Once upon a time the Exalted One was in residence at Savatthi, at Jetavana, in Anatha Pindika's Mango Grove. At that time the Exalted One addressed the monks: "Monks!" "Reverend Sir!" said those monks to the Exalted One in reply. The Exalted One said this:

"Even before my Complete Enlightenment, before I became a Supreme Buddha, while I was yet a mere Buddha-to-be, the following thought occurred to me: 'Suppose, during my monastic residence, I were to separate my thoughts into two groups!' Accordingly I made this one group of these thoughts of the pleasures of sense and of ill-will and of injury, and this other group of these thoughts of the renunciation of the pleasures of sense and of good-will and of non-injury.

"So when, as I resided thus heedful, ardent, resolute, a thought of the pleasures of sense arose within me, I perceived the following: 'Arisen within me indeed is this thought of the pleasures of sense. And this thought indeed conduces both to the ruin of self and to the ruin of others,--even to the ruin both of self and of others. It is destructive of wisdom, it is in league with ruin, it does not conduce to Nirvana.'

"Even as I considered within myself, 'This thought conduces to the ruin of self,' this thought utterly faded away. Even as I considered within myself, 'This thought conduces to the ruin of others,' this thought utterly faded away.

"Even as I considered within myself, 'This thought conduces both to the ruin of self and to the ruin of others,' this thought utterly faded away. Even as I considered within myself, 'This thought is destructive of wisdom, is in league with ruin, does not conduce to Nirvana,' this thought utterly faded away. Thus, every single time a thought of the pleasures of sense arose within me, I absolutely rejected it, I absolutely banished it, I absolutely abolished it. So likewise with the thoughts of ill-will and the thoughts of injury.

"Whatsoever a monk considers much, ponders much, to that does his heart incline. If it be a thought of the pleasures of sense that a monk considers much, ponders much, he has rejected the thought of the renunciation of the pleasures of sense; he has made much of the thought of the pleasures of sense; to the thought of the pleasures of sense does that heart of his incline. So likewise with the thoughts of ill-will and the thoughts of injury.

"It is precisely as if, in the last of the months of the rains, in the autumn time, when the crops are grown thick, a herdsman were to tend his cows. That herdsman with his stick would drive those cows away from this, from that; would guide those cows away from this, from that; would restrain them, would restrict them. Why would he do so? Because that herdsman sees in this, in that, a cause of death or capture or injury or harm.

"Precisely so I saw the disadvantage, the worthlessness, the contamination, of evil ways; of good ways, I saw advantage in the renunciation of the pleasures of sense, I saw the same in league with purity.

"So when, as I resided thus heedful, ardent, resolute, the thought of the renunciation of the pleasures of sense arose within me, I perceived the following: 'Arisen within me indeed is this thought of the renunciation of the pleasures of sense. And this thought indeed does not conduce to the ruin of self, does not conduce to the ruin of others,--does not conduce either to the ruin of self or to the ruin of others. It increases wisdom, it is in league with good-will, it conduces to Nirvana.'

"Did I by night consider this, ponder this, I saw therein no cause of fear. Did I by day consider this, ponder this, I saw therein no cause of fear. Did I by night and day consider this, ponder this, I saw therein no cause of fear. 'However,' thought I, 'should I consider this, should I ponder this, too long, my body is likely to grow weary. Should my body grow weary, my thoughts are likely to become agitated. Should my thoughts become agitated, my thoughts will be far removed from Concentration.' Accordingly I established my very inmost thoughts, I settled them, I focused them, I concentrated them. Why did I do this? 'Let not my thoughts become agitated!' So likewise with thoughts of good-will and thoughts of non-injury.

"Whatsoever a monk considers much, ponders much, to that does his heart incline. If it be the thought of the renunciation of the pleasures of sense that a monk considers much, ponders much, he has rejected the thought of the pleasures of sense; he has made much of the thought of the renunciation of the pleasures of sense; to the thought of the renunciation of the pleasures of sense does his heart incline. So likewise with thoughts of good-will and thoughts of non-injury.

