English
He, having abandoned these five hindrances, defilements of the mind that weaken wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, with initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure, enters and dwells in the first jhana. With the fading away of initial and sustained application, with internal assurance and unification of mind, without initial application and sustained application, born of concentration, with rapture and pleasure, enters and dwells in the second jhana. With the fading away of rapture, he dwells equanimous, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences pleasure with the body, that of which the noble ones declare: "equanimous, mindful, dwelling in pleasure" – enters and dwells in the third jhana. With the abandoning of pleasure and the abandoning of pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and sorrow, without pleasure and pain, purified by equanimity and mindfulness, enters and dwells in the fourth jhana. With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliable, workable, steady, attained to imperturbability, he directs his mind to the knowledge of recollecting past lives. He recollects his manifold past lives, that is to say: one birth, two births, three births, even four births, even five births, even ten births, even twenty births, even thirty births, even forty births, even fifty births, even a hundred births, even a thousand births, even a hundred thousand births, even many eons of contraction, even many eons of expansion, even many eons of contraction and expansion— "There I was, with such a name, of such a clan, of such a color, eating such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose yonder. There too I was, with such a name, of such a clan, of such a color, eating such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose here." Thus he recollects his manifold past existences, with their modes and details. 184. With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines his mind to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings. With the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in happy destinations and in miserable destinations, and he understands them as they fare according to their kamma: "Indeed, these beings, honored sirs, were endowed with misconduct of body, misconduct of speech, misconduct of mind, revilers of noble ones, holding wrong views, undertaking actions based on wrong views. With the breakup of the body, after death, they have reappeared in a state of deprivation, a miserable destination, a downfall, in hell. Or again, these beings, honored sirs, were endowed with good conduct of body, good conduct of speech, good conduct of mind, not revilers of noble ones, holding right views, undertaking actions based on right views. With the breakup of the body, after death, they have reappeared in a happy destination, in the heavenly world." Thus, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in happy destinations and in miserable destinations, and he understands them as they fare according to their kamma. 185. With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant When it is ready, workable, steady, having attained imperturbability, he inclines his mind to the knowledge of the destruction of the taints. He understands "this is suffering" as it really is. He understands "this is the origin of suffering" as it really is. He understands "this is the cessation of suffering" as it really is. He understands "this is the path leading to the cessation of suffering" as it really is. He understands "these are the taints" as it really is. He understands "this is the origin of the taints" as it really is. He understands "this is the cessation of the taints" as it really is. He understands "this is the path leading to the cessation of the taints" as it really is. For him who knows thus, who sees thus, his mind is liberated from the taint of sensual desire, his mind is liberated from the taint of existence, his mind is liberated from the taint of ignorance. When liberated, the knowledge "it is liberated" arises. He understands: "Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what was to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being." Such a person is neither one who torments himself, nor devoted to the practice of self-torment, nor one who torments others, nor devoted to the practice of tormenting others. He, not tormenting himself, not tormenting others, in this very life, is free from craving, extinguished, cooled, experiencing happiness, and dwells with a mind become divine. 186. And what kind of person is "with lust"? The person whose lust is not abandoned, this person is called "with lust". And what kind of person is "with hatred"? The person whose hatred is not abandoned, this person is called "with hatred". And what kind of person is "with delusion"? The person whose delusion is not abandoned, this person is called "with delusion". And what kind of person is "with conceit"? The person whose conceit is not abandoned, this person is called "with conceit". 187. And how is a person a recipient of internal mental tranquility, but not a recipient of higher wisdom insight into phenomena? Here, some person is a recipient of attainments associated with form or associated with formlessness, but not a recipient of the supramundane path or its fruit. Thus, a person is a recipient of internal mental tranquility, but not a recipi... for higher wisdom Dhamma insight. How is a person a gainer of higher wisdom Dhamma insight, not a gainer of inner mental tranquility? Here, a certain person is a gainer of the supramundane path or its fruit, not a gainer of attainments associated with form or associated with formlessness. Thus, a person is a gainer of higher wisdom Dhamma insight, not a gainer of inner mental tranquility. How is a person both a gainer of inner mental tranquility and a gainer of higher wisdom Dhamma insight? Here, a certain person is a gainer of attainments associated with form or associated with formlessness, is a gainer of the supramundane path or its fruit. Thus, a person is both a gainer of inner mental tranquility and a gainer of higher wisdom Dhamma insight. How is a person neither a gainer of inner mental tranquility nor a gainer of higher wisdom Dhamma insight? Here, a certain person is neither a gainer of attainments associated with form nor associated with formlessness, nor a gainer of the supramundane path or its fruit. Thus, a person is neither a gainer of inner mental tranquility nor a gainer of higher wisdom Dhamma insight. 188. And what person is a follower of the stream? Here, a certain person indulges in sensual pleasures and performs evil deeds. This person is called "a follower of the stream." And what person is a going-against-the-stream? Here, a certain person does not indulge in sensual pleasures and does not perform evil deeds. He, even with suffering, even with sorrow, weeping with a tearful face, practices the complete and pure holy life. This person is called "a going-against-the-stream." And what person is one with a steady self? Here, a certain person, with the destruction of the five lower fetters, is reborn spontaneously, there attains final Nibbāna, not liable to return from that world. This person is called "one with a steady self." And what person is one who has crossed over, gone to the other shore, stands on dry land, a brahmin? Here, Which person, by the destruction of the taints, having realized for himself by direct knowledge the taintless liberation of mind, the liberation by wisdom, in this very life, abides having attained it? This person is called one who has crossed over, gone to the far shore, a brahmin standing on firm ground. 189. And how is a person of little learning, not endowed with learning? Here, for some person, there is little learning: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, 'as it was said' discourses, birth stories, wonderful phenomena, question-and-answer discourses. He, of that little learning, does not understand the meaning, does not understand the Dhamma, does not practice in accordance with the Dhamma. Thus is a person of little learning, not endowed with learning. And how is a person of little learning, endowed with learning? Here, for some person, there is little learning: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, 'as it was said' discourses, birth stories, wonderful phenomena, question-and-answer discourses. He, of that little learning, understands the meaning, understands the Dhamma, practices in accordance with the Dhamma. Thus is a person of little learning, endowed with learning. And how is a person of much learning, not endowed with learning? Here, for some person, there is much learning: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, 'as it was said' discourses, birth stories, wonderful phenomena, question-and-answer discourses. He, of that much learning, does not understand the meaning, does not understand the Dhamma, does not practice in accordance with the Dhamma. Thus is a person of much learning, not endowed with learning. And how is a person of much learning, endowed with learning? Here, for some person, there is much learning: discourses, mixed prose and verse, expositions, verses, inspired utterances, 'as it was said' discourses, birth stories, wonderful phenomena,