[343] "And what, friends, is the water element (āpodhātu)? The water element may be internal or it may be external. And what, friends, is the internal water element? Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is water, watery, and clung to (upādinna) — that is: bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, snot, synovial fluid, and urine — or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is water, watery, and clung to: this, friends, is called the internal water element. Now both the internal water element and the external water element are simply the water element. That should be seen as it really is 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 water element and makes the mind (citta) dispassionate toward the water element.
"There comes a time, friends, when the external water element is agitated. It sweeps away villages, sweeps away towns, sweeps away cities, sweeps away districts, and sweeps away regions of districts. There comes a time, friends, when the waters in the great ocean sink down a hundred yojanas, sink down two hundred yojanas, sink down three hundred yojanas, sink down four hundred yojanas, sink down five hundred yojanas, sink down six hundred yojanas, sink down seven hundred yojanas. There comes a time, friends, when the water in the great ocean stands seven palm trees deep, stands six palm trees deep, stands five palm trees deep, stands four palm trees deep, stands three palm trees deep, stands two palm trees deep, stands merely one palm tree deep. There comes a time, friends, when the water in the great ocean stands seven fathoms deep, stands six fathoms deep, stands five fathoms deep, stands four fathoms deep, stands three fathoms deep, stands two fathoms deep, stands merely one fathom deep. There comes a time, friends, when the water in the great ocean stands half a fathom deep, stands merely waist-deep, stands merely knee-deep, stands merely ankle-deep. There comes a time, friends, when there is not water in the great ocean even sufficient to wet one joint of a finger. Since, friends, even this external water element, great as it is, will be seen to be impermanent, seen to be subject to destruction, seen to be subject to disappearance, seen to be subject to change — what then of this body, which lasts but a little while and is clung to by craving (taṇhā), that it should be regarded as 'I' or 'mine' or 'I am'? Rather, there is for him here no such regarding at all.
"If, friends, while that bhikkhu thus recollects the Buddha, thus recollects the Dhamma, thus recollects the Saṅgha, equanimity supported by the wholesome becomes established, he is satisfied on that account. Friends, even to this extent much has been done by that bhikkhu."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.