"It is precisely as if, in the last of the months of the rains, when all of the crops have been brought together on the outskirts of the village, a herdsman were to tend his cows. Whether he sits at the foot of a tree or out in the open, his business is ever and always to be mindful of the fact: 'There are the cows!'

"Precisely so it was my business ever and always to be mindful of the fact: 'There are the good and the evil ways!'

"Aroused indeed was my vigor, not relaxed; fixed was my attention, not distracted; tranquil was my body, not agitated; concentrated were my thoughts, focussed on a single point. Thus did I dwell, having utterly isolated myself from the pleasures of sense, having isolated myself from evil ways, having entered upon the First Trance, with which is associated reasoning, with which is associated investigation, which has its beginning in isolation, which is full of joy and bliss.

"Then did I dwell, through the cessation of reasoning and investigation, having entered upon the Second Trance,--a trance devoid of reasoning, devoid of investigation, a tranquillization of the inner self, a focussing of the thoughts, which has its beginning in Concentration, which is full of joy and bliss.

"Then did I dwell, indifferent to joy and to absence of passion, and mindful, and conscious, experiencing bliss in the body,--a monk such as he of whom the Noble say, 'He is indifferent; he is mindful; he dwells in bliss;'--I dwelt, having entered upon the Third Trance.

"Then did I dwell, through the putting away of bliss, through the putting away of suffering, through the destruction even of former satisfaction and dissatisfaction, having entered upon the Fourth Trance,--a trance devoid of suffering, devoid of bliss,--the perfection of indifference and mindfulness.

"My thoughts thus concentrated, purified, cleansed, stainless, free from contamination, impressionable, tractable, steadfast, immovable, I bent my thoughts to the recollection and knowledge of previous states of existence. I called to mind manifold and various previous states of existence, to wit: one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, innumerable periods of dissolution, innumerable periods of evolution, innumerable periods of dissolution and evolution.

"There was I! Such was my name! such my family! such my appearance! such my gettings! such the pleasure and pain I experienced! such the termination of my life! Passing from this state of existence, I was reborn in that. There again was I! Such was my name! such my family! such my appearance! such my gettings! such the pleasure and pain I experienced! such the termination of my life! Passing from that state of existence, I was reborn here.

"Thus did I call to mind manifold and various states of existence, together with their characteristics, together with their particulars. This, verily, in the first watch of the night, was the first knowledge I acquired,--ignorance shattered, knowledge arisen; darkness shattered, light arisen,--as I dwelt heedful, ardent, resolute.

"My thoughts thus concentrated, purified, cleansed, stainless, free from contamination, impressionable, tractable, steadfast, immovable, I bent my thoughts to the knowledge of the passing out of existence and the coming into existence of living beings. With the Heavenly Eye, purified, transcending that of man, I beheld living beings passing out of existence and coming into existence:--the lowly, the high-born; the well-appearing, the ill-appearing; those in good circumstances, those in poor circumstances.

"Reborn according to their deeds did I perceive all living beings: 'These living beings, verily, guilty of evil deeds, guilty of evil words, guilty of evil thoughts, defamers of the Noble, holders of wrong views, followers of courses of conduct corresponding to wrong views,--these living beings, upon dissolution of the body, at death, are reborn in a state of loss, in a state of suffering, in a state of punishment, in hell.

"But these other living beings, having good deeds to their credit, having good words to their credit, having good thoughts to their credit, not being defamers of the Noble, holders of right views, followers of courses of conduct corresponding to right views,--these living beings, upon dissolution of the body, at death, are reborn in a state of bliss, in a heavenly world.'

"Thus, with the Heavenly Eye, purified, transcending that of man, I beheld living beings passing out of existence and coming into existence:--the lowly, the high-born; the well-appearing, the ill-appearing; those in good circumstances, those in poor circumstances. Reborn according to their deeds did I perceive all living beings. This, verily, in the second watch of the night, was the second knowledge I acquired,--ignorance shattered, knowledge arisen; darkness shattered, light arisen,--as I dwelt heedful, ardent, resolute. Knowledge of the means of destroying the Three Contaminations.

