Although early
Buddhism is widely believed to take a negative attitude toward the body, the
texts of the Pali Canon do not support this belief. They approach the body both
in its positive role, as an object of meditation to develop mindfulness,
concentration, and the mental powers based on concentration; and in its negative
role as an object for the elimination of unskillful states of mind. Even in its
negative role, the body is not the culprit: the problem is the mind's attachment
to the body. Once the body can be used in its positive role, to develop
mindfulness and concentration, those mental qualities can be used to free the
mind of its attachments to the body. Then, as many a modern meditation master
has noted, the mind and body can live in peace.
This study guide focuses on the
primary sutta in the Pali Canon dealing with the contemplation of the body: The
Discourse on Mindfulness Immersed in the Body (MN 119). The first section, The
Context, establishes the general principles underlying the practice of
mindfulness immersed in the body, showing why attachment to the body is
considered problematic in the first place. The second section presents the sutta
itself. The remaining sections expand on points raised in the sutta: Section
Three dealing with the advantages of practicing mindfulness immersed in the
body, and Section Four expanding on the drawbacks of attachment to the body.
Because the sutta treats the body
both as an object of mindfulness and as an object of jhana, or mental
absorption, it raises questions concerning the relationship between these two
mental qualities in the practice of meditation. There is a widespread belief
that they represent two sides of a great divide in Buddhist meditation practice,
with mindfulness on one side, joined with vipassana (insight) and discernment;
and jhana on the other side joined with samatha (tranquility). The Pali Canon,
however, presents a much more complex picture of the interrelated roles these
mental qualities in the pursuit of Awakening. And in fact, the "Great Divide"
picture of Buddhist meditation practice conflates what the Pali Canon treats as
three separate, albeit related issues: the relationship between samatha and
vipassana, the relationship between mindfulness and jhana, and the relationship
between jhana and discernment. To convey the original parameters of these
issues, this study guide ends with three sections focused on precisely these
relationships.
For supplemental reading on the
issues of jhana, mindfulness, and insight, see the articles, "The Path of
Mindfulness and Concentration" and "One Tool Among Many."
For further reading on
contemplation of the body, see:
"Monks, I lived in
refinement, utmost refinement, total refinement. My father even had lotus ponds
made in our palace: one where red-lotuses bloomed, one where white lotuses
bloomed, one where blue lotuses bloomed, all for my sake. I used no sandalwood
that was not from
"I had three palaces: one for the
cold season, one for the hot season, one for the rainy season. During the four
months of the rainy season I was entertained in the rainy-season palace by
minstrels without a single man among them, and I did not once come down from the
palace. Whereas the servants, workers, and retainers in other people's homes are
fed meals of lentil soup and broken rice, in my father's home the servants,
workers, and retainers were fed wheat, rice, and meat.
"Even though I was endowed with
such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: 'When an
untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to aging, not beyond aging,
sees another who is aged, he is horrified, humiliated, and disgusted, oblivious
to himself that he too is subject to aging, not beyond aging. If I -- who am
subject to aging, not beyond aging -- were to be horrified, humiliated, and
disgusted on seeing another person who is aged, that would not be fitting for
me.' As I noticed this, the [typical] young person's intoxication with youth
entirely dropped away.
"Even though I was endowed with
such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: 'When an
untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to illness, not beyond
illness, sees another who is ill, he is horrified, humiliated, and disgusted,
oblivious to himself that he too is subject to illness, not beyond illness. And
if I -- who am subject to illness, not beyond illness -- were to be horrified,
humiliated, and disgusted on seeing another person who is ill, that would not be
fitting for me.' As I noticed this, the healthy person's intoxication with
health entirely dropped away.
"Even though I was endowed with
such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: 'When an
untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to death, not beyond death,
sees another who is dead, he is horrified, humiliated, and disgusted, oblivious
to himself that he too is subject to death, not beyond death. And if I -- who am
subject to death, not beyond death -- were to be horrified, humiliated, and
disgusted on seeing another person who is dead, that would not be fitting for
me.' As I noticed this, the living person's intoxication with life entirely
dropped away.
"Monks, there are these three forms
of intoxication. Which three? Intoxication with youth, intoxication with health,
intoxication with life.
"Drunk with the intoxication of
youth, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person engages in bodily misconduct,
verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct. Having engaged in bodily misconduct,
verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct, he -- on the break-up of the body,
after death -- reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the
lower realms, in hell.
"Drunk with the intoxication of
health, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person engages in bodily misconduct,
verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct. Having engaged in bodily misconduct,
verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct, he -- on the break-up of the body,
after death -- reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the
lower realms, in hell.
"Drunk with the intoxication of
life, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person engages in bodily misconduct,
verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct. Having engaged in bodily misconduct,
verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct, he -- on the break-up of the body,
after death -- reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the
lower realms, in hell... "
"Before my
Awakening, when I was still an unawakened Bodhisatta, being subject myself to
birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, and defilement, I sought [happiness in]
what was subject to birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, and defilement. The
thought occurred to me: 'Why am I, being subject myself to birth...defilement,
seeking what is subject to birth...defilement? What if I...were to seek the
unborn, unaging, unailing, undying, sorrowless, undefiled, unsurpassed security
from bondage: Unbinding.'"
"I tell you,
friend, that it isn't possible by traveling to know or see or reach a far end of
the cosmos where one doesn't take birth, age, die, pass away, or reappear. But
at the same time, I tell you that there is no making an end of suffering and
stress without reaching the end of the cosmos. Yet it is just within this
fathom-long body, with its perception and intellect, that I declare that there
is the cosmos, the origination of the cosmos, the cessation of the cosmos, and
the path of practice leading to the cessation of the cosmos."
"Now this is the
noble truth of stress: Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is
stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair are stressful;
association with the unbeloved is stressful, separation from the loved is
stressful, not getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the five
clinging-aggregates are stressful.
"And this is the noble truth of the
origination of stress: the craving that makes for further becoming --
accompanied by passion and delight, relishing now here and now there -- i.e.,
craving for sensuality, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming.
"And this is the noble truth of the
cessation of stress: the remainderless fading and cessation, renunciation,
relinquishment, release, and letting go of that very craving.
"And this is the noble truth of the
way of practice leading to the cessation of stress: precisely this Noble
Eightfold Path -- right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
"'This noble truth of stress is to
be comprehended' ... 'This noble truth of the origination of stress is to be
abandoned' ... 'This noble truth of the cessation of stress is to be directly
experienced' ... 'This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the
cessation of stress is to be developed' ... "
"And what, monks,
is right view? Knowledge with regard to stress, knowledge with regard to the
origination of stress, knowledge with regard to the stopping of stress,
knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the stopping of stress:
This, monks, is called right view.
"And what, monks, is right resolve?
Being resolved on renunciation, on freedom from ill will, on harmlessness: This,
monks, is called right resolve.
"And what, monks, is right speech?
Abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from abusive
speech, abstaining from idle chatter: This, monks, is called right speech.
"And what, monks, is right action?
Abstaining from taking life, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from sexual
intercourse: This, monks, is called right action.
"And what, monks, is right
livelihood? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having
abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood:
This, monks, is called right livelihood.
"And what, monks, is right effort?
(i) There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, activates
persistence, upholds and exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of
evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen. (ii) He generates desire,
endeavors, activates persistence, upholds and exerts his intent for the sake of
the abandonment of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen. (iii) He
generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds and exerts his
intent for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet
arisen. (iv) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds and
exerts his intent for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude,
development, and culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen: This,
monks, is called right effort.
"And what, monks, is right
mindfulness? (i) There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in
and of itself -- ardent, aware, and mindful -- putting away greed and distress
with reference to the world. (ii) He remains focused on feelings in and of
themselves -- ardent, aware, and mindful -- putting away greed and distress with
reference to the world. (iii) He remains focused on the mind in and of itself --
ardent, aware, and mindful -- putting away greed and distress with reference to
the world. (iv) He remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves --
ardent, aware, and mindful -- putting away greed and distress with reference to
the world. This, monks, is called right mindfulness.
