This is the most detailed teaching on cultivating right intention. The Buddha describes how he cultivated his mind with a careful categorization of thoughts to cultivate and thoughts to eliminate, understanding their relationship and how it inclines the mind’s underlying tendencies. He also shares on the wisdom of not exhausting the body or tiring the mind with excessive thoughts, and finally shares on the cultivation of the jhānas, the realization of the three true knowledges leading to liberation.

Thus have I heard — At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling in Sāvatthi, at Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. There, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus”.

“Venerable Sir”, those bhikkhus responded to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:

"Before my enlightenment, when I was still an unenlightened Bodhisatta (a being seeking enlightenment), it occurred to me, ‘What if I divided my thoughts into two kinds?’

1. Thus, bhikkhus, I made one part consist of the thoughts of sensuality (acquisition), ill-will (resentment, hostility, hate), and harm (an active intent of causing physical or psychological harm); and

2. the other part consist of the thoughts of renunciation (letting go, giving up), non-ill-will (good-will, loving-kindness), and non-harm (compassion).

While ardently and resolutely dwelling, a thought of sensuality arose in me, bhikkhus. I then understood: ‘This thought of sensuality has arisen. It leads to harm for myself, to the harm of others, and to the harm of both. It obstructs wisdom, inclines towards affliction, and leads away from Nibbāna.’ Reflecting in this way, bhikkhus, that ‘It leads to my harm,’ it subsided in me; ‘It leads to the harm of others,’ it subsided in me; ‘It leads to the harm of both,’ it subsided in me; ‘It obstructs wisdom, inclines towards affliction, and leads away from Nibbāna,’ it also subsided in me. Therefore, bhikkhus, whenever a thought of sensuality arose, I immediately abandoned it, removed it, and completely eradicated it.

As I was ardently and resolutely dwelling, bhikkhus, a thought of ill-will and a thought of harm arose in me. I then understood: ‘This thought of harm has arisen in me. It leads to my harm, to the harm of others, and to the harm of both. It obstructs wisdom, inclines towards affliction, and leads away from Nibbāna.’ Reflecting thus, bhikkhus, that ‘It leads to my harm,’ it subsided in me; ‘It leads to the harm of others,’ it subsided in me; ‘It leads to the harm of both,’ it subsided in me; ‘It obstructs wisdom, inclines towards affliction, and leads away from Nibbāna,’ also it subsided in me. Therefore, bhikkhus, whenever a thought of harm arose, I immediately abandoned it, removed it, and completely eradicated it.

##Whatever a bhikkhu frequently thinks about and ponders upon, bhikkhus, that will become the inclination of his mind.

If a bhikkhu frequently thinks about and ponders upon thoughts of sensuality, he abandons thoughts of renunciation, makes thoughts of sensuality predominant, and his mind inclines towards those thoughts of sensuality. Similarly, if he frequently engages with thoughts of ill-will and harming, he abandons thoughts of non-harming, makes thoughts of harming predominant, and his mind inclines towards those thoughts of harming.

Just as, bhikkhus, in the last month of the rainy season, during the autumn when the fields are muddy, a cowherd guards his cows by prodding them here and there with a stick, blocking their path, restraining them, and preventing them from straying. Why does he do this? Because he sees that straying could lead to punishment, capture, confiscation, or blame.

Similarly, bhikkhus, I perceived the danger, inferiority and defilement in unwholesome states, and the benefit and the purification in wholesome states of renunciation.

While ardently and resolutely dwelling, a thought of renunciation arose in me, bhikkhus. I then understood: ‘This thought of renunciation has arisen in me. It leads neither to harm for myself, nor for others, nor for both. It cultivates wisdom, is free from affliction, and leads towards Nibbāna.’ Reflecting in this way, bhikkhus, whether I contemplated it by night or pondered it by day, I perceived no fear arising from it. Nevertheless, should I think and ponder too long, my body would fatigue. When the body is fatigued, the mind gets disturbed; a disturbed mind is far from concentration. Therefore, bhikkhus, I stabilized my mind internally, settled it, unified it, and concentrated it. Why? So that my mind might not become disturbed.

