English
He develops the enlightenment factor of concentration... He develops the enlightenment factor of equanimity, based on seclusion, based on dispassion, based on cessation, culminating in relinquishment. This, friend, is called the exertion of development. And what, friend, is the exertion of protection? Here, friend, a monk protects an arisen auspicious sign of concentration— the perception of bones, the perception of worms, the perception of lividity, the perception of being cut up, the perception of a bloated corpse. This, friend, is called the exertion of protection. Four knowledges: knowledge of the Dhamma, knowledge of inference, knowledge of discernment, knowledge of convention. And also four other knowledges: knowledge of suffering, knowledge of the origin of suffering, knowledge of the cessation of suffering, knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. Four factors of stream-entry: association with admirable people, hearing the true Dhamma, appropriate attention, practice in accordance with the Dhamma. Four characteristics of a stream-enterer. Here, friend, a noble disciple is endowed with unwavering faith in the Buddha: 'Indeed, the Blessed One is Arahant, Perfectly Self-Awakened, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unexcelled leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of devas and humans, the Awakened One, the Blessed One.' He is endowed with unwavering faith in the Dhamma: 'The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One... Oh, it is directly visible, timeless, inviting one to come and see, leading inwards, to be personally experienced by the wise. He is endowed with unwavering faith in the Saṅgha: ‘The Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing well, the Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing uprightly, the Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing for the sake of wisdom, the Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing properly; that is, the four pairs of men, the eight individual persons— this Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is worthy of offerings, worthy of hospitality, worthy of gifts, worthy of reverential salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world.’ He is endowed with the virtues dear to the noble ones: unbroken, unblemished, unspotted, unblotched, liberating, praised by the wise, untouched by (craving and views), conducive to concentration. There are four fruits of recluseship: the fruit of stream-entry, the fruit of once-returning, the fruit of non-returning, the fruit of arahantship. There are four elements: the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the air element. There are four kinds of nutriment: physical food, coarse or subtle; contact is the second; mental volition is the third; consciousness is the fourth. There are four stations of consciousness. Consciousness, friend, standing by way of form, stands with form as its object, with form as its support, with delight as its lure, and comes to growth, increase, and abundance. Or, friend, standing by way of feeling... Or, friend, standing by way of perception... Or, friend, consciousness, standing by way of volitional formations, stands with volitional formations as its object, with volitional formations as its support, with delight as its lure, and comes to growth, increase, and abundance. There are four wrong courses of action: one goes by the course of desire, one goes by the course of hatred, one goes by the course of delusion, one goes by the course of fear. There are four origins of craving: Craving, friend, arising in a bhikkhu, arises on account of robes; or, friend, craving, arising in a bhikkhu, arises on account of almsfood; or, friend, craving, arising in a bhikkhu, arises on account of lodging; or, friend, craving, arising in a bhikkhu, arises on account of this or that existence. when craving arises, it arises. "Four paths: a painful path with slow direct knowledge, a painful path with swift direct knowledge, a pleasant path with slow direct knowledge, a pleasant path with swift direct knowledge. "Again, four paths: the path of impatience, the path of patience, the path of taming, the path of calm. "Four principles of Dhamma: non-covetousness is a principle of Dhamma, non-ill-will is a principle of Dhamma, right mindfulness is a principle of Dhamma, right concentration is a principle of Dhamma. "Four undertakings of Dhamma: There is, friends, an undertaking of Dhamma that is painful in the present and has a painful result in the future. There is, friends, an undertaking of Dhamma that is painful in the present and has a pleasant result in the future. There is, friends, an undertaking of Dhamma that is pleasant in the present and has a painful result in the future. There is, friends, an undertaking of Dhamma that is pleasant in the present and has a pleasant result in the future. "Four aggregates of Dhamma: the aggregate of virtue, the aggregate of