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have been declared by the Blessed One as having little satisfaction, much suffering, much despair, and even greater danger. Sensual pleasures are like a skeleton, declared by the Blessed One as having much suffering, much despair, and even greater danger. Sensual pleasures are like a piece of meat, declared by the Blessed One... like a grass torch, declared by the Blessed One... like a pit of glowing coals, declared by the Blessed One... like a dream, declared by the Blessed One... like borrowed goods, declared by the Blessed One... like a fruit tree, declared by the Blessed One... like a butcher's block, declared by the Blessed One... like a spear and stake, declared by the Blessed One... like a snake's head, declared by the Blessed One as having much suffering, much despair, and even greater danger. May you delight, venerable sir, in the holy life; may you not declare your weakness in training, renounce the training, and return to a lower state.' Thus advised and instructed by his fellow practitioners, he says this: 'I will strive, friends, I will exert myself, friends, I will delight, friends! Now, friends, I will not declare my weakness in training, renounce the training, and return to a lower state.' Just as, bhikkhus, a warrior, taking sword and shield, and girding on a quiver of arrows, descends into a battle formation. He strives and exerts himself in that battle. While he strives and exerts himself, the others... they smear him, they remove him; having removed him, they take him to his relatives, his relatives attend to him, they nurse him. He, being attended to, being nursed by his relatives, recovers from that illness; I say, monks, this person is like that. Such a person, monks, is found here. This, monks, is the fourth person like a warrior, existing and found among the bhikkhus. Again, moreover, monks, a bhikkhu dwells having recourse to some village or town. In the forenoon, having dressed, taking his bowl and robe, he enters that same village or town for alms, with his body guarded, his speech guarded, his mind guarded, with mindfulness established, with his faculties restrained. Seeing a form with the eye, he is not a perceiver of its general appearance nor its detailed features. For if he were to dwell with the eye-faculty unrestrained, evil unwholesome states of covetousness and distress might invade him; for its restraint he practices; he guards the eye-faculty; he undertakes the restraint of the eye-faculty. Hearing a sound with the ear… smelling an odor with the nose… tasting a flavor 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 its detailed features. For if he were to dwell with the mind-faculty unrestrained, evil unwholesome states of covetousness and distress might invade him; for its restraint he practices; he guards the mind-faculty; he undertakes the restraint of the mind-faculty. After his meal, having returned from his alms round, he resorts to a secluded lodging: a forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a jungle thicket, an open space, a heap of straw. Having gone to the forest, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, he sits down, having folded his legs crosswise, set his body erect, and established mindfulness in front of him. He, having abandoned covetousness for the world… he, having abandoned these five hindrances, defilements of the mind that weaken wisdom… having become secluded from sensual pleasures… he dwells having attained the fourth jhāna. “With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, and imperturbable, he directs his mind to the knowledge of the destruction of the taints. He understands ‘this is suffering’ as it actually is… he understands ‘there is no further state of being’ as it actually is.” “Just as, monks, a warrior takes up sword and shield, girds on his quiver, and enters the arrayed battle; he conquers that battle, and having conquered the battle, he dwells in that very battle-head; in the same way, I say, monks, is this person. Such a person, monks, is found here. This, monks, is the fifth person comparable to a warrior, existing and found among monks. These, monks, are the five persons comparable to warriors, existing and found among monks.” The Sixth. 7. The First Discourse on Future Dangers 77. “Monks, there are these five future dangers, seeing which, it is enough for a forest-dwelling monk to dwell heedfully, ardently, and resolutely, for the attainment of what has not been attained, for the realization of what has not been realized, for the direct experience of what has not been directly experienced. “Which five? Here, monks, a forest-dwelling monk reflects thus: ‘Indeed, I am now dwelling alone in the forest. While I am dwelling alone in the forest, a snake might bite me, or a scorpion might sting me, or a centipede might bite me, and that might be my death, that might be an obstacle for me; come now, let me arouse energy for the attainment of what has not been attained, for the realization of what has not been realized, for the direct experience of what has not been directly experienced.’ This, monks, is the first future danger, seeing which, it is enough for a forest-dwelling monk to dwell heedfully, ardently, and resolutely, for the attainment of what has not been attained, for the r for the attainment of the un-attained, for the realization of the un-realized, for the direct experience of the un-directly experienced. Again, monks, a forest-dwelling monk reflects thus: 'I indeed now dwell alone in the forest. Dwelling alone in the forest, I might stumble and fall, or the food I've eaten might go bad, or my bile might be disturbed, or my phlegm might be disturbed, or sharp winds might be disturbed in me, and thereby my death might occur, that would be an obstacle for me; Come now, I will arouse energy for the attainment of the un-attained, for the realization of the un-realized, for the direct experience of the un-directly experienced.' This, monks, is the second future danger, seeing which it is enough for a forest-dwelling monk to dwell diligently, ardently, and resolutely for the attainment of the un-attained, for the realization of the un-realized, for the direct experience of the un-directly experienced. Again, monks, a forest-dwelling monk reflects thus: 'I indeed now dwell alone in the forest. Dwelling alone in the forest, I might encounter wild animals, a lion, or a tiger, or a leopard, or a bear, or a hyena, they might take my life, and thereby my death might occur, that would be an obstacle for me; Come now, I will arouse energy for the attainment of the un-attained, for the realization of the un-realized, for the direct experience of the un-directly experienced.' This, monks, is the third future danger, seeing which it is enough for a forest-dwelling monk to dwell diligently, ardently, and resolutely for the attainment of the un-attained, for the realization of the un-realized, for the direct experience of the un-directly experienced. Again, monks, a forest-dwelling monk reflects thus: 'I indeed now dwell alone in the forest. Dwelling alone in the forest, I might encounter young men who have committed deeds or have not committed deeds, they might take my life, and thereby my death might occur, that would be an obstacle for me; Come now, I will arouse energy for the for the attainment of what is not yet attained, for the realization of what is not yet realized, for the direct experience of what is not yet directly experienced. This, monks, seeing this fourth future danger, it is enough for a forest monk to dwell heedfully, ardently, with a resolute mind for the attainment of what is not yet attained, for the realization of what is not yet realized, for the direct experience of what is not yet directly experienced. Furthermore, monks, a forest monk reflects thus: ‘Now I dwell alone in the forest. There are fierce wild animals and non-human beings in the forest, they might take my life. Then I would die, that would be an obstacle for me; so let me arouse energy for the attainment of what is not yet attained, for the realization of what is not yet realized, for the direct experience of what is not yet directly experienced.’ This, monks, seeing this fifth future danger, it is enough for a forest monk to dwell heedfully, ardently, with a resolute mind for the attainment of what is not yet attained, for the realization of what is not yet realized, for the direct experience of what is not yet directly experienced. These, monks, seeing these five future dangers, it is enough for a forest monk to dwell heedfully, ardently, with a resolute mind for the attainment of what is not yet attained, for the realization of what is not yet realized, for the direct experience of what is not yet directly experienced.” The Seventh. 8. The Second Discourse on Future Dangers “These five future dangers, monks, seeing them, it is enough for a monk to dwell heedfully, ardently, with a resolute mind for the attainment of what is not yet attained, for the realization of what is not yet realized, for the direct experience of what is not yet directly experienced. Which five? Here, monks, a monk reflects thus: ‘Now I am young, youthful, with jet-black hair, endowed with the blessing of youth, in the prime of life. But there comes a time when old age touches this body. When one is old, overcome by old age, it is not easy to keep the Buddha’s teaching in mind, it is not easy to resort to secluded forest and wilderness dwellings. Before That state comes to me, undesirable, unlovely, disagreeable. Come now, let me exert effort beforehand for the attainment of the unobtained, for the realization of the unrealized, for the direct experience of the unexperienced, so that, endowed with that state, even when old, I may dwell at ease.