1. “Thus I heard. At one time the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park. There he addressed the bhikkhus, thus: ‘Bhikkhus’. ‘Venerable Sir' they replied. The Blessed One said this:
2. “Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu sees any formation as permanent it is not possible that he shall make a choice in conformity [with actuality], and without making a choice in conformity [with actuality] it is not possible that he shall enter upon the certainty of rightness, and without entering upon the certainty of rightness it is not possible that he shall realize the fruit of stream-entry or the fruit of once-return or the fruit of non-return or the fruit of arahantship. Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu sees all formations as impermanent it is possible that he shall make a choice in conformity [with actuality], and making a choice in conformity [with actuality] it is possible that he shall enter upon the certainty of rightness, and by entering upon the certainty of rightness it is possible that he shall realize the fruit of stream-entry, or the fruit of once-return, or the fruit of non-return, or the fruit of arahantship.
3. “Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu sees any formation as pleasant it is not possible that he shall make a choice in conformity, and … [and so on as in § 2 up to] … or the fruit of arahantship. Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu sees all formations as painful it is possible that he shall make a choice in conformity, and … [and so on as in § 2 up to] … or the fruit of arahantship.
4. “Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu sees any idea as self it is not possible that he shall make a choice in conformity, and … [and so on as in § 2 up to] … or the fruit of arahantship. Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu sees all ideas as not self it is possible that he shall make a choice in conformity, and … [and so on as in § 2 up to] … or the fruit of arahantship.
5. “Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu sees nibbana as painful it is not possible that he shall make a choice in conformity, and … [and so on as in § 2 up to] … or the fruit of arahantship. Bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu sees nibbana as pleasant it is possible that he shall make a choice in conformity, and … [and so on as in § 2 up to] … or the fruit of arahantship”.
6. In how many aspects does he choose in conformity [with actuality]? In how many aspects does he enter upon the certainty of rightness?
He chooses in conformity [with actuality] in forty aspects. He enters upon the certainty of rightness in forty aspects.
7. In what forty aspects does he choose in conformity?
In what forty aspects does he enter upon the certainty of rightness?
[He sees] the five aggregates as impermanent, as painful, as a disease, a boil, a dart, a calamity, an affliction, as alien, as disintegrating, as a plague, a disaster, a terror, a menace, as fickle, perishable, unenduring, as no protection, no shelter, no refuge, as empty, vain, void, not self, as a danger, as subject to change, as having no core, as the root of calamity, as murderous, as due to be annihilated, as subject to cankers, as formed, as Māra's bait, as connected with the idea of birth, connected with the idea of ageing, connected with the idea of illness, connected with the idea of death, connected with the idea of sorrow, connected with the idea of lamentation, connected with the idea of despair, connected with the idea of defilement.
8. Seeing the five aggregates as impermanent, he chooses in conformity; seeing how the cessation of the five aggregates is nibbana, which is permanent, he enters into the certainty of rightness.
Seeing the five aggregates as painful, he chooses in conformity; seeing how the cessation of the five aggregates is nibbana, which is pleasant, he enters upon the certainty of rightness.
… as a disease, … which is health, …
… as a boil, … which is no boil, …
… as a dart, … which is no dart, …
… as a calamity, … which is no calamity, …
… as an affliction, … which is non-affliction, …
… as alien, … which is independence of others, …
… as disintegrating, … which is not disintegrating, …
… as a plague, … which is no plague, …
… as a disaster, … which is no disaster, …
… as a terror, … which is non-terror, …
… as a menace, … which is no menace, …
… as fickle, … which is unfickle, …
… as perishable, … which is unperishable, …
… as unenduring, … which is enduring, …
… as no protection, … which is a protection, …
… as no shelter, … which is a shelter, …
… as no refuge, … which is a refuge, …
… as empty, … which is not empty, …
… as vain, … which is not vain, …
… as void, … which is the ultimate voidness, …
… as not self, … which is the ultimate meaning (aim), …
… as a danger, … which is without danger, …
… as subject to change, … which is not subject to change, …
… as having no core, … which is the core, …
… as the root of calamity, … which is not the root of calamity, …
… as murderous, … which is not murderous, …
… as due to be annihilated, … which is not due to be annihilated, …
… as subject to cankers, … which is free from cankers, …
… as formed, … which is unformed, …
… as Māra's materialistic bait, … which is unmaterialistic, …
… as connected with the idea of birth, … which is unborn, …
… as connected with the idea of ageing, … which is unageing, …
… as connected with the idea of ailment, … which is unailing, …
… as connected with the idea of death, … which is deathless, …
… as connected with the idea of sorrow, … which is sorrowless, …
… as connected with the idea of lamentation, … which is without lamentation, …
… as connected with the idea of despair, … which is non-despair, …
Seeing the five aggregates as connected with the idea of defilement, he chooses in conformity [with actuality]; seeing how the cessation of the five aggregates is nibbana, which is without defilement, he enters upon the certainty of rightness.
9. As impermanent is contemplation of impermanence.
As painful is contemplation of pain.
As a disease is contemplation of pain.
As a boil is contemplation of pain.
As a dart is contemplation of pain.
As a calamity is contemplation of pain.
As an affliction is contemplation of pain.
As alien is contemplation of not self.
As disintegrating is contemplation of impermanence.
As a plague is contemplation of pain.
As a disaster is contemplation of pain.
As a terror is contemplation of pain.
As a menace is contemplation of pain.
As fickle is contemplation of impermanence.
As perishable is contemplation of impermanence.
As unenduring is contemplation of impermanence.
As no protection is contemplation of pain.
As no shelter is contemplation of pain.
As no refuge is contemplation of pain.
As empty is contemplation of not self.
As vain is contemplation of not self.
As void is contemplation of not self.
As not self is contemplation of not self.
As a danger is contemplation of pain.
As subject to change is contemplation of impermanence.
As having no core is contemplation of impermanence.
As the root of calamity is contemplation of pain.
As murderous is contemplation of pain.
As due to be annihilated is contemplation of impermanence.
As subject to cankers is contemplation of pain.
As formed is contemplation of impermanence.
As Māra's materialistic bait is contemplation of pain.
As connected with the idea of birth is contemplation of pain.
As connected with the idea of ageing is contemplation of pain.
As connected with the idea of ailment is contemplation of pain.
As connected with the idea of death is contemplation of impermanence.
As connected with the idea of sorrow is contemplation of pain.
As connected with the idea of lamentation is contemplation of pain.
As connected with the idea of despair is contemplation of pain.
As connected with the idea of defilement is contemplation of pain.
In these forty aspects he chooses in conformity [with actuality]. In these forty aspects he enters upon the certainty of rightness.
10. When he chooses in conformity [with actuality] in these forty aspects and enters upon the certainty of rightness in these forty aspects, how many kinds of contemplation of impermanence, how many kinds of contemplation of pain, and how many kinds of contemplation of not self does he have?
Five and twenty contemplations of not self, And fifty contemplations of impermanence, The rest, which number a hundred and twenty-five, Are contemplations reckoned as of pain.
End of Treatise on insight.