[342] "And what, friends, is the earth element (paṭhavīdhātu)? The earth element may be internal or it may be external. And what, friends, is the internal earth element? Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is hard, solid, and clung-to (upādinna) — that is: head-hairs, body-hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone-marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, stomach-contents, excrement — or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is hard, solid, and clung-to: this, friends, is called the internal earth element. Now both the internal earth element and the external earth element are simply the earth element. That should be seen as it really is (yathābhūta) with right wisdom thus: 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.' Having seen it thus as it really is with right wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the earth element and makes the mind (citta) dispassionate toward the earth element.
There comes a time, friends, when the external water element is agitated; at that time the external earth element has vanished. Since, friends, even of this external earth element, great as it is, impermanence will be evident, its nature to be destroyed will be evident, its nature to waste away will be evident, its nature to change will be evident — what then of this body, lasting but a moment, clung to by craving (taṇhā), as 'I' or 'mine' or 'I am'? Rather, there is here for him none of that.
If, friends, others abuse, revile, provoke, and harass that bhikkhu, he understands thus: 'This painful feeling (vedanā) born of ear-contact has arisen in me; and that is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on contact.' He sees that contact is impermanent, he sees that feeling is impermanent, he sees that perception is impermanent, he sees that volitional formations are impermanent, he sees that consciousness is impermanent. His mind, with just that element as its object, leaps forward, gains confidence, becomes steady, and is liberated.
If, friends, others assail that bhikkhu in undesirable, unwished-for, disagreeable ways — with the contact of fists, with the contact of clods, with the contact of sticks, with the contact of knives — he understands thus: 'This body is of such a nature that contacts of fists assail it, contacts of clods assail it, contacts of sticks assail it, contacts of knives assail it. But this has been said by the Blessed One in the advice on the simile of the saw: "Bhikkhus, even if low-down bandits were to sever limb from limb with a two-handled saw, he who on that account should let his mind be corrupted would not thereby be one who carries out my teaching." So energy (vīriya) shall be aroused in me and unflagging, mindfulness established and unmuddled, the body tranquil and unagitated, the mind concentrated (samāhita) and unified. Willingly now let contacts of fists assail this body, let contacts of clods assail it, let contacts of sticks assail it, let contacts of knives assail it — for this is how the teaching of the Buddhas is carried out.'
If, friends, while that bhikkhu is thus recollecting the Buddha, thus recollecting the Dhamma, thus recollecting the Saṅgha, equanimity supported by the wholesome does not become established, he is stirred by that and comes to a sense of urgency (saṃvega): 'It is a loss for me indeed, it is truly no gain for me; it is ill-gotten by me indeed, it is truly not well-gotten by me, that while I am thus recollecting the Buddha, thus recollecting the Dhamma, thus recollecting the Saṅgha, equanimity supported by the wholesome does not become established.' Just as, friends, a daughter-in-law, on seeing her father-in-law, is stirred and comes to a sense of urgency, even so, friends, if while that bhikkhu is thus recollecting the Buddha, thus recollecting the Dhamma, thus recollecting the Saṅgha, equanimity supported by the wholesome does not become established, he is stirred by that and comes to a sense of urgency: 'It is a loss for me indeed, it is truly no gain for me; it is ill-gotten by me indeed, it is truly not well-gotten by me, that while I am thus recollecting the Buddha, thus recollecting the Dhamma, thus recollecting the Saṅgha, equanimity supported by the wholesome does not become established.'
But if, friends, while that bhikkhu is thus recollecting the Buddha, thus recollecting the Dhamma, thus recollecting the Saṅgha, equanimity supported by the wholesome does become established, he is gladdened by that. To this extent, friends, much has been done by that bhikkhu."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.