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And this person is reborn in the central countries, and he is wise, not dull-witted, not a mute idiot, able to understand the meaning of well-spoken and ill-spoken words. This is the ninth inopportune time, unseasonable for the living of the holy life. 343. “Nine progressive abidings. Here, friends, a monk, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, enters and abides in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, filled with rapture and pleasure. With the subsiding of initial application and sustained application… (as before) … he enters and abides in the second jhāna. With the fading away of rapture… (as before) … he enters and abides in the third jhāna. With the abandoning of pleasure… (as before) … he enters and abides in the fourth jhāna. With the complete transcending of perceptions of form… (as before) … he enters and abides in the base of infinite space. With the complete transcending of the base of infinite space, thinking ‘consciousness is infinite,’ he enters and abides in the base of infinite consciousness. With the complete transcending of the base of infinite consciousness, thinking ‘there is nothing,’ he enters and abides in the base of nothingness. With the complete transcending of the base of nothingness, he enters and abides in the base of neither perception nor non-perception. With the complete transcending of the base of neither perception nor non-perception, he enters and abides in the cessation of perception and feeling. 344. “Nine progressive cessations. For one who has attained the first jhāna, sensual perceptions have ceased. For one who has attained the second jhāna, initial application and sustained application have ceased. For one who has attained the third jhāna, rapture has ceased. For one who has attained the fourth jhana, In-breaths and out-breaths are ceased. For one who has attained the sphere of infinite space, Perception of form is ceased. For one who has attained the sphere of infinite consciousness, Perception of the sphere of infinite space is ceased. For one who has attained the sphere of nothingness, Perception of the sphere of infinite consciousness is ceased. For one who has attained the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, Perception of the sphere of nothingness is ceased. For one who has attained the cessation of perception and feeling, Perception and feeling are ceased. "These, friends, Are the nine qualities Well-expounded by that Blessed One, Who knows and sees, The Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One. There, all should chant together... ...for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of devas and humans." The Decad "There are, friends, Ten qualities Well-expounded by that Blessed One, Who knows and sees, The Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One. There, all should chant together... ...for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of devas and humans. Which are the ten? "Ten qualities that make one a protector. Here, friends, a monk is virtuous. He dwells restrained by the Patimokkha restraint, Accomplished in conduct and resort, Seeing danger in the slightest faults, He undertakes and trains in the training rules. That, friends, a monk is virtuous, He dwells restrained by the Patimokkha restraint, Accomplished in conduct and resort, Seeing danger in the slightest faults, He undertakes and trains in the training rules. This too is a quality that makes one a protector. "Furthermore, friends, A monk is learned, A preserver of what he has heard, a collector of what he has heard. Those teachings Beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle, beautiful in the end, With meaning and with phrasing, Proclaiming the utterly complete and purified holy life— Such teachings are much heard by him, Held in mind, recited verbally, Pondered mentally, And well-penetrated by understanding. That, friends, a monk is learned... ...well-penetrated by understanding. This too is a quality that makes one a protector. "Furthermore, Friends, a monk is a good friend, a good companion, a good associate. And further, friends, when a monk is a good friend, a good companion, a good associate, this too is a quality that brings support. And further, friends, a monk is amenable, endowed with qualities that make him amenable, patient, readily accepting instruction. And further, friends, when a monk is amenable, endowed with qualities that make him amenable, patient, readily accepting instruction, this too is a quality that brings support. And further, friends, a monk, regarding whatever various duties there are for his fellow practitioners, is skillful there, not lazy, endowed with an investigative approach for that purpose, able to do them, able to arrange them. And further, friends, when a monk, regarding whatever various duties there are for his fellow practitioners, is skillful there, not lazy, endowed with an investigative