"And what, monks, is right
concentration? (i) There is the case where a monk -- quite withdrawn from
sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful (mental) qualities -- enters and remains
in the first jhana: rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by
directed thought and evaluation. (ii) With the stilling of directed thought and
evaluation, he enters and remains in the second jhana: rapture and pleasure born
of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought and
evaluation -- internal assurance. (iii) With the fading of rapture, he remains
in equanimity, mindful and fully aware, and physically sensitive of pleasure. He
enters and remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare,
'Equanimous and mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.' (iv) With the abandoning
of pleasure and pain -- as with the earlier disappearance of elation and
distress -- he enters and remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity and
mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This, monks, is called right
concentration."
I have heard that
on one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Savatthi at Jeta's Grove,
Anathapindika's monastery. Now at that time a large number of monks, after the
meal, on returning from their alms round, had gathered at the meeting hall when
this discussion arose: "Isn't it amazing, friends! Isn't it astounding! -- the
extent to which mindfulness immersed in the body, when developed and pursued, is
said by the Blessed One who knows, who sees -- the worthy one, rightly
self-awakened -- to be of great fruit and great benefit." And this discussion
came to no conclusion.
Then the Blessed One, emerging from
his seclusion in the late afternoon, went to the meeting hall and, on arrival,
sat down on a seat made ready. As he was sitting there, he addressed the monks:
"For what topic are you gathered together here? And what was the discussion that
came to no conclusion?"
"Just now, lord, after the meal, on
returning from our alms round, we gathered at the meeting hall when this
discussion arose: 'Isn't it amazing, friends! Isn't it astounding! -- the extent
to which mindfulness immersed in the body, when developed and pursued, is said
by the Blessed One who knows, who sees -- the worthy one, rightly self-awakened
-- to be of great fruit and great benefit.' This was the discussion that had
come to no conclusion when the Blessed One arrived."
[The Blessed One said:] "And how is
mindfulness immersed in the body developed, how is it pursued, so as to be of
great fruit and great benefit?
"There is the case where a monk --
having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building
-- sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect and setting
mindfulness to the fore. Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes
out.
"Breathing in long, he discerns
that he is breathing in long; or breathing out long, he discerns that he is
breathing out long. Or breathing in short, he discerns that he is breathing in
short; or breathing out short, he discerns that he is breathing out short. He
trains himself to breathe in sensitive to the entire body and to breathe out
sensitive to the entire body. He trains himself to breathe in calming bodily
fabrication (the breath) and to breathe out calming bodily fabrication. And as
he remains thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, any memories and resolves related
to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers
and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered. This is how a monk develops
mindfulness immersed in the body.
"Furthermore, when walking, the
monk discerns that he is walking. When standing, he discerns that he is
standing. When sitting, he discerns that he is sitting. When lying down, he
discerns that he is lying down. Or however his body is disposed, that is how he
discerns it. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, any memories
and resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their
abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered.
This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.
"Furthermore, when going forward
and returning, he makes himself fully alert; when looking toward and looking
away...when bending and extending his limbs...when carrying his outer cloak, his
upper robe and his bowl...when eating, drinking, chewing, and savoring...when
urinating and defecating...when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep,
waking up, talking, and remaining silent, he makes himself fully alert. And as
he remains thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, any memories and resolves related
to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers
and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered. This is how a monk develops
mindfulness immersed in the body.
"Furthermore, the monk reflects on
this very body from the soles of the feet on up, from the crown of the head on
down, surrounded by skin and full of various kinds of unclean things: 'In this
body there are head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons,
bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, large
intestines, small intestines, gorge, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat,
fat, tears, skin-oil, saliva, mucus, fluid in the joints, urine.' Just as if a
sack with openings at both ends were full of various kinds of grain -- wheat,
rice, mung beans, kidney beans, sesame seeds, husked rice -- and a man with good
eyesight, pouring it out, were to reflect, 'This is wheat. This is rice. These
are mung beans. These are kidney beans. These are sesame seeds. This is husked
rice'; in the same way, the monk reflects on this very body from the soles of
the feet on up, from the crown of the head on down, surrounded by skin and full
of various kinds of unclean things: 'In this body there are head hairs, body
hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart,
liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, gorge, feces,
bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, skin-oil, saliva, mucus, fluid in
the joints, urine.' And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, any
memories and resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with
their abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified and
centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.
"Furthermore, the monk contemplates
this very body -- however it stands, however it is disposed -- in terms of
properties: 'In this body there is the earth property, the liquid property, the
fire property, and the wind property.' Just as a skilled butcher or his
apprentice, having killed a cow, would sit at a crossroads cutting it up into
pieces, the monk contemplates this very body -- however it stands, however it is
disposed -- in terms of properties: 'In this body there is the earth property,
the liquid property, the fire property, and the wind property.' And as he
remains thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, any memories and resolves related to
the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers and
settles inwardly, grows unified and centered. This is how a monk develops
mindfulness immersed in the body.
"Furthermore, as if he were to see
a corpse cast away in a charnel ground -- one day, two days, three days dead --
bloated, livid, and festering, he applies it to this very body, 'This body, too:
Such is its nature, such is its future, such its unavoidable fate'...
"Or again, as if he were to see a
corpse cast away in a charnel ground, picked at by crows, vultures, and hawks,
by dogs, hyenas, and various other creatures...a skeleton smeared with flesh and
blood, connected with tendons...a fleshless skeleton smeared with blood,
connected with tendons...a skeleton without flesh or blood, connected with
tendons...bones detached from their tendons, scattered in all directions -- here
a hand bone, there a foot bone, here a shin bone, there a thigh bone, here a hip
bone, there a back bone, here a rib, there a chest bone, here a shoulder bone,
there a neck bone, here a jaw bone, there a tooth, here a skull...the bones
whitened, somewhat like the color of shells...piled up, more than a year
old...decomposed into a powder: He applies it to this very body, 'This body,
too: Such is its nature, such is its future, such its unavoidable fate.'
"And as he remains thus heedful,
ardent, and resolute, any memories and resolves related to the household life
are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly,
grows unified and centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in
the body.
"Furthermore, quite withdrawn from
sensual pleasures, withdrawn from unskillful mental qualities, he enters and
remains in the first jhana: rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal,
accompanied by directed thought and evaluation. He permeates and pervades,
suffuses and fills this very body with the rapture and pleasure born from
withdrawal. Just as if a skilled bathman or bathman's apprentice would pour bath
powder into a brass basin and knead it together, sprinkling it again and again
with water, so that his ball of bath powder -- saturated, moisture-laden,
permeated within and without -- would nevertheless not drip; even so, the monk
permeates ... this very body with the rapture and pleasure born of withdrawal.
There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture and pleasure born from
withdrawal. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, any memories
and resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their
abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered.
This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.
"Then, with the stilling of
directed thought and evaluation, he enters and remains in the second jhana:
rapture and pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from
directed thought and evaluation -- internal assurance. He permeates and
pervades, suffuses and fills this very body with the rapture and pleasure born
of composure. Just like a lake with spring-water welling up from within, having
no inflow from the east, west, north, or south, and with the skies supplying
abundant showers time and again, so that the cool fount of water welling up from
within the lake would permeate and pervade, suffuse and fill it with cool
waters, there being no part of the lake unpervaded by the cool waters; even so,
the monk permeates ... this very body with the rapture and pleasure born of
composure. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture and
pleasure born of composure. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, and
resolute, any memories and resolves related to the household life are abandoned,
and with their abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified
and centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.
"Then, with the fading of rapture,
he remains in equanimity, mindful and alert, and physically sensitive of
pleasure. He enters and remains in the third jhana, of which the noble ones
declare, 'Equanimous and mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.' He permeates
and pervades, suffuses and fills this very body with the pleasure divested of
rapture. Just as in a lotus pond, some of the lotuses, born and growing in the
water, stay immersed in the water and flourish without standing up out of the
water, so that they are permeated and pervaded, suffused and filled with cool
water from their roots to their tips, and nothing of those lotuses would be
unpervaded with cool water; even so, the monk permeates ... this very body with
the pleasure divested of rapture. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded
with pleasure divested of rapture. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, and
resolute, any memories and resolves related to the household life are abandoned,
and with their abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified
and centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.
"Then, with the abandoning of
pleasure and pain -- as with the earlier disappearance of elation and distress
-- he enters and remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity and
mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain. He sits, permeating the body with a
pure, bright awareness. Just as if a man were sitting covered from head to foot
with a white cloth so that there would be no part of his body to which the white
cloth did not extend; even so, the monk sits, permeating the body with a pure,
bright awareness. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by pure, bright
awareness. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, any memories
and resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their
abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered.
