English
To me, brahmin, this thought occurred: ‘Whatever ascetics or brahmins, are timid, of a fearful nature, and frequent remote forest wilderness dwellings, due to their timid, fearful nature’s fault, those venerable ascetics and brahmins invoke unwholesome fear and terror. But I am not timid, of a fearful nature, frequenting remote forest wilderness dwellings; I am one whose hair stands not on end. Among those noble ones whose hair stands not on end, who frequent remote forest wilderness dwellings, I am one of them.’ Seeing this absence of hair-raising fear in myself, brahmin, I became even more resolute to dwell in the wilderness. 44. To me, brahmin, this thought occurred: ‘Whatever ascetics or brahmins, desiring gain, honor, and renown, frequent remote forest wilderness dwellings, due to their fault of desiring gain, honor, and renown, those venerable ascetics and brahmins invoke unwholesome fear and terror. But I, not desiring gain, honor, and renown, do not frequent remote forest wilderness dwellings; I am one of few wishes. Among those noble ones of few wishes, who frequent remote forest wilderness dwellings, I am one of them.’ Seeing this fewness of wishes in myself, brahmin, I became even more resolute to dwell in the wilderness. 45. To me, brahmin, this thought occurred: ‘Whatever ascetics or brahmins, are lazy, of low energy, and frequent remote forest wilderness dwellings, due to their fault of laziness and low energy, those venerable ascetics and brahmins invoke unwholesome fear and terror. But I am not lazy, of low energy, frequenting remote forest wilderness dwellings; I am one with aroused energy. Among those noble ones with aroused energy, who frequent remote forest wilderness dwellings, they I am one of them. Seeing this aroused energy in myself, brahmin, I became even more inclined to dwell in the forest. 46. Then, brahmin, it occurred to me: ‘Whatever ascetics or brahmins, with lost mindfulness, without clear comprehension, frequent remote forest and wilderness dwellings, due to the fault of lost mindfulness and lack of clear comprehension, those venerable ascetics and brahmins invite unwholesome fear and terror. But I do not frequent remote forest and wilderness dwellings with lost mindfulness, without clear comprehension; I am one with established mindfulness. Among those noble ones who, with established mindfulness, frequent remote forest and wilderness dwellings, I am one of them.’ Seeing this established mindfulness in myself, brahmin, I became even more inclined to dwell in the forest. 47. Then, brahmin, it occurred to me: ‘Whatever ascetics or brahmins, unsettled, with wandering minds, frequent remote forest and wilderness dwellings, due to the fault of being unsettled and having wandering minds, those venerable ascetics and brahmins invite unwholesome fear and terror. But I do not frequent remote forest and wilderness dwellings unsettled, with a wandering mind; I am one endowed with concentration. Among those noble ones who are endowed with concentration and frequent remote forest and wilderness dwellings, I am one of them.’ Seeing this accomplishment in concentration in myself, brahmin, I became even more inclined to dwell in the forest. 48. Then, brahmin, it occurred to me: ‘Whatever ascetics or brahmins, of poor wisdom, dull-witted, frequent remote forest and wilderness dwellings, due to the fault of poor wisdom and dull-wittedness, those venerable ascetics and brahmins invite unwholesome fear and terror. But I do not frequent remote forest and wilderness dwellings with poor wisdom, dull-witted; I am one endowed with wisdom. Among those noble ones who are p endowed with wisdom, resort to remote forest and jungle hermitages, to secluded dwellings. ‘I am one of them.’ Seeing this endowment of wisdom in myself, brahmin, I became even more inclined to dwell in the forest. The sixteenth section is finished. 49. Then, brahmin, it occurred to me: ‘What if I were to dwell, on those well-known, marked nights— the fourteenth, the fifteenth, and the eighth of the fortnight— in those shrines in groves, shrines in forests, shrines at the foot of trees, which are terrifying and make one’s hair stand on end? Perhaps I might encounter fear and dread.’ So, brahmin, at a later time, on those well-known, marked nights— the fourteenth, the fifteenth, and the eighth of the fortnight— I dwelt in those shrines in groves, shrines in forests, shrines at the foot of trees, which are terrifying and make one’s hair stand on end. And there, brahmin, as I was dwelling, a deer would come, or a peacock would drop a stick, or the wind would rustle fallen leaves. Then, brahmin, it occurred to me: ‘Surely this is that fear and dread coming!’ Then, brahmin, it occurred to me: ‘Why do I dwell merely expecting fear? What if, however that fear and dread comes to me, I were to dispel that fear and dread in that very posture?’ Then, brahmin, as I was walking, that fear and dread would come to me. So, brahmin, I would not stand, nor sit, nor lie down, until I had dispelled that fear and dread while still walking. Then, brahmin, as I was standing, that fear and dread would come to me. So, brahmin, Oh, I do not yet walk, nor sit, nor lie down. Until standing, I overcome that fear and terror. To me, brahmin, while sitting, that fear and terror comes. So then I, brahmin, do not yet lie down, nor stand, nor walk, until sitting, I overcome that fear and terror. To me, brahmin, while lying down, that fear and terror comes. So then I, brahmin, do not yet sit, nor stand, nor walk, until lying down, I overcome that fear and terror. 50. There are, brahmin, some ascetics and brahmins who, when it is night, perceive it as day, and when it is day, perceive it as night. This I call their dwelling in delusion. But I, brahmin, when it is night, perceive it as night, and when it is day, perceive it as day. If one were to rightly say, brahmin, 'A being free from delusion has arisen in the world for the welfare of many, for the happiness of many, out of compassion for the world, for the good, the benefit, the happiness of gods and humans,' it is of me that one would rightly say, 'A being free from delusion has arisen in the world for the welfare of many, for the happiness of many, out of compassion for the world, for the good, the benefit, the happiness of gods and humans.' 51. My energy, brahmin, was aroused and unflagging, my mindfulness established and unconfused, my body tranquil and unagitated, my mind concentrated and unified. So then I, brahmin, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, entered and remained in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by initial and sustained application, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure. With the subsiding of initial and sustained application, by gaining inner tranquility and unification of mind, I entered and remained in the second jhāna, which is without initial and sustained application, born of concentration, with rapture and pleasure. With the fading of rapture, I remained equanimous, mindful, and clearly comprehending, and experienced pleasure with the body... which the noble ones declare: 'one with equanimity, mindful, dwelling in ease' – I entered and dwelled in the third jhāna. With the abandoning of pleasure and the abandoning of pain, with the previous passing away of joy and sorrow, the neither-painful-nor-pleasant, the purity of equanimity and mindfulness – I entered and dwelled in the fourth jhāna. 52. So, with my mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, wieldy, steady, attained to imperturbability, I directed my mind to the knowledge of recollecting past lives. I recollected my manifold past lives, that is: one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction and expansion. 'There I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such a color, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, having such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose yonder. There too I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such a color, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, having such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose here.' Thus, I recollected my manifold past lives in their modes and details. This, O brahmin, was the first knowledge attained by me in the first watch of the night. Ignorance was destroyed, knowledge arose; darkness was destroyed, light arose – as happens to one who dwells heedful, ardent, and resolute. 53. So, with my mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, wieldy, steady, attained to imperturbability, I directed my mind to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings. With the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans, I saw beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and I understood how beings fare according to their kamma: 'Indeed, these good beings, having engaged in misconduct by body, endowed with misconduct of body, endowed with misconduct of speech, endowed with misconduct of mind, reproachers of the noble ones, holding wrong views, undertaking wrong-viewed actions; they, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a state of woe, a bad destination, a downfall, hell. Or these beings, sirs, endowed with good conduct of body, endowed with good conduct of speech, endowed with good conduct of mind, not reproachers of the noble ones, holding right views, undertaking right-viewed actions; they, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. Thus, with the divine eye, purified, surpassing human,