While ardently and resolutely dwelling, bhikkhus, thoughts of non-ill-will and non-harming arose in me. I then understood: ‘This thought of non-harming has arisen in me. It leads neither to harm for myself, nor for others, nor for both. It cultivates wisdom, is free from affliction, and leads towards Nibbāna.’ Reflecting in this way, bhikkhus, whether I contemplated it by night or pondered it by day, I perceived no fear arising from it. However, should I think and ponder too long, my body would become fatigued. When the body is fatigued, the mind becomes disturbed; a disturbed mind is far from concentration. Therefore, bhikkhus, I stabilized my mind internally, settled it, unified it, and concentrated it. Why? So that my mind might not become disturbed.

Whatever a bhikkhu frequently thinks about and ponders upon, bhikkhus, that will become the inclination of his mind. If a bhikkhu frequently thinks and ponders upon thoughts of renunciation, he abandons thoughts of sensuality, makes thoughts of renunciation predominant, and his mind inclines towards those thoughts of renunciation. Similarly, if a bhikkhu frequently thinks and ponders upon thoughts of non-ill-will and non-harming, he abandons thoughts of harm, makes thoughts of non-harming predominant, and his mind inclines towards those thoughts of non-harming.

Just as in the last month of the hot season, when all the crops have been brought inside the villages, a cowherd would guard his cows while stationed at the root of a tree or in the open, since he needs only to be mindful that the cows are there; so too, there was need for me only to be mindful that those states were there.

Bhikkhus, unrelenting energy was aroused (in me), clear and unforgetful mindfulness was established, the body was tranquil and unexcited, and the mind was concentrated and unified.

Thus, bhikkhus, having secluded myself from sensual pleasures and unwholesome mental states, with reflection and examination (of thoughts), born of seclusion, filled with joyful pleasure, I entered and dwelled in the first jhāna.

With the subsiding of reflection and examination (of thoughts), experiencing internal tranquility and unification of mind, devoid of reflection and examination, born of collectedness and filled with joyful pleasure, I entered and dwelled in the second jhāna.

With the fading away of rapture, I dwelled equanimous and mindful, fully aware, and experienced physical pleasure, which the noble ones describe as ‘one who dwells happily, equanimous and mindful.’ Thus, I entered and dwelled in the third jhāna.

With the abandonment of ease (bliss) and suffering (discontentment, stress), and with the previous disappearance of joy and sorrow, experiencing neither painful nor pleasant sensation, and with the purity of equanimity and mindfulness, I entered and dwelled in the fourth jhāna.

Thus, with my mind collected, purified, clarified, blemish-free, free from impurities, flexible, suitable for use, stable, and unshakeable, I directed my mind towards the knowledge of recalling past lives. I recollected my manifold past lives, including details and brief descriptions of each life.

In the first watch of the night, bhikkhus, I attained the first knowledge: ignorance was dispelled, knowledge arose, darkness was dispelled, and light arose, as occurs for one who is diligent, ardent, and resolute in practice.

Thus, with my mind collected, purified, clarified, blemish-free, free from impurities, flexible, suitable for use, stable, and unshakeable, I directed my mind toward the knowledge of the death and rebirth of beings. With the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, I saw beings passing away and reappearing, endowed with bodily misconduct and other misdeeds, in various states, fair and foul, fortunate and unfortunate, and I understood them according to their actions.

In the middle watch of the night, I attained the second knowledge: once more, ignorance was dispelled, knowledge arose, darkness was dispelled, and light arose, reflecting the state of one who is diligent, ardent, and resolute in practice.

Thus, with my mind collected, purified, clarified, blemish-free, free from impurities, flexible, suitable for use, stable, and unshakeable, I directed my mind towards the knowledge of eradicating the taints. I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is suffering,’ ‘This is the origin of suffering,’ ‘This is the cessation of suffering,’ ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’

‘I know these taints,’ I directly knew as it actually is, ‘This is the origin of these taints,’ I directly knew as it actually is, ‘This is the cessation of these taints,’ I directly knew as it actually is, ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of these taints,’ I directly knew as it actually is. Knowing and seeing thus, my mind was liberated from the taint of sensual desire, from the taint of being, and from the taint of ignorance. In me, liberated, there arose the knowledge of liberation: ‘Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.’