This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.
"Monks, whoever develops and
pursues mindfulness immersed in the body encompasses whatever skillful qualities
are on the side of clear knowing. Just as whoever pervades the great ocean with
his awareness encompasses whatever rivulets flow down into the ocean, in the
same way, whoever develops and pursues mindfulness immersed in the body
encompasses whatever skillful qualities are on the side of clear knowing.
"In whomever mindfulness immersed
in the body is not developed, not pursued, Mara gains entry, Mara gains a
foothold.
"Suppose that a man were to throw a
heavy stone ball into a pile of wet clay. What do you think, monks -- would the
heavy stone ball gain entry into the pile of wet clay?"
"Yes, venerable sir."
"In the same way, in whomever
mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued, Mara gains
entry, Mara gains a foothold.
"Now, suppose that there were a
dry, sapless piece of timber, and a man were to come along with an upper
fire-stick, thinking, 'I'll light a fire. I'll produce heat.' What do you think
-- would he be able to light a fire and produce heat by rubbing the upper
fire-stick in the dry, sapless piece of timber?"
"Yes, venerable sir."
"In the same way, in whomever
mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued, Mara gains
entry, Mara gains a foothold.
"Now, suppose that there were an
empty, hollow water-pot set on a stand, and a man were to come along carrying a
load of water. What do you think -- would he get a place to put his water?"
"Yes, venerable sir."
"In the same way, in whomever
mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued, Mara gains
entry, Mara gains a foothold.
"Now, in whomever mindfulness
immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Mara gains no entry, Mara gains
no foothold. Suppose that a man were to throw a ball of string against a door
panel made entirely of heartwood. What do you think -- would that light ball of
string gain entry into that door panel made entirely of heartwood?"
"No, venerable sir."
"In the same way, in whomever
mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Mara gains no entry,
Mara gains no foothold.
"Now, suppose that there were a
wet, sappy piece of timber, and a man were to come along with an upper
fire-stick, thinking, 'I'll light a fire. I'll produce heat.' What do you think
-- would he be able to light a fire and produce heat by rubbing the upper
fire-stick in the wet, sappy piece of timber?"
"No, venerable sir."
"In the same way, in whomever
mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Mara gains no entry,
Mara gains no foothold.
"Now, suppose that there were a
water-pot set on a stand, full of water up to the brim so that crows could drink
out of it, and a man were to come along carrying a load of water. What do you
think -- would he get a place to put his water?"
"No, lord."
"In the same way, in whomever
mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Mara gains no entry,
Mara gains no foothold.
"When anyone has developed and
pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the six higher
knowledges he turns his mind to know and realize, he can witness them for
himself whenever there is an opening.
"Suppose that there were a water
jar, set on a stand, brimful of water so that a crow could drink from it. If a
strong man were to tip it in any way at all, would water spill out?"
"Yes, lord."
"In the same way, when anyone has
developed and pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the
six higher knowledges he turns his mind to know and realize, he can witness them
for himself whenever there is an opening.
"Suppose there were a rectangular
water tank -- set on level ground, bounded by dikes -- brimful of water so that
a crow could drink from it. If a strong man were to loosen the dikes anywhere at
all, would water spill out?"
"Yes, lord."
"In the same way, when anyone has
developed and pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the
six higher knowledges he turns his mind to know and realize, he can witness them
for himself whenever there is an opening.
"Suppose there were a chariot on
level ground at four crossroads, harnessed to thoroughbreds, waiting with whips
lying ready, so that a skilled driver, a trainer of tamable horses, might mount
and -- taking the reins with his left hand and the whip with his right -- drive
out and back, to whatever place and by whichever road he liked; in the same way,
when anyone has developed and pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then
whichever of the six higher knowledges he turns his mind to know and realize, he
can witness them for himself whenever there is an opening.
"Monks, for one in whom mindfulness
immersed in the body is cultivated, developed, pursued, given a means of
transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken, ten
benefits can be expected. Which ten?
"[1] He conquers displeasure and
delight, and displeasure does not conquer him. He remains victorious over any
displeasure that has arisen.
"[2] He conquers fear and dread,
and fear and dread to not conquer him. He remains victorious over any fear and
dread that have arisen.
"[3] He is resistant to cold, heat,
hunger, thirst, the touch of gadflies and mosquitoes, wind and sun and creeping
things; to abusive, hurtful language; he is the sort that can endure bodily
feelings that, when they arise, are painful, sharp, stabbing, fierce,
distasteful, disagreeable, deadly.
"[4] He can attain at will, without
trouble or difficulty, the four jhanas -- heightened mental states providing a
pleasant abiding in the here and now.
"[5] He wields manifold supranormal
powers. Having been one he becomes many; having been many he becomes one. He
appears. He vanishes. He goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, and mountains
as if through space. He dives in and out of the earth as if it were water. He
walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land. Sitting crosslegged he
flies through the air like a winged bird. With his hand he touches and strokes
even the sun and moon, so mighty and powerful. He exercises influence with his
body even as far as the Brahma worlds.
"[6] He hears -- by means of the
divine ear-element, purified and surpassing the human -- both kinds of sounds:
divine and human, whether near or far.
"[7] He knows the awareness of
other beings, other individuals, having encompassed it with his own awareness.
He discerns a mind with passion as a mind with passion, and a mind without
passion as a mind without passion. He discerns a mind with aversion as a mind
with aversion, and a mind without aversion as a mind without aversion. He
discerns a mind with delusion as a mind with delusion, and a mind without
delusion as a mind without delusion. He discerns a restricted mind as a
restricted mind, and a scattered mind as a scattered mind. He discerns an
enlarged mind as an enlarged mind, and an unenlarged mind as an unenlarged mind.
He discerns an excelled mind [one that is not at the most excellent level] as an
excelled mind, and an unexcelled mind as an unexcelled mind. He discerns a
concentrated mind as a concentrated mind, and an unconcentrated mind as an
unconcentrated mind. He discerns a released mind as a released mind, and an
unreleased mind as an unreleased mind.
"[8] He recollects his manifold
past lives (lit: previous homes), i.e., one birth, two births, three births,
four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred, one thousand, one
hundred thousand, many aeons of cosmic contraction, many aeons of cosmic
expansion, many aeons of cosmic contraction and expansion, [recollecting],
'There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such
was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the end of my life.
Passing away from that state, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name,
belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my
experience of pleasure and pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that
state, I re-arose here.' Thus he remembers his manifold past lives in their
modes and details.
"[9] He sees -- by means of the
divine eye, purified and surpassing the human -- beings passing away and
re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior and superior, beautiful and
ugly, fortunate and unfortunate in accordance with their kamma: 'These beings --
who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech, and mind, who reviled the
noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong
views -- with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the
plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. But these
beings -- who were endowed with good conduct of body, speech, and mind, who did
not revile the noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the
influence of right views -- with the break-up of the body, after death, have
re-appeared in the good destinations, in the heavenly world.' Thus -- by means
of the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human -- he sees beings passing
away and re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior and superior,
beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate in accordance with their kamma.
"[10] Through the ending of the
mental effluents, he remains in the effluent-free release of awareness and
release of discernment, having known and made them manifest for himself right in
the here and now.
"Monks, for one in whom mindfulness
immersed in the body is cultivated, developed, pursued, given a means of
transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken, these
ten benefits can be expected."
That is what the Blessed One said.
Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed One's words.
"Now how is
mindfulness of in-and-out breathing developed and pursued so as to bring the
four frames of reference to their culmination?
"There is the case where a monk,
having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building,
sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect, and setting
mindfulness to the fore.[1] Always mindful, he
breathes in; mindful he breathes out.
"[1] Breathing in long, he discerns
that he is breathing in long; or breathing out long, he discerns that he is
breathing out long. [2] Or breathing in short, he discerns that he is breathing
in short; or breathing out short, he discerns that he is breathing out short.
[3] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to the entire body,[2] and to breathe out sensitive to the entire body. [4] He
trains himself to breathe in calming bodily fabrication,[3] and to breathe out calming the bodily fabrication.
