[23] Bhikkhus, there are these five impurities (upakkilesa) of gold (jātarūpa), impurities defiled by which gold is neither malleable nor workable nor radiant, but is brittle, and is not properly fit for working. What five? Iron, copper, tin, lead, and silver. These, bhikkhus, are the five impurities of gold, impurities defiled by which gold is neither malleable nor workable nor radiant, but is brittle, and is not properly fit for working. But when, bhikkhus, gold is freed from these five impurities, that gold is malleable, workable, and radiant, and it is not brittle; it is properly fit for working. For whatever kind of ornament one wishes — whether a ring, an earring, a necklace, or a golden garland — it serves that very purpose.
Even so, bhikkhus, there are these five impurities of the mind (citta), impurities defiled by which the mind is neither malleable nor workable nor radiant, but is brittle, and does not rightly become concentrated for the destruction of the taints (āsava). What five? Sensual desire, ill will, dullness and drowsiness, restlessness and remorse, and doubt. These, bhikkhus, are the five impurities of the mind, impurities defiled by which the mind is neither malleable nor workable nor radiant, but is brittle, and does not rightly become concentrated for the destruction of the taints. But when, bhikkhus, the mind is freed from these five impurities, that mind is malleable, workable, and radiant, and it is not brittle; it rightly becomes concentrated for the destruction of the taints. Then, to whatever dhamma realizable by direct knowledge (abhiññā) he directs his mind for realization by direct knowledge, he attains the capacity to witness it in each and every case, there being a suitable basis (āyatana).
If he wishes: "May I wield the manifold kinds of spiritual power (iddhividha): having been one, may I become many; having been many, may I become one; may I appear and vanish; may I go unhindered through a wall, through a rampart, through a mountain, as though through space; may I dive in and out of the earth as though it were water; may I walk upon water without breaking it, as though upon earth; may I travel cross-legged through space like a winged bird; with my hand may I touch and stroke the moon and sun, so mighty and powerful; may I exercise mastery with the body even as far as the Brahmā world" — he attains the capacity to witness it in each and every case, there being a suitable basis.
If he wishes: "May I, with the divine ear element, purified and surpassing the human, hear both kinds of sounds, divine and human, those that are far as well as near" — he attains the capacity to witness it in each and every case, there being a suitable basis.
If he wishes: "May I understand the minds of other beings, of other persons, having encompassed them with my own mind: may I understand a mind with lust as a mind with lust; a mind without lust as a mind without lust; a mind with hatred as a mind with hatred; a mind without hatred as a mind without hatred; a mind with delusion as a mind with delusion; a mind without delusion as a mind without delusion; a contracted mind as a contracted mind; a distracted mind as a distracted mind; an exalted (mahaggata) mind as an exalted mind; an unexalted mind as an unexalted mind; a surpassable mind as a surpassable mind; an unsurpassable mind as an unsurpassable mind; a concentrated mind as a concentrated mind; an unconcentrated mind as an unconcentrated mind; a liberated mind as a liberated mind; an unliberated mind as an unliberated mind" — he attains the capacity to witness it in each and every case, there being a suitable basis.
If he wishes: "May I recollect my manifold past abodes, that is: one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births; many aeons of world-contraction, many aeons of world-expansion, many aeons of world-contraction and expansion: 'There I was so named, of such a clan, of such an appearance, such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the limit of my life-span; passing away from there, I arose in such a place; there too I was so named, of such a clan, of such an appearance, such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the limit of my life-span; passing away from there, I was reborn here' — thus may I recollect my manifold past abodes with their modes and particulars" — he attains the capacity to witness it in each and every case, there being a suitable basis.
If he wishes: "May I, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, see beings passing away and being reborn — inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate — and understand beings as faring according to their kamma: 'These beings, alas, endowed with misconduct by body, endowed with misconduct by speech, endowed with misconduct by mind, revilers of the noble ones, of wrong view, undertaking kamma based on wrong view — with the breaking up of the body, after death, they have arisen in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, the lower world, hell. But these beings, endowed with good conduct by body, endowed with good conduct by speech, endowed with good conduct by mind, not revilers of the noble ones, of right view, undertaking kamma based on right view — with the breaking up of the body, after death, they have arisen in a good destination, a heavenly world.' Thus with the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, may I see beings passing away and being reborn — inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate — and understand beings as faring according to their kamma" — he attains the capacity to witness it in each and every case, there being a suitable basis.
If he wishes: "May I, through the destruction of the taints, realize for myself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind (cetovimutti) and liberation by wisdom (paññāvimutti), and having entered upon them, dwell therein" — he attains the capacity to witness it in each and every case, there being a suitable basis.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.