English
''That boy, Upāli, at a later time, having grown up, having matured in his faculties, plays with whatever toys children have, such as – a crooked stick, a rattle, a swing, a spinning top, a toy cart, a toy chariot, a toy bow. What do you think, Upāli, isn't this play more excellent and more refined than the former play?'' ''Yes, venerable sir.'' ''That boy, Upāli, at a later time, having grown up, having matured in his faculties, is endowed and furnished with the five strands of sensual pleasure, enjoying forms cognizable by the eye, desirable, lovely, agreeable, pleasing, associated with sensuality, arousing passion; sounds cognizable by the ear... odors cognizable by the nose... tastes cognizable by the tongue... tactile objects cognizable by the body, desirable, lovely, agreeable, pleasing, associated with sensuality, arousing passion. What do you think, Upāli, isn't this play more excellent and more refined than the former plays?'' ''Yes, venerable sir.'' ''Here, Upāli, a Tathāgata arises in the world, an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, endowed with knowledge and conduct, a Fortunate One, a Knower of the worlds, an unsurpassed Trainer of persons to be tamed, a Teacher of gods and humans, a Buddha, a Blessed One. He, having directly known and realized this world with its devas, Māras, and Brahmās, with its recluses and brahmins, with its gods and humans, proclaims it. He teaches the Dhamma, which is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with its meaning and its letter, and he makes known the entirely complete and purified holy life. ''A householder or a householder's son, or one born into some other family, hears that Dhamma. Having heard that Dhamma, he He gains faith in the Tathagata. Endowed with that gained faith, he reflects thus: ‘Confined is the household life, a path of dust. Open is the going forth. It is not easy, while living in a home, to lead the holy life utterly perfect, utterly pure, polished like a conch shell. What if I were to shave off my hair and beard, put on saffron robes, and go forth from home to homelessness?’ So, at a later time, having abandoned a small or large fortune, having abandoned a small or large circle of relatives, he shaves off his hair and beard, puts on saffron robes, and goes forth from home to homelessness. Having thus gone forth, he undertakes the training and livelihood of bhikkhus. Having abandoned the taking of life, he abstains from the taking of life. He dwells with rod laid down, with weapon laid down, conscientious, compassionate, sympathetic to all living beings. Having abandoned the taking of what is not given, he abstains from the taking of what is not given. He is a taker of what is given, expecting what is given. He dwells with a pure self, not by theft. Having abandoned unchastity, he is chaste. He lives apart, abstaining from sexual intercourse, the village custom. Having abandoned false speech, he abstains from false speech. He is a speaker of truth, bound to truth, firm, reliable, not a deceiver of the world. Having abandoned divisive speech, he abstains from divisive speech. Having heard something here, he does not repeat it there to cause a rift between these people. Having heard something there, he does not repeat it here to cause a rift between those people. Thus, he is a reconciler of those who are divided, a promoter of those who are united. He delights in concord, rejoices in concord, is pleased with concord. He speaks words that create concord. Having abandoned harsh speech, he abstains from harsh speech. He speaks words that are gentle, pleasing to the ear, affectionate, going to the heart, courteous, agreeable to many, pleasing to many. Having abandoned idle chatter, he abstains from idle chatter. He speaks at the right time, speaks what is factual, speaks what is beneficial, speaks about the Dhamma, He speaks words of discipline, words that are treasured, spoken at the right time, with reason, limited, and connected with the goal. He abstains from harming seeds and plants. He eats once a day, abstaining from food at night, and from untimely food. He abstains from seeing dancing, singing, and instrumental music, from wearing garlands, perfumes, and ointments, from adornment and beautification, from high and luxurious beds, from accepting gold and silver, from accepting raw grain, from accepting raw meat, from accepting women and girls, from accepting male and female slaves, from accepting goats and sheep, from accepting chickens and pigs, from accepting elephants, cattle, horses, and mares, from accepting fields and land, from engaging in messages and errands, from buying and selling, from falsifying scales, weights, and measures, from bribery, deception, fraud, and crookedness, from cutting, killing, binding, robbery, plunder, and violence. He is content with robes to protect his body, and almsfood to fill his stomach. Wherever he goes, he takes only these with him, just as a bird, wherever it flies, flies with only its wings as a burden. In the same way, a monk is content with robes to protect his body, and almsfood to fill his stomach. Wherever he goes, he takes only these with him. Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, he experiences an blameless joy within himself. Seeing a form with the eye, he does not grasp at its general appearance or its details. He practices for the restraint of that through which, if the eye-faculty were unrestrained, evil unwholesome states of covetousness and displeasure might flow in upon him; he guards the eye-faculty, he undertakes the restraint of the eye-faculty. He hears a sound with the ear, smells a scent with the nose, tastes a flavor with the tongue, touches a tangible with the body, discerns a mental object with the mind, he is not a seizer of signs, nor a seizer of details. For that reason, wherever the mind-faculty, dwelling unrestrained, might be assailed by evil unwholesome states of covetousness and distress, he practices for its restraint; he guards the mind-faculty, he undertakes the restraint of the mind-faculty. Endowed with this noble restraint of the faculties, he experiences within himself a blameless ease. He acts with clear comprehension when going forward and returning, he acts with clear comprehension when looking ahead and looking around, he acts with clear comprehension when bending and stretching, he acts with clear comprehension when wearing his robes and carrying his bowl, he acts with clear comprehension when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting, he acts with clear comprehension when defecating and urinating, he acts with clear comprehension when walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking, and remaining silent. Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, endowed with this noble restraint of of the faculties, endowed with this noble mindfulness and clear comprehension, he resorts to a secluded dwelling: a forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a cave, a mountain grotto, 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, having set his body erect, having established mindfulness in front of him. Having abandoned covetousness for the world, he dwells with a mind free from covetousness, he purifies his mind from covetousness. Having abandoned ill-will and hatred, he dwells with a mind free from ill-will, compassionate for all living beings, he purifies his mind from ill-will and hatred. Having abandoned sloth and torpor, he dwells free from sloth and torpor, perceiving light, mindful and clearly comprehending, he purifies his mind from sloth and torpor. Having abandoned restlessness and remorse, he dwells unagitated, with his mind inwardly peaceful, he purifies his mind from restlessness and remorse. Having abandoned doubt, He dwells having crossed over doubt, without perplexity in wholesome states, he purifies his mind from doubt. Having abandoned these five hindrances, defilements of the mind that weaken wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, he enters and dwells in the first jhana, which is accompanied by initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, and filled with rapture and pleasure. What do you think, Upāli, 'Is not this dwelling more excellent and more sublime than the previous dwellings?' 'Yes, venerable sir.' Yet, Upāli, my disciples, seeing the Dhamma within themselves, resort to remote forest and wilderness dwellings, but they do not yet dwell having attained their true goal. Furthermore, Upāli, a bhikkhu, with the fading away of initial and sustained application... enters and dwells in the second jhana. What do you think, Upāli, 'Is not this dwelling more excellent and more sublime than the previous dwellings?' 'Yes, venerable sir.' Yet, Upāli, my disciples, seeing the Dhamma within themselves, resort to remote forest and wilderness dwellings, but they do not yet dwell having attained their true goal. Furthermore, Upāli, a bhikkhu, with the fading away of rapture... enters and dwells in the third jhana. What do you think, Upāli, 'Is not this dwelling more excellent and more sublime than the previous dwellings?' 'Yes, venerable sir.' Yet, Upāli, my disciples, seeing the Dhamma within themselves, resort to remote forest and wilderness dwellings, but they do not yet dwell having attained their true goal. Furthermore, Upāli, a bhikkhu, with the abandoning of pleasure... enters and dwells in the fourth jhana... Furthermore, Upāli, a bhikkhu, with the complete transcending of perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of sensory impact, with non-attention to perceptions of diversity, thinking 'space is infinite,' enters and dwells in the dimension of infinite space. What do you think, Upāli, 'Is not this dwelling more excellent than the previous dwell...'