"[5] He trains himself to breathe
in sensitive to rapture, and to breathe out sensitive to rapture. [6] He trains
himself to breathe in sensitive to pleasure, and to breathe out sensitive to
pleasure. [7] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to mental
fabrication,[4] and to breathe out sensitive to mental
fabrication. [8] He trains himself to breathe in calming mental fabrication, and
to breathe out calming mental fabrication.
"[9] He trains himself to breathe
in sensitive to the mind, and to breathe out sensitive to the mind. [10] He
trains himself to breathe in satisfying the mind, and to breathe out satisfying
the mind. [11] He trains himself to breathe in steadying the mind, and to
breathe out steadying the mind. [12] He trains himself to breathe in releasing
the mind, and to breathe out releasing the mind.[5]
"[13] He trains himself to breathe
in focusing on inconstancy, and to breathe out focusing on inconstancy. [14] He
trains himself to breathe in focusing on dispassion [literally, fading],
and to breathe out focusing on dispassion. [15] He trains himself to breathe in
focusing on cessation, and to breathe out focusing on cessation. [16] He trains
himself to breathe in focusing on relinquishment, and to breathe out focusing on
relinquishment.
"[1] Now, on whatever occasion a
monk breathing in long discerns that he is breathing in long; or breathing out
long, discerns that he is breathing out long; or breathing in short, discerns
that he is breathing in short; or breathing out short, discerns that he is
breathing out short; trains himself to breathe in...and... out sensitive to the
entire body; trains himself to breathe in...and...out calming bodily
fabrication: On that occasion the monk remains focused on the body in and
of itself -- ardent, alert, and mindful -- subduing greed and distress with
reference to the world. I tell you, monks, that this -- the in-and-out breath --
is classed as a body among bodies, which is why the monk on that occasion
remains focused on the body in and of itself -- ardent, alert, and mindful --
putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world.
"[2] On whatever occasion a monk
trains himself to breathe in...and...out sensitive to rapture; trains himself to
breathe in...and...out sensitive to pleasure; trains himself to breathe
in...and...out sensitive to mental fabrication; trains himself to breathe
in...and...out calming mental fabrication: On that occasion the monk remains
focused on feelings in and of themselves -- ardent, alert, and mindful --
subduing greed and distress with reference to the world. I tell you, monks, that
this -- close attention to in-and-out breaths -- is classed as a feeling among
feelings,[6] which is why the monk on that occasion
remains focused on feelings in and of themselves -- ardent, alert, and mindful
-- putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world.
"[3] On whatever occasion a monk
trains himself to breathe in...and...out sensitive to the mind; trains himself
to breathe in...and...out satisfying the mind; trains himself to breathe
in...and...out steadying the mind; trains himself to breathe in...and...out
releasing the mind: On that occasion the monk remains focused on the mind
in and of itself -- ardent, alert, and mindful -- subduing greed and distress
with reference to the world. I don't say that there is mindfulness of in-and-out
breathing in one of confused mindfulness and no alertness, which is why the monk
on that occasion remains focused on the mind in and of itself -- ardent, alert,
and mindful -- putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world.
"[4] On whatever occasion a monk
trains himself to breathe in...and...out focusing on inconstancy; trains himself
to breathe in...and...out focusing on dispassion; trains himself to breathe
in...and...out focusing on cessation; trains himself to breathe in...and...out
focusing on relinquishment: On that occasion the monk remains focused on
mental qualities in and of themselves -- ardent, alert, and mindful --
subduing greed and distress with reference to the world. He who sees clearly
with discernment the abandoning of greed and distress is one who oversees with
equanimity, which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on mental
qualities in and of themselves -- ardent, alert, and mindful -- putting aside
greed and distress with reference to the world.
"This is how mindfulness of
in-and-out breathing is developed and pursued so as to bring the four frames of
reference to their culmination.
1. To the fore (parimukham): The
Abhidhamma takes an etymological approach to this term, defining it as around
(pari-) the mouth (mukham). In the Vinaya, however, it is used in
a context (Cv.V.27.4) where it undoubtedly means the front of the chest. There
is also the possibility that the term could be used idiomatically as "to the
front," which is how I have translated it here.
2. The commentaries insist that "body" here means the
breath, but this is unlikely in this context, for the next step -- without
further explanation -- refers to the breath as "bodily fabrication." If the
Buddha were using two different terms to refer to the breath in such close
proximity, he would have been careful to signal that he was redefining his terms
(as he does below, when explaining that the first four steps in breath
meditation correspond to the practice of focusing on the body in and of itself
as a frame of reference). The step of breathing in and out sensitive to the
entire body relates to the many similes in the suttas depicting jhana as a state
of whole-body awareness (see MN 119).
3.
"In-and-out breaths are bodily; these are things tied up with the body. That's
why in-and-out breaths are bodily fabrications." -- MN 44.
4. "Perceptions and feelings are mental; these are
things tied up with the mind. That's why perceptions and feelings are mental
fabrications." -- MN 44.
5. AN IX.34 shows how
the mind, step by step, is temporarily released from burdensome mental states of
greater and greater refinement as it advances through the stages of jhana.
6. As this shows, a meditator focusing on
feelings in themselves as a frame of reference should not abandon the breath as
the basis for his/her concentration.]
Khitaka:
How light my
body!
Touched by abundant
rapture and bliss,
-- like a cotton tuft
borne on the breeze --
it seems to be
floating
-- my body!
Ananda: "Lord, does the Blessed One have direct
experience of going to the Brahma world by means of supranormal power with a
mind-made body?"
The Buddha: "Yes, Ananda...'
Ananda: "But does the Blessed One also have direct
experience of going to the Brahma world by means of supranormal power with this
very physical body, composed of the four great elements?"
The Buddha: "Yes..."
Ananda: "It's awesome, lord, and amazing that the
Blessed One should have direct experience of going to the Brahma world by means
of supranormal power with a mind-made body, and of going to the Brahma world by
means of supranormal power with this very physical body, composed of the four
great elements."
The Buddha: "Tathagatas are both awesome, Ananda, and
endowed with awesome qualities. They are both amazing and endowed with amazing
qualities. Whenever the Tathagata merges his body with his mind and his mind
with his body, and remains having alighted on the perception of ease and
buoyancy with regard to the body, then his body becomes lighter, more pliant,
more malleable, and more radiant.
"Just as when an iron ball heated
all day becomes lighter, more pliant, more malleable, and more radiant; in the
same way, whenever the Tathagata merges his body with his mind and his mind with
his body, and remains having alighted on the perception of ease and buoyancy
with regard to the body, then his body becomes lighter, more pliant, more
malleable, and more radiant.
"Now, whenever the Tathagata merges
his body with his mind and his mind with his body, and remains having alighted
on the perception of ease and buoyancy with regard to the body, then his body
rises effortlessly from the earth up into the sky. He then experiences manifold
supranormal powers. Having been one he becomes many; having been many he becomes
one. He appears. He vanishes. He goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, and
mountains as if through space. He dives in and out of the earth as if it were
water. He walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land. Sitting
crosslegged he flies through the air like a winged bird. With his hand he
touches and strokes even the sun and moon, so mighty and powerful. He exercises
influence with his body even as far as the Brahma worlds.
"Just as a tuft of cotton seed or a
ball of thistle down, lightly wafted by the wind, rises effortlessly from the
earth up into the sky, in the same way, whenever the Tathagata concentrates his
body in his mind and his mind in his body, and remains having alighted on the
perception of ease and buoyancy, then his body rises effortlessly from the earth
up into the sky. He then experiences manifold supranormal powers...even as far
as the Brahma worlds."
Simply talking a
lot
doesn't maintain the Dhamma.
Whoever
-- although he's heard next to
nothing --
sees Dhamma through his
body,
is not heedless of Dhamma:
he's one who
maintains the Dhamma
They awaken, always
wide awake:
Gotama's disciples
whose mindfulness, both
day and night,
is constantly immersed
in the
body.
"Once a hawk
suddenly swooped down on a quail and seized it. Then the quail, as it was being
carried off by the hawk, lamented, 'O, just my bad luck and lack of merit that I
was wandering out of my proper range and into the territory of others! If only I
had kept to my proper range today, to my own ancestral territory, this hawk
would have been no match for me in battle.'
"'But what is your proper range?'
the hawk asked. 'What is your own ancestral territory?'
