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And what is the inclination of beings? There are beings of low inclination, there are beings of noble inclination. Beings of low inclination associate with, frequent, and attend upon beings of low inclination. Beings of noble inclination associate with, frequent, and attend upon beings of noble inclination. Even in the past, beings of low inclination associated with, frequented, and attended upon beings of low inclination. Beings of noble inclination associated with, frequented, and attended upon beings of noble inclination. they were. Even in the future time, beings of inferior inclination will associate with, frequent, attend upon beings of inferior inclination. Beings of noble inclination will associate with, frequent, attend upon beings of noble inclination. This is the inclination of beings. 819. Which are those beings with much defilement? Ten bases of defilement – greed, hatred, delusion, conceit, wrong view, doubt, sloth, restlessness, shamelessness, fearlessness of wrongdoing. Those beings for whom these ten bases of defilement have been practiced, developed, made much of, brought to excess, these are those beings with much defilement. 820. Which are those beings with little defilement? Those beings for whom these ten bases of defilement have not been practiced, not developed, not made much of, not brought to excess, these are those beings with little defilement. 821. Which are those beings with dull faculties? Five faculties – the faculty of faith, the faculty of energy, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, the faculty of wisdom. Those beings for whom these five faculties have not been practiced, not developed, not made much of, not brought to excess, these are those beings with dull faculties. 822. Which are those beings with keen faculties? Those beings for whom these five faculties have been practiced, developed, made much of, brought to excess, these are those beings with keen faculties. 823. Which are those beings of poor character? Those beings who are of evil disposition, of evil underlying tendencies, of evil conduct, of evil inclination, with much defilement, with dull faculties, these are those beings of poor character. 824. Which are those beings of good character? Those beings who are of good disposition, of good conduct, of good inclination, with little defilement, with keen faculties, these are those beings of good character. 825. Which are those beings difficult to instruct? And those beings who are of poor character, those very beings are difficult to instruct. And those beings who are of good character, those very beings are easy to instruct. 826. Which are those beings incapable? Those beings who are endowed with a karmic hindrance, endowed with a defilement hindrance, endowed with a result-of-karma hindrance, without faith, without desire, of poor wisdom, incapable of entering the fixed path. to enter into certainty in wholesome states, these beings are incapable. 827. Which beings are capable? Those beings who are not endowed with a karma-obstruction, who are not endowed with a defilement-obstruction, who are not endowed with a result-obstruction, who are faithful, desirous, wise, are capable of entering the fixed course into certainty in wholesome states; these beings are capable. That wisdom, understanding there… non-delusion, investigation of phenomena, right view – this is the Tathāgata’s knowledge as it really is of the superiority and inferiority of the faculties of other beings, of other individuals. 828. (7) Therein, what is the Tathāgata’s knowledge as it really is of the defilement and purification of the jhānas, deliverances, concentrations, and attainments? Meditators. Four meditators. Some meditator considers an attainment to be a failure, some meditator considers a failure to be an attainment, some meditator considers an attainment to be an attainment, some meditator considers a failure to be a failure – these are the four meditators. Again, four meditators. Some meditator enters slowly, emerges quickly, some meditator enters quickly, emerges slowly, some meditator enters slowly, emerges slowly, some meditator enters quickly, emerges quickly – these are the four meditators. Again, four meditators. Some meditator is skilled in concentration regarding concentration, but not skilled in attainment regarding concentration; some meditator is skilled in attainment regarding concentration, but not skilled in concentration regarding concentration; some meditator is skilled in concentration regarding concentration, and skilled in attainment regarding concentration; some meditator is neither skilled in concentration regarding concentration, nor skilled in attainment regarding concentration – these are the four meditators. "Jhāna." Four jhānas – the first jhāna, the second jhāna, the third jhāna, the fourth jhāna. Now. “Liberation,” it is said. Eight liberations. One having form sees forms— this is the first liberation. Internally perceiving formlessness, externally sees forms— this is the second liberation. One is intent only on the beautiful— this is the third liberation. By completely transcending perceptions of form, by the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, by not attending to perceptions of diversity, thinking, “Space is infinite,” one enters and dwells in the dimension of infinite space— this is the fourth liberation. By completely transcending the dimension of infinite space, thinking, “Consciousness is infinite,” one enters and dwells in the dimension of infinite consciousness— this is the fifth liberation. By completely transcending the dimension of infinite consciousness, thinking, “There is nothing,” one enters and dwells in the dimension of nothingness— this is the sixth liberation. By completely transcending the dimension of nothingness, one enters and dwells in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception— this is the seventh liberation. By completely transcending the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, one enters and dwells in the cessation of perception and feeling— this is the eighth liberation. “Concentration,” it is said. Three concentrations: concentration with initial application and sustained application, concentration without initial application, only with sustained application, concentration without initial application and without sustained application. “Attainments,” it is said. Nine successive dwelling attainments: attainment of the first jhana, attainment of the second jhana, attainment of the third jhana, attainment of the fourth jhana, attainment of the dimension of infinite space, attainment of the dimension of infinite consciousness, attainment of the dimension of nothingness, attainment of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling. “Defilement,” it is said, is a quality leading to decline. “Purification,” it is said, is a quality leading to distinction. “Emergence,” it is said. Purification is also emergence, and emergence from each of those concentrations is also emergence. Whatever wisdom, understanding... non-delusion, investigation of phenomena, right view— this is the Tathāgata's knowledge as it truly is of the defilement, purification, and emergence from the jhānas, liberations, concentrations, and attainments. 829. (8) Now, what is that The Tathāgata's knowledge of past lives as it really is? Here the Tathāgata recollects manifold past abodes, that is to say – one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births; many eons of world-contraction, many eons of world-expansion, many eons of world-contraction and expansion. "I was there, named thus, of such a clan, of such an appearance, with such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose there. There I was, named thus, of such a clan, of such an appearance, with such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose here." Thus, with all its modes and features, he recollects manifold past abodes. That wisdom, that understanding there... non-delusion, investigation of phenomena, right view – this is the Tathāgata's knowledge of past lives as it really is. 830. (9) What then is the Tathāgata's knowledge of the passing away and reappearing of beings as it really is? Here the Tathāgata, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing human, sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ill-favored, well-fared and ill-fared; he discerns beings according to their deeds – "These venerable beings, endowed with misconduct of body, endowed with misconduct of speech, endowed with misconduct of mind, revilers of the noble ones, holding wrong view, undertaking deeds based on wrong view. They, at the breaking up of the body, after death, reappear in a state of woe, a bad destination, a downfall, hell. Or these venerable beings, endowed with good conduct of body, endowed with good conduct of speech, endowed with good conduct of mind, not revilers of the noble ones, holding right view, undertaking deeds based on right view. They, at the breaking up of the body, after death, reappear in a good destination, a heavenly world." Thus, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing human by which he sees beings passing away, being reborn, inferior, superior, beautiful, ugly, well-destined, ill-destined, he understands beings according to their kamma. That wisdom, understanding there... non-delusion, investigation of phenomena, right view— this is the Tathāgata's knowledge of the passing away and rebirth of beings as it really is. 831. (10) Therein, what is the Tathāgata's knowledge of the destruction of the taints as it really is? Here, the Tathāgata,