[701] **Seclusion, the state of peace, and the Great Seeker.** "Seclusion" (viveka): there are three seclusions — bodily seclusion (kāyaviveka), mental seclusion (cittaviveka), and seclusion from acquisitions (upadhiviveka).
What is bodily seclusion? Here a bhikkhu resorts to a secluded lodging — a forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a gorge, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a jungle thicket, an open space, a heap of straw — and he dwells secluded in body. He goes alone, stands alone, sits alone, makes his bed alone, enters the village for alms alone, returns alone, sits alone in private, determines upon walking meditation alone; alone he fares, dwells, moves, proceeds, guards himself, keeps himself going, sustains himself. This is bodily seclusion.
What is mental seclusion? For one who has attained the first jhāna, the mind (citta) is secluded from the hindrances (nīvaraṇa). For one who has attained the second jhāna, the mind is secluded from thought and examination (vitakka-vicāra). For one who has attained the third jhāna, the mind is secluded from rapture (pīti). For one who has attained the fourth jhāna, the mind is secluded from pleasure and pain. For one who has attained the Sphere of Infinity of Space (ākāsānañcāyatana), the mind is secluded from the perception of form, the perception of resistance, and the perception of diversity. For one who has attained the Sphere of Infinity of Consciousness (viññāṇañcāyatana), the mind is secluded from the perception of the Sphere of Infinity of Space. For one who has attained the Sphere of Nothingness (ākiñcaññāyatana), the mind is secluded from the perception of the Sphere of Infinity of Consciousness. For one who has attained the Sphere of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception (nevasaññānāsaññāyatana), the mind is secluded from the perception of the Sphere of Nothingness. For a Stream-Enterer (sotāpanna), the mind is secluded from personality-view, doubt (vicikicchā), adherence to rules and observances, the latent tendency of views, the latent tendency of doubt, and from the defilements standing together with these. For a Once-Returner (sakadāgāmī), the mind is secluded from the gross fetter (saṃyojana) of sensual lust and fetter of aversion, from the gross latent tendency of sensual lust and latent tendency of aversion, and from the defilements standing together with these. For a Non-Returner (anāgāmī), the mind is secluded from the subtle residual fetter of sensual lust and fetter of aversion, from the subtle residual latent tendency of sensual lust and latent tendency of aversion, and from the defilements standing together with these. For an Arahant, the mind is secluded from lust for form, lust for the formless, conceit, restlessness, ignorance (avijjā), the latent tendency of conceit, the latent tendency of lust for existence, the latent tendency of ignorance, from the defilements standing together with these, and, externally, from all signs. This is mental seclusion.
What is seclusion from acquisitions? "Acquisitions" (upadhi) is a term for the defilements, the aggregates (khandha), and volitional formations (abhisaṅkhāra). Seclusion from acquisitions is a term for the deathless, Nibbāna — that which is the stilling of all formations, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving (taṇhā), dispassion, cessation (nirodha), Nibbāna. This is seclusion from acquisitions.
Bodily seclusion belongs to those whose bodies are withdrawn, who delight in renunciation; mental seclusion belongs to those whose minds are purified, who have attained supreme purity; seclusion from acquisitions belongs to persons free from acquisitions, who have reached the unconditioned (visaṅkhāra).
"Peace": in one way, both peace and the state of peace are just that same deathless, Nibbāna — that which is the stilling of all formations, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, Nibbāna. For this was said by the Blessed One: "This state is peaceful, this state is sublime, namely, the stilling of all formations, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, Nibbāna." Or, in another way, those dhammas which lead to the attainment of peace, to the touching of peace, to the realization of peace — namely, the four establishments of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna), the four right strivings, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening (bojjhaṅga), and the noble eightfold path — these are called the state of peace, the state of protection, the state of shelter, the state of refuge, the state of fearlessness, the imperishable state, the deathless state, the state of Nibbāna.
"The Great Seeker" (mahesi): the Blessed One is the Great Seeker. He sought, searched for, and sought out the great aggregate of virtue — hence "Great Seeker." He sought, searched for, and sought out the great aggregate of concentration (samādhi), the great aggregate of wisdom, the great aggregate of liberation, the great aggregate of the knowledge (ñāṇa) and vision of liberation — hence "Great Seeker." He sought, searched for, and sought out the shattering of the great mass of darkness, the breaking apart of the great perversion, the drawing out of the great dart of craving, the unraveling of the great tangle of views, the casting down of the great banner of conceit, the stilling of the great volitional formation, the crossing over of the great flood, the laying down of the great burden, the cutting off of the great round of saṃsāra, the extinguishing of the great torment, the allaying of the great fever, the raising up of the great banner of Dhamma — hence "Great Seeker." He sought, searched for, and sought out the great establishments of mindfulness, the great right strivings, the great bases of spiritual power, the great faculties, the great powers, the great factors of awakening, the great noble eightfold path, and the great ultimate goal, the deathless, Nibbāna — hence "Great Seeker." Or else, he is sought, searched for, and sought out by beings of great power, who ask: "Where is the Buddha? Where is the Blessed One? Where is the god of gods? Where is the bull among men?" — hence "Great Seeker." Thus: "seclusion, the state of peace, and the Great Seeker."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.