"'A newly plowed field with clumps
of earth all turned up.'
"So the hawk, without bragging
about its own strength, without mentioning its own strength, let go of the
quail. 'Go, quail, but even when you have gone there you won't escape me.'
"Then the quail, having gone to a
newly plowed field with clumps of earth all turned up and climbing up on top of
a large clump of earth, stood taunting the hawk, 'Now come and get me, you hawk!
Now come and get me, you hawk!'
"So the hawk, without bragging
about its own strength, without mentioning its own strength, folded its two
wings and suddenly swooped down toward the quail. When the quail knew, 'The hawk
is coming at me full speed,' it slipped behind the clump of earth, and right
there the hawk shattered its breast.
"This is what happens to anyone who
wanders into what is not his proper range and is the territory of others.
"For this reason, you should not
wander into what is not your proper range and is the territory of others. In one
who wanders into what is not his proper range and is the territory of others,
Mara gains an opening, Mara gains a foothold. And what, for a monk, is not his
proper range and is the territory of others? The five strands of sensuality.
Which five? Forms cognizable by the eye -- agreeable, pleasing, charming,
endearing, fostering desire, enticing. Sounds cognizable by the ear...Smells
cognizable by the nose...Tastes cognizable by the tongue...Tactile sensations
cognizable by the body -- agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering
desire, enticing. These, for a monk, are not his proper range and are the
territory of others.
"Wander, monks, in what is your
proper range, your own ancestral territory. In one who wanders in what is his
proper range, his own ancestral territory, Mara gains no opening, Mara gains no
foothold. And what, for a monk, is his proper range, his own ancestral
territory? The four frames of reference. Which four? There is the case where a
monk remains focused on the body in and of itself -- ardent, alert, and mindful
-- putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. He remains
focused on feelings in and of themselves ... mind in and of itself ... mental
qualities in and of themselves -- ardent, alert, and mindful -- putting aside
greed and distress with reference to the world. This, for a monk, is his proper
range, his own ancestral territory."
"There are in the
"This is what happens to anyone who
wanders into what is not his proper range and is the territory of others. For
this reason, you should not wander into what is not your proper range and is the
territory of others..."
"There is the case
where a monk, seeing a form with the eye, is obsessed with pleasing forms, is
repelled by unpleasing forms, and remains with body-mindfulness unestablished,
with limited awareness. He does not discern, as it actually is present, the
release of awareness, the release of discernment where any evil, unskillful
mental qualities that have arisen utterly cease without remainder. (Similarly
with ear, nose, tongue, body, and intellect.)
"Just as if a person, catching six
animals of different ranges, of different habitats, were to bind them with a
strong rope. Catching a snake, he would bind it with a strong rope. Catching a
crocodile...a bird...a dog...a hyena...a monkey, he would bind it with a strong
rope. Binding them all with a strong rope, and tying a knot in the middle, he
would set chase to them.
"Then those six animals, of
different ranges, of different habitats, would each pull toward its own range
and habitat. The snake would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the anthill.' The
crocodile would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the water.' The bird would pull,
thinking, 'I'll fly up into the air.' The dog would pull, thinking, 'I'll go
into the village.' The hyena would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the charnel
ground.' The monkey would pull, thinking, 'I'll go into the forest.' And when
these six animals became internally exhausted, they would submit, they would
surrender, they would come under the sway of whichever among them was the
strongest. In the same way, when a monk whose mindfulness immersed in the body
is undeveloped and unpursued, the eye pulls toward pleasing forms, while
unpleasing forms are repellent. The ear pulls toward pleasing sounds...the nose
pulls toward pleasing smells...the tongue pulls toward pleasing tastes...the
body pulls toward pleasing tactile sensations...the intellect pulls toward
pleasing ideas, while unpleasing ideas are repellent. This, monks, is lack of
restraint.
"And what is restraint? There is
the case where a monk, seeing a form with the eye, is not obsessed with pleasing
forms, is not repelled by unpleasing forms, and remains with body-mindfulness
established, with immeasurable awareness. He discerns, as it actually is
present, the release of awareness, the release of discernment where all evil,
unskillful mental qualities that have arisen utterly cease without remainder.
(Similarly with ear, nose, tongue, body, and intellect.)
"Just as if a person, catching six
animals of different ranges, of different habitats, were to bind them with a
strong rope...and tether them to a strong post or stake. Then those six animals,
of different ranges, of different habitats, would each pull toward its own range
and habitat... And when these six animals became internally exhausted, they
would stand, sit, or lie down right there next to the post or stake. In the same
way, when a monk whose mindfulness immersed in the body is developed and
pursued, the eye does not pull toward pleasing forms, and unpleasing forms are
not repellent. The ear does not pull toward pleasing sounds...the nose does not
pull toward pleasing smells...the tongue does not pull toward pleasing
tastes...the body does not pull toward pleasing tactile sensations...the
intellect does not pull toward pleasing ideas, and unpleasing ideas are not
repellent. This, monks, is restraint.
"The 'strong post or stake' is a
term for mindfulness immersed in the body.
Thus you should train yourselves:
'We will develop mindfulness immersed in the body. We will pursue it, give it a
means of transport, give it a grounding. We will steady it, consolidate it, and
set about it properly.' That's how you should train yourselves."
"Suppose, monks,
that a large crowd of people comes thronging together, saying, 'The beauty
queen! The beauty queen!' And suppose that the beauty queen is highly
accomplished at singing and dancing, so that an even greater crowd comes
thronging, saying, 'The beauty queen is singing! The beauty queen is dancing!'
Then a man comes along, desiring life and shrinking from death, desiring
pleasure and abhorring pain. They say to him, 'Now look here, mister. You must
take this bowl filled to the brim with oil and carry it on your head in between
the great crowd and the beauty queen. A man with a raised sword will follow
right behind you, and wherever you spill even a drop of oil, right there will he
cut off your head.' Now what do you think, monks: Will that man, not paying
attention to the bowl of oil, let himself get distracted outside?"
"No, lord."
"I have given you this parable to
convey a meaning. The meaning is this: The bowl filled to the brim with oil
stands for mindfulness immersed in the body. Thus you should train yourselves:
'We will develop mindfulness immersed in the body. We will pursue it, give it a
means of transport, give it a grounding. We will steady it, consolidate it, and
set about it properly.' That's how you should train yourselves."
With mindfulness
immersed in the body
well established, restrained
with
regard to the six media of contact --
always centered,
the monk
can know Unbinding for himself.
Knowing this
body
is like foam,
realizing its nature
-- a mirage
--
cutting out
the blossoms of Mara,
you go where the King of
Death
can't see.
"Whoever pervades
the great ocean with his awareness encompasses whatever rivulets flow down into
the ocean. In the same way, whoever develops and pursues mindfulness immersed in
the body encompasses whatever skillful qualities are on the side of clear
knowing."
"When one thing is practiced and
pursued, the body is calmed, the mind is calmed, thinking and evaluating are
stilled, and all qualities on the side of clear knowing go to the culmination of
their development. Which one thing? Mindfulness immersed in the body."
"When one thing is practiced and
pursued, ignorance is abandoned, clear knowing arises, the conceit 'I am' is
abandoned, latent tendencies are uprooted, fetters are abandoned. Which one
thing? Mindfulness immersed in the body."
"Those who do not taste mindfulness
of the body do not taste the Deathless. Those who taste mindfulness of the body
taste the Deathless."
"Those who are heedless of
mindfulness of the body are heedless of the Deathless."
"Those who comprehend mindfulness
of the body comprehend the Deathless."
All too soon, this
body
will lie on the ground
cast off,
bereft of
consciousness,
like a useless scrap
of wood.
"The body is
aflame. Tactile sensations are aflame. Bodily consciousness is aflame. Bodily
contact is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on bodily
contact -- experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain -- that
too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of
aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I tell you, with birth, aging and death,
with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, and despairs...
"Seeing thus, the instructed
disciple of the noble ones grows disenchanted with the body, disenchanted with
tactile sensations, disenchanted with bodily consciousness, disenchanted with
bodily contact. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on bodily
contact, experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain: With that,
too, he grows disenchanted.
"Disenchanted, he becomes
dispassionate. Through dispassion, he is fully released. With full release,
there is the knowledge, 'Fully released.' He discerns that 'Birth is depleted,
the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this
world.'"
