“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso arugatto pakkagatto saravanaṃ paviseyya. Tassa kusakaṇṭakā ceva pāde vijjheyyuṃ, sarapattāni ca gattāni vilekheyyuṃ. Evañhi so, bhikkhave, puriso bhiyyoso mattāya tatonidānaṃ dukkhaṃ domanassaṃ paṭisaṃvediyetha. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco bhikkhu gāmagato vā araññagato vā labhati vattāraṃ— ‘ayañca so āyasmā evaṃkārī evaṃsamācāro asucigāmakaṇṭako’ti. Taṃ kaṇṭakoti iti viditvā saṃvaro ca asaṃvaro ca veditabbo.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, asaṃvaro hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu cakkhunā rūpaṃ disvā piyarūpe rūpe adhimuccati, appiyarūpe rūpe byāpajjati, anupaṭṭhitakāyassati ca viharati parittacetaso. Tañca cetovimuttiṃ paññāvimuttiṃ yathābhūtaṃ nappajānāti, yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti. Sotena saddaṃ sutvā… ghānena gandhaṃ ghāyitvā… jivhāya rasaṃ sāyitvā… kāyena phoṭṭhabbaṃ phusitvā… manasā dhammaṃ viññāya piyarūpe dhamme adhimuccati, appiyarūpe dhamme byāpajjati, anupaṭṭhitakāyassati ca viharati parittacetaso, tañca cetovimuttiṃ paññāvimuttiṃ yathābhūtaṃ nappajānāti, yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso chappāṇake gahetvā nānāvisaye nānāgocare daḷhāya rajjuyā bandheyya. Ahiṃ gahetvā daḷhāya rajjuyā bandheyya. Susumāraṃ gahetvā daḷhāya rajjuyā bandheyya. Pakkhiṃ gahetvā daḷhāya rajjuyā bandheyya. Kukkuraṃ gahetvā daḷhāya rajjuyā bandheyya. Siṅgālaṃ gahetvā daḷhāya rajjuyā bandheyya. Makkaṭaṃ gahetvā daḷhāya rajjuyā bandheyya. Daḷhāya rajjuyā bandhitvā majjhe gaṇṭhiṃ karitvā ossajjeyya. Atha kho, te, bhikkhave, chappāṇakā nānāvisayā nānāgocarā sakaṃ sakaṃ gocaravisayaṃ āviñcheyyuṃ— ahi āviñcheyya ‘vammikaṃ pavekkhāmī’ti, susumāro āviñcheyya ‘udakaṃ pavekkhāmī’ti, pakkhī āviñcheyya ‘ākāsaṃ ḍessāmī’ti, kukkuro āviñcheyya ‘gāmaṃ pavekkhāmī’ti, siṅgālo āviñcheyya ‘sīvathikaṃ pavekkhāmī’ti, makkaṭo āviñcheyya ‘vanaṃ pavekkhāmī’ti. Yadā kho te, bhikkhave, chappāṇakā jhattā assu kilantā, atha kho yo nesaṃ pāṇakānaṃ balavataro assa tassa te anuvatteyyuṃ, anuvidhāyeyyuṃ vasaṃ gaccheyyuṃ. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, yassa kassaci bhikkhuno kāyagatāsati abhāvitā abahulīkatā, taṃ cakkhu āviñchati manāpiyesu rūpesu, amanāpiyā rūpā paṭikūlā honti…pe… mano āviñchati manāpiyesu dhammesu, amanāpiyā dhammā paṭikūlā honti. Evaṃ kho, bhikkhave, asaṃvaro hoti.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, saṃvaro hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu cakkhunā rūpaṃ disvā piyarūpe rūpe nādhimuccati, appiyarūpe rūpe na byāpajjati, upaṭṭhitakāyassati ca viharati appamāṇacetaso, tañca cetovimuttiṃ paññāvimuttiṃ yathābhūtaṃ pajānāti, yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti…pe… jivhāya rasaṃ sāyitvā…pe… manasā dhammaṃ viññāya piyarūpe dhamme nādhimuccati, appiyarūpe dhamme na byāpajjati, upaṭṭhitakāyassati ca viharati appamāṇacetaso, tañca cetovimuttiṃ paññāvimuttiṃ yathābhūtaṃ pajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso chappāṇake gahetvā nānāvisaye nānāgocare daḷhāya rajjuyā bandheyya. Ahiṃ gahetvā daḷhāya rajjuyā bandheyya. Susumāraṃ gahetvā daḷhāya rajjuyā bandheyya. Pakkhiṃ gahetvā…pe… kukkuraṃ gahetvā… siṅgālaṃ gahetvā… makkaṭaṃ gahetvā daḷhāya rajjuyā bandheyya. Daḷhāya rajjuyā bandhitvā daḷhe khīle vā thambhe vā upanibandheyya. Atha kho te, bhikkhave, chappāṇakā nānāvisayā nānāgocarā sakaṃ sakaṃ gocaravisayaṃ āviñcheyyuṃ— ahi āviñcheyya ‘vammikaṃ pavekkhāmī’ti, susumāro āviñcheyya ‘udakaṃ pavekkhāmī’ti, pakkhī āviñcheyya ‘ākāsaṃ ḍessāmī’ti, kukkuro āviñcheyya ‘gāmaṃ pavekkhāmī’ti, siṅgālo āviñcheyya ‘sīvathikaṃ pavekkhāmī’ti, makkaṭo āviñcheyya ‘vanaṃ pavekkhāmī’ti. Yadā kho te, bhikkhave, chappāṇakā jhattā assu kilantā, atha tameva khīlaṃ vā thambhaṃ vā upatiṭṭheyyuṃ, upanisīdeyyuṃ, upanipajjeyyuṃ. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, yassa kassaci bhikkhuno kāyagatāsati bhāvitā bahulīkatā, taṃ cakkhu nāviñchati manāpiyesu rūpesu, amanāpiyā rūpā nappaṭikūlā honti…pe… jivhā nāviñchati manāpiyesu rasesu…pe… mano nāviñchati manāpiyesu dhammesu, amanāpiyā dhammā nappaṭikūlā honti. Evaṃ kho, bhikkhave, saṃvaro hoti.

