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he is not a seizer of its features, nor of its details. Whatever might cause him, while the mind-faculty remains unguarded, to be assailed by covetousness and distress, evil unwholesome states, for its restraint he practices, he guards the mind-faculty, he undertakes the restraint of the mind-faculty. Endowed with this noble restraint of the faculties, he experiences an unmolested joy within himself. He acts with full awareness when going forward and returning, he acts with full awareness when looking ahead and looking around, he acts with full awareness when bending and stretching, he acts with full awareness when wearing his outer robe, bowl, and robes, he acts with full awareness when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting, he acts with full awareness when defecating and urinating, he acts with full awareness when walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking, and remaining silent. 296. Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, (endowed with this noble contentment), endowed with this noble restraint of the faculties, endowed with this noble mindfulness and clear comprehension, he resorts to a secluded dwelling: a forest, a root of a tree, a mountain, a cave, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a forest thicket, the open air, a heap of straw. He, after his meal, returned from his alms-round, sits down, having folded his legs crosswise, having set his body erect, having established mindfulness before him. He, having abandoned covetousness for the world, dwells with a mind free from covetousness, he purifies his mind from covetousness. Having abandoned ill-will and malice, he dwells with a mind free from ill-will, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings, he purifies his mind from ill-will and malice. Having abandoned sloth and torpor, he dwells free from sloth and torpor, perceiving light, mindful and clearly comprehending, he purifies his mind from sloth and torpor. Having abandoned restlessness and remorse, he dwells unagitated, with a mind inwardly peaceful, he purifies his mind from restlessness and remorse. Having abandoned doubt, he dwells having crossed over doubt, without perplexity regarding wholesome states, he purifies his mind from doubt. 297. He, having abandoned these five hindrances, defilements of the mind, weakening to wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, with thinking and pondering, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure, he enters and dwells in the first jhana. This too is called, brahmin, a Tathagata's footprint, a Tathagata's resort, a Tathagata's delight. Yet the noble disciple does not reach the conclusion: ‘The Blessed One is perfectly enlightened, the Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One, the Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing well.’ Furthermore, brahmin, a monk, with the stilling of thinking and pondering, with internal assurance, with unification of mind, without thinking and pondering, born of concentration, with rapture and pleasure, he enters and dwells in the second jhana. This too is called, brahmin, a Tathagata's footprint, a Tathagata's resort, a Tathagata's delight. Yet the noble disciple does not reach the conclusion: ‘The Blessed One is perfectly enlightened, the Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One, the Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing well.’ Furthermore, brahmin, a monk, with the fading of rapture, he dwells equanimous, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences pleasure with the body, that of which the noble ones declare: ‘equanimous, mindful, dwelling in pleasure’— he enters and dwells in the third jhana. Today he dwells. This too is called, brahmin... 'the Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is well-practiced.' Further, brahmin, a monk, by the abandoning of pleasure and the abandoning of pain, and by the prior passing away of joy and sorrow, with neither-pain-nor-pleasure, with purity of mindfulness due to equanimity, enters and dwells in the fourth jhana. This too is called, brahmin, 'the Tathāgata's footprint,' 'the Tathāgata's frequented path,' 'the Tathāgata's delight.' Yet, the noble disciple does not come to a conclusion – 'The Blessed One is perfectly enlightened, the Dhamma is well-proclaimed by the Blessed One, the Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is well-practiced.' 298. He, with his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, workable, steady, attained to imperturbability, directs his mind to the knowledge of recollecting past lives. He recollects his manifold past lives, that is, one birth, two births... thus he recollects his manifold past lives with their aspects and details. This too is called, brahmin, 'the Tathāgata's footprint,' 'the Tathāgata's frequented path,' 'the Tathāgata's delight.' Yet, the noble disciple does not come to a conclusion – 'The Blessed One is perfectly enlightened, the Dhamma is well-proclaimed by the Blessed One, the Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is well-practiced.' He, with his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, workable, steady, attained to imperturbability, directs his mind to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearing of beings. He, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans... understands beings as they pass away and reappear according to their deeds. This too is called, brahmin, 'the Tathāgata's footprint,' 'the Tathāgata's frequented path,' 'the Tathāgata's delight.' Yet, the noble disciple does not come to a conclusion – 'The Blessed One is perfectly enlightened, the Dhamma is well-proclaimed by the Blessed One, the Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is well-practiced.' 299. He, with his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, a With his mind, like a field, cleared of weeds, soft, workable, well-prepared, having reached imperturbability, he inclines it to the knowledge of the destruction of the taints. He knows, as it really is: 'This is suffering.' He knows, as it really is: 'This is the origin of suffering.' He knows, as it really is: 'This is the cessation of suffering.' He knows, as it really is: 'This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering.' He knows, as it really is: 'These are the taints.' He knows, as it really is: 'This is the origin of the taints.' He knows, as it really is: 'This is the cessation of the taints.' He knows, as it really is: 'This is the path leading to the cessation of the taints.' This too is called, brahmin, 'the footprint of the Tathāgata,' 'the resort of the Tathāgata,' 'that which delights the Tathāgata.' Yet the noble disciple has not yet reached the conclusion, but he does reach the conclusion: 'The Blessed One is perfectly enlightened, the Dhamma is well-proclaimed by the Blessed One, the Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is practicing well.' For him, thus knowing, thus seeing, his mind is liberated from the taint of sensual desire, his mind is liberated from the taint of becoming, his mind is liberated from the taint of ignorance. When liberated, there is the knowledge: 'It is liberated.' He understands: 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being.' This too is called, brahmin, 'the footprint of the Tathāgata,' 'the resort of the Tathāgata,' 'that which delights the Tathāgata.' To this extent, brahmin, the noble disciple has reached the conclusion: 'The Blessed One is perfectly enlightened, the Dhamma is well-proclaimed by the Blessed One, the Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is practicing well.' To this extent, brahmin, the 'Elephant's Footprint' simile is complete in detail." When this was said, the brahmin Jāṇussoṇi said to the Blessed One: "Excellent, good Gotama! Excellent, good Gotama! Just as, good Gotama, one might set upright what was overturned, or reveal what was hidden, or point out the way to one who was lost, or hold up a lamp in the darkness – so that those with eyes might see forms;" In many ways, indeed, has the Blessed Gotama proclaimed the Dhamma. I go for refuge to the Blessed Gotama, to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha of bhikkhus. May the Blessed Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forth, as long as life lasts. The Cūḷahatthipadopama Sutta, the seventh, is finished. 8. The Mahāhatthipadopama Sutta 300. Thus have I heard: On one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. There the venerable Sāriputta addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Friends, bhikkhus!” “Friend!” replied those bhikkhus to the venerable Sāriputta. The venerable Sāriputta spoke thus: “Just as, friends, all the footprints of living beings that walk are encompassed by the elephant’s footprint, and the elephant’s footprint is declared to be the foremost because of its great size; even so, friends, all wholesome states are encompassed by the Four Noble Truths. Which four? The Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Way Leading to the Cessation of Suffering.” 301. “And what, friends, is the Noble Truth of Suffering? Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair are suffering, not getting what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates of clinging are suffering. And what, friends, are the five aggregates of clinging? That is to say: the aggregate of clinging to form, the aggregate of clinging to feeling, the aggregate of clinging to perception, the aggregate of clinging to mental formations, the aggregate of clinging to consciousness. “And what, friends, is the aggregate of clinging to form? The four great elements, and form derived from the four great elements. “And what, friends, are the four great elements? The earth element, the water element, the fire element,