1"Bhikkhus, suppose a foolish, incompetent, unskilful cook were to present a king or a royal minister with various kinds of curries: sour, bitter, pungent, sweet, sharp, mild, salty, bland. sn.v.150

1"Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo sūdo rājānaṁ vā rājamahāmattaṁ vā nānaccayehi sūpehi paccupaṭṭhito assa – ambilaggehipi, tittakaggehipi, kaṭukaggehipi, madhuraggehipi, khārikehipi, akhārikehipi, loṇikehipi, aloṇikehipi.

2"That foolish, incompetent, unskilful cook does not pick up the sign of his own master's preference:[n.134] Reading with Se, akassa bhattu nimittaṃ na uggaṇhāti. Be and Ee have bhattassa, but bhattu is genitive of bhattar, the relevant noun here (not bhatta). I translate literally, even at the cost of awkwardness, to preserve the parallel with the meditating monk. ‘Today this curry pleased my master, or he reached for this one, or he took a lot of this one, or he spoke in praise of this one; or the sour curry pleased my master today, or he reached for the sour one, or he took a lot of the sour one, or he spoke in praise of the sour one; or the bitter curry … or the pungent curry … or the sweet curry … or the sharp curry … or the mild curry … or the salty curry … or the bland curry pleased my master … or he spoke in praise of the bland one.’

2Sa kho so, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo sūdo sakassa bhattu nimittaṁ na uggaṇhāti: ‘idaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, imassa vā abhiharati, imassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, imassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati. Ambilaggaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, ambilaggassa vā abhiharati, ambilaggassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, ambilaggassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati. Tittakaggaṁ vā me ajja … kaṭukaggaṁ vā me ajja … madhuraggaṁ vā me ajja … khārikaṁ vā me ajja … akhārikaṁ vā me ajja … loṇikaṁ vā me ajja … aloṇikaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, aloṇikassa vā abhiharati, aloṇikassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, aloṇikassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsatī’ti.

3"That foolish, incompetent, unskilful cook does not gain gifts of clothing, wages, and bonuses. For what reason? Because that foolish, incompetent, unskilful cook does not pick up the sign of his own master's preference.

3Sa kho so, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo sūdo na ceva lābhī hoti acchādanassa, na lābhī vetanassa, na lābhī abhihārānaṁ. Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathā hi so, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo sūdo sakassa bhattu nimittaṁ na uggaṇhāti.

"So too, bhikkhus, here some foolish, incompetent, unskilful bhikkhu dwells contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. While he dwells contemplating the body in the body, his mind does not become concentrated, his corruptions are not abandoned, he does not pick up that sign.[n.135] Spk: He does not know, "This meditation subject of mine has reached up to conformity or change-of-lineage." He isn’t able to grasp the sign of his own mind.
The terms "conformity" (anuloma) and "change-of-lineage" (gotrabhū) denote the final occasions of sense-sphere consciousness before one attains either jhāna or the supramundane path and fruit; presumably the preliminary to jhāna is intended. The phrase cittassa nimittaṁ gahessati is at AN III 423,13, glossed by Mp: cittassa nimittan ti samādhivipassanācittassa nimittaṃ, samādhivipassanākāraṃ; "sign of the mind: sign of the mind of concentration or insight, the mode of concentration or insight." He dwells contemplating feelings in feelings … mind in mind … phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. While he dwells contemplating phenomena in phenomena, his mind does not become concentrated, his corruptions are not abandoned, he does not pick up that sign.

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco bālo abyatto akusalo bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī vihārati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Tassa kāye kāyānupassino vihārato cittaṁ na samādhiyati, upakkilesā na pahīyanti. So taṁ nimittaṁ na uggaṇhāti. Vedanāsu vedanānupassī vihārati … pe … citte cittānupassī vihārati … pe … dhammesu dhammānupassī vihārati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Tassa dhammesu dhammānupassino vihārato cittaṁ na samādhiyati, upakkilesā na pahīyanti. So taṁ nimittaṁ na uggaṇhāti.