‘Daḷhe khīle vā thambhe vā’ti kho, bhikkhave, kāyagatāya satiyā etaṃ adhivacanaṃ. Tasmātiha vo, bhikkhave, evaṃ sikkhitabbaṃ— ‘kāyagatā no sati bhāvitā bhavissati bahulīkatā yānīkatā vatthukatā anuṭṭhitā paricitā susamāraddhā’ti. Evañhi kho, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.

"Suppose that a man, wounded and festering, were to go into a swampy jungle. Its sharp-bladed grasses would pierce his feet; its thorns would scratch his festering sores. And so, from that cause, he would experience an even greater measure of pain and unhappiness. In the same way, there is the case where a certain monk, having gone to a village or to the wilderness, meets up with someone who upbraids him: 'This venerable one, acting in this way, undertaking practices in this way, is a thorn of impurity in this village.' Knowing this person to be a thorn, one should understand restraint and lack of restraint.

"And what is lack of restraint? There is the case where a monk, seeing a form with the eye, is obsessed with pleasing forms, is repelled by unpleasing forms, and remains with body-mindfulness unestablished, with limited awareness. He does not discern, as it actually is present, the awareness-release, the discernment-release where any evil, unskillful mental qualities that have arisen utterly cease without remainder. Hearing a sound with the ear... Smelling an aroma with the nose... Tasting a flavor with the tongue... Touching a tactile sensation with the body... Cognizing an idea with the intellect, he is obsessed with pleasing ideas, is repelled by unpleasing ideas, and remains with body-mindfulness unestablished, with limited awareness. He does not discern, as it actually is present, the awareness-release, the discernment-release where any evil, unskillful mental qualities that have arisen utterly cease without remainder.

"Just as if a person, catching six animals of different ranges, of different habitats, were to bind them with a strong rope. Catching a snake, he would bind it with a strong rope. Catching a crocodile, he would bind it with a strong rope. Catching a bird, he would bind it with a strong rope. Catching a dog, he would bind it with a strong rope. Catching a hyena, he would bind it with a strong rope. Catching a monkey, he would bind it with a strong rope. Binding them all with a strong rope, and tying a knot in the middle, he would set chase to them. Then those six animals, of different ranges, of different habitats, would each pull toward its own range & habitat. The snake would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the anthill.' The crocodile would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the water.' The bird would pull, thinking, 'I'll fly up into the air.' The dog would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the village.' The hyena would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the charnel ground.' The monkey would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the forest.' And when these six animals became internally exhausted, they would submit, they would surrender, they would come under the sway of whichever among them was the strongest. In the same way, when a monk whose mindfulness immersed in the body is undeveloped & unpursued, the eye pulls toward pleasing forms, while unpleasing forms are repellent... The intellect pulls toward pleasing ideas, while unpleasing ideas are repellent. This, monks, is lack of restraint.

"And what is restraint? There is the case where a monk, seeing a form with the eye, is not obsessed with pleasing forms, is not repelled by unpleasing forms, and remains with body-mindfulness established, with immeasurable awareness. He discerns, as it actually is present, the awareness-release, the discernment-release where all evil, unskillful mental qualities that have arisen utterly cease without remainder. Hearing a sound with the ear... Smelling an aroma with the nose... Tasting a flavor with the tongue... Touching a tactile sensation with the body... Cognizing an idea with the intellect, he is not obsessed with pleasing ideas, is not repelled by unpleasing ideas, and remains with body-mindfulness established, with immeasurable awareness. He discerns, as it actually is present, the awareness-release, the discernment-release where all evil, unskillful mental qualities that have arisen utterly cease without remainder.

"Just as if a person, catching six animals of different ranges, of different habitats, were to bind them with a strong rope. Catching a snake, he would bind it with a strong rope. Catching a crocodile... a bird... a dog... a hyena... a monkey, he would bind it with a strong rope. Binding them all with a strong rope, he would tether them to a strong post or stake. Then those six animals, of different ranges, of different habitats, would each pull toward its own range & habitat. The snake would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the anthill.' The crocodile would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the water.' The bird would pull, thinking, 'I'll fly up into the air.' The dog would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the village.' The hyena would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the charnel ground.' The monkey would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the forest.' And when these six animals became internally exhausted, they would stand, sit, or lie down right there next to the post or stake. In the same way, when a monk whose mindfulness immersed in the body is developed & pursued, the eye does not pull toward pleasing forms, and unpleasing forms are not repellent... The tongue does not pull toward pleasing flavors... The intellect does not pull toward pleasing ideas, and unpleasing ideas are not repellent. This, monks, is restraint.

"The 'strong post or stake' is a term for mindfulness immersed in the body. Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will develop mindfulness immersed in the body. We will pursue it, hand it the reins and take it as a basis, give it a grounding. We will steady it, consolidate it, and set about it properly.' That's how you should train yourselves."