Reading guide
An ethical term extended to the whole path
Pamāda's own root sense is being mad or drunk; here it names not a lapse in conduct but the entire downhill consequence of leaving the senses unrestrained, traced link by link to its final result.
The downhill chain: negligence
Unrestrained eye faculty pollutes the mind on contact with sights; a polluted mind has no joy; no joy, no rapture; no rapture, no tranquility; no tranquility, suffering; suffering, no immersion in samādhi; no samādhi, principles remain unclear. The same seven links repeat for ear through mind.
The uphill chain: diligence
Restrained faculties leave the mind unpolluted on contact; an unpolluted mind gives rise to joy; joy to rapture; rapture to bodily tranquility; tranquility to bliss; bliss to immersion in samādhi; samādhi to clear principles — the identical seven links, reversed at every step.
Key terms
The text
§1“Mendicants, I will teach you who lives negligently and who lives diligently. Listen … And how does someone live negligently? When you live with the eye faculty unrestrained, your mind becomes polluted when it comes to sights known by the eye. When the mind is polluted, there’s no joy. When there’s no joy, there’s no rapture. When there’s no rapture, there’s no tranquility. When there’s no tranquility, there’s suffering. When one is suffering, the mind does not become immersed in samādhi. When the mind is not immersed in samādhi, principles do not become clear. Because principles have not become clear, you’re reckoned to live negligently. When you live with the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind faculty unrestrained, your mind becomes polluted when it comes to ideas known by the mind. When the mind is polluted, there’s no joy. When there’s no joy, there’s no rapture. When there’s no rapture, there’s no tranquility. When there’s no tranquility, there’s suffering. When one is suffering, the mind does not become immersed in samādhi. When the mind is not immersed in samādhi, principles do not become clear. Because principles have not become clear, you’re reckoned to live negligently. That’s how someone lives negligently.
§2And how does someone live diligently? When you live with the eye faculty restrained, your mind doesn’t become polluted when it comes to sights known by the eye. When the mind isn’t polluted, joy springs up. Being joyful, rapture springs up. When the mind is full of rapture, the body becomes tranquil. When the body is tranquil, one feels bliss. And when blissful, the mind becomes immersed in samādhi. When the mind is immersed in samādhi, principles become clear. Because principles have become clear, you’re reckoned to live diligently. When you live with the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind faculty restrained, your mind doesn’t become polluted when it comes to ideas known by the mind. When the mind isn’t polluted, joy springs up. Being joyful, rapture springs up. When the mind is full of rapture, the body becomes tranquil. When the body is tranquil, one feels bliss. And when blissful, the mind becomes immersed in samādhi. When the mind is immersed in samādhi, principles become clear. Because principles have become clear, you’re reckoned to live diligently. That’s how someone lives diligently.”
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