"My thoughts thus concentrated, purified, cleansed, stainless, free from contamination, impressionable, tractable, steadfast, immovable, I bent my thoughts to the knowledge of the destruction of the Contaminations. 'This is Suffering!'--I comprehended Suffering in its fulness. 'This is the Origin of Suffering!'--I comprehended the Origin of Suffering in its fulness. 'This is the Cessation of Suffering!'--I comprehended the Cessation of Suffering in its fulness. 'This is the Way to the Cessation of Suffering!'--I comprehended the Way to the Cessation of Suffering in its fulness.

"'These are the Contaminations!'--I comprehended the Contaminations in their fulness. 'This is the Origin of the Contaminations!'--comprehended the Origin of the Contaminations in its fulness. 'This is the Cessation of the Contaminations!'--I comprehended the Cessation of the Contaminations in its fulness. 'This is the Way to the Cessation of the Contaminations!'--I comprehended the Way to the Cessation of the Contaminations in its fulness.

"Lo! as I thus perceived, as I thus beheld, my thoughts were delivered from the Contamination of Craving for the Pleasures of Sense, my thoughts were delivered from the Contamination of Craving for Existence, my thoughts were delivered from the Contamination of Ignorance. The knowledge came to me: 'In the Delivered is Deliverance!' I came to comprehend: 'Rebirth is at an end! lived is the Holy Life! done is what was to be done! I am no more for this world!' This, verily, in the last watch of the night, was the third knowledge I acquired,--ignorance shattered, knowledge arisen; darkness shattered, light arisen,--as I dwelt heedful, ardent, resolute.'

"It is precisely as if, in a forest, in a grove, there were a great marsh, a swamp, and near it lived a great herd of deer;--and some man or other were to happen along, not desiring their weal, not desiring their welfare, not desiring their security;--and were to close the path which was secure, which was safe, which led to joy; and were to open the downward path, were to let the deer into the morass, were to set them roving in the water. For under these circumstances that great herd of deer would after a time be thinned out and would come to destruction and ruin.

"But on the other hand, suppose that to that same great herd of deer there came some man or other, desiring their weal, desiring their welfare, desiring their security;--he would open the path which was secure, which was safe, which led to joy;--he would close the downward path, would cut them off from the morass, would prevent them from roving in the water. For under those circumstances that great herd of deer would after a time attain increase, growth, development.

"A parable, monks, I here give unto you, that ye may understand the meaning of the matter. And this alone is the meaning of the matter:

"The great marsh, the swamp, typifies the Pleasures of Sense. The great herd of deer typifies all living beings. The man who desires not their weal, who desires not their welfare, who desires not their security, typifies Mara the Evil One. The downward path typifies the Wrong Eightfold Path, to wit: Wrong Views, Wrong Resolution, Wrong Speech, Wrong Conduct, Wrong Means of Livelihood, Wrong Exertion, Wrong Mindfulness, Wrong Concentration. The morass typifies passion for delight. Roving in the water typifies ignorance.

"The man who desires their weal, who desires their welfare, who desires their security, typifies the Tathagata, the All-worthy, the Supremely Enlightened. The path which is secure, which is safe, which leads to joy, is the Noble Eightfold Path, to wit: Right Views, Right Resolution, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Means of Livelihood, Right Exertion, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.

"Thus, O monks, have I opened the path which is secure, which is safe, which leads to joy; thus have I closed the downward path, cut the deer off from the morass, prevented them from roving in the water. All that can be done by a Teacher who desires the welfare of his disciples, who has compassion for his disciples, out of compassion, all that have I done for you.

"Here, O monks, are the roots of trees! here are the abodes of solitude! Meditate, O monks! be not heedless! have no regrets hereafter!"

Thus spoke the Exalted One. Delighted at heart, those monks applauded the utterance of the Exalted One.