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under being near a field. Where there are incompatible individuals, where monks who are mutually hostile dwell, those who quarrel, when restrained, saying, "Please, venerable sirs, do not do this!" become those who say, "We have been ruined since the arrival of this rag-robe wearer!" And if it is near a water port or a land port, there people who have frequently arrived by boats and caravans cause discomfort by pressing for, "Give us space! Give us water! Give us salt!" But among people near the frontier, they are not pleased with the Buddha and others. Near the border of a kingdom, there is fear of kings. For one king attacks that region, saying, "It does not belong to my dominion!" And the other also says, "It does not belong to my dominion!" There, this monk sometimes wanders in the realm of this king, sometimes in that one's. Then, thinking him to be "a spy," they bring him to misfortune and calamity. Unsuitable means unsuitability due to the coming together of incompatible objects like forms, or due to being possessed by non-humans. Here is a story about this. It is said that a certain elder dwelt in the forest. i. Then a certain ogress, standing at the door of the leaf-hut, sang. He came out and stood at the door. She went and sang at the end of the walk. The Elder went to the end of the walk. She stood at a precipice a hundred men deep and sang. The Elder turned back. Then she came swiftly, seized him, and said: "By me, Venerable Sir, not one, not two like you have been eaten." The lack of good friends is where it is not possible to find a teacher or one like a teacher, an preceptor or one like a preceptor, a good friend. There, that lack of good friends is a great fault indeed. Thus, one endowed with one of these eighteen faults should be understood as unsuitable. And it has been said in the commentaries: A large dwelling, a new dwelling, an old dwelling, and a road; A tavern, a leaf, and a flower, a fruit that is desired. A city, a forest, a field, a port with a bad division; A border region, a suitable place, where a friend is not found. These are eighteen places, thus understanding, a wise person should avoid them from afar, like a dangerous path. Suitable Dwelling 53. But that which is endowed with the five factors of not too far, not too near from the alms-round village, and so on, this is called suitable. For this was said by the Blessed One: "And how, monks, is a dwelling endowed with five factors? Here, monks, a dwelling is not too far, not too near, convenient for coming and going, not crowded by day, not noisy by night, not loud, free from the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and creeping things. And dwelling in that dwelling, the requisites of robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicine for the sick arise with little difficulty. And in that dwelling, there dwell elder monks, learned, who have come to the tradition, holders of the Dhamma, holders of the Vinaya, holders of the mātikā. He approaches them from time to time and questions and inquires: 'Venerable Sir, how is this? What is the meaning of this?' And those venerable ones reveal what is unrevealed, make clear what is unclear, and make them clear, and they dispel doubts in various matters that are causes for doubt. In this way, monks, a dwelling place is endowed with five factors. This is the elaboration on "abandoning a dwelling unsuitable for the development of concentration and dwelling in a suitable one." Minor Obstacles 54. "Having cut off minor obstacles" – thus, dwelling in a suitable dwelling, whatever minor obstacles there are for him, those too should be cut off. That is to say, long hair, nails, and body hair should be cut. Old robes should be strengthened or mended. Soiled ones should be dyed. If there is dirt in the bowl, the bowl should be boiled. Couches, chairs, and the like should be cleaned. This is the elaboration on "having cut off minor obstacles." Method of Development 55. Now, "one should develop without neglecting the entire method of development" – here, this is an elaborate discourse starting with the earth kasina, concerning all meditation subjects. Indeed, by a monk who has cut off minor obstacles, who has returned from the alms-round after his meal, having dispelled the intoxication of food, sitting comfortably in a secluded place, the sign should be grasped in an earth kasina, whether made or not made. For this has been said: "One who grasps the earth kasina grasps the sign in the earth, whether made or not made, limited, not unlimited, with a boundary, not without a boundary, circular, not uncircular, with an edge, not without an edge, the size of a winnowing basket or the size of a bowl. He makes that sign well-grasped, he observes it well, he establishes it well. Having made that sign well-grasped, having observed it well, having established it well, seeing its benefits, perceiving it as a jewel, establishing respect, cherishing it, he binds his mind