English
but now I am freed from that sickness, and food agrees with me, and I have some strength in my body.’ From that, he would gain joy, he would attain gladness. “Just as, monks, a man might be imprisoned in a jail. Then, at a later time, he might be freed from that prison, safely and without harm, and without any loss of his possessions. He would think: ‘I formerly was imprisoned in a jail; but now I am freed from that prison, safely and without harm, and I have no loss of my possessions.’ From that, he would gain joy, he would attain gladness. joy, he would attain gladness. ‘‘Just as, monks, a man might be a slave, not his own master, dependent on others, not free to go where he wished. Then, at a later time, he might be freed from that slavery, his own master, not dependent on others, a free man, free to go where he wished. He would think thus: ‘Formerly I was a slave, not my own master, dependent on others, not free to go where I wished. Now I am freed from that slavery, my own master, not dependent on others, a free man, free to go where I wished.’ From that cause, he would gain joy, he would attain gladness. ‘‘Just as, monks, a man with wealth and possessions might set out on a desert road. Then, at a later time, he might cross that desert safely and without danger, and none of his possessions would be lost. He would think thus: ‘Formerly I, with wealth and possessions, set out on a desert road. Now I have crossed that desert safely and without danger, and none of my possessions are lost.’ From that cause, he would gain joy, he would attain gladness. ‘‘In the same way, monks, a monk regards these five hindrances, when unabandoned in himself, as a debt, as a disease, as a prison, as slavery, as a desert road. Just as, monks, freedom from debt, as health, as release from prison, as freedom, as a safe land; in the same way, a monk regards these five hindrances, when abandoned in himself. 427. ‘‘He, having abandoned these five hindrances, defilements of the mind, weakenings of wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, enters and dwells in the first jhana, which is accompanied by initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, filled with rapture and pleasure. He drenches, steeps, fills, and pervades this very body with the rapture and pleasure born of seclusion, so that there is no part of his entire body not pervaded by the rapture and pleasure born of seclusion. Just as, monks, Monks, just as a skilled bath-attendant or his apprentice having scattered bath-powder in a bronze basin would moisten it with water, sprinkling little by little. That bath-ball becomes saturated with moisture, permeated with moisture, inside and out, pervaded by moisture, but does not ooze. Just so, monks, a monk saturates this very body, permeates it, fills it, pervades it, with the joy and pleasure born of seclusion, so that there is no part of his entire body not pervaded by the joy and pleasure born of seclusion. Again, further, monks, a monk, with the stilling of applied thought and sustained thought, with internal assurance, with the unification of mind, without applied thought, without sustained thought, with the joy and pleasure born of concentration, enters and abides in the second jhāna. He saturates this very body, permeates it, fills it, pervades it, with the joy and pleasure born of concentration, so that there is no part of his entire body not pervaded by the joy and pleasure born of concentration. Just as, monks, there might be a lake with a spring of water. It would have no inlet for water from the east, no inlet for water from the west, no inlet for water from the north, no inlet for water from the south, and the sky would not send down timely showers. Yet, from that very lake, cool streams of water would well up, saturating that very lake with cool water, permeating it, filling it, pervading it, so that there would be no part of the entire lake not pervaded by cool water. Just so, monks, a monk saturates this very body, permeates it, fills it, pervades it, with the joy and pleasure born of concentration, so that there is no part of his entire body not pervaded by the joy and pleasure born of concentration. Again, further, monks, a monk, with the fading of joy, abides in equanimity, mindful and Clearly comprehending, he experiences pleasure with the body, which the noble ones declare: 'equanimous, mindful, dwelling in pleasure.' He enters and dwells in the third jhana. He pervades, permeates, fills, and suffuses this very body with pleasure devoid of rapture. Nothing of his entire body is untouched by pleasure devoid of rapture. Just as, bhikkhus, in a pond of blue lotuses, or red lotuses, or white lotuses, some blue lotuses, or red lotuses, or white lotuses, born in the water, grown in the water, remaining submerged, nourished from within the water, from their tips to their roots are pervaded, permeated, filled, and suffused with cool water. Nothing of those blue lotuses, or red lotuses, or white lotuses, would be untouched by cool water. Even so, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu pervades, permeates, fills, and suffuses this very body with pleasure devoid of rapture. Nothing of his entire body is untouched by pleasure devoid of rapture. 