The Gradual Training

Arising of Buddha and Dhamma

MN 27 A Buddha appears in the world, accomplished (arahant), fully awakened (sammāsambuddho), perfect in true knowledge and conduct (vijjā-caraṇa-sampanno), well liberated (sugato), knower of worlds (lokavidū), incomparable teacher of those who can be taught (anuttaro purisadamma-sārathi), teacher of gods and humans (satthā deva-manussānaṇ), the awakened one (buddho), the master (bhagavā).

With his own direct knowledge, he has realised this universe with its gods, this world with all its beings; and he makes it known to others.

He teaches the Dhamma good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and right phrasing, and he reveals a perfectly complete and pure spiritual life.

Confidence

MN 27 You hear that Dhamma. On hearing the Dhamma you acquire confidence in the Buddha. Possessing that faith, you consider thus: “Household life is troublesome and busy; life as a monastic is free and relaxed. It is not easy, while living in a house, to lead the holy life utterly perfect and pure. Suppose I shave off my hair, put on the orange robe, and go forth from the worldly life into monastic life.”

On a later occasion, having given away all your wealth, abandoning your circle of relatives and friends, you shave off your hair, put on the orange robe, and go forth from the home life into monastic life.

Virtue

MN 27 When you have gone forth, you train in the monastic way of life:

You abstain from killing living beings; with rod and weapon laid aside, conscientious, merciful, you live compassionate to all living beings.

You abstain from taking what is not given; taking only what is given, wanting only what is given, by not stealing you abide in purity.

You abstain from all sexual activity, living apart from others, you abstain from the lay practice of sexual intercourse.

You abstain from false speech; you speak only the truth, are trustworthy and reliable; you are no deceiver of the world.

You abstain from divisive speech; you do not tell tales in order to divide people, but you are one who reunites those who are divided, a promoter of friendships, who enjoys harmony, rejoices in harmony, delights in harmony, a speaker of words that promote harmony.

You abstain from harsh speech; you speak only words that are gentle, pleasing to the ear, and loveable, words that go to the heart, are courteous, desired by the many and agreeable to the many.

You abstain from useless speech; you speak at the proper time, speak what is truthful, speak on what is beneficial, speak on the Dhamma and the training; at the proper time you speak words that are worth treasuring, authoritative, succinct, and beneficial.

You abstain from injuring seeds and plants.

You practise eating only in the morning, abstaining from eating at night and outside the proper time.

You abstain from dancing, singing, music, and movies.

You abstain from wearing adornments, fragrances and cosmetics.

You abstain from using luxurious furnishings.

You abstain from accepting money. You abstain from accepting raw grain and raw meat. You abstain from accepting servants and slaves.

You abstain from accepting livestock. You abstain from accepting fields and land.

You abstain from going on errands and running messages.

You abstain from buying and selling.

You abstain from practising fraud.

You abstain from accepting bribes, deceiving, defrauding, and trickery.

You abstain from wounding, murdering, imprisoning, extortion, plunder, and violence.

Contentment

MN 27 You become content with patched robes to protect your body and with almsfood to maintain your stomach; and wherever you go, you travel taking only these with you. Just as a bird, wherever it goes, flies with its wings as its only burden, so too you become content with patched robes to protect this body and with almsfood to maintain your stomach; and wherever you go, you travel taking only these with you.

When you follow this noble virtue and contentment, you experience within yourself a delightful bliss, the joy of being blameless.

Restraint of the Senses

MN 27 When you see an object, you do not let yourself get sucked in by any characteristics or features that generate defilements. Since, if you left the faculty of sight unrestrained, unskilful states of wanting and aversion would afflict you, instead, you practise wisdom when seeing, you guard the faculty of sight, and you undertake the restraint of sight.

Having heard a sound … Having noticed a smell … Having sensed a taste … Having felt a bodily feeling … Having cognised something in the mind, you do not let yourself get sucked in by any characteristics or features that generate defilements. Since, if you left the mind faculty unrestrained, unskilful states of wanting and aversion would afflict you, instead, you practise wisdom with the mind, you guard the mind, and you undertake the restraint of the mind.

When you follow this noble restraint of the senses, you experience within yourself an even more delightful bliss, the joy of being unagitated.

Full Comprehension of the Purpose

MN 27 You act in full comprehension of the purpose when going forward and returning; you act in full comprehension of the purpose when looking ahead and looking away, when flexing and extending your limbs, when wearing your clothes and carrying things; you act in full comprehension of the purpose regarding eating, drinking, defecating and urinating, walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, being awake, talking, and keeping silent.

Meditation

MN 27 When you have developed this noble virtue, this noble restraint of the sense faculties, and this noble full comprehension of the purpose, you go to a secluded dwelling place such as the forest, the foot of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a jungle thicket, an open space, or a heap of straw.

You sit down, folding your legs crosswise, straightening the body, and establishing mindfulness as a priority.

Abandoning wanting for the world of the five senses, you abide with a mind free from wanting; you purify the mind from desire.

Abandoning aversion, you abide with a mind free from ill-will, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings; you thus purify the mind from aversion.

Abandoning dullness and drowsiness, you abide with a mind free from dullness and drowsiness, bright-minded, clearly comprehending; you purify the mind from dullness and drowsiness.

Abandoning restlessness and remorse, you abide unagitated, with a mind inwardly peaceful; you purify the mind from restlessness and remorse.

Abandoning doubt, you abide having gone beyond doubt, unperplexed about wholesome states; you purify the mind from doubt.

The Jhānas

1. Having abandoned the five hindrances, totally free from the five senses, free from unwholesome states (the hindrances), you enter upon and abide in the first jhāna, wherein the mind moves onto the object and holds on to it, the object being joy and pleasure caused by being totally free from the five senses.
2. When the mind stops moving onto the object and stops holding on to it, you enter upon and abide in the second jhāna, which has trust (in the object, the bliss, enough to let go of holding it) and unity of mind without any movement or holding, with joy and pleasure caused by perfect stillness.
3. With the fading away of joy, you abide mindful and fully aware, experiencing a bliss purified from joy; you enter upon and abide in the third jhāna, on account of which noble ones announce: “One has a pleasant abiding indeed who has such mindfulness and equanimity.”
4. Having abandoned pleasure and pain (all vedanā from the five senses), and with the disappearance of joy and grief (all vedanā from the sixth sense except for equanimity), you enter upon and abide in the fourth jhāna, which has only neutral mental vedanā remaining—just pure mindfulness with equanimity.