4"That foolish, incompetent, unskilful bhikkhu does not gain pleasant dwellings in this very life, nor does he gain sn.v.151 mindfulness and clear comprehension. For what reason? Because, bhikkhus, that foolish, incompetent, unskilful bhikkhu does not pick up the sign of his own mind.

4Sa kho so, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo bhikkhu na ceva lābhī hoti diṭṭheva dhamme sukhavihārānaṁ, na lābhī satisampajaññassa. Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathā hi so, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo bhikkhu sakassa cittassa nimittaṁ na uggaṇhāti.

5"Suppose, bhikkhus, a wise, competent, skilful cook were to present a king or a royal minister with various kinds of curries: sour, bitter, pungent, sweet, sharp, mild, salty, bland.[n.136] This portion of the sutta is quoted at Vism 150–51 (Ppn 4:122). Spk says that satipaṭṭhāna is treated as insight of the preliminary stage.

5Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo sūdo rājānaṁ vā rājamahāmattaṁ vā nānaccayehi sūpehi paccupaṭṭhito assa – ambilaggehipi, tittakaggehipi, kaṭukaggehipi, madhuraggehipi, khārikehipi, akhārikehipi, loṇikehipi, aloṇikehipi.

6"That wise, competent, skilful cook picks up the sign of his own master's preference: ‘Today this curry pleased my master … or he spoke in praise of the bland one.’

"That wise, competent, skilful cook gains gifts of clothing, wages, and bonuses. For what reason? Because that wise, competent, skilful cook picks up the sign of his own master's preference.

6Sa kho so, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo sūdo sakassa bhattu nimittaṁ uggaṇhāti: ‘idaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, imassa vā abhiharati, imassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, imassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati. Ambilaggaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, ambilaggassa vā abhiharati, ambilaggassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, ambilaggassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati. Tittakaggaṁ vā me ajja … kaṭukaggaṁ vā me ajja … madhuraggaṁ vā me ajja … khārikaṁ vā me ajja … akhārikaṁ vā me ajja … loṇikaṁ vā me ajja … aloṇikaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, aloṇikassa vā abhiharati, aloṇikassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, aloṇikassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsatī’ti.

7"So too, bhikkhus, here some wise, competent, skilful bhikkhu dwells contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. While he dwells contemplating the body in the body, his mind becomes concentrated, his corruptions sn.v.152 are abandoned, he picks up that sign. He dwells contemplating feelings in feelings … mind in mind … phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. While he dwells contemplating phenomena in phenomena, his mind becomes concentrated, his corruptions are abandoned, he picks up that sign.

7Sa kho so, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo sūdo lābhī ceva hoti acchādanassa, lābhī vetanassa, lābhī abhihārānaṁ. Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathā hi so, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo sūdo sakassa bhattu nimittaṁ uggaṇhāti. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco paṇḍito byatto kusalo bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī vihārati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Tassa kāye kāyānupassino vihārato cittaṁ samādhiyati, upakkilesā pahīyanti. So taṁ nimittaṁ uggaṇhāti. Vedanāsu vedanānupassī vihārati … pe … citte cittānupassī vihārati … pe … dhammesu dhammānupassī vihārati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Tassa dhammesu dhammānupassino vihārato cittaṁ samādhiyati, upakkilesā pahīyanti. So taṁ nimittaṁ uggaṇhāti.

8"That wise, competent, skilful bhikkhu gains pleasant dwellings in this very life, and he gains mindfulness and clear comprehension. For what reason? Because, bhikkhus, that wise, competent, skilful bhikkhu picks up the sign of his own mind."

8Sa kho so, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo bhikkhu lābhī ceva hoti diṭṭheva dhamme sukhavihārānaṁ, lābhī hoti satisampajaññassa. Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathā hi so, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo bhikkhu sakassa cittassa nimittaṁ uggaṇhātī"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.