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who is a reasoner, an investigator, it may be well-reasoned, it may be ill-reasoned, it may be so, it may be otherwise. Thereupon, Sandaka, a discerning person thus reflects: ‘This venerable teacher is a reasoner, an investigator. He teaches a Dhamma that is based on reasoning, followed by investigation, self-devised. But for a teacher who is a reasoner, an investigator, it may be well-reasoned, it may be ill-reasoned, it may be so, it may be otherwise.’ He, having thus known: ‘This holy life is without assurance,’ becomes disenchanted with that holy life and departs. This, Sandaka, is the third holy life without assurance declared by that Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, in which a discerning person would not live the holy life with confidence, and living it, would not attain the right, skillful Dhamma. 232. Furthermore, Sandaka, some teacher here is dull, bewildered. He, due to dullness, due to bewilderment, being questioned on various points, resorts to verbal equivocation, to eel-wriggling: ‘It is not thus for me, it is not so for me, it is not otherwise for me, it is not not for me, it is not not-not for me.’ Thereupon, Sandaka, a discerning person thus reflects: ‘This venerable teacher is dull, bewildered. He, due to dullness, due to bewilderment, being questioned on various points, resorts to verbal equivocation, to eel-wriggling: “It is not thus for me, it is not so for me, it is not otherwise for me, it is not not for me, it is not not-not for me.”’ He, having thus known: ‘This holy life is without assurance,’ becomes disenchanted with that holy life and departs. This, Sandaka, is the fourth holy life without assurance declared by that Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, in which a discerning person would not live the holy life with confidence, and living it, would not attain the right, skillful Dhamma. A wise person should not live the holy life with confidence, and living it, would not realize the method, the good teaching. “These, Sandaka, are the four holy lives declared by that Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, as without assurance, where a wise person should not live the holy life with confidence, and living it, would not realize the method, the good teaching.” “Wonderful, Venerable Ānanda! Amazing, Venerable Ānanda! To think that that Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, declared these four holy lives as indeed without assurance, as holy lives without assurance, where a wise person should not live the holy life with confidence, and living it, would not realize the method, the good teaching. But what, Venerable Ānanda, does that Teacher proclaim, what does he declare, where a wise person would live the holy life with confidence, and living it, would realize the method, the good teaching?” 233. “Here, Sandaka, a Tathāgata arises in the world, an Arahant, a Perfectly Self-Awakened One, endowed with knowledge and conduct, a Fortunate One, a Knower of the World, an unsurpassed Trainer of persons to be tamed, a Teacher of gods and humans, a Buddha, a Blessed One… …(details as in MN 2.9-10, Kandaraka Sutta)… Having abandoned these five hindrances, the corruptions of the mind, the weakening of wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, he enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, filled with rapture and pleasure. In such a Teacher, Sandaka, where a disciple attains such an excellent distinction, there a wise person should live the holy life with confidence, and living it, would realize the method, the good teaching. “Furthermore, Sandaka, a bhikkhu, with the calming of initial and sustained application… …he enters and dwells in the second jhāna. In such a Teacher, Sandaka, where a disciple attains such an excellent distinction, there a wise person should live the holy life with confidence, and living, he would attain the wise, skillful Dhamma. “Again, Sandaka, a monk with the fading of joy dwells in equanimity… …he enters and dwells in the third jhāna. In a teacher, Sandaka, where a disciple attains such a sublime distinction, there a discerning person would live the holy life with conviction, and living, he would attain the wise, skillful Dhamma. “Again, Sandaka, a monk with the abandoning of pleasure… …he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna. In a teacher, Sandaka, where a disciple attains such a sublime distinction, there a discerning person would live the holy life with conviction, and living, he would attain the wise, skillful Dhamma. “With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, wieldy, steady, attained to imperturbability, he 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. In a teacher, Sandaka, where a disciple attains such a sublime distinction, there a discerning person would live the holy life with conviction, and living, he would attain the wise, skillful Dhamma. “With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, wieldy, steady, attained to imperturbability, he directs his mind to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings. With the divine eye, purified and surpassing human, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate… …he understands beings as they fare according to their kamma. In a teacher, Sandaka, where a disciple attains such a sublime distinction, there a discerning person would live the holy life with conviction, and living, he would attain the wise, skillful Dhamma. “With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, purified, spotless, with defilements gone, pliant, workable, steady, attained to 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.’ For him who knows thus, who sees thus, 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. In the liberated, there is the knowledge, ‘It is liberated.’ ‘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’—he understands. In whatever teacher, Sandaka, a disciple attains such a noble distinction, there a wise person would live the holy life with conviction, and living thus, he would realize the skillful truth of the Dhamma. 234. “But that monk, venerable Ananda, an Arahant, with taints destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, attained his own true goal, with the fetters of becoming utterly destroyed, liberated through perfect knowledge— would he partake of sensual pleasures?” “That monk, Sandaka, an Arahant, with taints destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, attained his own true goal, with the fetters of becoming utterly destroyed, liberated through perfect knowledge— he is incapable of committing five things. An Arahant monk is incapable of intentionally depriving a living being of life. An Arahant monk is incapable of taking what is not given, in the way of theft. An Arahant monk is incapable of engaging in sexual intercourse. An Arahant monk is incapable of speaking a deliberate lie. An Arahant monk is incapable of partaking of stored-up sensual pleasures, as he did formerly when a householder. That monk, Sandaka, He, an Arahant, whose taints are destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, attained the true goal, whose fetters of existence are destroyed, rightly liberated through perfect knowledge—he is incapable of committing these five things. 235. "But, Venerable Ānanda, is it that for that bhikkhu, the Arahant, whose taints are destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, attained the true goal, whose fetters of existence are destroyed, rightly liberated through perfect knowledge—is it that for him, whether walking or standing, sleeping or awake, constantly and continually, the knowledge and vision 'My taints are destroyed' is present?" "Then, Sandaka, I shall make a simile for you; for by a simile some discerning men understand the meaning of what is said. Just as, Sandaka, a man whose hands and feet have been cut off—is it that for him, whether walking or standing, sleeping or awake, constantly and continually, he knows 'My hands and feet are cut off,' or rather, reflecting, he knows 'My hands and feet are cut off'?" "No, Venerable Ānanda, that man does not constantly and continually know 'My hands and feet are cut off.' But rather, reflecting, he knows 'My hands and feet are cut off'."