English
'Oh, if only I could go to a region never gone to before...' I would eat grasses never eaten before, and drink waters never drunk before, and return safely to that region. For what reason? Because, monks, that mountain cow is wise, skilled, knows the terrain, and is expert in moving on uneven mountains. Even so, monks, some bhikkhu here is wise, skilled, knows the terrain, and is expert. Having secluded himself from sensual pleasures, having secluded himself from unwholesome states, he enters and dwells in the first jhana, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure. He attends to that sign, develops it, makes it abundant, and firmly establishes it. To him it occurs thus: ‘Suppose I were to enter and dwell in the second jhana, which is without applied thought and without sustained thought, born of concentration, with rapture and pleasure, due to the calming of applied thought and sustained thought, with internal assurance, and unification of mind.’ Not being hindered by the second jhana, due to the calming of applied thought and sustained thought… he enters and dwells in the second jhana. He attends to that sign, develops it, makes it abundant, and firmly establishes it. To him it occurs thus: ‘Suppose I were to enter and dwell in the third jhana, with the fading of rapture, dwelling in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiencing pleasure with the body, of which the Noble Ones declare: “He dwells in pleasure, equanimous and mindful.”’ Not being hindered by the third jhana, with the fading of rapture… he enters and dwells in the third jhana. He attends to that sign, develops it, makes it abundant, and firmly establishes it. To him it occurs thus: ‘Suppose I were to enter and dwell in the fourth jhana, with the abandoning of pleasure and the abandoning of pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and sorrow, a state of neither-pain-nor-pleasure, purified by equanimity and mindfulness.’ Not being hindered by the fourth jhana, with the abandoning of pleasure… he enters and dwells in the fourth jhana. He attends to that sign, develops it, makes it abundant, and firmly establishes it. He resolves. Then it occurs to him: "What if I, by completely transcending perceptions of form, by the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, by not attending to perceptions of diversity, thinking 'space is infinite,' were to enter and dwell in the dimension of infinite space?" He, without violating the dimension of infinite space, 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 dimension of infinite space. He attends to that sign, develops it, makes it much, establishes it well. Then it occurs to him: "What if I, by completely transcending the dimension of infinite space, thinking 'consciousness is infinite,' were to enter and dwell in the dimension of infinite consciousness?" He, without violating the dimension of infinite consciousness, by completely transcending the dimension of infinite space, thinking 'consciousness is infinite,' enters and dwells in the dimension of infinite consciousness. He attends to that sign, develops it, makes it much, establishes it well. Then it occurs to him: "What if I, by completely transcending the dimension of infinite consciousness, thinking 'there is nothing,' were to enter and dwell in the dimension of nothingness?" He, without violating the dimension of nothingness, by completely transcending the dimension of infinite consciousness, thinking 'there is nothing,' enters and dwells in the dimension of nothingness. He attends to that sign, develops it, makes it much, establishes it well. Then it occurs to him: "What if I, by completely transcending the dimension of nothingness, were to enter and dwell in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception?" He, without violating the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, by completely transcending the dimension of nothingness, enters and dwells in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. He attends to that sign, develops it, makes it much, establishes it well. Then it occurs to him: "What if I, by completely transcending the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, were to enter and dwell in the cessation of perception and feeling?" He, without violating the cessation of perception and feeling, by completely transcending the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, (enters and dwells in) the cessation of perception and feeling. He dwells having entered the cessation. When, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu enters and emerges from that same attainment, his mind is pliant and workable. With a pliant and workable mind, boundless concentration is well-developed. With that boundless, well-developed concentration, to whatever state realizable by direct knowledge he inclines his mind for direct knowledge, in each and every case he attains the capacity to witness it, provided there is an opportunity. If he wishes – ‘May I experience various kinds of psychic power: being one, may I become many; being many, may I become one… and so on… may I exercise mastery with my body even as far as the Brahma world’ – in each and every case he attains the capacity to witness it, provided there is an opportunity. If he wishes – ‘With the divine ear element… and so on… provided there is an opportunity.’ If he wishes – ‘May I know the minds of other beings, other persons, by encompassing them with my own mind: a mind with lust, I know as ‘a mind with lust’; a mind without lust, I know as ‘a mind without lust’; a mind with hate, I know as ‘a mind with hate’; a mind without hate, I know as ‘a mind without hate’; a mind with delusion, I know as ‘a mind with delusion’; a mind without delusion… a constricted mind… a scattered mind… an exalted mind… an unexalted mind… a surpassable mind… an unsurpassable mind… a concentrated mind… an unconcentrated mind… a liberated mind… an unliberated mind, I know as ‘an unliberated mind’ – in each and every case he attains the capacity to witness it, provided there is an opportunity. If he wishes – ‘May I recollect my manifold past lives, that is – one birth, two births… and so on… thus I recollect my manifold past lives with their aspects and details’ – in each and every case he attains the capacity to witness it, provided there is an opportunity. If he wishes – ‘With the divine eye, and… with a purified eye, surpassing human… ‘may he know beings according to their karma,’ he attains the capacity for direct experience in each and every case, in each and every sphere. If he wishes: ‘By the destruction of the taints, may I, having realized for myself with direct knowledge, in this very life, enter upon and abide in the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom,’ he attains the capacity for direct experience in each and every sphere.” Fourth. 5. The Discourse on Jhāna 36. “Monks, I declare the destruction of the taints to be dependent on the first jhāna; Monks, I declare the destruction of the taints to be dependent on the second jhāna; Monks, I declare the destruction of the taints to be dependent on the third jhāna; Monks, I declare the destruction of the taints to be dependent on the fourth jhāna; Monks, I declare the destruction of the taints to be dependent on the sphere of infinite space; Monks, I declare the destruction of the taints to be dependent on the sphere of infinite consciousness; Monks, I declare the destruction of the taints to be dependent on the sphere of nothingness; Monks, I declare the destruction of the taints to be dependent on the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception; Monks, I declare the destruction of the taints to be dependent on the cessation of perception and feeling. “‘Monks, I declare the destruction of the taints to be dependent on the first jhāna’— thus it has been said. And with reference to what has this been said? Here, monks, a monk, quite secluded from sensual pleasures… enters upon and abides in the first jhāna. Whatever there is therein of form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, or consciousness, he sees these states as impermanent, as suffering, as a disease, as a boil, as a dart, as a misery, as an affliction, as alien, as disintegrating, as empty, as not self. He turns his mind away from those states. Having turned his mind away from those states, he directs his mind towards the deathless element. – “This is peaceful, this is sublime: that is, the calming of all fabrications, the relinquishing of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, Nibbāna.” Standing there, he attains the destruction of the taints. If he does not attain the destruction of the taints, then, through that delight in Dhamma, through that joy in Dhamma, with the destruction of the five lower fetters, he becomes an apparitional being, there attaining final Nibbāna, never to return from that world. Just as, bhikkhus, an archer or an archer’s apprentice, having practiced on a straw dummy or a mound of clay, after some time becomes a long-range shooter, a quick-shot, and a piercer of great bodies; even so, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, quite secluded from sensual pleasures… …he enters and dwells in the first jhāna. Whatever there is there of form, of feeling, of perception, of fabrications, of consciousness, he sees those phenomena as impermanent, as suffering, as a disease, as a boil, as a dart, as an affliction, as an ailment, as alien, as disintegrating, as empty, as not-self. He turns his mind away from those phenomena. Having turned his mind away from those phenomena, he directs his mind to the Deathless element: “This is peaceful, this is sublime: that is, the calming of all fabrications, the relinquishing of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving,