Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling in Sāvatthi, in Jeta‘s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s park. There, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus”.
“Venerable sir”, those bhikkhus responded to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:
“Before my full awakening, when I was still a |bodhisatta::Buddha before his awakening, aspirant Buddha [bodhisatta]|, it occurred to me, ‘What if I divided my thoughts into two kinds?’ Thus, bhikkhus, I made one part consist of the thoughts of |sensual desire::sensual pleasure [kāma]|, thoughts of |ill-will::aversion, anger, contempt, resentment [byāpāda]|, and thoughts of |harm::injury, hurting, pain [vihiṃsā]|; and the other part consist of the thoughts of |relinquishment::renunciation, rejection of sensual pleasure [nekkhamma]|, thoughts of |good-will::kindness, friendliness, benevolence [abyāpāda]|, and thoughts of |non-harm::non-violence [avihiṁsā]|.
Unwholesome Thoughts
Sensual Desire
As I dwelled |diligently::with carefulness, alertness, and care [appamatta]|, with continuous effort, and resolutely, a thought of sensual desire arose in me, bhikkhus. I then understood: ‘This thought of sensual desire has arisen. It leads to |self-harm::injury, affliction [byābādha]|, to others’ harm, and to the harm of both. It obstructs wisdom, is |afflictive::troublesome [vighātapakkhika]|, and is not conducive to |Nibbāna::complete cooling, letting go of everything, deathless, freedom from calamity, the non-disintegrating [nibbāna]|.‘ Reflecting in this way, bhikkhus, that ’It leads to self-harm,‘ it subsided in me; ’It leads to others‘ harm,’ it subsided in me; ‘It leads to the harm of both,’ it subsided in me; ‘It obstructs wisdom, is afflictive, and not conducive to Nibbāna,’ it also subsided in me. Therefore, bhikkhus, whenever a thought of sensual desire arose, I immediately abandoned it, removed it, and completely eradicated it.
Ill-will
As I dwelled diligently, with continuous effort, and resolutely, bhikkhus, a thought of ill-will arose in me. I then understood: ‘This thought of ill-will has arisen. It leads to self-harm, to others’ harm, and to the harm of both. It obstructs wisdom, is afflictive, and is not conducive to Nibbāna.‘ Reflecting in this way, bhikkhus, that ’It leads to self-harm,‘ it subsided in me; ’It leads to others‘ harm,’ it subsided in me; ‘It leads to the harm of both,’ it subsided in me; ‘It obstructs wisdom, is afflictive, and not conducive to Nibbāna,’ also it subsided in me. Therefore, bhikkhus, whenever a thought of ill-will arose, I immediately abandoned it, removed it, and completely eradicated it.
Harm
As I dwelled diligently, with continuous effort, and resolutely, bhikkhus, a thought of harm arose in me. I then understood: ‘This thought of harm has arisen. It leads to self-harm, to others’ harm, and to the harm of both. It obstructs wisdom, is afflictive, and is not conducive to Nibbāna.‘ Reflecting in this way, bhikkhus, that ’It leads to self-harm,‘ it subsided in me; ’It leads to others‘ harm,’ it subsided in me; ‘It leads to the harm of both,’ it subsided in me; ‘It obstructs wisdom, is afflictive, and not conducive to Nibbāna,’ also it subsided in me. Therefore, bhikkhus, whenever a thought of harm arose, I immediately abandoned it, removed it, and completely eradicated it.
Whatever a bhikkhu frequently thinks about and ponders upon, bhikkhus, that will become the inclination of his mind. If a bhikkhu frequently thinks about and ponders upon thoughts of sensual desire, he abandons thoughts of relinquishment, makes thoughts of sensual desire predominant, and his mind inclines towards those thoughts of sensual desire. Similarly, if he frequently engages with thoughts of ill-will and harming, he abandons thoughts of good-will and non-harming, makes thoughts of ill-will and harming predominant, and his mind inclines towards those thoughts of ill-will and harming.
Just as, bhikkhus, in the last month of the rainy season, during the harvest season when the fields are crowded with crops, a cowherd would guard his cows. He would strike the cows here and there with a stick, push them back, restrain them, and hold them together. For what reason? Bhikkhus, the cowherd sees the danger that might arise from those causes: beating, confinement, seizure, or reproach.
Similarly, bhikkhus, I saw in |unwholesome::unhealthy, unskillful, unbeneficial, or karmically unprofitable [akusala]| mental qualities the danger, baseness and defilement, and in |wholesome::healthy, beneficial, useful [kusala]| mental qualities the benefit, relinquishment, and purification.
Wholesome Thoughts
Relinquishment
As I dwelled diligently, with continuous effort, and resolutely, a thought of relinquishment arose in me, bhikkhus. I then understood: ‘This thought of relinquishment has arisen. It leads neither to self-harm, nor to others’ harm, nor to the harm of both. It cultivates wisdom, is not afflictive, and is conducive to Nibbāna.‘ If, bhikkhus, I were to dwell upon and examine this thought by night, I would see no danger arising from it. If I were to dwell upon and examine it by day, I would see no danger arising from it. And even if I were to dwell upon and examine it by night and day, I would see no danger arising from it. However, if I were to dwell on and examine it for too long, my body would become tired. When the body is tired, the mind becomes disturbed, and a disturbed mind is far from being |settled::centred [samādhesi]|. Therefore, bhikkhus, I |stabilized::steadied [saṇṭhapeti]| my mind internally, settled it, unified it, and |composed::collected [samādahati]| it. For what reason? So that my mind might not become disturbed.
Good-will
As I dwelled diligently, with continuous effort, and resolutely, a thought of good-will arose in me, bhikkhus. I then understood: ’This thought of good-will has arisen. It leads neither to self-harm, nor to others‘ harm, nor to the harm of both. It cultivates wisdom, is not afflictive, and is conducive to Nibbāna.’ If, bhikkhus, I were to dwell upon and examine this thought by night, I would see no danger arising from it. If I were to dwell upon and examine it by day, I would see no danger arising from it. And even if I were to dwell upon and examine it by night and day, I would see no danger arising from it. However, if I were to dwell on and examine it for too long, my body would become tired. When the body is tired, the mind becomes disturbed, and a disturbed mind is far from being settled. Therefore, bhikkhus, I stabilized my mind internally, settled it, unified it, and composed it. For what reason? So that my mind might not become disturbed.
Non-harm
As I dwelled diligently, with continuous effort, and resolutely, a thought of non-harm arose in me, bhikkhus. I then understood: ‘This thought of non-harm has arisen. It leads neither to self-harm, nor to others’ harm, nor to the harm of both. It cultivates wisdom, is not afflictive, and is conducive to Nibbāna.‘ If, bhikkhus, I were to dwell upon and examine this thought by night, I would see no danger arising from it. If I were to dwell upon and examine it by day, I would see no danger arising from it. And even if I were to dwell upon and examine it by night and day, I would see no danger arising from it. However, if I were to dwell on and examine it for too long, my body would become tired. When the body is tired, the mind becomes disturbed, and a disturbed mind is far from being settled. Therefore, bhikkhus, I stabilized my mind internally, settled it, unified it, and composed it. For what reason? So that my mind might not become disturbed.
Whatever a bhikkhu frequently thinks about and ponders upon, bhikkhus, that will become the inclination of his mind. If a bhikkhu frequently thinks and ponders upon thoughts of relinquishment, he abandons thoughts of sensual desire, makes thoughts of relinquishment predominant, and his mind inclines towards those thoughts of relinquishment. Similarly, if a bhikkhu frequently thinks and ponders upon thoughts of good-will and non-harming, he abandons thoughts of ill-will and thoughts of harm, makes thoughts of good-will and non-harm predominant, and his mind inclines towards those thoughts of good-will and non-harming.
Just as in the last month of the hot season, when all the crops have been brought in from the fields, a cowherd would watch over the cows, and whether he is sitting at the root of a tree or out in the open, he only needs to be mindful that the cows are there. In the same way, bhikkhus, I only needed to be mindful that those wholesome mental qualities were there.
The Four Jhānas
Bhikkhus, unrelenting energy was aroused [in me], clear and |unmuddled::without confusion [asammuṭṭha]| mindfulness was established, the body was tranquil and unexcited, and the mind was collected and unified.
Thus, bhikkhus, having secluded myself from sensual pleasures and |unwholesome::unhealthy, unskillful, unbeneficial, or karmically unprofitable [akusala]| mental qualities, I entered and dwelled in the first jhāna, which is |accompanied by reflection::with thinking [savitakka]| and |examination::with investigation, evaluation [savicāra]|, |born from seclusion::secluded from the defilements [vivekaja]|, and is |filled with joyful pleasure::imbued with joy and happiness, with delight and ease, sometimes experienced as an intense joy or pleasure, rapture [pītisukha]|.
With the |settling::calming, conciliation, subsiding [vūpasama]| of reflection and examination, I entered and dwelled in the second jhāna, which is characterized by internal |tranquility::calming, settling, confidence [sampasādana]| and |unification::singleness, integration [ekodibhāva]| of mind, is without reflection and examination, |born from collectedness::born from a stable mind [samādhija]|, and is filled with joyful pleasure.
With the fading away of joyful pleasure, I dwelled in a |state of equanimity::mental poised, mentally balanced, equanimous, non-reactive, disregarding [upekkhaka]|, |mindful and fully aware::attentive and completely comprehending [sata + sampajāna]|, experiencing |ease::comfort, contentedness, happiness, pleasure [sukha]| with the body. I entered and dwelled in the third jhāna which the Noble Ones describe as ’one who dwells equanimous, mindful and at ease.‘
With the abandonment of ease and |discontentment::discomfort, unpleasantness, something unsatisfactory, stress [dukkha]|, and with the settling down of |joy and sorrow::craving and aversion, pleasure and displeasure, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, gladness and dejection, positive state of mind and negative state of mind [somanassadomanassa]|, I entered and dwelled in the fourth jhāna, which is characterized by purification of |mindfulness::clear comprehension and full awareness of body, felt experiences, mind, and mental qualities [sati]| through |equanimity::mental poise, mental balance, equipoise, non-reactivity, composure [upekkhā]|, experiencing a feeling which is neither-painful-nor-pleasant.
The Three True Knowledges
Thus, with my mind collected, purified, clarified, blemish-free, free from impurities, flexible, suitable for use, stable, and unshakeable, I directed my mind towards the knowledge of recalling past lives. I recollected my manifold past lives, that is, one birth, two births, three births, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many |aeon::lifespan of a world system, a vast cosmic time span [kappa]|s of cosmic contraction, many aeons of cosmic expansion, many aeons of cosmic contraction and expansion: ‘There I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life-span; passing away from there, I was reborn elsewhere; there too I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life-span; passing away from there, I was reborn here.’ Thus I recollected my manifold past lives with their modes and details.
This, bhikkhus, was the first |true knowledge::higher knowledge, direct knowing [vijjā]| attained by me in the first watch of the night. |Ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]| was dispelled, true knowledge arose; darkness was dispelled, and light arose, as happens in one who is |diligent::doing one’s work or duty well, with alertness, carefulness and care [appamatta]|, |with continuous effort::ardent, zealous, with energy, with application [ātāpī]|, and |resolute::intent, determined [pahitatta]| in practice.
