English
He abstains from cutting, killing, binding, highway robbery, plunder, and violence. He is content with robes to protect his body, with almsfood to fill his stomach. Wherever he goes, he goes taking only these. Just as a bird, a winged creature, wherever it flies, flies with only its wings as its burden, even so, the bhikkhu is content with robes to protect his body, with almsfood to fill his stomach; wherever he goes, he goes taking only these. Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, he experiences an blameless joy within himself. Seeing a form with the eye, he is not a perceiver of its general appearance, nor of its detailed features. Because the eye faculty, if unrestrained, might allow covetousness and distress, evil unwholesome states, to flow in, he practices for its restraint, he guards the eye faculty, he undertakes restraint of the eye faculty. Hearing a sound with the ear... smelling a smell with the nose... tasting a taste with the tongue... touching a tangible with the body... Cognizing a mental phenomenon with the mind, he is not a perceiver of its general appearance, nor of its detailed features. Because the mind faculty, if unrestrained, might allow covetousness and distress, evil unwholesome states, to flow in, 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 joy within himself. Thus. He, in going forward, in going back, acts with clear comprehension. In looking forward, in looking around, acts with clear comprehension. In bending, in stretching, acts with clear comprehension. In wearing the outer robe, bowl, and inner robe, acts with clear comprehension. In eating, in drinking, in chewing, in tasting, acts with clear comprehension. In defecating, in urinating, acts with clear comprehension. In walking, in standing, in sitting, in sleeping, in waking, in speaking, in silence, acts with clear comprehension. He, endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, (and endowed with this noble contentment,) and endowed with this noble restraint of the senses, and endowed with this noble mindfulness and clear comprehension, resorts to a secluded dwelling: a wilderness, a root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a forest grove, an open-air place, a heap of straw. He, having returned from his alms round after his meal, sits down, having folded his legs crosswise, having set his body upright, having established mindfulness in front of 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 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. He, having abandoned these five hindrances, defilements of the mind that weaken wisdom, 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 pleasure. Thus, bhikkhus, the endeavor is fruitful, sa the fruit of exertion. “Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, with the calming of thought and examination, with internal assurance, with the singleness of mind, without thought, without examination, from concentration, enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which is born of rapture and pleasure. Even so, bhikkhus, the endeavor is fruitful, the exertion is fruitful. “Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, with the fading of rapture, dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences pleasure with the body. That of which the noble ones declare: ‘He dwells in equanimity, mindful, and in pleasure,’ he enters and dwells in the third jhāna. Even so, bhikkhus, the endeavor is fruitful, the exertion is fruitful. “Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the prior disappearance of joy and sorrow, enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna, which is neither painful nor pleasant, and is purified by equanimity and mindfulness. Even so, bhikkhus, the endeavor is fruitful, the exertion is fruitful. 17. “With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, workable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs it to the knowledge of the recollection of 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 named thus, of such a clan, of such a color, fed on such food, experienced such pleasure and pain, had such a lifespan. Passing away from there, I reappeared yonder. There too I was named thus, of such a clan, of such a color, fed on such food, experienced such pleasure and pain, had such a lifespan. Passing away from there, I reappeared here.’ Thus he recollects his manifold past lives with their aspects and details. He recollects his manifold past existences. Thus, bhikkhus, the endeavor is fruitful, the exertion is fruitful. 18. ‘‘With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, imperturbable, he directs his mind to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearing of beings. With the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how beings fare according to their kamma – ‘Indeed, these beings, sirs, who are endowed with misconduct of body, misconduct of speech, misconduct of mind, who revile the noble ones, who hold wrong views, and who undertake actions based on wrong views, with the breaking up of the body, after death, have reappeared in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, a downfall, in hell. Or again, these beings, sirs, who are endowed with good conduct of body, good conduct of speech, good conduct of mind, who do not revile the noble ones, who hold right views, and who undertake actions based on right views, with the breaking up of the body, after death, have reappeared in a good destination, in a heavenly world.’ Thus, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how beings fare according to their kamma. Thus, bhikkhus, the endeavor is fruitful, the exertion is fruitful. 19. ‘‘With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, imperturbable, he directs his mind to the knowledge of the destruction of the taints. He understands ‘This is suffering’ as it really is; he understands ‘This is the origin of suffering’ as it really is; he understands ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ as it really is; he understands ‘This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering’ as it really is; he understands ‘These are the taints’ as it really is; he understands ‘This is the origin of the taints’ as it really is; he understands ‘This is the cessation of the taints’ as it really is. ...he understands as it really is: 'This is the path leading to the cessation of the taints.' For him, knowing thus, seeing 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. When liberated, there is the knowledge: 'It is 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.' Thus, bhikkhus, the endeavor is fruitful, the exertion is fruitful. Such, bhikkhus, are the Tathāgatas' teachings. To Tathāgatas who teach thus, bhikkhus, ten points of praise in accordance with the Dhamma accrue. "If, bhikkhus, beings experience pleasure and pain due to deeds done in the past; then, bhikkhus, the Tathāgata must have done good deeds in the past, since he now experiences such taintless pleasant feelings. If, bhikkhus, beings experience pleasure and pain due to creation by a divine being; then, bhikkhus, the Tathāgata must have been created by a benevolent divine being, since he now experiences such taintless pleasant feelings. If, bhikkhus, beings experience pleasure and pain due to association; then, bhikkhus, the Tathāgata must have good associations, since he now experiences such taintless pleasant feelings. If, bhikkhus, beings experience pleasure and pain due to birth; then, bhikkhus, the Tathāgata must have a good birth, since he now experiences such taintless pleasant feelings. If, bhikkhus, beings experience pleasure and pain due to effort in this present life; then, bhikkhus, the Tathāgata must have made good effort in this present life, since he now experiences such taintless pleasant feelings. "If, bhikkhus, beings experience pleasure and pain due to deeds done in the past, the Tathāgata is praised; and if beings do not experience pleasure and pain due to deeds done in the past, the Tathāgata is praised. If, bhikkhus, beings experience pleasure and pain due to creation by a divine being...