At one time, the Blessed One was on a walking tour, wandering in the Kosalan country with a large |Saṅgha::The community of monks and nuns practicing in line with the Buddha’s teachings. In the broader sense, this is the community of disciples who have realized the noble path and fruition through the Buddha’s teachings [saṅgha]| of bhikkhus, and eventually he arrived at a Kosalan brahmin village named Venāgapura. The brahmin householders of Venāgapura heard:
“The ascetic Gotama, the Sakyan son who went forth from a Sakyan clan, has arrived at Venāgapura. Now a good report of sir Gotama has been spread to this effect: ‘The Blessed One is an Arahant, a perfectly Awakened One, accomplished in true knowledge and conduct, who has reached the destination, knower of the world, an unsurpassed guide of trainable persons, a teacher of gods and humans, Buddha, Fortunate One. He declares this world with its |deities::gods [devas]|, |Māras::demons, tempters, beings of delusion|, |Brahmas::Gods; celestial beings residing in the Brahmā realms, often considered to be highly refined and long-lived deities. [brahmā]|, this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, kings and commoners, which he has himself realized with direct knowledge. He teaches the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| that is beneficial in the beginning, beneficial in the middle, and beneficial in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing, and he reveals a spiritual life that is entirely perfect and pure.’ It is auspicious to see such arahants.”
Then the brahmin householders of Venāgapura approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near, some paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down to one side; some exchanged friendly greetings with the Blessed One, and after exchanging courteous and polite conversation, sat down to one side; some raised their joined palms towards the Blessed One and sat down to one side; some stated their names and clan affiliation in the presence of the Blessed One and sat down to one side; some kept silent and sat down to one side. Once they were seated, the brahmin Vacchagotta of Venāgapura then said to the Blessed One:
“It is wonderful, sir Gotama, it is marvelous, sir Gotama! How sir Gotama’s faculties are |tranquil::serene, calm [vippasanna]| and the color of his skin is pure and bright. Just as a half-ripe jujube fruit in the |autumn::season after the rains, when the leaves fall [sārada]| appears pure and bright, so sir Gotama’s faculties are tranquil and the color of his skin is pure and bright. Just as a palm fruit that has just been removed from its stalk appears pure and bright, so sir Gotama’s faculties are tranquil and the color of his skin is pure and bright. Just as an ornament of finest gold, well prepared by a skilled young goldsmith, polished in the furnace by a master craftsman and laid on a woollen cloth, shines and beams and radiates, so sir Gotama’s faculties are tranquil and the color of his skin is pure and bright.
Whatever luxurious and lofty beds there are, sir Gotama—such as reclining chairs, cross-legged couches, shaggy rugs, embroidered woollen covers, white cloths, thick woollen cloths embroidered with flowers, feather-filled quilts, spreads with varied designs, double-fringed and single-fringed rugs, jewel-embroidered silk covers, silk sheets, large woollen carpets, elephant rugs, horse blankets, chariot rugs, antelope-hide spreads, superior kadali-deer-hide coverings, those with canopies above, and with red cushions at both ends—it seems, sir Gotama obtains such luxurious and lofty beds at will, without trouble, and without effort.”
“Whatever luxurious and lofty beds there are, brahmin—such as reclining chairs, cross-legged couches, shaggy rugs, embroidered woollen covers, white cloths, thick woollen cloths embroidered with flowers, feather-filled quilts, spreads with varied designs, double-fringed and single-fringed rugs, jewel-embroidered silk covers, silk sheets, large woollen carpets, elephant rugs, horse blankets, chariot rugs, antelope-hide spreads, superior kadali-deer-hide coverings, those with canopies above, and with red cushions at both ends—those high and luxurious kinds of bedding are rarely obtained by those who have gone forth, and even if they are obtained, they are not allowed.
There are, brahmin, these three kinds of luxurious and lofty beds, which I now obtain at will, without trouble, and without effort. What three? The |heavenly::celestial, divine [dibba]| luxurious and lofty bed, the |brahmic::pure, sublime [brahma]| luxurious and lofty bed, and the noble luxurious and lofty bed. These are the three kinds of luxurious and lofty beds, which I now obtain at will, without trouble, and without effort.”
“But what, sir Gotama, is the heavenly luxurious and lofty bed which you now obtain at will, without trouble, and without effort?”
