water from the south, no inlet for water from the west, no inlet for water from the north, and the sky would not supply it with proper showers from time to time. Yet cool streams of water would well up from that very lake and soak, pervade, fill, and suffuse that very lake with cool water. Nothing of the whole lake would be untouched by the cool water. Even so, great king, a monk soaks, pervades, fills, and suffuses this very body with the joy and happiness born of concentration. Nothing of his whole body is untouched by the joy and happiness born of concentration. This too, great king, is a visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and sublime than the former visible fruits of recluseship. The Third Jhāna 230. Furthermore, great king, a monk, with the fading away of joy, abides in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences happiness with the body, that of which the noble ones declare: 'Equa the mindful, dwelling in ease,’ he enters upon and abides in the third jhāna. He permeates, pervades, fills, and suffuses this very body with joyless ease, so that there is no part of his entire body that is not suffused with joyless ease. 231. “Just as, great king, in a pond of blue lotuses, or red lotuses, or white lotuses, some blue lotuses, or red lotuses, or white lotuses, born in the water, grown in the water, remaining submerged, nourished from within, are permeated, pervaded, filled, and suffused by cool water from their tips to their roots, so that there is no part of those blue lotuses, or red lotuses, or white lotuses, that is not suffused by cool water; even so, great king, the bhikkhu permeates, pervades, fills, and suffuses this very body with joyless ease, so that there is no part of his entire body that is not suffused with joyless ease. This too, great king, is an immediate fruit of recluseship, more excellent and sublime than the previous immediate fruits of recluseship. The Fourth Jhāna 232.