This, bhikkhus, was the third knowledge attained by me in the last watch of the night; ignorance was dispelled, knowledge arose, darkness was dispelled, and light arose, as happens in one who abides diligent, ardent, and resolute.

Suppose, bhikkhus, in a wooded range there is a great low-lying marsh near which a large herd of deer resides. A man appears, desiring their ruin, harm, and bondage, and closes off the safe and good path to be joyfully traveled, opens a false path, and sets out a decoy and a dummy, leading the herd towards calamity, disaster, and loss. Yet another man appears, desiring their good, welfare, and protection. He reopens the safe and good path leading to their happiness, closes off the false path, removes the decoy, and destroys the dummy, enabling the herd to achieve growth, increase, and fulfillment.

Bhikkhus, I have given this simile in order to convey a meaning. This is the meaning: ‘The great low-lying marsh’ is a term for sensual pleasures. ‘The large herd of deer’ represents beings. ‘The man desiring their ruin, harm, and bondage’ is a term for Māra the Evil One. ‘The false path’ represents the wrong eightfold path - wrong view, wrong intention, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong concentration. ‘The decoy’ is a term for delight and lust. ‘The dummy’ is a term for ignorance (misapprehension of true reality/how things have come to be). ‘The man desiring their good, welfare, and protection’ is a term for the Tathāgata, the accomplished and fully enlightened one. ‘The safe and good path to be traveled joyfully’ is a term for the Noble Eightfold Path - right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

So, bhikkhus, the safe and good path to be traveled joyfully has been reopened by me, the wrong path has been closed off, the decoy removed, the dummy destroyed.

What a teacher should do out of compassion for his disciples, seeking their welfare, I have done for you, bhikkhus. Here are these roots of trees, here are these empty huts. Meditate, bhikkhus, do not be negligent; lest you later regret it. This is our instruction to you."

The Blessed One said this. The bhikkhus, delighted, rejoiced in the Blessed One’s words.

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The Buddha is sharing on the several benefits of actively training of the mind (through development of thoughts) that he observed when he was seeking enlightenment.

He is describing the application of right effort in abandoning of the unwholesome mental states when he notices them arising: of sensuality, ill-will and of harm, as well as for cultivating the wholesome mental states of renunciation (letting go), good-will and of compassion (non-harm). He is also sharing on the importance of doing this in a balance, so that the body isn’t fatigued as he notes a correlation to the mind experiencing tiredness when this happens.

The gradual benefits one can observe by gradually training in this way are:

1. an aroused and unrelenting energy (diligence and persistence) to be able to go about their day,

2. a clear and unforgetful mindfulness (with recollection established at all times),

3. a tranquil and unexcited body (from an application of sense restraint through cultivation of thoughts),

4. a concentrated and unified mind (also known as singleness of mind, being able to easily focus on the present task/moment without being distracted by thoughts of other things)

One can independently verify the above by closely examining and reflecting against one’s experiences to see this. Or if this is a training that one hasn’t undertaken, one can do so for a period of several weeks, a few months and observe for the presence of the states as the Buddha is describing in this teaching.

Related Teachings:

Gradual Training, Gradual Practice, and Gradual Progress (MN 107) - The gradual training guidelines of the Buddha when practiced in gradually, lead to gradual progress. Each practice area has a list of teachings that can help with further understanding and practice of the area.

• Gradual training and gradual progress: The Habit Curve - On cultivating each area as a new habit until it becomes easy, automatic and second nature. This post links the Buddha’s guidelines with the science of habit formation.

Mindfulness of Breathing in Brief (SN 54.13) - A daily practice of mindfulness of breathing through a meditation session enables establishing of the mindfulness of body, feelings, mind and mental qualities. In particular, the clear and unforgetful mindfulness of mental qualities is what aids in the cultivation of right intention.

The Mind of Loving-Kindness (MN 21) - A discourse full of vibrant and memorable similes, on the importance of patience and love even when faced with abuse and criticism. The Buddha finishes with the simile of the saw, one of the most memorable similes found in the discourses.