(1) Here, monastics, a monastic, quite secluded from sense desires, secluded from wicked and unwholesome things, having thinking, reflection, and the happiness and rapture born of seclusion, dwells having attained the first absorption.

(2) With the stilling of thinking and reflection, with internal clarity, and one-pointedness of mind, being without thinking, without reflection, having the happiness and rapture born of concentration, he dwells having attained the second absorption.

(3) With the fading away of rapture he dwells equanimous, mindful, clearly knowing, experiencing happiness through the body, about which the Noble Ones declare: He lives pleasantly, mindful, and equanimous, (thus) he dwells having attained the third absorption.

(4) Having given up pleasure and given up pain, and with the previous disappearance of mental well-being and sorrow, without pain, without pleasure, and with complete purity of mindfulness and equanimity, he dwells having attained the fourth absorption.

(1) Here, monastics, a monastic, having completely transcended perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of (sensory) impact, not attending to perceptions of variety, (understanding): ‘This is endless space’, abides in the sphere of endless space.

(2) Having completely transcended the sphere of endless space, (understanding): ‘This is endless consciousness,’ he abides in the sphere of endless consciousness.

(3) Having completely transcended the sphere of endless consciousness, (understanding): ‘This is nothing,’ he abides in the sphere of nothingness.

(4) Having completely transcended the sphere of nothingness, he abides in the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.

Here, monastics, a monk {1} endowed with friendliness, with a mind free from hatred, enmity and ill-will, which is lofty, extensive, undiscriminating, Adyena is translated in accordance with the commentarial explanantion, it could also be rendered as unified. immeasureable, well-developed, with (a mind) liberated through concentration he abides pervading one direction (with friendliness), so for the second (direction), so for the third (direction), so for the fourth (direction), and so in the highest (direction), the lowest (direction) and across the whole world in all quarters, (he abides) having friendliness, with a mind free from hatred, enmity and ill-will, which is lofty, extensive, undiscriminating, immeasureable, well-developed, with (a mind) liberated through concentration he abides pervading one direction (with friendliness).

So, (2) having kindness... (3) having gladness... (4) having equanimity… with a mind free from hatred, enmity and ill-will, which is lofty, extensive, {undiscriminating,} immeasureable, well-developed, with (a mind) liberated through concentration he abides pervading one direction (with equanimity).

Here, one person constitutionally has great passion, has great hatred, has great delusion, and because of his great passion, he continually experiences pain and sorrow which is born of passion, and because of his great hatred, he continually experiences pain and sorrow which is born of hatred, and because of his great delusion, he continually experiences pain and sorrow which is born of delusion.

And for him these five supermundane faculties are slow, feeble, not sharp, not speedy in bringing about the destruction of the pollutants.

What five?

They are as follows: There is a definition of these faculties at 16 below.

{1} The faith faculty,
{2} the energy faculty,
{3} the mindfulness faculty,
{4} the concentration faculty,
{5} the wisdom faculty.

Thus these five supermundane faculties are feeble and not speedy and are slow in bringing about contact with the meditation that has immediate result, that is to say, the destruction of the pollutants.

Here, one person constitutionally has great passion, has great hatred, has great delusion, and because of his great passion, he continually experiences pain and sorrow which is born of passion, and because of his great hatred, he continually experiences pain and sorrow which is born of hatred, and because of his great delusion, he continually experiences pain and sorrow which is born of delusion.

(But) for him these five supermundane faculties are in high measure, (they are) sharp and speedy in bringing about {the destruction of the pollutants}.

What five?

They are as follows:

{1} The faith faculty,
{2} the energy faculty,
{3} the mindfulness faculty,
{4} the concentration faculty,
{5} the wisdom faculty.

(Therefore) these five supermundane faculties being in high measure, they are (sharp) and speedy and quick in bringing about contact with the meditation that has immediate result, that is to say, the destruction of the pollutants.

Here, one person constitutionally has little passion, has little hatred, has little delusion, and because of his little passion, he does not continually experience pain and sorrow which is born of passion, and because of his little hatred, he does not continually experience pain and sorrow which is born of hatred, and because of his little delusion, he does not continually experience pain and sorrow which is born of delusion.

(But) for him these five supermundane faculties are slow, feeble, not sharp, not speedy in bringing about {the destruction of the pollutants}.

What five?

They are as follows:

{1} The faith faculty,
{2} the energy faculty,
{3} the mindfulness faculty,
{4} the concentration faculty,
{5} the wisdom faculty.

