10.
The Discourse on the Stilling of Distracting Thoughts
216.
Thus have I heard -
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park.
There the Blessed One addressed the monks thus:
"Monks."
"Venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
"By a monk devoted to higher consciousness, monks, five signs should be attended to from time to time. Which five? Here, monks, when for a monk, based on a certain sign, attending to a certain sign, evil unwholesome applied thoughts arise, connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion, then, monks, by that monk, from that sign another sign should be attended to, connected with the wholesome. For him, attending to another sign connected with the wholesome instead of that sign, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear. With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated. Just as, monks, a skilled mason or a mason's apprentice would knock out, drive out, and remove a gross peg with a subtle peg; so too, monks, when for a monk, based on a certain sign, attending to a certain sign, evil unwholesome applied thoughts arise, connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion, then, monks, by that monk, from that sign another sign should be attended to, connected with the wholesome. For him, attending to another sign connected with the wholesome instead of that sign, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear. With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
217.
"If, monks, for that monk, while attending to another sign connected with the wholesome instead of that sign, evil unwholesome applied thoughts still arise, connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion, then, monks, by that monk the danger of those applied thoughts should be examined -
'Thus these applied thoughts are unwholesome, thus these applied thoughts are blameable, thus these applied thoughts have painful results.'
For him examining the danger of those applied thoughts, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
Just as, monks, a woman or a man, young, youthful, fond of adornment, would be troubled, ashamed, and disgusted by a snake carcass or a dog carcass or a human carcass hung around the neck;
so too, monks, if for that monk, while attending to another sign connected with the wholesome instead of that sign, evil unwholesome applied thoughts still arise, connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion, then, monks, by that monk the danger of those applied thoughts should be examined -
'Thus these applied thoughts are unwholesome, thus these applied thoughts are blameable, thus these applied thoughts have painful results.'
For him examining the danger of those applied thoughts, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
218.
"If, monks, for that monk, while examining the danger of those applied thoughts, evil unwholesome applied thoughts still arise, connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion, then, monks, by that monk inattention to those applied thoughts should be committed.
For him committing inattention to those applied thoughts, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
Just as, monks, a man with good eyesight, not wishing to see material forms that have come into range;
he might close his eyes or look away.
So too, monks, if for that monk, while examining the danger of those applied thoughts, evil unwholesome applied thoughts still arise, connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion, they are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
219.
"If, monks, for that monk, while committing inattention to those applied thoughts, evil unwholesome applied thoughts still arise, connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion, then, monks, by that monk the state of the activity of those applied thoughts should be attended to.
For him attending to the state of the activity of those applied thoughts, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
Just as, monks, a man might go quickly.
He might think thus:
'Why indeed am I going quickly?
What if I were to go slowly.'
He would go slowly.
He might think thus:
'Why indeed am I going slowly?
What if I were to stand.'
He would stand.
He might think thus:
'Why indeed am I standing?
What if I were to sit down.'
He would sit down.
He might think thus:
'Why indeed am I seated?
What if I were to lie down.'
He would lie down.
Thus indeed, monks, that man, having avoided each gross posture, would adopt each subtle posture.
So too, monks, if for that monk, while committing inattention to those applied thoughts, evil unwholesome applied thoughts still arise, connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion, they are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
220.
"If, monks, for that monk, while attending to the state of the activity of those applied thoughts, evil unwholesome applied thoughts still arise, connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion,
then, monks, by that monk, with teeth clenched and tongue pressed against the palate, the mind should be restrained, crushed, and tormented by the mind.
For him, with teeth clenched and tongue pressed against the palate, restraining, crushing, and tormenting the mind by the mind, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
Just as, monks, a strong man, having seized a weaker man by the head or by the throat or by the shoulders, would restrain, crush, and torment him;
so too, monks, if for that monk, while attending to the state of the activity of those applied thoughts, evil unwholesome applied thoughts still arise, connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion,
then, monks, by that monk, with teeth clenched and tongue pressed against the palate, the mind should be restrained, crushed, and tormented by the mind.
For him, with teeth clenched and tongue pressed against the palate, restraining, crushing, and tormenting the mind by the mind, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
221.
"Monks, when for a monk, based on a certain sign, attending to a certain sign, evil unwholesome applied thoughts arise, connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion, for him, attending to another sign connected with the wholesome instead of that sign, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
For him examining the danger of those applied thoughts, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
For him committing inattention to those applied thoughts, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
For him attending to the state of the activity of those applied thoughts, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
For him, with teeth clenched and tongue pressed against the palate, restraining, crushing, and tormenting the mind by the mind, those evil unwholesome applied thoughts connected with desire, connected with hate, connected with delusion are abandoned, they disappear.
With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated.
This is called, monks, a monk who is a master in the paths of the courses of applied thought.
Whatever applied thought he wishes, that applied thought he will think; whatever applied thought he does not wish, that applied thought he will not think.
He has cut off craving, turned back the mental fetters, through the complete full realisation of conceit he has made an end of suffering."
This is what the Blessed One said. Those monks, delighted, rejoiced in what the Blessed One had said.
The Discourse on the Removal of Applied Thought is concluded as tenth.