Thus, with my mind collected, purified, clarified, blemish-free, free from impurities, flexible, suitable for use, stable, and unshakeable, I directed my mind toward the knowledge of the death and rebirth of beings. With the |divine eye::the faculty of clairvoyance, the ability to see beyond the ordinary human range [dibbacakkhu]|, purified and surpassing the human, I saw beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in fortunate and unfortunate destinations—and I understood how beings fare |according to their kamma::in line with their actions [yathākammūpaga]|: ‘These beings, who engaged in bodily, verbal, and mental misconduct, who reviled the Noble Ones, held wrong view, and undertook actions under the influence of |wrong view::distorted perceptions, untrue views, false beliefs [micchādiṭṭhi]|—upon the breakup of the body, after death, have arisen in a state of loss, a bad destination, a place of ruin, even in hell. But these beings, who engaged in good bodily, verbal, and mental conduct, who did not revile the Noble Ones, held right view, and undertook actions under the influence of |right view::view that is in line with the Dhamma - teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [sammādiṭṭhi]|—upon the breakup of the body, after death, have arisen in a good destination, the heavenly world.’ Thus with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, I saw beings passing away and reappearing—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate—and I understood how beings fare according to their kamma.
This, bhikkhus, was the second true knowledge attained by me in the middle watch of the night. Ignorance was dispelled, true knowledge arose; darkness was dispelled, light arose—as happens in one who is diligent, with continuous effort, and resolute in practice.
Thus, with my mind collected, purified, clarified, blemish-free, free from impurities, flexible, suitable for use, stable, and unshakeable, I directed my mind towards the knowledge of eradicating the taints. I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]|,’ ‘This is the |arising of suffering::source of stress, appearance of discomfort [dukkhasamudaya]|,’ ‘This is the |ending of suffering::ending of discontentment, cessation of distress [dukkhanirodha]|,’ ‘This is the |way of practice leading to the ending of suffering::i.e. the noble eightfold path [dukkhanirodhagāmī]|.’
I directly knew as it actually is: ‘These are the |taints::mental fermentations, corruptions, outflows [āsava]|.’ I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the arising of taints.’ I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the ending of taints.’ I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the way of practice leading to the ending of taints.’ Knowing and seeing thus, my mind was liberated from the taint of sensual desire, from the taint of being, and from the taint of ignorance. In me, liberated, there arose the knowledge of liberation: ‘Birth is ended, the spiritual life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.’
This, bhikkhus, was the third true knowledge attained by me in the last watch of the night. Ignorance was dispelled, true knowledge arose; darkness was dispelled, light arose—as happens in one who is diligent, with continuous effort, and resolute in practice.
Suppose, bhikkhus, in a wooded range there is a great low-lying marsh near which a large herd of deer resides. A man appears, desiring their ruin, harm, and bondage, and closes off the safe and good path to be joyfully traveled, opens a false path, and sets out a decoy and a dummy, leading the herd towards calamity, disaster, and loss. Yet another man appears, desiring their good, welfare, and protection. He reopens the safe and good path leading to their happiness, closes off the false path, removes the decoy, and destroys the dummy, enabling the herd to achieve growth, increase, and fulfillment.
Bhikkhus, I have given this simile in order to convey a meaning. This is the meaning: ‘The great low-lying marsh’ is a term for sensual pleasures. ‘The large herd of deer’ represents beings. ‘The man desiring their ruin, harm, and bondage’ is a term for |Māra the Evil One::embodiment of all forces that keeps beings trapped in the cycle of rebirth [māra]|. ‘The false path’ represents the wrong eightfold path - wrong view, wrong intention, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong collectedness. ‘The decoy’ is a term for delight and lust. ‘The dummy’ is a term for |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]|. ‘The man desiring their good, welfare, and protection’ is a term for the |Tathāgata::one who has arrived at the truth, an epithet of the Buddha [tathāgata]|, the accomplished and fully enlightened one. ‘The safe and good path to be traveled joyfully’ is a term for the Noble Eightfold Path - right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right collectedness.
So, bhikkhus, the safe and good path to be traveled joyfully has been re-opened by me, the wrong path has been closed off, the decoy removed, and the dummy destroyed.
What a teacher should do out of compassion for his disciples, seeking their welfare, I have done for you, bhikkhus. Here are these roots of trees, here are these empty huts. Meditate, bhikkhus, do not be negligent; lest you later regret it. This is our instruction to you.”
The Blessed One said this. The bhikkhus were satisfied and rejoiced in the Blessed One’s words.