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examine your own mind: ‘For a long time this mind has been defiled by greed, by hatred, by delusion.’ From the defilement of mind, monks, beings are defiled; from the purification of mind, beings are purified. Just as, monks, a dyer or a painter, with dye or lacquer, turmeric or indigo, or madder, on a well-polished board, or a wall, or a piece of cloth, might create a figure of a woman or a figure of a man, complete with all its limbs and minor parts; even so, monks, the uninstructed ordinary person, creating, creates only form; creating, creates only feeling; creating, creates only perception; creating, creates only volitional formations; creating, creates only consciousness. What do you think, monks, is form permanent or impermanent? “Impermanent, venerable sir.” Feeling… perception… volitional formations… consciousness… Therefore, monks, seeing thus… he understands: ‘there is no more for this state of being.’ The Eighth. 9. The Axe-Handle Sutta 101. At Sāvatthī. “Monks, I declare the destruction of the taints for one who knows and sees, not for one who does not know and does not see. And what, monks, knowing what, seeing what, is there the destruction of the taints? ‘Such is form, such is the origin of form, such is the passing away of form; such is feeling… such is perception… such are volitional formations… such is consciousness, such is the origin of consciousness, such is the passing away of consciousness’ – Thus, monks, knowing thus, seeing thus, there is the destruction of the taints.” “Monks, for a bhikkhu who dwells without being devoted to development, even if such a wish should arise: ‘Oh, may my mind be liberated from the taints without clinging!’ yet his mind is not liberated from the taints without clinging. For what reason? ‘Because it has not been developed,’ should be said. Not developed of what? Not developed of the four foundations of mindfulness, not developed of the four right exertions. Of comings, because of not having developed the four bases of power, because of not having developed the five faculties, because of not having developed the five powers, because of not having developed the seven factors of awakening, because of not having developed the Noble Eightfold Path. Just as, mendicants, a hen’s eggs, eight or ten or twelve. Those eggs are not properly sat upon by the hen, not properly warmed, not properly incubated. Even if that hen should wish: ‘Oh, if only my chicks would break through the eggshell with their claw-tips or beaks and emerge safely!’ Yet those chicks are unable to break through the eggshell with their claw-tips or beaks and emerge safely. Why is that? Because, mendicants, the hen’s eggs, eight or ten or twelve, are not properly sat upon by the hen, not properly warmed, not properly incubated. In the same way, mendicants, for a monk who lives not devoted to development, even if this wish should arise: ‘Oh, if only my mind would be liberated from the taints without clinging!’ Yet his mind is not liberated from the taints without clinging. Why is that? ‘Because of not having developed’ is what should be said. Because of not having developed what? Because of not having developed the four foundations of mindfulness… …and the Noble Eightfold Path. But for a monk, mendicants, who lives devoted to development, even if this wish should not arise: ‘Oh, if only my mind would be liberated from the taints without clinging!’ Yet his mind is liberated from the taints without clinging. Why is that? ‘Because of having developed’ is what should be said. Because of having developed what? Because of having developed the four foundations of mindfulness, because of having developed the four right exertions, because of having developed the four bases of power, because of having developed the five faculties, because of having developed the five powers, because of having developed the seven. the development of the factors of awakening, the development of the Noble Eightfold Path. “Just as, monks, a hen’s eggs, eight or ten or twelve. They are properly sat upon by the hen, properly warmed, properly incubated. Even if that hen does not have this wish arise: ‘Oh, may my chicks break through the eggshell with their claw-tips or beaks and emerge safely!’ Yet, those chicks are capable of breaking through the eggshell with their claw-tips or beaks and emerging safely. For what reason? Because, monks, the hen’s eggs, eight or ten or twelve; they are properly sat upon by the hen, properly warmed, properly incubated. Even so, monks, when a monk dwells devoted to the practice of development, even if this wish does not arise in him: ‘Oh, may my mind be liberated from the taints without clinging!’ Yet, his mind is liberated from the taints without clinging. For what reason? ‘Because of development’— that is what should be said. Development of what? Development of the four foundations of mindfulness… development of the Noble Eightfold Path. “Just as, monks, in the handle of an adze, or an adze-maker’s apprentice’s adze, the marks of the fingers are seen, the mark of the thumb is seen. But he does not have this knowledge: ‘So much of the adze handle was worn away today, so much yesterday, so much the day before.’ Yet, he has the knowledge that it is worn away when it is worn away. Even so, monks, when a monk dwells devoted to the practice of development, even if he does not have this knowledge: ‘So many of my taints were worn away today, so many yesterday, so many the day before,’ yet, he has the knowledge that they are worn away when they are worn away. Just as, monks, a seagoing ship, bound with ropes, having spent months in the water, By a potter, when lifted from the ground, the wicker-bindings, exposed to wind and sun, when rained upon by a monsoon cloud, quickly loosen and become rotten. Even so, monks, for a monk dwelling devoted to the practice of development, quickly the fetters loosen and become rotten. The Ninth. 10. The Discourse on the Perception of Impermanence 102. Occasion at Savatthi. "The perception of impermanence, monks, when developed and cultivated, consumes all sensual passion, consumes all passion for form, consumes all passion for becoming, consumes all ignorance, uproots all conceit 'I am'." "Just as, monks, a farmer in the autumn season, plowing with a great plow, plows, breaking up all the root-networks; even so, monks, the perception of impermanence, when developed and cultivated, consumes all sensual passion, consumes all passion for form, consumes all passion for becoming, consumes all ignorance, uproots all conceit 'I am'. "Just as, monks, a grass-cutter, having cut grass, takes it by the top and shakes it out, shakes it off, casts it away; even so, monks, the perception of impermanence, when developed and cultivated, consumes all sensual passion, consumes all passion for form, consumes all passion for becoming, consumes all ignorance, uproots all conceit 'I am'. "Just as, monks, when the stem of a mango cluster is cut, all those mangoes that are attached to the stem, all of them follow along; even so, monks, the perception of impermanence, when developed and cultivated, consumes all sensual passion, consumes all passion for form, consumes all passion for becoming, consumes all ignorance, uproots all conceit 'I am'. "Just as, monks, whatever rafters there are in a peaked house, all of them go to the peak, incline to the peak, converge on the peak, the peak is said to be their highest point; even so, monks, the perception of impermanence, when developed and cultivated, consumes all sensual passion, consumes all passion for form, consumes all passion for becoming, consumes all ignorance, uproots all conceit 'I am'. "Just as, monks, whatever root-fragrances there are, the fragrance of black malaya is said to be the foremost among them; even so, monks, The perception of impermanence... eradicates all conceit of 'I am'. Just as, monks, of whatever heartwood scents there are, red sandalwood is declared the best of them; even so, monks, the perception of impermanence... eradicates all conceit of 'I am'. Just as, monks, of whatever flower scents there are, jasmine is declared the best of them; even so, monks, the perception of impermanence... eradicates all conceit of 'I am'. Just as, monks, whatever petty kings there are, all of them are subservient to a wheel-turning monarch; the wheel-turning monarch is declared the best of them; even so, monks, the perception of impermanence... eradicates all conceit of 'I am'. Just as, monks, whatever light there is from the forms of stars, all of it is not worth a sixteenth part of the moon's light; the moon's light is declared the best of them; even so, monks, the perception of impermanence... eradicates all conceit of 'I am'. Just as, monks, in the autumn season, when the sky is clear and free of clouds, the sun, ascending into the sky, dispels all darkness in the air, and shines, burns, and blazes; even so, monks, the perception of impermanence, when developed and cultivated, consumes all sensual passion, consumes all passion for form, consumes all passion for becoming, consumes all ignorance, eradicates all conceit of 'I am'. And how, monks, is the perception of impermanence developed, how is it cultivated, so that it consumes all sensual passion... and eradicates all conceit of 'I am'? 'Such is form, such is the origin of form, such is the passing away of form; such is feeling... such is perception... such are mental formations... such is consciousness, such is the origin of consciousness, such is the passing away of consciousness.' Thus developed, monks, thus cultivated, the perception of impermanence consumes all sensual passion, consumes all passion for form, consumes all passion for becoming, consumes all... all ignorance is consumed, all 'I am' conceit is uprooted." Tenth. The Flower Chapter, the tenth. Its summary – River, and flower, and foam, Cow-dung, and nail-tip;