“Brahmin, I neither agree nor disagree with you, but when someone has four qualities I describe him as a great man with great wisdom. What four? It’s when someone practices for the welfare and happiness of the people. They’ve established many people in the noble system, that is, the principles of goodness and skillfulness. They think what they want to think, and don’t think what they don’t want to think. They consider what they want to consider, and don’t consider what they don’t want to consider. Thus they have achieved mental mastery of the paths of thought. They get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in this life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty. They realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. And they live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements. Brahmin, I neither agree nor disagree with you, but when someone possesses these four qualities I describe him as a great man with great wisdom.”

“It’s incredible, worthy Gotama, it’s amazing! How well said this was by the worthy Gotama! And we will remember the worthy Gotama as someone who possesses these four qualities. For the worthy Gotama practices for the welfare and happiness of the people … The worthy Gotama has achieved mental mastery of the paths of thought. The worthy Gotama gets the four absorptions … when he wants, without trouble or difficulty. The worthy Gotama has realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. He lives having realized it with his own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements.”