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completely perfect and pure, the holy life. A householder or a householder's son, or one born in some other family, hears that Dhamma. Having heard that Dhamma, he gains faith in the Tathāgata. Endowed with that faith, he reflects thus: 'Confined is the household life, a path of dust. Open is the going forth. It is not easy for one living in a home to lead the holy life completely perfect, completely pure, like a polished conch shell. What if I were to shave off my hair and beard, put on saffron robes, and go forth from the home life into homelessness?' So, at a later time, having abandoned a small accumulation of wealth or a large accumulation of wealth, having abandoned a small circle of relatives or a large circle of relatives, he shaves off his hair and beard, puts on saffron robes, and goes forth from the home life into homelessness. Having thus gone forth, he lives in conformity with the training and livelihood of bhikkhus. Having abandoned the taking of life, he abstains from the taking of life. He dwells with rod laid down, with weapon laid down, conscientious, compassionate, sympathetic to all living beings. Having abandoned the taking of what is not given, he abstains from the taking of what is not given. He is a taker of what is given, expecting what is given. He dwells with a pure self by that. Having abandoned unchastity, he is chaste, living apart, abstaining from sexual intercourse, the village custom. Having abandoned false speech, he abstains from false speech. He is a speaker of truth, bound to truth, firm, reliable, not a deceiver of the world. Having abandoned divisive speech, he abstains from divisive speech. What he hears here, he does not report there to cause division among these. What he hears there, he does not report here to cause division among those. Thus, he is a reconciler of those who are divided, a promoter of those who are united. He delights in concord, rejoices in concord, exults in concord. He speaks words that create concord. Having abandoned harsh speech, he abstains from harsh speech. He speaks words that are gentle, pleasing to the ear, affectionate, reaching the heart. A person, dear to many, pleasing to many, speaks such a word: Having abandoned frivolous talk, he abstains from frivolous talk. He speaks at the right time, speaks what is true, speaks what is beneficial, speaks about the Dhamma, speaks about the Vinaya. He speaks words that are like a treasure, at the right time, with reasons, to the point, and full of meaning. He abstains from harming seeds and plants. He eats once a day, abstaining from food at night, abstaining from food at improper times. He abstains from seeing dancing, singing, music, and shows. He abstains from wearing garlands, using perfumes, and adorning himself with ornaments. He abstains from high and luxurious beds. He abstains from accepting gold and silver. He abstains from accepting raw grain. He abstains from accepting raw meat. He abstains from accepting women and girls. He abstains from accepting male and female slaves. He abstains from accepting goats and sheep. He abstains from accepting chickens and pigs. He abstains from accepting elephants, cattle, horses, and mares. He abstains from accepting fields and land. He abstains from engaging in messages and errands. He abstains from buying and selling. He abstains from cheating with scales, with weights, and with measures. He abstains from bribery, deception, fraud, and crookedness. He abstains from cutting, killing, binding, highway robbery, plunder, and violence. He is content with robes to protect his body, with almsfood to sustain his stomach. Wherever he goes, he goes taking only these. Just as a bird, wherever it flies, flies with only its wings as its burden, even so, a monk is content with robes to protect his body, with almsfood to sustain his stomach. Wherever he goes, he goes taking only these. Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, he experiences blameless happiness within himself. He, having seen a form with the eye, is not a perceiver of its general appearance, nor of its detailed features. Inasmuch as... If, while the eye faculty remains unguarded, evil, unwholesome states of covetousness and displeasure would flow in upon him, he practices for its restraint, he guards the eye faculty, he undertakes restraint of the eye faculty. Having heard a sound with the ear... having smelled a smell with the nose, having tasted a taste with the tongue, having felt a tactile sensation with the body, having cognized a mental phenomenon with the mind, he is not a grasper of signs, nor a grasper of details. If, while the mind faculty remains unguarded, evil, unwholesome states of covetousness and displeasure would flow in upon him, he practices for its restraint, he guards the mind faculty, he undertakes restraint of the mind faculty. Endowed with this noble restraint of the faculties, he experiences an unblemished happiness within himself. He acts with clear comprehension when going forward and returning, when looking ahead and looking around, when bending and stretching his limbs, when wearing his robes and carrying his bowl, when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting, when defecating and urinating, when walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking, and remaining silent. Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, endowed with this noble restraint of the faculties, endowed with this noble mindfulness and clear comprehension, he resorts to a secluded dwelling place: a wilderness, the root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a forest grove, the open air, a heap of straw. After his meal, having returned from his alms round, he sits down, folding his legs crosswise, setting his body erect, and establishing mindfulness in front of him. He abandons covetousness for the world, he dwells with a mind free from covetousness, he purifies his mind from covetousness. He abandons 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; t 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 his 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. Having abandoned these five hindrances, Defilements of the mind That weaken wisdom, Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, Secluded from unwholesome states, With initial application and sustained application, Born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure, He enters and dwells in the first jhana. With the fading away of initial and sustained application, With internal assurance And unification of mind, Without initial application and sustained application, Born of concentration, with rapture and pleasure, He enters and dwells in the second jhana. With the fading away of rapture, He dwells equanimous, Mindful and clearly comprehending, And experiences pleasure with the body, That of which the noble ones declare: 'He is equanimous, mindful, one who dwells in pleasure.' He enters and dwells in the third jhana. With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, And with the prior passing away of joy and sorrow, Without pleasure and pain, A purification of mindfulness by equanimity, He enters and dwells in the fourth jhana. 420. 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, 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 such a name, Of such a clan, Of such a color, Eating such food, Experiencing such pleasure and pain, Having such a lifespan.' I died there, and was reborn yonder. There I was such-and-such a name, such-and-such a clan, such-and-such a color, such-and-such a food, experiencing such-and-such pleasure and pain, with such-and-such a lifespan. I died there, and was reborn here. Thus he recollects his manifold past existences, with their aspects and details. With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines 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, and he understands how beings fare according to their kamma: ‘These beings, sirs, who were endowed with misconduct of body… (etc.)… revelers of the noble ones, holding wrong views, undertaking actions based on wrong views, with the breakup of the body, after death, have reappeared in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell. Or these beings, sirs, who were endowed with good conduct of body… (etc.)… not revilers of the noble ones, holding right views, undertaking actions based on right views, with the breakup of the body, after death, have reappeared in a good destination, a heavenly world.’ Thus with the divine eye, purified and surpassing human, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how beings fare according to their kamma. With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright,