English
If, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu devoted to higher mind were to attend only to the sign of concentration, that is the occasion for the mind to tend to laziness. If, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu devoted to higher mind were to attend only to the sign of If a bhikkhu, devoted to heightened mind, Only attends to the steadying sign, That could make the mind restless. And if, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, Devoted to heightened mind, Only attends to the sign of equanimity, That could keep the mind from true concentration, For the destruction of the taints. But when, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, Devoted to heightened mind, Attends at times to the sign of concentration, To the sign of exertion, To the sign of equanimity, Then that mind becomes pliant, workable, and radiant, And not brittle, It becomes rightly concentrated, For the destruction of the taints. "Just as, bhikkhus, a goldsmith or a goldsmith's apprentice Kindles a furnace, Having kindled the furnace, he moistens its mouth, Having moistened its mouth, He takes gold with tongs, And puts it in the furnace mouth, Having put it in the furnace mouth, He blows on it at times, He sprinkles it with water at times, He looks on with equanimity at times. If, bhikkhus, the goldsmith or goldsmith's apprentice Only blew on that gold, That gold would burn. If, bhikkhus, the goldsmith or goldsmith's apprentice Only sprinkled that gold with water, That gold would cool down. If, bhikkhus, the goldsmith or goldsmith's apprentice Only looked on with equanimity at that gold, That gold would not reach proper maturity. "But when, bhikkhus, the goldsmith or goldsmith's apprentice Blows on that gold at times, Sprinkles it with water at times, Looks on with equanimity at times, Then that gold becomes pliant, workable, and radiant, And not brittle, It rightly lends itself to the work; And whatever kind of ornament he wants – Whether a belt, or an earring, or a necklace, or a gold chain – He accomplishes his purpose. "So too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu devoted to heightened mind… …becomes rightly concentrated, For the destruction of the taints. Do not fixate, for the destruction of defilements; and to whatever state knowable by higher knowledge, the mind is directed, for the realization of higher knowledge, in that very state, one attains the capacity for realization, with the presence of a suitable basis. This sutta should be understood as "higher mind." "Monks, a bhikkhu endowed with six qualities is capable of realizing the unsurpassed coolness. Which six? Here, monks, a bhikkhu, at the time when the mind should be restrained, restrains the mind; at the time when the mind should be encouraged, encourages the mind; at the time when the mind should be gladdened, gladdens the mind; at the time when the mind should be regarded with equanimity, regards the mind with equanimity; and is intent on the sublime, and delights in Nibbana. Monks, a bhikkhu endowed with these six qualities is capable of realizing the unsurpassed coolness." This sutta should be understood as "coolness." Skill in the factors of enlightenment, however, "Just so, monks, at the time when the mind is sluggish, it is not the time for cultivating the enlightenment factor of tranquility," comes in the Factors of Enlightenment section of the Great Chapter in the Connected Discourses. Thus, having well grasped these seven kinds of grasping skill, and having well established these ten kinds of attention skill, that yogi should properly grasp the meditation subject by way of both skills. But if it is comfortable for him to stay in the same monastery with the teacher, without having it explained in detail in this way, while applying himself to the meditation subject, having attained a distinction, he should have it explained further and further. One who desires to dwell elsewhere, having had it explained in detail by the method described, and having repeatedly reviewed it, having cut off all the knots, and having abandoned a dwelling unsuitable for the cultivation of the meditation subject, in a suitable one, free from the eighteen faults such as great dwelling places, Dwelling in a monastery, cutting off minor hindrances, one of passionate temperament, since passion must be abandoned, should make preliminary effort in repulsive reflection. While doing so, first take the mark of the hair. How? Pluck one or two hairs, place them on the palm, and discern their color. It is proper to examine the cut end of the hair; it is proper to examine it in a water bowl or gruel bowl. Seeing it as black, reflect on it as black; seeing it as white, as white. If mixed, reflect according to the dominant trait. Just as with the hair, so with the entire fivefold skin, take the mark after seeing it. Having taken the mark thus, discern in all the sections according to color, shape, direction, location, and boundary, and discern as repulsive in five ways according to color, shape, smell, location, and space. Here is the sequential account of all the sections – the hair, by natural color, is black, like the color of the addāriṭṭha fruit; by shape, it is a long cylinder, like the shape of a balance beam; by direction, it grows upward; by location, on both sides by the ear conches, in front by the forehead's edge, behind by the throat's passage. The moist skin covering the head is the location of the hair. By boundary, the hair, having penetrated the head-covering skin by the measure of a grain tip, is established below by its own root base, above by the sky, sideways by each other. 'Two hairs are not one' – this is the boundary of shared nature. 'Hair is not body hair, body hair is not hair' – thus, unmixed with the remaining thirty-one sections, hair is named a distinct section – this is the boundary of distinct nature. This is the discernment of hair from color onwards. This, however, is the fivefold discernment of them as repulsive according to color, etc. – hair is repulsive in color, in shape, in smell, in location, and in space. Even in a pleasing gruel bowl or rice bowl, the color of hair, even a little, is repulsive. Seeing them, they are disgusted, saying, "This is a mixture of hair, take it away." Thus, hairs are repulsive in color. Even while eating at night, they cover up the hair's arrangement, like an akkavāka or a makacivāka, and are still disgusted. Thus, they are repulsive in shape. And the smell of hair without oil, unguent, flowers, smoke, etc., is extremely disgusting, even more disgusting than when thrown into a fire. Even if hairs were not repulsive in color and shape, they are certainly repulsive in smell. Just as the excrement of a young child is yellow in color, and like a lump of turmeric in shape; and a dog's corpse, thrown in a refuse heap, is the color of ripe palm fruit, and the shape of a round, burst-open mudinga, and its teeth are like sumanā buds, both of these may not be repulsive in color and shape, but are certainly repulsive in smell; so too, hairs may not be repulsive in color and shape, but are certainly repulsive in smell. Just as edible leaves growing from village drainage in a filthy place are disgusting and unfit for consumption to civilized people, so too, hairs are extremely disgusting because they originate from the drainage of pus, blood, urine, feces, bile, and phlegm; this is their repulsiveness "by origin." And these hairs, like a mushroom arising in a dung heap, arise in a heap of thirty-one parts. Like vegetables growing in a charnel ground or refuse heap, and like lotus and water lily flowers growing in ditches, etc., they are extremely disgusting because they grow in a filthy place; this is their repulsiveness "by location." And just as with hairs, so too, the repulsiveness of all parts should be determined in five ways: by color, shape, smell, origin, and location. But all should be determined individually by way of color, shape, direction, location, and limitation. There, body hairs, unlike hairs, are not uniformly black in their natural color, but are blackish-brown; in shape, they are like palm roots with bent tips; in direction, Born in two directions; Established, leaving space for the hair, And the palms of the hands and soles of the feet; Born mostly on the skin enveloping the rest of the body; Limited by the skin enveloping the body, Entering the size of a louse, Established with its base below, The sky above, And bounded on the sides by each other. Two hairs are not one. This is their shared limitation. But the dissimilar limitation is just like that of hair. Nails, named the twenty nail plates. All of them are white in color; In shape, like fish scales; In direction, the toenails are born in the lower direction, The fingernails in the upper direction, thus born in two directions; In space, established on the upper surfaces of the fingertips; Limited in two directions by the flesh at the tips of the fingers, Inside by the flesh on the back of the fingers, Outside and at the tip by the sky, And bounded on the sides by each other. Two nails are not one. This is their shared limitation. But the dissimilar limitation is just like that of hair. Teeth, for a person with complete teeth, are thirty-two tooth bones. Those too are white in color; In shape, of various shapes. For in the lower row of teeth, In the middle, four teeth are shaped Like gourd seeds placed in order in a lump of clay. On both sides of those, one with one root and one point, Shaped like a jasmine bud. Then one with two roots and two points, Shaped like a support for a vehicle. Then two with three roots and three points. Then two with four roots and four points. The same method applies to the upper row as well. In direction, born in the upper direction. In space, established in the two jawbones. Limited below by its base established in the jawbone, Above by the sky, And bounded on the sides by each other. Two teeth are not one. This is their shared limitation. But the dissimilar limitation is just like that of hair.