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than at the natural point of contact. But just as a farmer, having tilled his field, released his oxen, and turned them towards pasture, would sit in the shade and rest; then those oxen might quickly enter the forest. The clever farmer, who wants to catch them again and yoke them, does not go after them, wandering through the forest. Instead, taking the rope and the goad, he goes straight to their watering place and sits or lies down. Then, seeing those oxen, after grazing for part of the day, descending to the watering place, bathing and drinking, and standing after coming back up, he binds them with the rope, and prodding them with the goad, brings them and yokes them. And again, he performs the practice; Just so, by that bhikkhu, those in-breaths and out-breaths should not be sought elsewhere than at the natural point of contact. But taking the rope of mindfulness and the goad of wisdom, placing the mind at the natural point of contact, attention should be directed. For him, thus attending, soon they appear, like oxen at a watering place. Then, by him, binding them with the rope of mindfulness, yoking them at that very spot, and piercing them with the goad of wisdom, the meditation subject should be repeatedly applied. For him, thus repeatedly applying, soon the sign appears. But this sign is not the same for all; rather, for some, producing a pleasant sensation, it appears like a tuft of cotton, like a wisp of cotton, or like a current of wind, so some say. But this is the commentary's determination – for some, it appears like the form of a star, like a gem-ball, or like a pearl-ball. For some, being a rough sensation, it appears like a cotton seed, or like a needle of hard wood. For some, like a long cotton thread, like a garland of flowers, or like a wisp of smoke. For some, like an extended spider's web, like a cloud mass, like a lotus flower, like a chariot wheel, like the moon's disk, or like the sun's disk. And this is like when many bhikkhus, having recited a Sutta and being seated, one bhikkhu asked, "How does this Sutta appear to you?" And one said, "To me, it appears like a great mountain river." Another, "To me, like a forest grove." Another, "To me, like a cool-shaded tree, full of branches, laden with fruit." For them, that one Sutta appears differently due to the diversity of perception. Thus, the one meditation subject appears differently due to the diversity of perception. For this is born of perception, rooted in perception, originating from perception; therefore, it should be understood that it appears differently due to the diversity of perception. And here, the mind whose object is the in-breath is one thing, and the mind whose object is the out-breath is another. the sign, another sign-object. For one who does not have these three qualities, his meditation does not reach either absorption or access. But for one who has these three qualities, his meditation reaches both absorption and access. For it has been said: “The sign, the in-breaths and out-breaths, For one mind, without an object; Not knowing the three qualities, The development is not attained. “The sign, the in-breaths and out-breaths, For one mind, without an object; Knowing the three qualities, The development is attained.” When such a sign has arisen, that bhikkhu should go to the teacher and report: “Venerable sir, such a sign has arisen for me.” The teacher, however, should not say “This is a sign” or “This is not a sign.” But having said “It is like this, friend,” he should say “Attend to it again and again.” For if he says “It is a sign,” he might become complacent; if he says “It is not a sign,” he might become disheartened and dejected. Therefore, without saying either of these, he should be enjoined to attend to it. Thus say the Long Reciters. But the Middle Reciters say: “Friend, this is a sign. Attend to this meditation object again and again, good man, he should be told.” Then he should fix his mind on the sign itself. Thus, from this point onwards, his development is by way of fixing. For it has been said by the ancients: “Fixing the mind on the sign, Developing it in various ways; The wise one binds his own mind To the in-breaths and out-breaths.” From the arising of that sign, the hindrances are indeed suppressed, the defilements are indeed settled, mindfulness is indeed established, the mind is indeed concentrated. For the mind is said to be concentrated in two ways: either by the abandonment of the hindrances in the access stage, or by the manifestation of the factors in the attainment stage. Here, “access stage” means access concentration; “attainment stage” means absorption concentration. What is the difference between them? The access concentration, having run in the wholesome thought-process, descends into the life-continuum. The absorption concentration, having been attained while one is seated during the daytime, runs in the wholesome