And the venerable Meghiya arose from his solitary communings and went to where the Blessed One was and having saluted the Blessed One, he sat down respectfully apart and while thus sitting he said to the Blessed One: “while living in that Mango Grove, Sire, I was assailed by three evil and unlawful thoughts, namely lustful thoughts, malicious thoughts and cruel thoughts and I thought how strange, how marvellous is it, that I who through faith have abandoned my home for the homeless state, should be assailed by these three evil and unlawful thoughts.
“For the immaturely released heart, O Meghiya, five conditions conduce to maturity. What are these five?
1°. In this world, Meghiya, a Bhikkhu should have a virtuous friend, a virtuous companion. For the immaturely p. 49 released heart, Meghiya, this is the first condition which conduces to maturity.
2°. Further, Meghiya, a Bhikkhu shonld be pious, should live a life of restraint according to the precepts, and be endued with right conduct, perceiving danger in the least of the sins, and adopting the moral precepts, should exercise himself therein, For the immaturely released heart, Meghiya, this is the second condition which conduces to maturity.
3°. Further, Meghiya, there should be discourses such as tend to the eradication of evil, to a beneficial expansion of the heart, to an utter weariness of the world, to the cessation of all desire, to tranquillity, to the higher knowledge, to supreme enlightenment, to Nirvana, that is, discourses on frugality, on contentment, solitude, exclusiveness, effort and exertion, piety, self-concentration, wisdom and emancipation as resulting from insight acquired by knowledge–by means of such discourses satisfaction is obtained, and trouble and difficulties overcome.
For the immaturely released heart, Meghiya, this is the third condition which conduces to maturity.
4°. Further, Meghiya, the Bhikkhu should live a life of effort and exertion, abandoning unlawful practises, he should practise what is lawful, he should be resolute, put forth his strength, not throwing down the burden in the practise of those things that are lawful.
For the immaturely released heart, Meghiya, this is the fourth condition which conduces to maturity.
5°. Further, Meghiya, the Bhikkhu should have wisdom, should be endowed with a knowledge of the ‘rise and set’ of things, of sublime penetration, and of that which leads to the complete cessation of sorrow.