The Long Āgama Sūtra 28.10

28.10

梵志白佛言：「從本已來信自不聞如是次第滅想因緣。」又白佛言：「我今生念，謂此有想、此無想，或復有想此想已，彼作是念：『有念為惡，無念為善。』彼作是念時，微妙想不滅，麤想更生，彼復念言：『我今寧可不為念行，不起思惟。』彼不為念行，不起思惟已，微妙想滅，麤想不生。彼不為念行，不起思惟，微妙想滅，麤想不生時，即入想知滅定。」

The wanderer said to the Buddha, “Up until now, I don’t believe I’ve heard the causes and conditions for such a sequence of ceasing conceptions.”

He also said to the Buddha, “Now, I have this thought: ‘Here, there’s a conception, then no conception, and perhaps there’s a conception again. A person thinks, “Having thoughts is bad, and having no thoughts is good.” When they think that, a subtle conception doesn’t cease, and a cruder conception arises.

“‘Again, they think, “Now, I’d better not have any thought activity and stop thinking.’ Once they don’t have any thought activity and stop thinking, that subtle conception ceases, and the cruder conception doesn’t arise. When they don’t have thought activity, stop thinking, the subtle conception ceases, and the cruder conception doesn’t arise, they then enter conception that knows the attainment of cessation.”