concentration, the aggregate of wisdom, the aggregate of liberation. "Four powers: the power of energy, the power of mindfulness, the power of concentration, the power of wisdom. "Four determinations: the determination of wisdom, the determination of truth, the determination of relinquishment, the determination of peace. "Four ways of answering questions: a question to be answered categorically, a question to be answered by counter-question, a question to be answered by analysis, a question to be set aside. "Four kinds of kamma: There is, friends, kamma that is dark with dark result; there is, friends, kamma that is bright with bright result; there is, friends, kamma that is dark and bright with dark and bright result; there is, friends, kamma that is neither dark nor bright with neither dark nor bright result, leading to the exhaustion of kamma. "Four things to be realized: past lives are to be realized by mindfulness; the passing away and rebirth of beings are to be realized by the eye; the eight liberations are to be realized by the body; the destruction of the defilements is to be realized by wisdom. "Four floods: the flood of sensual desire, the flood of becoming, the flood of views, the flood of ignorance. The Quaternary. Four yokes: the yoke of sensual pleasure, the yoke of existence, the yoke of views, the yoke of ignorance. Four disconnections: disconnection from the yoke of sensual pleasure, disconnection from the yoke of existence, disconnection from the yoke of views, disconnection from the yoke of ignorance. Four ties: covetousness, a bodily tie; ill will, a bodily tie; clinging to rites and rituals, a bodily tie; clinging to 'this is the truth', a bodily tie. Four clingings: clinging to sensual pleasures, clinging to views, clinging to rites and rituals, clinging to a doctrine of self. Four modes of generation: egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born, spontaneously arisen. Four descents into the womb. Here, friend, some person enters the mother's womb without full awareness, stays in the mother's womb without full awareness, emerges from the mother's womb without full awareness. This is the first descent into the womb. Again, friend, here some person enters the mother's womb with full awareness, stays in the mother's womb without full awareness, emerges from the mother's womb without full awareness. This is the second descent into the womb. Again, friend, here some person enters the mother's womb with full awareness, stays in the mother's womb with full awareness, emerges from the mother's womb without full awareness. This is the third descent into the womb. Again, friend, here some person enters the mother's womb with full awareness, stays in the mother's womb with full awareness, emerges from the mother's womb with full awareness. This is the fourth descent into the womb. Four acquisitions of self. There is, friend, an acquisition of self in which only one's own volition operates, not another's volition. There is, friend, an acquisition of self in which only another's volition operates, not one's own volition. There is, friend, an acquisition of self in which both one's own volition operates and another's volition operates. There is, friend, an acquisition of self in which neither one's own volition operates, nor another's volition. Four purifications of offerings. Friend, there is an offering that is purified by the giver, not by the recipient. Friend, there is an offering that is purified by the recipient, not by the giver. Friend, there is an offering that is purified neither by the giver nor by the recipient. Friend, there is an offering that is purified both by the giver and by the recipient. Four bases of inclusion – giving, pleasant speech, beneficial conduct, impartiality. Four ignoble modes of speech – false speech, slanderous speech, harsh speech, idle chatter. Four noble modes of speech – abstaining from false speech, abstaining from slanderous speech, abstaining from harsh speech, abstaining from idle chatter. Again, four ignoble modes of speech – claiming to have seen what was not seen, claiming to have heard what was not heard, claiming to have sensed what was not sensed, claiming to have known what was not known. Again, four noble modes of speech – claiming not to have seen what was not seen, claiming not to have heard what was not heard, claiming not to have sensed what was not sensed, claiming not to have known what was not known. Again, four ignoble modes of speech – claiming not to have seen what was seen, claiming not to have heard what was heard, claiming not to have sensed what was sensed, claiming not to have known what was known. Again, four noble modes of speech – claiming to have seen what was seen, claiming to have heard what was heard, claiming to have sensed what was sensed, claiming to have known what was known. 314. Four types of individuals. Here, friend, a certain individual torments himself, devoted to the practice of self-torment.