1(1) –(2) "Bhikkhus, for a virtuous person, one whose behavior is virtuous, no volition need be exerted: ‘Let non-regret arise in me.’ It is natural[n.1965] Dhammatā esā. Mp: "This is the nature of things, the order of causation" (dhammasabhāvo eso kāraṇaniyamo ayaṁ). The point, of course, is not that one need make no volitional effort at all, but that establishing each prior factor serves as a natural supporting condition for each subsequent factor. Thus the effort needed to arouse the later factor is much less than would be required if the proper supporting condition had not been established. that non-regret arises in a virtuous person, one whose behavior is virtuous.

1"Sīlavato, bhikkhave, sīlasampannassa na cetanāya karaṇīyaṁ:  ‘avippaṭisāro me uppajjatū’ti. Dhammatā esā, bhikkhave, yaṁ sīlavato sīlasampannassa avippaṭisāro uppajjati.

(3) "For one without regret no volition need be exerted: ‘Let joy arise in me.’ It is natural that joy arises in one without regret.

Avippaṭisārissa, bhikkhave, na cetanāya karaṇīyaṁ:  ‘pāmojjaṁ me uppajjatū’ti. Dhammatā esā, bhikkhave, yaṁ avippaṭisārissa pāmojjaṁ jāyati.

(4) "For one who is joyful no volition need be exerted: ‘Let rapture arise in me.’ It is natural that rapture arises in one who is joyful.

Pamuditassa, bhikkhave, na cetanāya karaṇīyaṁ:  ‘pīti me uppajjatū’ti. Dhammatā esā, bhikkhave, yaṁ pamuditassa pīti uppajjati.

(5) "For one with a rapturous mind no volition need be exerted: ‘Let my body be tranquil.’ It is natural that the body of one with a rapturous mind is tranquil.

Pītimanassa, bhikkhave, na cetanāya karaṇīyaṁ:  ‘kāyo me passambhatū’ti. Dhammatā esā, bhikkhave, yaṁ pītimanassa kāyo passambhati.

(6) "For one tranquil in body no volition need be exerted: ‘Let me feel pleasure.’ It is natural that one tranquil in body feels pleasure.

Passaddhakāyassa, bhikkhave, na cetanāya karaṇīyaṁ:  ‘sukhaṁ vediyāmī’ti. Dhammatā esā, bhikkhave, yaṁ passaddhakāyo sukhaṁ vediyati.

(7) "For one feeling pleasure no volition need be exerted: ‘Let my mind be concentrated.’ It is natural that the mind of one feeling pleasure is concentrated.

Sukhino, bhikkhave, na cetanāya karaṇīyaṁ:  ‘cittaṁ me samādhiyatū’ti. Dhammatā esā, bhikkhave, yaṁ sukhino cittaṁ samādhiyati.

(8) "For one who is concentrated no volition need be exerted: ‘Let me know and see things as they really are.’ It is natural that one who is concentrated knows and sees things as they really are.

Samāhitassa, bhikkhave, na cetanāya karaṇīyaṁ:  ‘yathābhūtaṁ jānāmi passāmī’ti. Dhammatā esā, bhikkhave, yaṁ samāhito yathābhūtaṁ jānāti passati.

(9) "For one who knows and sees things as they really are no volition need be exerted: ‘Let me be disenchanted and dispassionate.’ It is natural that one who knows and sees things as they really are is disenchanted and dispassionate.

Yathābhūtaṁ, bhikkhave, jānato passato na cetanāya karaṇīyaṁ:  ‘nibbindāmi virajjāmī’ti. Dhammatā esā, bhikkhave, yaṁ yathābhūtaṁ jānaṁ passaṁ nibbindati virajjati.

(10) "For one who is disenchanted and dispassionate no volition need be exerted: ‘Let me realize the knowledge and vision of liberation.’ It is natural that one who is disenchanted and dispassionate realizes the knowledge and vision of liberation.

Nibbinnassa, bhikkhave, virattassa na cetanāya karaṇīyaṁ:  ‘vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ sacchikaromī’ti. Dhammatā esā, bhikkhave, yaṁ nibbinno viratto vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ sacchikaroti.

2"Thus, bhikkhus, (9) –(10) the knowledge and vision of liberation is the purpose and benefit of disenchantment and dispassion; (8) disenchantment and dispassion are the purpose and benefit of the knowledge and vision of things as they really are; (7) the knowledge and vision of things as they really are is the purpose and benefit of concentration; (6) concentration is the purpose and benefit of pleasure; (5) pleasure is the purpose and benefit of tranquility; (4) tranquility is the purpose and benefit of rapture; (3) rapture is the purpose and benefit of joy; (2) joy is the purpose and benefit of non-regret; and (1) non-regret is the purpose and benefit of virtuous behavior.

2Iti kho, bhikkhave, nibbidāvirāgo vimuttiñāṇadassanattho vimuttiñāṇadassanānisaṁso; yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṁ nibbidāvirāgatthaṁ nibbidāvirāgānisaṁsaṁ; samādhi yathābhūtañāṇadassanattho yathābhūtañāṇadassanānisaṁso; sukhaṁ samādhatthaṁ samādhānisaṁsaṁ; passaddhi sukhatthā sukhānisaṁsā; pīti passaddhatthā passaddhānisaṁsā; pāmojjaṁ pītatthaṁ pītānisaṁsaṁ; avippaṭisāro pāmojjattho pāmojjānisaṁso; kusalāni sīlāni avippaṭisāratthāni avippaṭisārānisaṁsāni.

"Thus, bhikkhus, one stage flows into the next stage, one stage fills up the next stage, for going from the near shore to the far shore."[n.1966] Iti kho, bhikkhave, dhammā dhamme abhisandenti, dhammā dhamme paripūrenti apārā pāraṁ gamanāyā. Mp: "For going from the near shore to the far shore: For going from ‘the near shore,’ the round of existence with its three planes, to ‘the far shore,’ nibbāna" (orimatīrabhūtā tebhūmakavaṭṭā nibbānapāraṁ gamanatthāya). It seems that the point in expressing this in terms of dhammā, which I here render "stages," is to show that this process of development unfolds in accordance with natural principles as one stage conditions the arising of the subsequent stage all the way from the beginning of the path to its culmination. This series thus constitutes a "positive" version of dependent origination. We meet this positive version in the Upanisā Sutta (SN 12:23, II 29–32). See my essay on this sutta, Bodhi 1980.

Iti kho, bhikkhave, dhammā dhamme abhisandenti, dhammā dhamme paripūrenti apārā pāraṁ gamanāyā"ti.

Dutiyaṁ.