to that object, thinking: 'Surely by this practice I shall be released from old age and death.' He, quite secluded from sensual pleasures... ...he abides having entered the first absorption." There, for one who in a past existence in the Dispensation or by the ascetic's renunciation had gone forth and previously produced the four or five absorptions on the earth-kasiṇa, for such a meritorious one, one endowed with supporting conditions, the sign arises on uncultivated earth, or in a tilled place, or on a threshing floor, like for Elder Mallaka. It is said that for that venerable one, as he looked at a tilled place, a sign of the size of that place arose. He developed it, produced the five absorptions, established insight with absorption as its basis, and attained Arahatship. But for one who has not thus created a foundation, by him, without deviating from the method of the meditation subject learned from a teacher, avoiding the four kasiṇa faults, the kasiṇa should be made. For there are four earth-kasiṇa faults due to the admixture of blue, yellow, red, and white. Therefore, not taking clay of blue, etc., color, the kasiṇa should be made with reddish-colored clay, like the clay in a riverbed. And that should not be made in the middle of the monastery, in a place where novices, etc., move about. But at the edge of the monastery, in a secluded place, in a cave, or in a leaf-hut, it should be made either portable or fixed in that place. There, the portable one is made by binding cloth or leather or a mat to four sticks, and then plastering a circle of the stated size with well-kneaded clay from which grass, roots, gravel, and potsherds have been removed. That, at the time of preliminary work, should be spread on the ground and looked at. The fixed one is made by driving stakes into the ground in the shape of a lotus pericarp and intertwining them with creepers. If that clay is insufficient, other clay should be placed below, and on the upper part, a circle a span and four fingers wide should be made with well-purified, reddish-colored clay. It is indeed referring to this measure that it is said, "of good measure, or a bowl's measure." And "with a border, not without a border," etc., is said to define it. 56. Therefore, as thus stated, Having made a boundary, the tree-dwelling deities create a disagreeable color. Therefore, without taking that, grind it with a stone-dwelling deity, make it smooth like a drumhead, sweep that place, bathe, and come back. One should sit on a well-spread seat, a foot and four fingers high, placed at a distance of two and a half cubits from the kasiṇa circle. For one sitting too far, the kasiṇa does not appear. For one sitting too close, defects of the kasiṇa become apparent. One sitting too high has to bend the neck to look. One sitting too low suffers from aching knees. Therefore, sitting in the manner described, one should reflect on the danger in sensual pleasures in the way of "sensual pleasures have little satisfaction," and so on. With a desire arisen for renunciation, which is the means to overcome all suffering by escaping sensual pleasures, one should generate joy and delight by recollecting the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha. With reverence arisen for the practice, thinking, "This is now that path of renunciation practiced by all Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, and noble disciples," and generating enthusiasm, thinking, "Surely by this practice I shall be a partaker of the bliss of solitude," one should open the eyes in a balanced manner and develop, taking the sign. For one opening the eyes too wide, the eye becomes tired, and the circle becomes too distinct, so the sign does not arise for him. For one opening the eyes too little, the circle is indistinct, and the mind is sluggish; thus too the sign does not arise. Therefore, like one seeing the reflection of his face in a mirror, one should open the eyes in a balanced manner and develop, taking the sign. One should not examine the color, nor attend to the characteristic. But without abandoning the color, making it the supporting color, one should establish the mind in the conceptual dhamma by way of prominence, and attend to it. Among the names for earth— pathavī, mahī, medinī, bhūmi, vasudhā, vasundharā, and so on— whichever one desires, whichever is suitable for one's perception, that should be spoken. But the name "pathavī" is well-known; therefore, in the well-known way, "pathavī, pathavī," one should develop. It should be developed. At times opening, at times closing, it should be attended to. Until the learning-sign does not arise, for a hundred times, for a thousand times, and even more than that, in this very way, it should be developed. 57. When, for one thus developing, attending with closed eyes, it comes into view as if with open eyes, then it is called the arising of the learning-sign. From the time of its arising, one should not sit in that place. Having entered one's dwelling place, sitting there,