English
(17) 2. The Chapter on Practices 1. The Summary Discourse 161. "These, monks, are four practices. Which four? A painful practice with slow insight, a painful practice with swift insight, a pleasant practice with slow insight, a pleasant practice with swift insight – These, monks, are the four practices." The First. 2. The Detailed Discourse 162. "These, monks, are four practices. Which four? A painful practice with slow insight, a painful practice with swift insight, a pleasant practice with slow insight, a pleasant practice with swift insight. "And what, monks, is a painful practice with slow insight? Here, monks, some individual is naturally of intense lust, frequently experiences suffering and distress born of lust. Naturally, he is also of intense ill-will, frequently experiences suffering and distress born of ill-will. Naturally, he is also of intense delusion, frequently experiences suffering and distress born of delusion. For him, these five faculties appear weak – the faculty of faith, the faculty of energy, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, the faculty of wisdom. Due to the weakness of these five faculties, he attains the immediate cessation of defilements slowly. This, monks, is called a painful practice with slow insight. "And what, monks, is a painful practice with swift insight? Here, monks, some individual is naturally of intense lust, frequently experiences suffering and distress born of lust. Naturally, he is also of intense ill-will, frequently experiences suffering and distress born of ill-will. Naturally, he is also of intense delusion, frequently experiences suffering and distress born of delusion. For him, these five faculties appear strong – the faculty of faith, the faculty of energy, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, the faculty of wisdom. Due to the strength of these five faculties, he attains the immediate cessation of defilements swiftly." for the destruction of the taints. This, monks, is called the painful practice with swift direct knowledge. “And what, monks, is the pleasant practice with slow direct knowledge? Here, monks, some person is not by nature intensely passionate, does not frequently experience pain and displeasure born of passion. He is not by nature intensely hateful, does not frequently experience pain and displeasure born of hatred. He is not by nature intensely deluded, does not frequently experience pain and displeasure born of delusion. For him, these five faculties appear to be weak: the faculty of faith… …the faculty of wisdom. Because of the weakness of these five faculties, he attains the immediate result slowly, for the destruction of the taints. This, monks, is called the pleasant practice with slow direct knowledge. “And what, monks, is the pleasant practice with swift direct knowledge? Here, monks, some person is not by nature intensely passionate, does not frequently experience pain and displeasure born of passion. He is not by nature intensely hateful, does not frequently experience pain and displeasure born of hatred. He is not by nature intensely deluded, does not frequently experience pain and displeasure born of delusion. For him, these five faculties appear to be strong: the faculty of faith, the faculty of energy, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, the faculty of wisdom. Because of the strength of these five faculties, he attains the immediate result swiftly, for the destruction of the taints. This, monks, is called the pleasant practice with swift direct knowledge. These, monks, are the four practices.” The Second. 3. The Discourse on the Unattractive 163. “These, monks, are four practices. What are the four? The painful practice with slow direct knowledge, the painful practice with swift direct knowledge, the pleasant practice with slow direct knowledge, the pleasant practice with swift direct knowledge. “And what, monks, is the painful practice with slow direct knowledge? Here, monks, a monk contemplates the unattractive… He dwells contemplating foulness in the body, perceiving repugnance in food, perceiving non-delight in the whole world, contemplating impermanence in all formations; and the perception of death is well-established within him. He dwells relying on these five powers of a trainee – the power of faith, the power of shame, the power of dread, the power of energy, the power of wisdom. For him, these five faculties appear weak – the faculty of faith, the faculty of energy, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, the faculty of wisdom. Due to the weakness of these five faculties, he attains the immediate destruction of the taints slowly. This, bhikkhus, is called the painful path with slow direct knowledge. And what, bhikkhus, is the painful path with swift direct knowledge? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu dwells contemplating foulness in the body, perceiving repugnance in food, perceiving non-delight in the whole world, contemplating impermanence in all formations; and the perception of death is well-established within him. He dwells relying on these five powers of a trainee – the power of faith, the power of shame, the power of dread, the power of energy, the power of wisdom. For him, these five faculties appear strong – the faculty of faith, the faculty of energy, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, the faculty of wisdom. Due to the strength of these five faculties, he attains the immediate destruction of the taints swiftly. This, bhikkhus, is called the painful path with swift direct knowledge. And what, bhikkhus, is the pleasant path with slow direct knowledge? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by initial and sustained application, born of seclusion, filled with rapture and pleasure; with the subsiding of initial and sustained application, through the internal pacification and unification of the mind, he enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which is without initial and sustained application, born of concentration, filled with rapture and pleasure; with the fading of rapture, he dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences pleasure with the body... that which the Noble Ones declare: ‘He is equanimous, mindful, dwelling in happiness’— he enters and dwells in the third jhāna; with the abandoning of pleasure and the abandoning of pain, and with the prior passing away of joy and sorrow, he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna, which is purified by equanimity and mindfulness, beyond pleasure and pain. He dwells relying on these five trainee's strengths: the strength of faith… …the strength of wisdom. In him these five faculties appear soft: the faculty of faith… …the faculty of wisdom. Because of the softness of these five faculties, he attains the immediate destruction of the taints slowly. This, bhikkhus, is called the pleasant practice with slow direct knowledge. And what, bhikkhus, is the pleasant practice with swift direct knowledge? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, 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… …he enters and dwells in the second jhāna… …he enters and dwells in the third jhāna… …he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna. He dwells relying on these five trainee's strengths: the strength of faith, the strength of shame, the strength of moral dread, the strength of energy, the strength of wisdom. In him these five faculties appear strong: the faculty of faith, the faculty of energy, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, the faculty of wisdom. Because of the strength of these five faculties, he attains the immediate destruction of the taints swiftly. This, bhikkhus, is called the pleasant practice with swift direct knowledge. These, bhikkhus, are the four practices.” The third. 4. The First Forbearance Sutta “Bhikkhus, there are these four practices. What are the four? The unforbearing practice, the forbearing practice, the taming practice, the calming practice. And what, bhikkhus, is the unforbearing practice? Here, bhikkhus, someone abuses one who abuses, retaliates against one who is angry, quarrels with one who quarrels. This, monks, is called the path of impatience. “And what, monks, is the path of patience? Here, monks, someone, when reviled, does not revile in return; when angered, does not anger in return; when quarrelled with, does not quarrel in return. This, monks, is called the path of patience. “And what, monks, is the path of self-control? Here, monks, a monk, having seen a form with the eye, is not a seizer of its marks or its details; he practices for the restraint of that by which evil unwholesome states of covetousness and displeasure might flow in upon him, if he were to dwell with the eye-faculty unrestrained; he guards the eye-faculty; he undertakes the 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 seizer of its marks or its details; he practices for the restraint of that by which evil unwholesome states of covetousness and displeasure might flow in upon him, if he were to dwell with the mind-faculty unrestrained; he guards the mind-faculty; he undertakes the restraint of the mind-faculty. This, monks, is called the path of self-control. “And what, monks, is the path of tranquility?