Furthermore, a mendicant lives supported by a town or village. He robes up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, enters a village or town, guarding body, speech, and mind, establishing mindfulness, and restraining the sense faculties. Seeing a sight with his eyes, he doesn’t get caught up in the features and details. If the faculty of sight were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of covetousness and displeasure would become overwhelming. For this reason, he practices restraint, protecting the faculty of sight, and achieving its restraint. Hearing a sound with his ears … Smelling an odor with his nose … Tasting a flavor with his tongue … Encountering a touch with his body … Knowing an idea with his mind, he doesn’t get caught up in the features and details. If the faculty of mind were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of covetousness and displeasure would become overwhelming. For this reason, he practices restraint, protecting the faculty of mind, and achieving its restraint. Then after the meal, on his return from almsround, he frequents a secluded lodging—a wilderness, the root of a tree, a hill, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a forest, the open air, a heap of straw. Gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, he sits down cross-legged, sets his body straight, and brings mindfulness to the present. He gives up these five hindrances, corruptions of the heart that weaken wisdom. Then, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, he enters and remains in the first absorption … second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption.

When his mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—he extends it toward knowledge of the ending of defilements. He truly understands: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’. He truly understands: ‘These are defilements’ … ‘This is the origin of defilements’ … ‘This is the cessation of defilements’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of defilements’. Knowing and seeing like this, his mind is freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. When he’s freed, he knows he’s freed. He understands: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’

I say that this individual is like the warrior who dons his sword and shield, fastens his bow and arrows, and plunges into the thick of battle. He wins victory in battle, establishing himself as foremost in battle. Some individuals are like that. This is the fifth individual similar to a warrior found among the monks.