‘My freedom is unshakable; this is my last rebirth; now there’ll be no more future lives.’ Then it occurred to me, Those mired in greed and hate can’t really understand this teaching. It goes against the stream, subtle, deep, obscure, and very fine. Those besotted by greed cannot see, for they’re shrouded in a mass of darkness.’ So, as I reflected like this, my mind inclined to remaining passive, not to teaching the Dhamma. ‘This principle I have discovered is deep, hard to see, hard to understa

‘I receive robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick, unlike these other mendicants.’ And they glorify themselves and put others down on account of that. This too is a quality of an untrue person. A true person reflects: ‘It’s not because of one’s material things that thoughts of greed, hate, or delusion come to an end. Even if someone doesn’t receive robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick, if they practice in line with the teaching, practice

and unfreed mind as “unfreed mind”.’ So let them fulfill their precepts … May I understand mind with greed as “mind with greed”, and mind without greed as “mind without greed”; mind with hate as “mind with hate”, and mind without hate as “mind without hate”; mind with delusion as “mind with delusion”, and mind without delusion as “mind without delusion”; constricted mind as “constricted mind”, and scattered mind as “scattered mind”;

When he said this, Venerable Bhaddāli said to the Buddha, “What is the cause, sir, what is the reason why they punish some monk, repeatedly pressuring him? And what is the cause, what is the reason why they don’t similarly punish another monk, repeatedly pressuring him?” “Take a monk who is a frequent offender with many offenses. When admonished by the monks, he dodges the issue, distracting the discussion with irrelevant points. He displays annoyance, hate, and bitterness. He doesn’t proceed pr

Take some other monk who is a frequent offender with many offenses. When admonished by the monks, he doesn’t dodge the issue, distracting the discussion with irrelevant points. He doesn’t display annoyance, hate, and bitterness. He proceeds properly, he falls in line, he proceeds to get past it, and he says: ‘I’ll do what pleases the Saṅgha.’ In such a case, the monks say: ‘Reverends, this monk is a frequent offender, with many offenses. When admonished by the monks, he doesn’t dodge the issue,

They say, ‘What future danger do those ascetics and brahmins see in sensual pleasures that they speak of giving up sensual pleasures, and advocate the complete understanding of sensual pleasures? Pleasant is the touch of this female wanderer’s arm, tender, soft, and downy!’ And they throw themselves into sensual pleasures. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. Suppose that in the last month of summer a camel’s foot creeper p

Even when lightly criticized they lose their temper, becoming annoyed, hostile, and hard-hearted, and displaying annoyance, hate, and bitterness. Because of undertaking such deeds, after death they’re reborn in a place of loss … or if they return to the human realm, they’re ugly …

And what are the corruptions of the mind? Covetousness and immoral greed, ill will, anger, acrimony, disdain, contempt, jealousy, stinginess, deceit, deviousness, obstinacy, aggression, conceit, arrogance, vanity, and negligence are corruptions of the mind. A mendicant who understands that covetousness and immoral greed are corruptions of the mind gives them up. A mendicant who understands that ill will … negligence is a corruption of the mind gives it up. When they have understood these corrupt

Seeing danger in sensual stimulations, Greedily, they hoard their riches, I went forth, O King. As fruit falls from a tree, so the sons of Manu fall, young and old, when the body breaks up. Seeing this, too, I went forth, O King; it’s a sure bet that the ascetic life is better.” yearning for ever more sensual pleasures. A king who conquered the earth by force, ruling the land from sea to sea,

‘Others will be irritable, but here we will be without anger.’ ‘Others will be acrimonious, but here we will be without acrimony.’ ‘Others will be offensive, but here we will be inoffensive.’ ‘Others will be contemptuous, but here we will be without contempt.’ ‘Others will be jealous, but here we will be without jealousy.’ ‘Others will kill living creatures, but here we will not kill living creatures.’ ‘Others will be stingy, but here we will be without stinginess.’ ‘Others will be devious, but

not grasping among those who grasp: that’s who I declare a brahmin. They’ve discarded greed and hate, along with conceit and contempt, like a mustard seed off the point of a pin: Having nothing, taking nothing: that’s who I declare a brahmin. The words they utter are polished, informative, and true, and don’t offend anyone:

the venerable attained this skillful state a long time ago, not just recently. They scrutinize further: ‘Are certain dangers found in that venerable mendicant who has achieved fame and renown?’ For, mendicants, so long as a mendicant has not achieved fame and renown, certain dangers are not found in them. But when they achieve fame and renown, those dangers appear. Scrutinizing him they find that those dangers are not found in that venerable mendicant who has achieved fame and renown. They scrut

Whatever perils there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute. Whatever hazards there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute. It’s like a fire that spreads from a hut made of reeds or grass, and burns down even a bungalow, plastered inside and out, draft-free, with doors fastened and windows shuttered. In the same way, whatever dangers there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute. Whatever perils there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute. Wha

“Mendicants, when you go into the water you should anticipate four dangers. What four? The dangers of waves, gharials, whirlpools, and sharks. These are the four dangers that you should anticipate when you go into the water. In the same way, an individual gone forth from the lay life to homelessness in this teaching and training should anticipate four dangers. What four? The dangers of waves, gharials, whirlpools, and sharks. And what, mendicants, is the danger of waves? They resign the training

Greed, hate, and delusion. This is called the root of the unskillful. But what are the six sense fields? What is their origin, their cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation? There are these six sense fields. The sense fields of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The six sense fields originate from name and form. The six sense fields cease when name and form cease. The practice that leads to the cessation of the six sense fields is simply this noble eightfold path …” “M

And these faithful householders give us delicious fresh and cooked foods at the wrong time of day. But these guys imagine they can gag our mouths!’ And what, mendicants, is the danger of whirlpools? I can both enjoy my wealth and make merit.’ They resign the training and return to a lesser life. This is called one who disavows the training and returns to a lesser life for fear of the danger of whirlpools. ‘Danger of whirlpools’ is a term for the five kinds of sensual stimulation. It’s when a gen

There they see a householder or their child amusing themselves, supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimulation. They think: ‘Formerly, as laypeople, we amused ourselves, supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimulation. And it’s true that my family is wealthy. And what, mendicants, is the danger of sharks? ‘Danger of sharks’ is a term for ladies. It’s when a gentleman has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, thinking: ‘I’m swamped by rebirt

And so they meditate observing an aspect of the body internally … That too is how a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body. 1.5. Focusing on the Elements Furthermore, a mendicant examines their own body, whatever its placement or posture, according to the elements: ‘In this body there is the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the air element.’ It’s as if a deft butcher or butcher’s apprentice were to kill a cow and sit down at the crossroads with the meat cut

my voice would extend so that Divinity, his assembly, and his retinue would hear me, but they would not see me. ‘Seeing the danger in existence— that life in any existence will cease to be— I didn’t affirm any kind of existence, and didn’t grasp at relishing.’ Then the Divinity, his assembly, and his retinue, their minds full of wonder and amazement, thought, ‘Oh lord, how incredible, how amazing! The ascetic Gotama has such psychic power and might! We’ve never before seen or heard of any other

and mind not immersed in samādhi as ‘mind not immersed in samādhi.’ They know freed mind as ‘freed mind,’ and unfreed mind as ‘unfreed mind.’ It’s when a mendicant understands mind with greed as ‘mind with greed,’ and mind without greed as ‘mind without greed.’ They understand mind with hate as ‘mind with hate,’ and mind without hate as ‘mind without hate.’ They understand mind with delusion as ‘mind with delusion,’ and mind without delusion as ‘mind without delusion.’ They know constricted mind