English
**4. The Great Chapter** **1. Discourse on Progressive Abidings** These nine, monks, are progressive abidings. Which nine? The first jhana, the second jhana, the third jhana, the fourth jhana, the base of infinite space, the base of infinite consciousness, the base of nothingness, the base of neither perception nor non-perception, the cessation of perception and feeling – These, monks, are the nine progressive abidings. First. **2. Discourse on Progressive Attainments of Abiding** These nine, monks, are progressive attainments of abiding that I shall teach. Listen to that... And which, monks, are the nine progressive attainments of abiding? Where sensual pleasures cease, and those who, having ceased sensual pleasures again and again, abide, ‘Truly, those venerable ones are free from craving, extinguished, crossed over, gone to the far shore by that very factor,’ I say. ‘Where do sensual pleasures cease? And who are those who, having ceased sensual pleasures again and again, abide? I do not know this, I do not see this,’ If anyone should speak thus, he should be told thus: ‘Here, friend, a monk, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, enters and abides in the first jhana, which is accompanied by initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure. Here sensual pleasures cease. And those, having ceased sensual pleasures again and again, abide.’ Truly, monks, a sincere and guileless person would approve and rejoice in what was well-spoken, saying ‘Excellent!’ Having approved and rejoiced in what was well-spoken, saying ‘Excellent!’ he would attend with respect, with joined palms. Where initial and sustained application cease, and those who, having ceased initial and sustained application again and again, abide, ‘Truly, those venerable ones are free from craving, extinguished, crossed over, gone to the far shore by that very factor,’ I say. ‘Where do initial and sustained application cease? And who are those who, having ceased initial and sustained application again and again, abide? I do not know this, I do not see this – If anyone were to say this, he should be told thus: ‘Here, friend, a monk, with the stilling of applied thought and sustained thought, enters and abides in the second jhana; here applied thought and sustained thought cease, and they abide having ceased, having ceased, applied thought and sustained thought.’ Indeed, monks, one who is honest, not deceitful, would approve and rejoice in what is well-spoken; having approved and rejoiced in what is well-spoken, he would attend with reverence, with clasped hands. Where rapture ceases, and those who abide having ceased, having ceased, rapture, I say: ‘Indeed, those venerable ones are unthirsting, cooled, crossed over, gone to the far shore by that very factor.’ If anyone were to say: ‘Where does rapture cease, and who abides having ceased, having ceased, rapture? I do not know this, I do not see this,’ he should be told thus: ‘Here, friend, a monk, with the fading of rapture, enters and abides in the third jhana; here rapture ceases, and they abide having ceased, having ceased, rapture.’ Indeed, monks, one who is honest, not deceitful, would approve and rejoice in what is well-spoken; having approved and rejoiced in what is well-spoken, he would attend with reverence, with clasped hands. Where equanimity-and-happiness ceases, and those who abide having ceased, having ceased, equanimity-and-happiness, I say: ‘Indeed, those venerable ones are unthirsting, cooled, crossed over, gone to the far shore by that very factor.’ If anyone were to say: ‘Where does equanimity-and-happiness cease, and who abides having ceased, having ceased, equanimity-and-happiness? I do not know this, I do not see this,’ he should be told thus: ‘Here, friend, a monk, with the abandoning of pleasure, enters and abides in the fourth jhana; here equanimity-and-happiness ceases, and they abide having ceased, having ceased, equanimity-and-happiness.’ Indeed, monks, one who is honest, not deceitful, would approve and rejoice in what is well-spoken; having approved in what is well-spoken... having understood, having rejoiced, bowing down, with joined hands, he should attend. “Where the perception of form ceases, and those who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of form, dwell, I say, ‘Surely those venerable ones are free from craving, extinguished, crossed over, gone to the other shore by that very means.’ ‘Where does the perception of form cease? And who are those who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of form, dwell? I do not know this, I do not see this.’ If anyone should speak thus, he should be told thus: ‘Here, friend, a monk, by completely transcending perceptions of form, by the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, by not attending to perceptions of diversity, thinking ‘space is infinite,’ enters and dwells in the sphere of infinite space. Here the perception of form ceases, and they are those who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of form, dwell.’ Surely, monks, one who is not deceitful, not fraudulent, would approve and rejoice in what was well-spoken; having approved and rejoiced in what was well-spoken, bowing down, with joined hands, he should attend. “Where the perception of the sphere of infinite space ceases, and those who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of the sphere of infinite space, dwell, I say, ‘Surely those venerable ones are free from craving, extinguished, crossed over, gone to the other shore by that very means.’ ‘Where does the perception of the sphere of infinite space cease? And who are those who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of the sphere of infinite space, dwell? I do not know this, I do not see this.’ If anyone should speak thus, he should be told thus: ‘Here, friend, a monk, by completely transcending the sphere of infinite space, thinking ‘consciousness is infinite,’ enters and dwells in the sphere of infinite consciousness. Here the perception of the sphere of infinite space ceases, and they are those who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of the sphere of infinite space, dwell.’ Surely, monks, one who is not deceitful, not fraudulent, would approve and rejoice in what was well-spoken; having approved and rejoiced in what was well-spoken, bowing down, with joined hands, he should attend. Wher Where the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness ceases, and those who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness, dwell, 'Surely, those venerable ones are unparched, extinguished, crossed over, gone to the far shore by that very means,' I say. 'Where does the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness cease? Who are those who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness, dwell? I do not know this, I do not see this,' if anyone should say thus, he should be told thus: 'Here, friend, a monk, having entirely transcended the dimension of infinite consciousness, dwells having entered upon the dimension of nothingness, thinking "there is nothing." There, the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness ceases. And those are they who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness, dwell.' Surely, monks, one who is not deceitful, not fraudulent, would approve and rejoice in what was well said. Having approved and rejoiced in what was well said, he would attend with joined hands, paying homage. Where the perception of the dimension of nothingness ceases, and those who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of the dimension of nothingness, dwell, 'Surely, those venerable ones are unparched, extinguished, crossed over, gone to the far shore by that very means,' I say. 'Where does the perception of the dimension of nothingness cease? Who are those who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of the dimension of nothingness, dwell? I do not know this, I do not see this,' if anyone should say thus, he should be told thus: 'Here, friend, a monk, having entirely transcended the dimension of nothingness, dwells having entered upon the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. There, the perception of the dimension of nothingness ceases. And those are they who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of the dimension of nothingness, dwell.' Surely, monks, one who is not deceitful, not fraudulent, would approve and rejoice in what was well said. Having approved and rejoiced in what was well said, he would attend with joined hands, paying homage. Where the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception ceases, and those who, having ceased, having ceased the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, dwell, 'Surely, those venerable ones are Because they are free from craving, extinguished, crossed over, gone to the other shore, by that very factor, I say. ‘Where does the perception of neither-perception-nor-non-perception cease? And who, having ceased the perception of neither-perception-nor-non-perception again and again, dwells?’ ‘I do not know this, I do not see this,’ if anyone were to say this, he should be told thus: ‘Here, friend, a monk, having entirely transcended the dimension of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, enters and dwells in the cessation of perception and feeling. Here the perception of neither-perception-nor-non-perception ceases. And they, having ceased the perception of neither-perception-nor-non-perception again and again, dwell.’ Indeed, monks, an honest and guileless person would approve and rejoice in what is well-spoken, saying ‘Excellent!’ Having approved and rejoiced in what is well-spoken, saying ‘Excellent!’, he would attend with reverence, with joined palms. These, monks, are the nine progressive attainments of dwelling. The second. 3.