Here’s an excerpt from MA 3, from the numata PDF, the agama parallel to AN 7.63.
They have watchtower instead of foundation post. If we can’t figure out a good pali representation, maybe we could go with teh watchtower?
- Just as a watchtower is constructed in the king’s border town, built
firmly in the earth, indestructible, to ensure peace within and to control outside enemies—
in the same way, the noble disciple gains firm faith that is deeply settled in the Tathāgata, faith with firm roots that cannot be influenced by non-Buddhist renunciants or brahmins, or by gods, Māras, Brahmās, or anyone else in the world. This is how the noble disciple gains the “watchtower” of faith, which removes what is evil and unwholesome and develops wholesome states.
- Just as a moat is excavated [around] the king’s border town, very
deep and wide, well designed and reliable, to ensure peace within and
to control outside enemies;
in the same way, the noble disciple has at all times a sense of shame. What is shameful he knows as shameful,
[namely] evil and unwholesome states, which pollute and defile, which
have various evil consequences, and create the root cause of birth and
death. This is how the noble disciple gains the “moat” of a sense of
shame, which removes what is evil and unwholesome and develops
wholesome states.
- Just as a road surrounds the king’s border town, open and clear,
level and wide, to ensure peace within and control outside enemies;
in the same way, the noble disciple at all times fears wrongdoing. What
is wrong he knows as wrong, [namely] evil and unwholesome states,
which pollute and defile, which will have various evil consequences,
which create the root cause of birth and death.
This is how the noble
disciple gains the “level road” of the fear of wrongdoing, which removes what is evil and unwholesome and develops wholesome states.
- Just as an army with four divisions is raised in the king’s border
town, with elephant troops, cavalry, chariot troops, and infantry, to
ensure peace within and to control outside enemies;
in the same way,
the noble disciple continuously applies effort, abandoning what is evil
and unwholesome and cultivating wholesome states. He constantly
arouses his mind, is single-minded and steadfast regarding the roots
of wholesomeness, without giving up his task.
This is how the noble
disciple gains the “army” of effort, which removes what is evil and
unwholesome and develops wholesome states.
- Just as weapons are provided for the troops of the king’s border
town—bows and arrows, swords and spears—to ensure peace within
and control outside enemies;
in the same way the noble disciple studies
widely and learns much, retaining and not forgetting it, accumulating
broad learning of what is called the Dharma, which is good in the
beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, which has [proper]
meaning and expression, is endowed with purity, and reveals the holy
life. In this way he studies widely and learns much regarding all the
teachings, familiarizing himself with them even a thousand times, mentally considering and contemplating them with knowledge, vision, and
profound penetration.
This is how the noble disciple gains the “weapon”
of much learning, which removes what is evil and unwholesome and
develops wholesome states.
- Just as a general is appointed as gatekeeper to the king’s border
town, one who is sharp-witted and wise in making decisions, brave
and resolute, of excellent counsel, who allows entry to the good and
keeps out the bad, to ensure peace within and to control outside enemies;
in the same way the noble disciple continuously practices mindfulness,
achieves right mindfulness, always recalling and not forgetting what
was done or heard long ago.
This is how the noble disciple gains the
“gatekeeping general” of mindfulness, which removes what is evil and
unwholesome and develops wholesome states.
- Just as a high rampart is constructed for the king’s border town,
extremely solid, plastered with mud and painted with whitewash, to
ensure peace within and to control outside enemies;
in the same way the noble disciple develops comprehension and wisdom, attains understanding concerning the rise and fall of phenomena, attains noble penetrative knowledge and discriminative understanding concerning the true cessation of suffering.
This is how the noble disciple gains the “rampart” of wisdom, which removes what is evil and unwholesome and develops wholesome states.
- Just as supplies of water, grass, and firewood are provided for the
king’s border town to ensure peace within and control outside enemies;
in the same way the noble disciple, separated from desires, separated
from evil and unwholesome states, with initial and sustained application of the mind, with joy and happiness born of seclusion, dwells having attained the first absorption.
He abides in a happiness that lacks nothing, a peaceful happiness that leads naturally to nirvana.
- Just as plenty of rice is harvested and plenty of wheat is stored up
in the king’s border town to ensure peace within and to control outside
enemies;
in the same way the noble disciple, through the calming of
initial and sustained application of the mind, with inward stillness and mental one-pointedness, without initial and sustained application of the mind, with joy and happiness born of concentration, dwells having attained the second absorption.
He abides in a happiness that lacks nothing, a peaceful happiness that leads naturally to nirvana.
- Just as large amounts of grain and beans of various sorts are
amassed in the king’s border town to ensure peace within and to control
outside enemies; in the same way the noble disciple, separated from
joy and desire, dwelling in equanimity and not seeking anything, with
right mindfulness and right attentiveness, experiencing pleasure with
the body, dwells having attained the third absorption, which the noble
ones speak of as noble equanimity and mindfulness, a happy abode.
He abides in a happiness that lacks nothing, a peaceful happiness that
leads naturally to nirvana.
- Just as ghee, honey, sugarcane, sugar, fish, salt, and dried meat
are stored up in the king’s border town, being equipped with all of
these to ensure peace within and to control outside enemies; in the
same way the noble disciple, with the cessation of pleasure and pain,
and with the earlier cessation of joy and displeasure, with neither-painnor-pleasure, equanimity, mindfulness, and purity, dwells having
attained the fourth absorption,
abiding in a happiness that lacks nothing, a peaceful happiness that leads naturally to nirvana.