Then Janussoni the
brahman went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, exchanged courteous greetings
with him. After an exchange of friendly greetings and courtesies, he sat to one
side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: "I am of the view and
opinion that there is no one who, subject to death, is not afraid or in terror
of death."
[The Blessed One said:] "Brahman,
there are those who, subject to death, are afraid and in terror of death. And
there are those who, subject to death, are not afraid or in terror of death.
"And who is the person who, subject
to death, is afraid and in terror of death? There is the case of the person who
has not abandoned passion, desire, fondness, thirst, fever, and craving for
sensuality. Then he comes down with a serious disease. As he comes down with a
serious disease, the thought occurs to him, 'O, those beloved sensual pleasures
will be taken from me, and I will be taken from them!' He grieves and is
tormented, weeps, beats his breast, and grows delirious. This is a person who,
subject to death, is afraid and in terror of death.
"Then there is the case of the
person who has not abandoned passion, desire, fondness, thirst, fever, and
craving for the body. Then he comes down with a serious disease. As he comes
down with a serious disease, the thought occurs to him, 'O, my beloved body will
be taken from me, and I will be taken from my body!' He grieves and is
tormented, weeps, beats his breast, and grows delirious. This, too, is a person
who, subject to death, is afraid and in terror of death.
"Then there is the case of the
person who has not done what is good, has not done what is skillful, has not
given protection to those in fear, and instead has done what is evil, savage,
and cruel. Then he comes down with a serious disease. As he comes down with a
serious disease, the thought occurs to him, 'I have not done what is good, have
not done what is skillful, have not given protection to those in fear, and
instead have done what is evil, savage, and cruel. To the extent that there is a
destination for those who have not done what is good, have not done what is
skillful, have not given protection to those in fear, and instead have done what
is evil, savage, and cruel, that's where I'm headed after death.' He grieves and
is tormented, weeps, beats his breast, and grows delirious. This, too, is a
person who, subject to death, is afraid and in terror of death.
"Then there is the case of the
person in doubt and perplexity, who has not arrived at certainty with regard to
the True Dhamma. Then he comes down with a serious disease. As he comes down
with a serious disease, the thought occurs to him, 'How doubtful and perplexed I
am! I have not arrived at any certainty with regard to the True Dhamma!' He
grieves and is tormented, weeps, beats his breast, and grows delirious. This,
too, is a person who, subject to death, is afraid and in terror of death.
"These, brahman, are four people
who, subject to death, are afraid and in terror of death.
"And who is the person who, subject
to death, is not afraid or in terror of death?
"There is the case of the person
who has abandoned passion, desire, fondness, thirst, fever, and craving for
sensuality. Then he comes down with a serious disease. As he comes down with a
serious disease, the thought doesn't occur to him, 'O, those beloved sensual
pleasures will be taken from me, and I will be taken from them!' He doesn't
grieve, isn't tormented; doesn't weep, beat his breast, or grow delirious. This
is a person who, subject to death, is not afraid or in terror of death.
"Then there is the case of the
person who has abandoned passion, desire, fondness, thirst, fever, and craving
for the body. Then he comes down with a serious disease. As he comes down with a
serious disease, the thought doesn't occur to him, 'O, my beloved body will be
taken from me, and I will be taken from my body!' He doesn't grieve, isn't
tormented; doesn't weep, beat his breast, or grow delirious. This, too, is a
person who, subject to death, is not afraid or in terror of death.
"Then there is the case of the
person who has done what is good, has done what is skillful, has given
protection to those in fear, and has not done what is evil, savage, or cruel.
Then he comes down with a serious disease. As he comes down with a serious
disease, the thought occurs to him, 'I have done what is good, have done what is
skillful, have given protection to those in fear, and I have not done what is
evil, savage, or cruel. To the extent that there is a destination for those who
have done what is good, what is skillful, have given protection to those in
fear, and have not done what is evil, savage, or cruel, that's where I'm headed
after death.' He doesn't grieve, isn't tormented; doesn't weep, beat his breast,
or grow delirious. This, too, is a person who, subject to death, is not afraid
or in terror of death.
"Then there is the case of the
person who has no doubt or perplexity, who has arrived at certainty with regard
to the True Dhamma. Then he comes down with a serious disease. As he comes down
with a serious disease, the thought occurs to him, 'I have no doubt or
perplexity. I have arrived at certainty with regard to the True Dhamma.' He
doesn't grieve, isn't tormented; doesn't weep, beat his breast, or grow
delirious. This, too, is a person who, subject to death, is not afraid or in
terror of death.
"These, brahman, are four people
who, subject to death, are not afraid or in terror of death."
[When this was said, Janussoni the
brahman said to the Blessed One:] "Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent! Just
as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden,
to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that
those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has Master Gotama -- through
many lines of reasoning -- made the Dhamma clear. I go to Master Gotama for
refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha of monks. May Master Gotama remember me
as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge, from this day forward, for
life."
"And what is the
perception of drawbacks? There is the case where a monk -- having gone to the
wilderness, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty dwelling -- reflects thus:
'This body has many pains, many drawbacks. In this body many kinds of disease
arise, such as: seeing-diseases, hearing-diseases, nose-diseases,
tongue-diseases, body-diseases, head-diseases, ear-diseases, mouth-diseases,
teeth-diseases, cough, asthma, catarrh, fever, aging, stomach-ache, fainting,
dysentery, grippe, cholera, leprosy, boils, ringworm, tuberculosis, epilepsy,
skin-diseases, itch, scab, psoriasis, scabies, jaundice, diabetes, hemorrhoids,
fistulas, ulcers; diseases arising from bile, from phlegm, from the
wind-property, from combinations of bodily humors, from changes in the weather,
from uneven care of the body, from attacks, from the result of kamma; cold,
heat, hunger, thirst, defecation, urination.' Thus he remains focused on
drawbacks with regard to this body. This is called the perception of drawbacks.
"I will teach you a
Dhamma discourse on bondage and lack of bondage. Listen and pay close attention.
I will speak."
"Yes, lord," the monks responded.
The Blessed One said: "A woman
attends inwardly to her feminine faculties, her feminine gestures, her feminine
manners, feminine poise, feminine desires, feminine voice, feminine charms. She
is excited by that, delighted by that. Being excited and delighted by that, she
attends outwardly to masculine faculties, masculine gestures, masculine manners,
masculine poise, masculine desires, masculine voices, masculine charms. She is
excited by that, delighted by that. Being excited and delighted by that, she
wants to be bonded to what is outside her, wants whatever pleasure and happiness
that arise based on that bond. Delighting, caught up in her femininity, a woman
goes into bondage with reference to men. This is how a woman does not transcend
her femininity.
"A man attends inwardly to his
masculine faculties, masculine gestures, masculine manners, masculine poise,
masculine desires, masculine voice, masculine charms. He is excited by that,
delighted by that. Being excited and delighted by that, he attends outwardly to
feminine faculties, feminine gestures, feminine manners, feminine poise,
feminine desires, feminine voices, feminine charms. He is excited by that,
delighted by that. Being excited and delighted by that, he wants to be bonded to
what is outside him, wants whatever pleasure and happiness that arise based on
that bond. Delighting, caught up in his masculinity, a man goes into bondage
with reference to women. This is how a man does not transcend his masculinity.
"And how is there lack of bondage?
A woman does not attend inwardly to her feminine faculties ... feminine charms.
She is not excited by that, not delighted by that ... does not attend outwardly
to masculine faculties ... masculine charms. She is not excited by that, not
delighted by that ... does not want to be bonded to what is outside her, does
not want whatever pleasure and happiness that arise based on that bond. Not
delighting, not caught up in her femininity, a woman does not go into bondage
with reference to men. This is how a woman transcends her femininity.
"A man does not attend inwardly to
his masculine faculties ... masculine charms. He is not excited by that, not
delighted by that ... does not attend outwardly to feminine faculties ...
feminine charms. He is not excited by that, not delighted by that ... does not
want to be bonded to what is outside him, does not want whatever pleasure and
happiness that arise based on that bond. Not delighting, not caught up in his
masculinity, a man does not go into bondage with reference to women. This is how
a man transcends his masculinity.
"This is how there is lack of
bondage. And this is the Dhamma discourse on bondage and lack of bondage."
