[123] "And which, householders, is the individual who torments himself, devoted to the practice of tormenting himself? Here, householders, a certain individual goes naked, is of loose habits, licks his hands … (the detail here is as in the Kandarakasutta) … Thus he dwells devoted to the practice of scorching and tormenting the body in these many various ways. This, householders, is called the individual who torments himself, devoted to the practice of tormenting himself.
"And which, householders, is the individual who torments others, devoted to the practice of tormenting others? Here, householders, an individual is a butcher of sheep, a butcher of pigs … or whoever else they may be who follow a cruel occupation. This, householders, is called the individual who torments others, devoted to the practice of tormenting others.
"And which, householders, is the individual who both torments himself, devoted to the practice of tormenting himself, and torments others, devoted to the practice of tormenting others? Here, householders, a certain individual is a king, an anointed khattiya … They too, threatened by punishment, threatened by fear, with tearful faces, weeping, perform the menial tasks. This, householders, is called the individual who both torments himself, devoted to the practice of tormenting himself, and torments others, devoted to the practice of tormenting others.
"And which, householders, is the individual who neither torments himself nor is devoted to the practice of tormenting himself, nor torments others nor is devoted to the practice of tormenting others — who, tormenting neither himself nor others, dwells in this very life hungerless, quenched, become cool, experiencing happiness, with self become as Brahmā (brahmabhūta)? Here, householders, a Tathāgata arises in the world, an Arahant, a Perfectly Enlightened One … Having abandoned these five hindrances (nīvaraṇa), corruptions of the mind (citta) that weaken wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, he enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, with rapture (pīti) and happiness born of seclusion. With the stilling of applied thought and sustained thought, he enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without applied thought and without sustained thought, and has rapture and happiness born of concentration (samādhi). With the fading away of rapture … he enters and dwells in the third jhāna. With the abandoning of happiness … he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna.
"When his mind is thus concentrated, purified, cleansed, unblemished, rid of corruptions, become malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs his mind to the knowledge (ñāṇa) of the recollection of past abodes. He recollects his manifold past abodes, that is: one birth (jāti), two births also … Thus, with their aspects and particulars, he recollects his manifold past abodes.
"When his mind is thus concentrated, purified, cleansed, unblemished, rid of corruptions, become malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs his mind to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings. With the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, he sees beings passing away and reappearing — inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate … he understands beings as faring according to their kamma.
"When his mind is thus concentrated, purified, cleansed, unblemished, rid of corruptions, become malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs his mind to the knowledge of the destruction of the taints (āsava). He understands as it really is (yathābhūta): 'This is suffering (dukkha)' … He understands as it really is: 'This is the way of practice leading to the cessation of the taints.' When he thus knows and thus sees, his mind is liberated from the taint of sensuality, his mind is liberated from the taint of existence, his mind is liberated from the taint of ignorance (avijjā). When it is liberated, there comes the knowledge: 'It is liberated.' He understands: 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what was to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this state of being.'
"This, householders, is called the individual who neither torments himself nor is devoted to the practice of tormenting himself, nor torments others nor is devoted to the practice of tormenting others — who, tormenting neither himself nor others, dwells in this very life hungerless, quenched, become cool, experiencing happiness, with self become as Brahmā."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.