[417] What five dhammas are hard to penetrate (duppaṭivijjhā)? Five elements (dhātu) conducive to escape (nissāraṇīyā dhātuyo). Here, friends, when a bhikkhu attends to sensual pleasures, his mind (citta) does not leap forward into sensual pleasures, does not settle in confidence, does not become steady, is not released; but when he attends to renunciation (nekkhamma), his mind leaps forward into renunciation, settles in confidence, becomes steady, is released. That mind of his is well gone, well developed, well emerged, well liberated, detached from sensual pleasures; and whatever taints (āsava)—distressing and feverish—arise with sensual pleasures as condition, he is freed from them; he does not feel that feeling (vedanā). This is declared to be the escape from sensual pleasures.
Again, friends, when a bhikkhu attends to ill will (byāpāda), his mind does not leap forward into ill will, does not settle in confidence, does not become steady, is not released; but when he attends to non-ill will, his mind leaps forward into non-ill will, settles in confidence, becomes steady, is released. That mind of his is well gone, well developed, well emerged, well liberated, detached from ill will; and whatever taints—distressing and feverish—arise with ill will as condition, he is freed from them; he does not feel that feeling. This is declared to be the escape from ill will.
Again, friends, when a bhikkhu attends to harming (vihesā), his mind does not leap forward into harming, does not settle in confidence, does not become steady, is not released; but when he attends to non-harming, his mind leaps forward into non-harming, settles in confidence, becomes steady, is released. That mind of his is well gone, well developed, well emerged, well liberated, detached from harming; and whatever taints—distressing and feverish—arise with harming as condition, he is freed from them; he does not feel that feeling. This is declared to be the escape from harming.
Again, friends, when a bhikkhu attends to forms (rūpa), his mind does not leap forward into forms, does not settle in confidence, does not become steady, is not released; but when he attends to the formless (arūpa), his mind leaps forward into the formless, settles in confidence, becomes steady, is released. That mind of his is well gone, well developed, well emerged, well liberated, detached from forms; and whatever taints—distressing and feverish—arise with forms as condition, he is freed from them; he does not feel that feeling. This is declared to be the escape from forms.
Again, friends, when a bhikkhu attends to personal existence (sakkāya), his mind does not leap forward into personal existence, does not settle in confidence, does not become steady, is not released; but when he attends to the cessation of personal existence, his mind leaps forward into the cessation of personal existence, settles in confidence, becomes steady, is released. That mind of his is well gone, well developed, well emerged, well liberated, detached from personal existence; and whatever taints—distressing and feverish—arise with personal existence as condition, he is freed from them; he does not feel that feeling. This is declared to be the escape from personal existence.
These are the five dhammas hard to penetrate.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.