In the Buddha's Words - Bhikkhu Bodhi [145]
“If he wishes: ‘May I understand the minds of other beings, of other persons, having encompassed them with my own mind. May I understand a mind with lust as a mind with lust; a mind without lust as a mind without lust; a mind with hatred as a mind with hatred; a mind without hatred as a mind without hatred; a mind with delusion as a mind with delusion; a mind without delusion as a mind without delusion; a contracted mind as contracted, and a distracted mind as distracted; an exalted mind as exalted, and an unexalted mind as unexalted; a surpassable mind as surpassable, and an unsurpassable mind as unsurpassable; a concentrated mind as concentrated, and an unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated; a liberated mind as liberated, and an unliberated mind as unliberated’—he achieves the capacity of realizing that state by direct knowledge, whenever the necessary conditions obtain.
“If he wishes, ‘May I recollect my manifold past lives … [see Text II,3(2)§38] … with their modes and details’—he achieves the capacity of realizing that state by direct knowledge, whenever the necessary conditions obtain.
“If he wishes, ‘With the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, may I see beings passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate … [see Text II,3(2)§40] … and understand how beings fare on in accordance with their action’—he achieves the capacity of realizing that state by direct knowledge, whenever the necessary conditions obtain.
“If he wishes, ‘By the destruction of the taints, may I in this very life enter and dwell in the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, realizing it for myself with direct knowledge’—he achieves the capacity of realizing that state by direct knowledge, whenever the necessary conditions obtain.”
(AN 3:100 §§1–10; I 253–56)
5. THE REMOVAL OF DISTRACTING THOUGHTS
1. Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. There he addressed the monks thus: “Monks.”—“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Blessed One said this:
2. “Monks, when a monk is pursuing the higher mind, from time to time he should give attention to five signs.18 What are the five?
3. (i) “Here, monks, when a monk is giving attention to some sign, and owing to that sign there arise in him evil unwholesome thoughts connected with desire, hate, and delusion, then he should give attention to some other sign connected with what is wholesome.19 When he gives attention to some other sign connected with what is wholesome, then any evil unwholesome thoughts connected with desire, hate, and delusion are abandoned in him and subside. With their abandoning his mind becomes steadied internally, composed, unified, and concentrated. Just as a skilled carpenter or his apprentice might knock out, remove, and extract a coarse peg by means of a fine one, so too ... when a monk gives attention to some other sign connected with what is wholesome … his mind becomes steadied internally, composed, unified, and concentrated.
4. (ii) “If, while he is giving attention to some other sign connected with what is wholesome, there still arise in him evil unwholesome thoughts connected with desire, hate, and delusion, then he should examine the danger in those thoughts thus: ‘These thoughts are unwholesome, reprehensible, resulting in suffering.’ When he examines the danger in those thoughts, then any evil unwholesome thoughts connected with desire, hate, and delusion are abandoned in him and subside. With their abandoning his mind becomes steadied internally, composed, unified, and concentrated. Just as a man or a woman, young, youthful, and fond of ornaments, would be horrified, humiliated, and disgusted if the carcass of a snake or a dog or a human being were hung around his or her neck,