1.
The Discourse on the Himalayas
182.
At Sāvatthī.
"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 seven factors of enlightenment, cultivates the seven factors of enlightenment, and thereby he achieves greatness and expansiveness in [wholesome] qualities.
And how, monks, does a monk, based upon morality, established upon morality, develop the seven factors of enlightenment, cultivate the seven factors of enlightenment, and thereby achieve greatness and expansiveness in [wholesome] qualities?
Here, monks, a monk develops the enlightenment factor of mindfulness, based upon seclusion, based upon dispassion, based upon cessation, maturing in release;
he develops the enlightenment factor of investigation of phenomena... etc.
he develops the enlightenment factor of energy, etc.
he develops the enlightenment factor of rapture, etc.
he develops the enlightenment factor of tranquillity, etc.
he develops the enlightenment factor of concentration, etc.
He develops the enlightenment factor of equanimity, based upon seclusion, based upon dispassion, based upon cessation, maturing in release.
Thus, monks, a monk, based upon morality, established upon morality, develops the seven factors of enlightenment, cultivates the seven factors of enlightenment, and thereby he achieves greatness and expansiveness in [wholesome] qualities."
The first.