430. Furthermore, bhikkhus, having abandoned pleasure and abandoned pain, and with the disappearance of former joy and sorrow, without pain and without pleasure, with purity of mindfulness due to equanimity, he enters and dwells in the fourth jhana. He sits pervading this very body with a pure, bright mind. Nothing of his entire body is untouched by his pure, bright mind. Just as, bhikkhus, a man with a clean white cloth might sit covering himself from head to foot. Nothing of his entire body would be untouched by the clean white cloth. Even so, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu sits pervading this very body with a pure, bright mind. Nothing of his entire body is untouched by his pure, bright mind. 431. With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of... With defilements gone, soft, workable, firm, unshakable, he directs his mind to the knowledge of recollecting past lives. He recollects his manifold past lives. That is: one birth, two births... and so on... Thus, with all their modes and all their details, he recollects his manifold past lives. Just as, bhikkhus, a man might go from his own village to another village. And from that village to yet another village. And from that village, he might return to his own village. He would think thus: 'Indeed, I went from my own village to that village. There I stood thus, sat thus, spoke thus, remained silent thus. From that village, I went to that other village. There too I stood thus, sat thus, spoke thus, remained silent thus. And now I have returned from that village to my own village.' Even so, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu recollects his manifold past lives. That is: one birth, two births... and so on... Thus, with all their modes and all their details, he recollects his manifold past lives. 432. With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, soft, workable, firm, unshakable, he directs his mind to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings. With the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans, he sees beings passing away and reappearing. Low and noble, fair and ugly, in happy destinations and in miserable destinations. He understands beings according to their karma... and so on... Just as, bhikkhus, there might be two houses with doors. A man with sight, standing in the middle, might see people entering and leaving the house, walking about and moving around. Even so, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu with the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans, sees beings passing away and reappearing. Low and noble, fair and ugly, in happy destinations and in miserable destinations. He understands beings according to their karma... and so on.... 433. With his mind thus concentrated... With his mind established, purified, brightened, unblemished, rid of defilements, softened, workable, steadfast, attaining imperturbability, he inclines his mind to the knowledge of the destruction of the taints. He understands, as it really is: 'This is suffering.' He understands, as it really is: 'This is the origin of suffering.' He understands, as it really is: 'This is the cessation of suffering.' He understands, as it really is: 'This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering.' He understands, as it really is: 'These are the taints.' He understands, as it really is: 'This is the origin of the taints.' He understands, as it really is: 'This is the cessation of the taints.' He understands, as it really is: 'This is the path leading to the cessation of the taints.' When he thus knows, when he thus sees, his mind is liberated from the taint of sensual desire, his mind is liberated from the taint of existence, his mind is liberated from the taint of ignorance. With liberation, there is the knowledge: 'Liberated.' He understands: 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what was to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being.' Just as, monks, in a mountain cleft, there is a pool of water, clear, serene, undisturbed. A man with good sight, standing on the bank, might see oysters and shells, pebbles and gravel, and schools of fish, moving and standing still. He would think: 'This pool of water is clear, serene, undisturbed. And in it are oysters and shells, pebbles and gravel, and schools of fish, moving and standing still.' Even so, monks, a monk understands, as it really is: 'This is suffering.' ... He understands: 'There is no more for this state of being.' 434. This, monks, is called a monk, 'ascetic,' 'brahmin,' 'cleansed one,' 'knower of the Vedas,' 'learned one,' 'noble one,' 'arahant.' And how, monks, is a monk an ascetic? His evil, unwholesome states are calmed, defiling,