ສັມມັປປະທານ ໔

When a mendicant’s mind is rightly freed like this, even if compelling sights come into the range of vision, they don’t overcome their mind. The mind remains unaffected. It is steady, imperturbable, observing disappearance. Even if compelling sounds … smells … tastes … touches … and thoughts come into the range of the mind they don’t overcome the mind. The mind remains unaffected. It is steady, imperturbable, observing disappearance.

Suppose there was a mountain that was one solid mass of rock, without cracks or holes. Even if violent storms were to blow up out of the east, the west, the north, and the south, they couldn’t make it shake or rock or tremble.

In the same way, when a mendicant’s mind is rightly freed like this, even if compelling sights come into the range of vision, they don’t overcome their mind. … The mind remains unaffected. It is steady, imperturbable, observing disappearance.

When you’re dedicated to renunciation

and seclusion of the heart;

when you’re dedicated to kindness

and the end of grasping;

when you’re dedicated to the ending of craving

and clarity of heart;

and you’ve seen the arising of the senses,

your mind is rightly freed.

For that one, rightly freed,

a mendicant with peaceful mind,

there’s nothing to be improved,

and nothing more to do.

As the wind cannot stir

a solid mass of rock,

so too sights, tastes, sounds,

smells, and touches—the lot—

and thoughts, whether liked or disliked,

don’t disturb the poised one.

Their mind is steady and free

as they observe disappearance.”

Soṇasutta AN 6.55 https://suttacentral.net/an6.55

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato

Four Right Efforts

At Sāvatthī.

There the Buddha said:

“Mendicants, there are these four right efforts. What four?

It’s when a mendicant generates enthusiasm, tries, makes an effort, exerts the mind, and strives so that bad, unskillful qualities don’t arise.

They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that bad, unskillful qualities that have arisen are given up.

They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that skillful qualities arise.

They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that skillful qualities that have arisen remain, are not lost, but increase, mature, and are completed by development. These are the four right efforts.

The Ganges River slants, slopes, and inclines to the east. In the same way, a mendicant who develops and cultivates the four right efforts slants, slopes, and inclines to extinguishment.

And how does a mendicant who develops the four right efforts slant, slope, and incline to extinguishment?

They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that bad, unskillful qualities don’t arise.

They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that bad, unskillful qualities that have arisen are given up.