English
they crush them with a heavy pestle, they cut off their heads with a sword. There they meet death, or suffering like death. This too, monks, is a visible drawback of sensual pleasures, a mass of suffering, due to sensual pleasures, caused by sensual pleasures, on account of sensual pleasures, for the sake of sensual pleasures. 169. "Again, monks, due to sensual pleasures, caused by sensual pleasures, on account of sensual pleasures, for the sake of sensual pleasures, they break into houses, they plunder property, they commit highway robbery, they stand on the roads as bandits, they go after other men's wives. Then kings seize them and inflict various tortures: they flog them with whips, they flog them with canes, they flog them with short clubs; they cut off their hands, they cut off their feet, they cut off their hands and feet, they cut off their ears, they cut off their noses, they cut off their ears and noses; they make them into a 'porridge pot', they make them into a 'conch-shell shaven head', they make them into a 'Rahu's mouth', they make them into a 'garland of flames', they make them into a 'hand-torch', they make them into an 'eraka-stalk', they make them into a 'bark-garment wearer', they make them into a 'wild goat', they make them into a 'fish-hook meat', they make them into a 'coin-shredder', they make them into a 'lye-peeler', they make them into a 'bar-roller', they make them into a 'straw-mat', they pour hot oil on them, they make dogs eat them, they impale them alive on a stake, they cut off their heads with a sword. There they meet death, or suffering like death. This too, monks, is a visible drawback of sensual pleasures, a mass of suffering, due to sensual pleasures, caused by sensual pleasures, on account of sensual pleasures, for the sake of sensual pleasures. "Again, monks, due to sensual pleasures, caused by sensual pleasures, on account of sensual pleasures, for the sake of sensual pleasures, they commit misconduct by body, they commit misconduct by speech, they commit misconduct by mind. Having committed misconduct by body, having committed misconduct by speech, having committed misconduct by mind, with the breaking up of the body, after death, they reappear in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, a downfall, they are reborn in hell. This too, monks, is a drawback of sensual pleasures, pertaining to the next world, a mass of suffering, with sensual pleasures as its cause, its source, its basis, indeed its very reason. 170. "And what, monks, is the escape from sensual pleasures? That, monks, which is the removal of desire and lust for sensual pleasures, the abandonment of desire and lust – this is the escape from sensual pleasures. "Whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, do not truly understand the gratification of sensual pleasures as gratification, the drawback as drawback, and the escape as escape, they will not themselves fully comprehend sensual pleasures, nor will they encourage others to that state whereby one fully comprehends sensual pleasures – this is not possible. But whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, do truly understand the gratification of sensual pleasures as gratification, the drawback as drawback, and the escape as escape, they will themselves fully comprehend sensual pleasures, and will encourage others to that state whereby one fully comprehends sensual pleasures – this is possible. 171. "And what, monks, is the gratification of forms? Suppose, monks, a royal maiden, or a brahmin maiden, or a householder maiden, fifteen or sixteen years of age, not too tall, not too short, not too thin, not too stout, not too dark, not too pale, is she, monks, at that time, of supreme beauty and complexion?" "Yes, Venerable Sir." That, monks, which is the pleasure and joy that arises dependent on such beauty and complexion – this is the gratification of forms. "And what, monks, is the drawback of forms? Here, monks, one might see that very sister (maiden) at a later time, eighty, ninety, or a hundred years old by birth, aged, bent like a roof-rafter, stooping, leaning on a stick, trembling as she walks, ailing, her youth gone, with broken teeth, grey hair, sparse, bald head, wrinkled, with liver spots on her body. What do you think, monks, that former beautiful complexion and radiance has disappeared, and the drawback has appeared? ‘Yes, venerable sir’. This too, monks, is a drawback of forms. Furthermore, monks, one might see that same sister afflicted, suffering, gravely ill, lying fallen in her own urine and feces, being lifted up by others, being laid down by others. What do you think, monks, that former beautiful complexion and radiance has disappeared, and the drawback has appeared? ‘Yes, venerable sir’. This too, monks, is a drawback of forms. 