[345] "And what, friends, is the air element (vāyodhātu)? The air element may be internal or it may be external. And what, friends, is the internal air element? Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is air, airy, and clung-to — that is: winds going upward, winds going downward, winds lying in the belly, winds lying in the bowels, winds coursing through the limbs, in-breath and out-breath — or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is air, airy, and clung-to: this, friends, is called the internal air element. Now both the internal air element and the external air element are simply the air element. That should be seen as it really is with right wisdom thus: 'This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.' Having seen it thus as it really is with right wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the air element and makes the mind (citta) dispassionate toward the air element.
"There comes a time, friends, when the external air element is agitated. It sweeps away villages, sweeps away towns, sweeps away cities, sweeps away districts, sweeps away regions of districts. And there comes a time, friends, when in the last month of the hot season people seek wind by means of a palm-leaf fan or a winnowing-fan, and even the grasses at the drip-fringe of the thatch do not stir. Since, friends, even of that external air element, great as it is, impermanence will be evident, its nature to be destroyed will be evident, its nature to pass away will be evident, its nature to change will be evident — what then of this body, lasting but a little while, clung to by craving (taṇhā)? There can be no regarding it as 'I' or 'mine' or 'I am'; rather, for him there is here no such consideration at all.
"If, friends, others abuse, revile, provoke, and harass that bhikkhu, he understands thus: 'There has arisen in me this painful feeling (vedanā) born of ear-contact. 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. And his mind, taking just that element as its object, leaps forward, becomes confident, becomes steady, and is liberated.
"If, friends, others assail that bhikkhu in ways that are unwished-for, undesired, and disagreeable — with blows of the fist, blows of clods, blows of sticks, and blows of knives — he understands thus: 'This body is of such a nature that in a body of such a nature blows of the fist find place, blows of clods find place, blows of sticks find place, blows of knives find place. But this has been said by the Blessed One in the exhortation on the simile of the saw: "Bhikkhus, even if bandits, men of low conduct, were to sever limb after limb with a two-handled saw, whoever should defile his mind with hate toward them would not thereby be one who carries out my teaching." So energy (vīriya) shall be aroused in me and unflagging, mindfulness (sati) established and unmuddled, my body tranquil and unagitated, my mind concentrated and unified. Now willingly let blows of the fist fall upon this body, let blows of clods fall, let blows of sticks fall, let blows of knives fall; for this is how the teaching of the Buddhas is carried out.'
"If, friends, while that bhikkhu thus recollects the Buddha, thus recollects the Dhamma, thus recollects 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 truly no gain for me, truly there is no gain for me; it is truly ill-gotten by me, truly it is not well-gotten by me, that while I thus recollect the Buddha, thus recollect the Dhamma, thus recollect 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 thus recollects the Buddha, thus recollects the Dhamma, thus recollects 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 truly no gain for me, truly there is no gain for me; it is truly ill-gotten by me, truly it is not well-gotten by me, that while I thus recollect the Buddha, thus recollect the Dhamma, thus recollect the Saṅgha, equanimity supported by the wholesome does not become established.'
"But if, friends, while that bhikkhu thus recollects the Buddha, thus recollects the Dhamma, thus recollects the Saṅgha, equanimity supported by the wholesome does become established, he is glad on that account. To this extent, friends, much has been done by that bhikkhu."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.