Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, at Jetṛ’s Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park. Then the Exalted One said to the monks:

“A monk who lives in the forest should cultivate two things. Which two? Tranquillity and penetrating insight.

“If a monk, living in the forest in serenity, realises tranquillity, he perfects the discipline with all its rules of moral training without deviating from the proper way of deportment, without breaking the vows and by developing all virtues.

“If, furthermore, a monk who is fond of solitude has realised penetrating insight, he exactly knows in accordance with fact: This is unsatisfactoriness, the origin of unsatisfactoriness, its final cessation and what has necessarily to be done in order to overcome unsatisfactoriness.

“By dint of such penetrating insight, his mind is freed from the malign influence of desire, of becoming and of ignorance; consequently he gains the insight-knowledge of this freedom, knowing in accordance with fact: Birth and death have come to an end, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, and there will be no more coming into existence.

“Also in the past, so many beings became foremost arhats, Fully and Completely Enlightened Ones precisely on account of these two things enabling them to achieve perfection; and thus also the Bodhisattva when sitting under the King of Trees, he first concentrated on these two things, viz. tranquillity and penetrating insight. After realising penetrating insight, the Bodhisattva, the Great Being, succeeded in subjugating Māra, the Fiend; and furthermore, after realising penetrating insight, the Bodhisattva duly gained the state of possession of the three knowledges and obtained the Highest, Complete and Full Enlightenment.

“Therefore, O monks, a monk, living in the forest, should be intent on skill in means in order to practise these two things. Thus, monks, you should train.”

After listening to the Buddha’s words, the monks were pleased and respectfully applied themselves to practice.