approach for that purpose, able to do them, able to arrange them, this too is a quality that brings support. And further, friends, a monk is fond of the Dhamma, delights in conversation, takes great joy in the higher Dhamma and higher Discipline. And further, friends, when a monk is fond of the Dhamma, delights in conversation, takes great joy in the higher Dhamma and higher Discipline, this too is a quality that brings support. And further, friends, a monk is content with whatever robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick. And further, friends, when a monk is content with whatever robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick, this too is a quality that brings support. And further, friends, a monk dwells with aroused energy for the abandoning of unwholesome qualities, for the acquiring of wholesome qualities; he is strong, firm in effort, unwavering in wholesome qualities. And further, friends, when a monk dwells with aroused energy for the abandoning of unwholesome qualities, for the acquiring of wholesome qualities; he is strong, firm in effort, unwavering in wholesome qualities, this too is a quality that brings support. And further, friends, a monk is mindful, endowed with supreme mindfulness and clear comprehension, remembering and recollecting what was done and said long ago. And further, friends, when a monk is mindful, endowed with supreme mindfulness and clear comprehension, remembering and recollecting what was done and said long ago, this too is a quality that brings support. Making for refuge. Furthermore, friends, a monk is wise, endowed with wisdom that sees rise and fall, noble and penetrating, leading to the right destruction of suffering. That, friends, a monk is wise... ...leading to the right destruction of suffering. This too is a quality that makes for refuge. 346. Ten kasiṇa bases. One perceives the earth kasiṇa, above, below, across, without duality, immeasurable. One perceives the water kasiṇa... One perceives the fire kasiṇa... One perceives the wind kasiṇa... One perceives the blue kasiṇa... One perceives the yellow kasiṇa... One perceives the red kasiṇa... One perceives the white kasiṇa... One perceives the space kasiṇa... One perceives the consciousness kasiṇa, above, below, across, without duality, immeasurable. 347. Ten unwholesome courses of action – taking life, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, idle chatter, covetousness, ill will, wrong view. Ten wholesome courses of action – abstaining from taking life, abstaining from taking what is not given, abstaining from sexual misconduct, abstaining from false speech, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from harsh speech, abstaining from idle chatter, non-covetousness, non-ill will, right view. 348. Ten noble dwellings. Here, friends, a monk has abandoned five factors, is endowed with six factors, has one guard, has four supports, has renounced individual truths, has completely abandoned all searching, has unclouded intentions, has a calmed bodily formation, is well-liberated in mind, is well-liberated in wisdom. How, friends, has a monk abandoned five factors? Here, friends, for a monk sensual desire is abandoned, ill will is abandoned, sloth and torpor are abandoned, restlessness and remorse are abandoned, doubt is abandoned. Thus, friends, a monk has abandoned five factors. How, friends, is a monk endowed with six factors? Here, friends, a monk seeing a form with the eye, is neither pleased nor displeased, but remains equanimous. He lives mindful and clearly comprehending. Having heard a sound with the ear… (and so on)… having cognized a phenomenon with the mind, he is neither glad nor sad, he lives equanimous, mindful and clearly comprehending. Thus, friends, a bhikkhu is endowed with six qualities. “And how, friends, is a bhikkhu one-guarded? Here, friends, a bhikkhu is endowed with a mind guarded by mindfulness. Thus, friends, a bhikkhu is one-guarded. “And how, friends, is a bhikkhu four-supported? Here, friends, a bhikkhu uses one thing with consideration, endures one thing with consideration, avoids one thing with consideration, dispels one thing with consideration. Thus, friends, a bhikkhu is four-supported. “And how, friends, is a bhikkhu one who has cast off individual truths? Here, friends, for a bhikkhu, those various individual truths of various recluses and brahmins, all those are cast off, rejected, abandoned, disgorged, released, given up, relinquished. Thus, friends, a bhikkhu is one who has cast off individual truths. “And how, friends, is a bhikkhu one whose quests are settled? Here, friends, for a bhikkhu, the quest for sensual pleasures is abandoned, the quest for existence is abandoned, the quest for the holy life is tranquilized. Thus, friends, a bhikkhu is one whose quests are settled. “And how, friends, is a bhikkhu one whose resolves are undisturbed? Here, friends, for a bhikkhu, the resolve for sensual pleasures is abandoned,