“Here, brahmin, when I am dwelling in dependence on a village or a town, in the morning I dress, take my bowl and outer robe, and enter that village or town for alms. After the meal, when I have returned from the alms round, I enter a grove. Whatever grass or leaves I find there, I gather them into one place and sit down—crossing my legs, setting my body upright, and establishing mindfulness in front of me. Then, having secluded myself from sensual pleasures and |unwholesome::unhealthy, unskillful, unbeneficial, or karmically unprofitable [akusala]| mental states, I enter and dwell in the first jhāna, which is |accompanied by reflection::with thinking [savitakka]| and |examination::with investigation, evaluation [savicāra]|, |born of seclusion::secluded from the defilements [vivekaja]|, and is |imbued with joyful pleasure::imbued with joy and happiness, with delight and ease, sometimes experienced as an intense joy or pleasure, rapture [pītisukha]|. With the |settling::calming, conciliation, subsiding [vūpasama]| of reflection and examination, I enter and dwell in the second jhāna, characterized by internal |tranquility::calming, settling, confidence [sampasādana]| and |unification::singleness, integration [ekodibhāva]| of mind, free from reflection and examination, |born of collectedness::born from a stable mind [samādhija]|, and imbued with joyful pleasure. With the fading away of joyful pleasure, I dwell |equanimous::mental poised, mentally balanced, equanimous, non-reactive, disregarding [upekkhaka]|, |mindful and fully aware::attentive and completely comprehending [sata + sampajāna]|, experiencing |ease::comfort, contentedness, happiness, pleasure [sukha]| with the body. I enter and dwell in the third jhāna which the Noble Ones describe as ‘one who dwells equanimous, mindful and at ease.’ With the abandonment of ease and |discontentment::discomfort, unpleasantness, something unsatisfactory, stress [dukkha]|, and with the settling down of |joy and sorrow::craving and aversion, pleasure and displeasure, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, gladness and dejection, positive state of mind and negative state of mind [somanassadomanassa]|, I enter and dwell in the fourth jhāna, which is characterized by purification of |mindfulness::full awareness and recollection of the body, feelings, mind, and mental qualities, observing them clearly with sustained attention, free from craving and distress [sati]| through |equanimity::mental poise, mental balance, equipoise, non-reactivity, composure [upekkhā]|, experiencing a feeling which is neither-painful-nor-pleasant. Then, brahmin, when I am in such a state, if I walk back and forth, on that occasion my walking back and forth is heavenly. If I am standing, on that occasion my standing is heavenly. If I am sitting, on that occasion my sitting is heavenly. If I lie down, on that occasion this is my heavenly luxurious and lofty bed. This is the heavenly luxurious and lofty bed which I now obtain at will, without trouble, and without effort.”
“It is wonderful, sir Gotama, it is marvelous, sir Gotama! Who else, apart from sir Gotama, could obtain such a heavenly luxurious and lofty bed at will, without trouble, and without effort?
But what, sir Gotama, is the brahmic luxurious and lofty bed which you now obtain at will, without trouble, and without effort?”
“Here, brahmin, when I am dwelling in dependence on a village or a town, in the morning I dress, take my bowl and outer robe, and enter that village or town for alms. After the meal, when I have returned from the alms round, I enter a grove. Whatever grass or leaves I find there, I gather them into one place and sit down—crossing my legs, setting my body upright, and establishing mindfulness in front of me. Then, with a mind imbued with |loving-kindness::goodwill towards, friendliness to, benevolence for [mettā]|, I abide pervading one direction, likewise the second, likewise the third, and likewise the fourth. Thus above, below, across, everywhere, encompassing all living beings, I abide pervading the entire world with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, expansive, exalted, immeasurable, without hatred and free of affliction. With a mind imbued with |compassion::mental quality of wise empathy in response to suffering, which counters qualities of harm or cruelty [karuṇā]|,
“It is wonderful, sir Gotama, it is marvelous, sir Gotama! Who else, apart from sir Gotama, could obtain such a brahmic luxurious and lofty bed at will, without trouble, and without effort?
But what, sir Gotama, is the noble luxurious and lofty bed which you now obtain at will, without trouble, and without effort?”
“Here, brahmin, when I am dwelling in dependence on a village or a town, in the morning I dress, take my bowl and outer robe, and enter that village or town for alms. After the meal, when I have returned from the alms round, I enter a grove. Whatever grass or leaves I find there, I gather them into one place and sit down—crossing my legs, setting my body upright, and establishing mindfulness in front of me. Then I understand thus: ‘|Passion::intense desire, strong emotion, infatuation, obsession, lust [rāga]| has been abandoned by me—|cut off at the root::eradicated at the source [ucchinnamūla]|, uprooted like a palm stump, utterly obliterated, and incapable of arising in the future. |Aversion::ill will, hatred, hostility, mental attitude of rejection, fault-finding, resentful disapproval [dosa]| has been abandoned by me—cut off at the root, uprooted like a palm stump, utterly obliterated, and incapable of arising in the future. |Illusion::delusion, hallucination, misapprehension, distorted view; that which fuels further confusion and doubt [moha]| has been abandoned by me—cut off at the root, uprooted like a palm stump, utterly obliterated, and incapable of arising in the future. Then, brahmin, when I am in such a state, if I walk back and forth, on that occasion my walking back and forth is noble. If I am standing, on that occasion my standing is noble. If I am sitting, on that occasion my sitting is noble. If I lie down, on that occasion this is my noble luxurious and lofty bed. This is the noble luxurious and lofty bed which I now obtain at will, without trouble, and without effort.”
“It is wonderful, sir Gotama, it is marvelous, sir Gotama! Who else, apart from sir Gotama, could obtain such a noble luxurious and lofty bed at will, without trouble, and without effort?
Excellent, sir Gotama! Excellent, sir Gotama! Just as if one might set upright what had been overturned, |reveal::uncover [vivarati]| what had been concealed, point out the way to one who was lost, or hold up a lamp in the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way, sir Gotama, the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| has been |explained::illustrated [pakāsita]| by you in many ways. I go for refuge to venerable Gotama, to the Dhamma, and to the Saṅgha of bhikkhus. May venerable Gotama remember me as a lay follower who, from this day forward, has gone to refuge for life.”