[Ven. Ananda
teaches a nun:] "'This body comes into being through food. And yet it is by
relying on food that food is to be abandoned.' Thus it was said. And in
reference to what was it said? There is the case, sister, where a monk,
considering it thoughtfully, takes food -- not playfully, nor for intoxication,
nor for putting on bulk, nor for beautification -- but simply for the survival
and continuance of this body, for ending its afflictions, for the support of the
holy life, [thinking,] 'Thus will I destroy old feelings [of hunger] and not
create new feelings [from overeating]. I will maintain myself, be blameless, and
live in comfort.' Then, at a later time, he abandons food, having relied on
food. 'This body, sister, comes into being through food. And yet it is by
relying on food that food is to be abandoned.' Thus it was said, and in
reference to this was it said.
"'This body comes into being
through craving. And yet it is by relying on craving that craving is to be
abandoned.' Thus it was said. And in reference to what was it said? There is the
case, sister, where a monk hears, 'The monk named such-and-such, they say,
through the ending of the fermentations, has entered and remains in the
fermentation- and discernment-release, having known and realized them for
himself in the here and now.' The thought occurs to him, 'I hope that I, too,
will -- through the ending of the fermentations -- enter and remain in the
fermentation-free awareness-release and discernment-release, having directly
known and realized them for myself right in the here and now.' Then, at a later
time, he abandons craving, having relied on craving. 'This body comes into being
through craving. And yet it is by relying on craving that craving is to be
abandoned.' Thus it was said. And in reference to this was it said.
"'This body comes into being
through conceit. And yet it is by relying on conceit that conceit is to be
abandoned.' Thus it was said. And in reference to what was it said? There is the
case, sister, where a monk hears, 'The monk named such-and-such, they say,
through the ending of the fermentations, has entered and remains in the
fermentation-free awareness-release and discernment-release, having directly
known and realized them for himself right in the here and now.' The thought
occurs to him, 'The monk named such-and-such, they say, through the ending of
the fermentations, has entered and remains in the fermentation-free
awareness-release and discernment-release, having directly known and realized
them for himself right in the here and now. Then why not me?' Then, at a later
time, he abandons conceit, having relied on conceit. 'This body comes into being
through conceit. And yet it is by relying on conceit that conceit is to be
abandoned.' Thus it was said, and in reference to this was it said.
"This body comes into being through
sexual intercourse. Sexual intercourse is to be abandoned. With regard to sexual
intercourse, the Buddha declares the cutting off of the bridge."
Look at the
beautified image,
a heap of festering wounds, shored up:
ill, but the
object
of many resolves,
where there is
nothing
lasting or sure.
Worn out is this body,
a nest of
diseases, dissolving.
This putrid conglomeration
is bound to break
up,
for life is hemmed in with death.
On seeing these
bones
discarded
like gourds in the
fall,
pigeon-gray:
what delight?
A city made of bones,
plastered
over with flesh and blood,
whose hidden treasures are:
pride and contempt,
aging and death.
Whether walking,
standing,
sitting, or lying down,
it flexes and
stretches:
this is the body's movement.
Joined together
with tendons and bones,
plastered over with muscle and skin,
hidden by
complexion,
the body isn't seen
for
what it is:
filled with intestines, filled with stomach,
with the lump of
the liver,
bladder, lungs, heart,
kidneys, spleen,
mucus, sweat,
saliva, fat,
blood, synovial fluid, bile, and oil.
On top of that,
in
nine streams,
filth is always flowing from it:
from the eyes : eye
secretions,
from the ears : ear secretions,
from the nose : mucus,
from
the mouth : now vomit,
now phlegm,
now bile.
from the body : beads of sweat.
And on top of that,
its
hollow head is filled with brains.
The fool, beset by
ignorance,
thinks it beautiful.
But when it lies
dead,
swollen, livid,
cast away in a
charnel ground,
even relatives don't care for it.
Dogs feed on
it,
jackals, wolves, and worms.
Crows and vultures feed on it,
along
with any other animals there.
Having heard the Awakened One's
words,
the discerning monk
comprehends, for he sees
it
for what it is:
"As this is, so is that.
As that,
so this."
Within and without,
he should let desire for the
body
fade away.
With desire and passion faded
away,
the discerning monk arrives here:
at the
deathless,
the calm,
the undying
state
of Unbinding.
This two-footed, filthy,
evil-smelling,
filled-with-various-carcasses,
oozing-out-here-and-there
body:
Whoever would think,
on the basis of a body like this,
to exalt
himself or disparage another:
What is
that
if not blindness?
Pingiya:
I'm old and
weak,
my complexion dull.
I've blurry eyes
and trouble hearing,
but
may I not perish deluded,
confused!
Teach me the Dhamma
so that I may know
the
abandoning here
of birth and aging.
The
Buddha:
Seeing people
suffering
on account of their bodies --
heedless
people are oppressed
on account of their bodies --
then heedful, Pingiya,
let go of the body
for the
sake of no further becoming.
Pingiya:
In the four
cardinal directions,
the four intermediate,
above and
below
-- the ten directions --
there is nothing in the
world
unseen, unheard,
unsensed,
uncognized by you.
Teach me the Dhamma
so that I may know
the
abandoning here
of birth and aging.
The
Buddha:
Seeing
people,
victims of craving --
aflame, overwhelmed with aging --
then heedful, Pingiya,
let go of
craving
for the sake of no further becoming.
Manava:
On seeing an old
person;
and
a person in pain,
diseased;
and
a person dead, gone to life's
end,
I left
for the life gone forth,
abandoning the
sensuality
that entices the heart.
All too soon, this
body
will lie on the ground
cast off,
bereft of
consciousness,
like a useless scrap
of wood.
Look at the
beautified image,
a heap of festering wounds, shored up:
ill, but the
object
of many resolves,
where there is
nothing
lasting or sure.
A city made of
bones,
plastered over with flesh and blood,
whose hidden treasures
are:
pride and contempt,
aging and
death.
This unlistening
man
matures like an ox.
His muscles develop,
his discernment
not.
Kimbila:
As if sent by a
curse,
it drops on us --
aging.
The body seems other,
though it's still the same
one.
I'm still here
and have never been absent from it,
but I remember
myself
as if somebody else's.
Mahakala:
This swarthy
woman
[preparing a corpse for cremation]
-- crow-like,
enormous --
breaking a thigh and then the other
thigh,
breaking an arm and then the other
arm,
cracking open the
head,
like a pot of curds,
she sits with them heaped up
beside her.
Whoever, unknowing,
makes
acquisitions
-- the fool --
returns over and
over
to suffering and stress.
So, discerning,
don't make
acquisitions.
May I never lie
with
my head cracked open
again.
Rajadata:
I, a monk,
gone
to the charnel ground,
saw a woman cast away,
discarded
there in the cemetery.
Though some were
disgusted,
seeing her -- dead, evil --
lust
appeared,
as
if I were blind
to the oozings.
In less time than it takes
for
rice to cook,
I got out of that place.
Mindful, alert, I
sat down to
one side.
Then apt attention arose in me,
the drawbacks
appeared,
disenchantment stood
at an
even keel:
With that, my heart was
released.
See the Dhamma's true rightness!
The three knowledges
have
been attained;
the Awakened One's bidding,
done.
As Subha the nun
was going through Jivaka's delightful mango grove, a libertine (a goldsmith's
son) blocked her path, so she said to him:
'What wrong have I
done you
that you stand in my way?
It's not proper, my friend,
that a
man should touch
a woman gone forth.
I respect the Master's
message,
the training pointed out by the one well-gone.
I am pure, without
blemish:
Why do you stand in my way?
You -- your mind
agitated, impassioned;
I -- unagitated, unimpassioned,
with a mind
entirely freed:
Why do you stand in my way?'
'You are young and not
bad-looking,
what need do you have for going forth?
Throw off your ochre
robe --
Come, let's delight in the flowering grove.
A
sweetness they exude everywhere,
the towering trees with their pollen.
The
beginning of spring is a pleasant season --
Come, let's
delight in the flowering grove.
The trees with their blossoming tips
moan,
as it were, in the breeze:
What delight will you have
if you plunge into
the grove alone?
Frequented by herds of wild beasts,
disturbed by
elephants rutting and aroused:
you want to go
unaccompanied
into the great, lonely, frightening grove?
Like a doll made
of gold, you will go about,
like a goddess in the gardens of heaven.
