Wishing

AN 11.2

The Buddha said,

“Seekers, a virtuous and moral person need not wish: ‘May I have no regrets.’ It’s only natural for a virtuous person to have no regrets.

“When you have no regrets you need not wish for joy. Joy naturally arises when you have no regrets.

“When you have joy you need not wish for bliss. Bliss naturally arises when there is joy.

“When you’re filled with bliss there’s no need to wish for calm. The body naturally becomes calm when there is bliss.

“When one is calm, there’s no need to wish for happiness. One naturally feels happy when the body is calm.

“When you are happy there’s no need to wish for lucid unification. One naturally attains lucid unification when there is happiness.

“When there is lucid unification there’s no need to wish ‘May I know and see how things really come to be’. One naturally knows and sees when the mind is absorbed in unification.

“When you really know and see there’s no need to wish: ‘May I feel disenchantment.’ It is natural to grow disenchanted when you know and see how things really come to be.

“When you are disenchanted there’s no need to wish: ‘May I be dispassionate.’ One naturally grows dispassionate when they’ve grown disenchanted.

“When you’re dispassionate there’s no need to wish: ‘May I reach the knowledge and vision of liberation.’ One naturally attains this knowledge when they are dispassionate.

“In this way, the knowledge and vision of liberation is the aim and reward of dispassion. Dispassion is the aim and reward of disenchantment. Likewise, each quality is the natural aim and reward of the other.

Just like this, good qualities flow naturally into one another. They all lead to the far shore.”