Heightened virtue,
heightened mind,
heightened discernment:
persistent,
firm,
steadfast,
absorbed in jhāna,
mindful,
with guarded faculties,
you should practice them—
as in front,
so behind;
as behind,
so in front;
as below,
so above;
as above,
so below;
as by day,
so by night;
as by night,
so by day;
conquering all the directions
with limitless concentration.
This is called
the practice of training,
as well as the pure way of life.
(Following it,) you’re called
self-awakened in the world,
enlightened,
one who’s taken the path
to its end.
With the cessation of sensory consciousness
of one released in the stopping of craving,
the liberation of awareness
of one released in the stopping of craving,
is like the unbinding
of a flame.1
Notes
1. For a discussion of this image, see The Mind Like Fire Unbound.
Origin URL: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN3_91.html