[216] On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Nādika, in the Iñjakāvasatha (the Brick House). Then the Venerable Sandha approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. When the Venerable Sandha was seated to one side, the Blessed One said this to him:
"Sandha, meditate with the meditation of a thoroughbred; do not meditate with the meditation of a wild colt. And how, Sandha, is there the meditation of a wild colt? A wild colt of a horse, Sandha, tied up by the feeding trough, meditates: 'Fodder! Fodder!' For what reason? Because, Sandha, it does not occur to a wild colt of a horse tied up by the feeding trough: 'What task, I wonder, will the trainer of tamable horses set me today? What shall I do in return for him?' Tied up by the feeding trough, he meditates: 'Fodder! Fodder!' In just the same way, Sandha, a certain person who is a wild colt of a man, gone to the forest, gone to the root of a tree, or gone to an empty dwelling, dwells with a mind obsessed by sensual lust (kāmarāga), overwhelmed by sensual lust, and he does not understand as it really is (yathābhūta) the escape from arisen sensual lust. Having made sensual lust itself interior, he meditates, cogitates, ponders, and ruminates. He dwells with a mind obsessed by ill will (byāpāda) … He dwells with a mind obsessed by dullness and drowsiness (thīna-middha) … He dwells with a mind obsessed by restlessness and remorse (uddhacca-kukkucca) … He dwells with a mind obsessed by doubt (vicikicchā), overwhelmed by doubt, and he does not understand as it really is the escape from arisen doubt. Having made doubt itself interior, he meditates, cogitates, ponders, and ruminates. He meditates in dependence on earth; he meditates in dependence on water; he meditates in dependence on fire; he meditates in dependence on air; he meditates in dependence on the sphere of the infinity of space (ākāsānañcāyatana); he meditates in dependence on the sphere of the infinity of consciousness (viññāṇañcāyatana); he meditates in dependence on the sphere of nothingness (ākiñcaññāyatana); he meditates in dependence on the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception (nevasaññānāsaññāyatana); he meditates in dependence on this world; he meditates in dependence on the other world; and whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, and ranged over by the mind — in dependence on that too he meditates. Such, Sandha, is the meditation of a wild colt of a man.
"And how, Sandha, is there the meditation of a thoroughbred? An excellent thoroughbred horse, Sandha, tied up by the feeding trough, does not meditate: 'Fodder! Fodder!' For what reason? Because, Sandha, it occurs to an excellent thoroughbred horse tied up by the feeding trough: 'What task, I wonder, will the trainer of tamable horses set me today? What shall I do in return for him?' Tied up by the feeding trough, he does not meditate: 'Fodder! Fodder!' For an excellent thoroughbred horse, Sandha, regards the application of the goad as a debt, as bondage, as a loss, as a misfortune. In just the same way, Sandha, an excellent thoroughbred of a man, gone to the forest, gone to the root of a tree, or gone to an empty dwelling, does not dwell with a mind obsessed by sensual lust, overwhelmed by sensual lust, and he understands as it really is the escape from arisen sensual lust. He does not dwell with a mind obsessed by ill will … He does not dwell with a mind obsessed by dullness and drowsiness … He does not dwell with a mind obsessed by restlessness and remorse … He does not dwell with a mind obsessed by doubt, overwhelmed by doubt, and he understands as it really is the escape from arisen doubt. He does not meditate in dependence on earth; he does not meditate in dependence on water; he does not meditate in dependence on fire; he does not meditate in dependence on air; he does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of the infinity of space; he does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of the infinity of consciousness; he does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of nothingness; he does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception; he does not meditate in dependence on this world; he does not meditate in dependence on the other world; and whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, and ranged over by the mind — in dependence on that too he does not meditate; and yet he does meditate. And, Sandha, the devas together with Indra, with Brahmā, and with Pajāpati worship from afar the excellent thoroughbred of a man who meditates thus:
'Homage to you, O thoroughbred of men!
Homage to you, O supreme among men!
For we ourselves cannot directly know
that in dependence on which you meditate.'
(2) When this was said, the Venerable Sandha said this to the Blessed One: "But how, venerable sir, meditating does the excellent thoroughbred of a man meditate, such that he does not meditate in dependence on earth; does not meditate in dependence on water; does not meditate in dependence on fire; does not meditate in dependence on air; does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of the infinity of space; does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of the infinity of consciousness; does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of nothingness; does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception; does not meditate in dependence on this world; does not meditate in dependence on the other world; and whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, and ranged over by the mind — in dependence on that too he does not meditate, and yet he does meditate? And how, venerable sir, do the devas together with Indra, with Brahmā, and with Pajāpati worship from afar the excellent thoroughbred of a man who meditates thus:
'Homage to you, O thoroughbred of men!
Homage to you, O supreme among men!
For we ourselves cannot directly know
that in dependence on which you meditate.'?"
"Here, Sandha, for the excellent thoroughbred of a man, the perception of earth in regard to earth has vanished; the perception of water in regard to water has vanished; the perception of fire in regard to fire has vanished; the perception of air in regard to air has vanished; the perception of the sphere of the infinity of space in regard to the sphere of the infinity of space has vanished; the perception of the sphere of the infinity of consciousness in regard to the sphere of the infinity of consciousness has vanished; the perception of the sphere of nothingness in regard to the sphere of nothingness has vanished; the perception of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception in regard to the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception has vanished; the perception of this world in regard to this world has vanished; the perception of the other world in regard to the other world has vanished; and whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, and ranged over by the mind — in regard to that too, perception has vanished. Meditating thus, Sandha, the excellent thoroughbred of a man does not meditate in dependence on earth; does not meditate in dependence on water; does not meditate in dependence on fire; does not meditate in dependence on air; does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of the infinity of space; does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of the infinity of consciousness; does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of nothingness; does not meditate in dependence on the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception; does not meditate in dependence on this world; does not meditate in dependence on the other world; and whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, and ranged over by the mind — in dependence on that too he does not meditate; and yet he does meditate. And, Sandha, the devas together with Indra, with Brahmā, and with Pajāpati worship from afar the excellent thoroughbred of a man who meditates thus:
'Homage to you, O thoroughbred of men!
Homage to you, O supreme among men!
For we ourselves cannot directly know
that in dependence on which you meditate.'"
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.