thought-process even during the daytime, and does not descend into the life-continuum. Among these two concentrations, the mind is concentrated with access concentration through the manifestation of the sign. Then by him that sign should not be attended to by its color, nor should it be reviewed by its characteristic. But rather, like the embryo of a universal monarch for a royal queen, or like the embryo of rice and barley for a farmer, it should be guarded diligently; for being guarded, it becomes fruitful. "To one who guards the sign, No loss is found; When there is no guarding, What is gained is lost." Herein, this is the method of guarding: that bhikkhu, avoiding these seven unsuitable things—abode, alms-round, talk, person, food, season, posture—and cultivating those same seven suitable things, should repeatedly attend to that sign. Thus, having made the sign firm by cultivating suitable things, and having brought it to growth and development, one should practice diligently, not abandoning these ten skills for absorption: purification of the base, bringing the faculties to equipoise, skill in the sign, at the time when the mind should be uplifted, uplifting the mind; at the time when the mind should be restrained, restraining the mind; at the time when the mind should be gladdened, gladdening the mind; at the time when the mind should be looked on with equanimity, looking on the mind with equanimity; avoiding unconcentrated persons, associating with concentrated persons, and being devoted to that. To him who thus dwells diligently, thinking, "Now absorption will arise," the life-continuum is interrupted, and mind-door adverting arises, taking the sign as its object. When that ceases, taking that same object, four or five impulsion moments arise, of which the first is preparation, the second is access, the third is conformity. the fourth is Gotrabhu, the fifth is Appanā-citta. Or, the first is both Parikamma and Upacāra, the second is Anuloma, the third is Gotrabhu, the fourth is Appanā-citta, so it is said. For it is the fourth or fifth that is fixed, not the sixth or seventh, due to the proximity of falling into the Bhavanga. But the Elder Abhidhammika Godatta said: “By the condition of repetition, wholesome states become strong; therefore, it fixes the sixth or seventh.” This is rejected in the commentaries. There, the preliminary thoughts are sense-sphere thoughts, but the Appanā-citta is a fine-material-sphere thought. Thus, by him, the first jhāna, which has five factors abandoned, is endowed with five factors, possesses ten characteristics, is threefold excellent, is attained. He, having calmed the vitakka and so on in that same object, attains the second, third, and fourth jhānas. And by this much, in terms of establishment, the development has reached its conclusion. This is the brief account here. For an extensive account, one who desires it should take it from the Visuddhimagga. Thus, the bhikkhu here, having attained the fourth jhāna, desiring to achieve purity by developing the meditation subject through the process of discerning and turning away, makes that same jhāna proficient and masterful by the five modes called adverting, entering, resolving, emerging, and reviewing. Then, having comprehended mind-and-matter, either matter preceded by mind, or mind preceded by matter, he establishes insight. How? For he, having emerged from the jhāna, comprehends the jhāna factors, the heart-base, their support, and the elements dependent on it, and the entire body born of kamma dependent on them. Then, he distinguishes mind-and-matter, saying: “The jhāna factors are mind, the base and so on are matter.” Or else, having emerged from the attainment, he comprehends the four elements, such as the earth element, in the hair and so on, in the constituent parts, and the material qualities dependent on them. Then, he discerns consciousness, with its associated states, either with the comprehended material object as its object, or with the comprehended material base and door as its object. he sees. Then "the elements and so forth are form, consciousness with its associated states is formless," he defines. Or else, having emerged from attainment, he sees that the origin of in-breaths and out-breaths is the body born of kamma and the mind. Just as indeed when a blacksmith's bellows are being blown, dependent on the bellows and the man's corresponding effort, air circulates; even so, dependent on the body and the mind, are the in-breaths and out-breaths. Then the in-breaths and out-breaths and the body are form, and the mind and its associated states are formless, he defines. Thus having defined mind-and-matter, he seeks its cause, and having sought and found it, he overcomes doubt concerning the arising of mind-and-matter in all three times. Having overcome doubt, by way of comprehending groups, he applies the three characteristics, and having abandoned the ten imperfections of insight such as the light,