3.
The Discourse on the Great Serpents
151.
"Just as, monks, great serpents, based upon the Himalayas, the king of mountains, nurture their bodies and acquire strength;
they, having nurtured their bodies there and acquired strength, descend into small pools; having descended into small pools, they descend into large pools; having descended into large pools, they descend into rivulets; having descended into rivulets, they descend into great rivers; having descended into great rivers, they descend into the great ocean; there they achieve greatness and expansiveness of body;
so too, monks, based upon morality, established upon morality, a monk develops the noble eightfold path, cultivates the noble eightfold path, and thereby he achieves greatness and expansiveness in [wholesome] qualities.
And how, monks, does a monk, based upon morality, established upon morality, develop the noble eightfold path, cultivate the noble eightfold path, and thereby achieve greatness and expansiveness in [wholesome] qualities?
Here, monks, a monk develops right view, based upon seclusion, based upon dispassion, based upon cessation, maturing in release, etc.
he develops right concentration, based upon seclusion, based upon dispassion, based upon cessation, maturing in release, etc.
Thus, monks, a monk, based upon morality, established upon morality, develops the noble eightfold path, cultivates the noble eightfold path, and thereby he achieves greatness and expansiveness in [wholesome] qualities."
The third.