The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [259]
16. “Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, he enters upon and abides in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of seclusion. Why is that? That is how it is with one who fulfils the training in the Teacher’s Dispensation.
17. “With the stilling of applied and sustained thought, he enters upon and abides in the second jhāna…With the fading away as well of rapture…he enters upon and abides in the third jhāna…With the abandoning of pleasure and pain…he enters upon and abides in the fourth jhāna…Why is that? That is how it is with one who fulfils the training in the Teacher’s Dispensation.
18. “When his concentrated mind is thus purified and bright, unblemished, rid of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs it to knowledge of the recollection of past lives…(as Sutta 51, §24)…Thus with their aspects and particulars he recollects his manifold past lives. Why is that? That is how [442] it is with one who fulfils the training in the Teacher’s Dispensation.
19. “When his concentrated mind is thus purified and bright…attained to imperturbability, he directs it to knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings…(as Sutta 51, §25)…Thus with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he understands how beings pass on according to their actions. Why is that? That is how it is with one who fulfils the training in the Teacher’s Dispensation.
20. “When his concentrated mind is thus purified and bright…attained to imperturbability, he directs it to knowledge of the destruction of the taints. He understands as it actually is: ‘This is suffering’…(as Sutta 51, §26)…He understands as it actually is: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of the taints.’
21. “When he knows and sees thus, his mind is liberated from the taint of sensual desire, from the taint of being, and from the taint of ignorance. When it is liberated there comes the knowledge: ‘It is liberated.’ He understands: ‘Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.’ Why is that? That is how it is with one who fulfils the training in the Teacher’s Dispensation.”
22. Thereupon the venerable Bhaddāli asked: “Venerable sir, what is the cause, what is the reason, why they take action against some bhikkhu here by repeatedly admonishing him? What is the cause, what is the reason, why they do not take such action against some bhikkhu here by repeatedly admonishing him?”
23. “Here, Bhaddāli, some bhikkhu is a constant offender with many offences. When he is corrected by the bhikkhus, he prevaricates, leads the talk aside, shows disturbance, hate, and bitterness; he does not proceed rightly, he does not comply, he does not clear himself, he does not say: ‘Let me so act that the Sangha will be satisfied.’ [443] Bhikkhus, taking account of this matter, think: ‘It would be good if the venerable ones examine this bhikkhu in such a way that this litigation against him is not settled too quickly.’ And the bhikkhus examine that bhikkhu in such a way that the litigation against him is not settled too quickly.
24. “But here some bhikkhu is a constant offender with many offences. When he is corrected by the bhikkhus, he does not prevaricate, lead the talk aside, or show disturbance, hate, and bitterness; he proceeds rightly, he complies, he clears himself, he says: ‘Let me so act that the Sangha will be satisfied.’ Bhikkhus, taking account of this matter, think: ‘It would be good if the venerable ones examine this bhikkhu in such a way that this litigation against him is settled quickly.’ And the bhikkhus examine that bhikkhu in such a way that the litigation against him is settled quickly.
25. “Here some bhikkhu is a chance offender