“Mendicants, suppose a tree slants, slopes, and inclines to the east. “Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rukkho pācīnaninno pācīnapoṇo pācīnapabbhāro. If it was cut off at the root, where would it fall?” So mūlacchinno katamena papateyyā”ti?

“Sir, it would fall in the direction that it slants, slopes, and inclines.” “Yena, bhante, ninno yena poṇo yena pabbhāro”ti.

“In the same way, a mendicant who develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path slants, slopes, and inclines to extinguishment. “Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvento ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro.

And how does a mendicant who develops the noble eightfold path slant, slope, and incline to extinguishment? Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvento ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro? It’s when a mendicant develops right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion, which rely on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripen as letting go. Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁ …pe… sammāsamādhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁ … That’s how a mendicant who develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path slants, slopes, and inclines to extinguishment.” evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvento ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro”ti.

Catutthaṁ.