Thus I have heard: One time, the Buddha was staying at Citra the cowherd’s village in Kuru.
It was then that the Buddha addressed the monks, “It was because of knowing and seeing that I reached the end of the contaminants, not because of not knowing or seeing. How was it because of knowing and seeing that I reached the end of the contaminants and not because of not knowing or seeing? I mean: ‘This is form, this is the formation of form, and this is the cessation of form. This is feeling … conception … volition … awareness, this is the formation of awareness, and this is the cessation of awareness.’
“[Suppose] one doesn’t cultivate this method or follow through with it, and they apply their mind to this goal: ‘Let my contaminants come to an end and my mind be liberated.’ You should know that that monk will never be able to reach the end of the contaminants or be liberated. Why is that? Because he doesn’t train himself. What doesn’t he train himself in? He doesn’t train in the abodes of mindfulness, right effort, spiritual abilities, faculties, powers, factors of awakening, or the path.
“He’s like a brooding hen that lays a clutch of eggs but can’t keep them warm at the proper times. She takes breaks when it’s too cold or hot, but she wants her chicks to use their beaks and claws to hatch themselves by pecking at their eggshells. You should know that her chicks won’t have the strength to break out of their shells with their beaks and claws. Why is that? Because that mother hen wasn’t able to keep them warm at the proper times when it was too cold or hot.”
“Thus, it isn’t possible for a monk who wants to reach the end of the contaminants and be liberated if he isn’t diligent in his training or following through with it. Why is that? Because he doesn’t train himself. What doesn’t he train in? He doesn’t train in the abodes of mindfulness, right effort, spiritual abilities, faculties, powers, factors of awakening, or the path.
“If a monk trains himself and follows through with it, then that monk’s contaminants will end naturally and his mind will become liberated, even if he doesn’t want that. Why is that? Because he trains himself. What does he train in? He trains in the abodes of mindfulness, right effort, spiritual abilities, faculties, powers, factors of awakening, and the path.
“He’s like a brooding hen who is good at taking care of her chicks and keeps them warm at the appropriate times when it’s too cold or hot. Even if she doesn’t want her chicks to use their own beaks to hatch from their eggs, her chicks are still able to safely hatch themselves. Why is that? Because that brooding hen kept them warm at the appropriate times and did so when it was too cold or hot.
“Thus, a monk who is good at cultivating this method will naturally end the contaminants and his mind will become liberated even if he doesn’t want that. Why is that? Because he diligently trained himself. What did he train in? He trained in the abodes of mindfulness, right effort, spiritual abilities, faculties, powers, factors of awakening, and the path.
“He’s like a mason or a mason’s apprentice whose axe handle gradually wears away where he grips it with his hand. He isn’t aware that it has worn away until it becomes obvious.
“Thus, a monk who diligently trains himself and follows through with it won’t know and see for himself that the contaminants will end today or tomorrow. Still, that monk will know that he has ended the contaminants. Why is that? Because he trains himself. What does he train in? He trains in the abodes of mindfulness, right effort, spiritual abilities, faculties, powers, factors of awakening, and the path.
“He’s like a large ship that travels along the coast of the ocean for six months during summer. Its rope lashings slowly break as it’s blown around violently each day.
“Thus, the monk who diligently trains himself and follows through with it will slowly be freed from all the bonds, tendencies, afflictions, and hindrances. Why is that? Because he trains himself well. What does he train in? He trains in the abodes of mindfulness, right effort, spiritual abilities, faculties, powers, factors of awakening, and the path.”
When he taught this Dharma, sixty monks stopped producing the contaminants, and their minds became liberated.
After he spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.