172. Furthermore, monks, one might see that same sister’s body discarded in a charnel ground – dead for one day, or two days, or three days, bloated, discolored, festering. What do you think, monks, that former beautiful complexion and radiance has disappeared, and the drawback has appeared? ‘Yes, venerable sir’. This too, monks, is a drawback of forms. Furthermore, monks, one might see that same sister’s body discarded in a charnel ground – being eaten by crows, or being eaten by kites, or being eaten by vultures, or being eaten by herons, or being eaten by dogs, or being eaten by tigers, or being eaten by leopards, or being eaten by jackals, or being eaten by various kinds of creatures. What do you think, monks, that former beautiful complexion and radiance has disappeared, and the drawback has appeared? ‘Yes, venerable sir’. This too, monks, is a drawback of forms. Furthermore, monks, one might see that same sister’s body discarded in a charnel ground – a skeleton with flesh and blood, held together by sinews, a skeleton without flesh but smeared with blood, held together by sinews, a skeleton without flesh and blood, held together by sinews, bones separated from their connections, scattered in all directions – other with one, a hand bone, with another, a foot bone, with another, an ankle bone, with another, a shin bone, with another, a thigh bone, with another, a hip bone, with another, a rib bone, with another, a back bone, with another, a shoulder bone, with another, a neck bone, with another, a jaw bone, with another, a tooth bone, with another, a skull. What do you think, monks, has the former beautiful complexion and radiance disappeared, and the danger become manifest? ‘Yes, venerable sir.’ This, too, monks, is the danger of forms. Again, further, monks, one might see that same sister's body discarded in a charnel ground— bones white, like the color of a conch shell, bones piled up, from over a year ago, bones rotten, turned to powder. What do you think, monks, has the former beautiful complexion and radiance disappeared, and the danger become manifest? ‘Yes, venerable sir.’ This, too, monks, is the danger of forms. And what, monks, is the escape from forms? That, monks, which is the subduing of desire and lust for forms, the abandoning of desire and lust for forms— this is the escape from forms. Whatever recluses or brahmins, monks, do not thus truly understand the gratification of forms as gratification, the danger of forms as danger, the escape from forms as escape— it is not possible that they themselves will fully understand forms, or that they will encourage others to that state where one who practices will fully understand forms. But whatever recluses or brahmins, monks, do thus truly understand the gratification of forms as gratification, the danger of forms as danger, the escape from forms as escape— it is possible that they themselves will fully understand forms, or that they will encourage others to that state where one who practices will fully understand forms. 173. And what, monks, is the gratification of feelings? Here, monks, a monk, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, with rapture and A bhikkhu enters and dwells in the first jhāna. At that time, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, with initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, filled with rapture and happiness, enters and dwells in the first jhāna. At that time, he does not intend harm to himself, nor does he intend harm to others, nor does he intend harm to both. At that time, he experiences only a feeling of non-affliction. I declare, bhikkhus, that the supreme enjoyment of feelings is non-affliction. Furthermore, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, with the fading away of initial application and sustained application, with the internal pacification and unification of mind, without initial application and sustained application, born of concentration, filled with rapture and happiness, enters and dwells in the second jhāna. At that time, he does not intend harm to himself, nor does he intend harm to others, nor does he intend harm to both. At that time, he experiences only a feeling of non-affliction. At that time, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, with the fading away of rapture, dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences happiness with the body, of which the noble ones declare: 'He dwells happily with equanimity and mindfulness'— he enters and dwells in the third jhāna. At that time, he does not intend harm to himself, nor does he intend harm to others, nor does he intend harm to both. At that time, he experiences only a feeling of non-affliction. At that time, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the prior disappearance of joy and grief, neither painful nor pleasant, purified by equanimity and mindfulness, enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna. At that time, he does not intend harm to himself, nor does he intend harm to others,