(Therefore) these five supermundane faculties are slow, not sharp, feeble, not speedy and are slow in bringing about contact with the meditation that has immediate result, that is to say, the destruction of the pollutants.

Here, one person constitutionally has little passion, has little hatred, has little delusion, and because of his little passion, he does not continually experience pain and sorrow which is born of passion, and because of his little hatred, he does not continually experience pain and sorrow which is born of hatred, and because of his little delusion, he does not continually experience pain and sorrow which is born of delusion.

(But) for him these five supermundane faculties are in high measure, (they are) sharp and speedy in bringing about {the destruction of the pollutants}.

What five?

They are as follows:

{1} The faith faculty,
{2} the energy faculty,
{3} the mindfulness faculty,
{4} the concentration faculty,
{5} the wisdom faculty.

(Therefore) these five supermundane faculties, being in high measure, they are (sharp) and speedy and quick in bringing about contact with the meditation that has immediate result, that is to say, the destruction of the pollutants.

(1) The cultivation of meditation, monastics, which, when practised, developed, made much of, leads to the abandoning of sensual desire.

(2) The cultivation of meditation, monastics, which, when practised, developed, made much of, leads to a pleasant abiding here and now.

(3) The cultivation of meditation, monastics, which, when practised, developed, made much of, leads to the acquisition of knowledge and insight.

(4) The cultivation of meditation, monastics, which, when practised, developed, made much of, leads to the acquisition of wisdom.

Here, monastics, a monastic who has gone to the wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty place, in regard to this very body – from the sole of the feet upwards, from the hair of the head down, bounded by the skin, as it is placed, as it is disposed, full of manifold impurities, reflects with right wisdom as it really is:

There are in this body:

Hairs of the head, body hairs, nails, teeth, filth, skin,
flesh, bones, sinews, nerves, kidneys,
heart, spleen, pleura, intestines, mesentery,
upper stomach, food, stomach, liver, excrement,
tears, sweat, spit, mucus, grease, synovial fluid,
marrow, fat, bile, phlegm, suppuration,
blood, skull, brain,

(thus on this body) full of manifold impurities he reflects with right wisdom as it really is.

Just as though, monks, there were a granary with open doors at both ends, full of various and manifold kinds of corn varieties: grain, sesame, mustard, mung beans, meal and beans, and a man with good vision looking round would understand: these are bearded grains, these are fruit-grain, even so, monastics, a monastic in regard to this very body – as it is placed, as it is disposed, reflects thus.

Here, monastics, a monastic who has gone to the wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty place, has a body that is suffused internally with the happiness and joy born of seclusion and concentration, and is fulfilled, satisfied and manifesting it.

For him there is no part of the whole body that is not pervaded, not manifesting it, that is to say, the internal happiness and joy born of seclusion and concentration.

Just as though, monastics, water-lilies or red lotuses or white lotuses which are born in water, growing in water, immersed in water, they are all cool, flowing, streaming, fulfilled, satisfied and manifesting in water, so, monastics, a monastic who has gone to the wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty place, has a body that is suffused internally with the happiness and joy born of seclusion and concentration, and is fulfilled, satisfied and manifesting it.

For him there is no part of the whole body that is not pervaded, not manifesting it, that is to say, the internal happiness and joy born of seclusion and concentration.

Here, monastics, a monastic grasps well and truly the perception of light,
applies his mind well, sees it well, penetrates it well, daily he cultivates his illumined mind, determined on the perception, as by day, so by night, as by night, so by day; as before, so later, as later, so before; as below, so above, as above, so below.

Thus with an open mind, which is receptive, by day he cultivates his illumined mind, determined on the perception, in every corner of the world.

Just as though, monastics, in the first month of the summer the days are cloudless, without thunder or rain, or mists, and in the middle of the day, as far as there is light, it is pure, fulfilled, luminous, and there is no darkness found, so, monastics, a monastic grasps well and truly the perception of light, applies his mind well, sees it well, penetrates it well, by day he cultivates his illumined mind, determined on the perception, as by day, so by night, as by night, so by day; as before, so later, as later, so before; as below, so above, as above, so below.

Thus with an open mind, which is receptive, daily he cultivates his illumined mind, determined on the perception.

Here, monastics, a monastic who has gone to the wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty place, having given up pleasure, given up pain, and with the previous disappearance of mental well-being and sorrow, without pain, without pleasure, and with complete purity of mindfulness owing to equanimity, dwells having attained the fourth absorption.

This is the cultivation of meditation which, when practised, developed, made much of, leads to the acquisition of wisdom.