With
delicate, smooth Kasi fabrics,
you will shine, O beauty without compare.
I
would gladly do your every bidding
if we were to dwell in the glade.
For
there is no creature dearer to me
than you, O nymph with
the languid regard.
If you do as I ask, happy, come live in my
house.
Dwelling in the calm of a palace,
have women
wait on you,
wear delicate Kasi
fabrics,
adorn yourself with garlands and creams.
I
will make you many and varied ornaments
of gold, jewels,
and pearls.
Climb onto a costly bed,
scented with sandalwood
carvings,
with a well-washed coverlet, beautiful,
spread with a woolen
quilt, brand new.
Like a blue lotus rising from the water
where no human
beings dwell,
you will go to old age with your limbs unseen,
if you stay
as you are in the holy life.'
'What do you assume of any
essence,
here in this cemetery grower, filled with corpses,
this body
destined to break up?
What do you see when you look at
me,
you who are out of your mind?'
'Your eyes are like those of a
fawn,
like those of a sprite in the mountains.
Seeing your eyes, my
sensual delight
grows all the more.
Like tips they are,
of blue lotuses,
in your golden face
--
spotless:
Seeing your eyes, my sensual delight
grows
all the more.
Even if you should go far away,
I will think only of your
pure,
long-lashed gaze,
for there is nothing dearer to
me
than your eyes, O nymph with the languid regard.'
'You want to stray from the
road,
you want the moon as a plaything,
you want to jump over Mount
Sineru,
you who have designs on one born of the Buddha.
For there is
nothing anywhere at all
in the cosmos with its gods,
that would be an
object of passion for me.
I don't even know what that
passion would be,
for it's been killed, root and all, by
the path.
Like embers from a pit -- scattered,
like a bowl of poison --
evaporated,
I don't even see what that passion would
be,
for it's been killed, root and all, by the
path.
Try to seduce one who hasn't reflected on this,
or who has not
followed the Master's teaching.
But try it with this one who
knows
and you suffer.
For in the midst of praise and
blame,
pleasure and pain,
my mindfulness stands
firm.
Knowing the unattractiveness
of things
compounded,
my mind cleaves to nothing at all.
I am a follower of the one
well-gone,
riding the vehicle of the eightfold way:
My arrow removed,
effluent-free,
I delight, having gone to an empty dwelling.
For I have
seen well-painted puppets,
hitched up with sticks and strings,
made to
dance in various ways.
When the sticks and strings are removed,
thrown
away, scattered, shredded,
smashed into pieces, not to be
found,
in what will the mind there make its home?
This
body of mine, which is just like that,
when devoid of dhammas doesn't
function.
When, devoid of dhammas, it doesn't function,
in what will the mind there make its home?
Like a mural you've seen, painted
on a wall,
smeared with yellow orpiment,
there your vision has been
distorted,
meaningless your human perception.
Like an evaporated
mirage,
like a tree of gold in a dream,
like a magic show in the midst of
a crowd --
you run blind after what is
unreal.
Resembling a ball of sealing wax,
set in a hollow,
with a
bubble in the middle
and bathed with tears,
eye secretions are born there
too:
The parts of the eye
are rolled all together
in various ways.'
Plucking out her lovely
eye,
with mind unattached
she felt no regret.
'Here, take this eye. It's yours.'
Straightaway she gave it to
him.
Straightaway his passion faded right there,
and he begged her
forgiveness.
'Be well, follower of the holy
life.
This sort of thing
won't
happen again.
Harming a person like you
is like embracing a blazing
fire,
It is as if I have seized a poisonous snake.
So may you be well.
Forgive me.'
And released from there, the
nun
went to the excellent Buddha's presence.
When she saw the mark of his
excellent merit,
her eye became
as
it was before.
Ornamented, finely
clothed
garlanded, adorned,
her feet stained red with
lac,
she wore slippers:
a courtesan.
Stepping out of her slippers --
her hands raised before me,
palm-to-palm over her heart --
she softly, tenderly,
in measured words
spoke to me first:
"You are young,
recluse.
Heed my message:
Partake of human
sensuality.
I will give you luxury.
Truly I vow to
you,
I will tend to you as to a fire.
When we are
old,
both leaning on canes,
then we will both become
contemplatives,
winning the benefits of both worlds."
And seeing her before me --
a courtesan, ornamented, finely
clothed,
hands palm-to-palm over her heart --
like a snare of death laid out,
apt
attention arose in me,
the drawbacks
appeared,
disenchantment
stood
at an even
keel:
With that, my heart was
released.
See the Dhamma's true rightness!
The three knowledges
have
been attained;
the Buddha's bidding,
done.
Kappa:
Full of the many
clans of impurities,
the great manufacturer of excrement,
like a stagnant
pool,
a great tumor,
great
wound,
full of blood and lymph,
immersed in a cesspool,
trickling
liquids, the body
is oozing foulness --
always.
Bound together with sixty sinews,
plastered with a stucco of
muscle,
wrapped in a jacket of skin,
this foul body is of no worth at
all.
Linked together with a chain of bones,
stitched together with
tendon-threads,
it produces its various postures,
from being hitched up
together.
Headed surely to death,
in the presence of the King of
Mortality,
the man who learns to discard it right here,
goes wherever he wants.
Covered with ignorance,
the
body's tied down with a four-fold tie,[b1]
sunk in the floods,[2]
caught in the net of
latencies,[3]
conjoined with five
hindrances,[4]
given over to
thought,
accompanied with the root of
craving,
roofed with delusion's roofing.
That's how the
body functions,
compelled by the compulsion of kamma,
but its attainment ends
in
ruin.
Its many becomings go
to ruin.
These who hold to this body as
mine
-- blind fools, people run-of-the-mill --
fill the horrific
cemetery,
taking on further becoming.
Those who stay uninvolved with this
body
-- as they would with a serpent
smeared with dung
--
disgorging the root of becoming,[5]
from lack of
effluent,
will be totally Unbound.
1. The
four-fold tie: greed, ill will, attachment to precepts and practice, and
dogmatic obsession with views.
2. Floods: passion for
sensuality, becoming, views, and ignorance. See SN XLV.171 These are identical
with the four yokes. See AN IV.10.
3. Latencies:
pride, ignorance, lust, aversion, uncertainty, delusion, and craving for
becoming.
4. Hindrances: sensual desire, ill will,
sloth and drowsiness, restlessness and anxiety, and uncertainty.
5. The root of becoming: craving.
Ampabali:
Black was my
hair
-- the color of bees --
and curled at the
tips;
with age, it looked like coarse hemp.
The truth
of the Truth-speaker's words
doesn't
change.
Fragrant, like a perfumed
basket
filled with flowers: my coiffure.
With age it
smelled musty,
like animal fur.
The truth of the
Truth-speaker's words
doesn't change.
Thick and lush, like a well-tended
grove,
made splendid, the tips elaborate
with comb and
pin.
With age, it grew thin
and bare
here and there.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's words
doesn't change.
Adorned with gold and delicate
pins,
it was splendid, ornamented with braids.
Now,
with age,
that head has gone bald.
The truth of the
Truth-speaker's words
doesn't change.
Curved, as if well-drawn by an
artist,
my brows were once splendid.
With age, they
droop down in folds.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Radiant, brilliant like
jewels,
my eyes: elongated, black -- deep black.
With
age, they're no longer splendid.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Like a delicate peak, my
nose
was splendid in the prime of my youth.
With age,
it's like a long pepper.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Like bracelets -- well-fashioned,
well-finished --
my ears were once splendid.
With age,
they droop down in folds.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Like plaintain buds in their
color,
my teeth were once splendid.
With age, they're
broken and yellowed.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Like that of a cuckoo in the dense
jungle,
flitting through deep forest thickets:
sweet was the tone of my
voice.
With age, it cracks here and there.
The truth of
the Truth-speaker's words
doesn't
change.
Smooth -- like a conch shell
well-polished --
my neck was once splendid.
With age,
it's broken down, bent.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Like rounded door-bars -- both of
them --
my arms were once splendid.
With age, they're
like dried up patali trees.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Adorned with gold and delicate
rings,
my hands were once splendid.
With age, they're
like onions and tubers.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Swelling, round, firm, and
high,
both my breasts were once splendid.
In the
drought of old age, they dangle
like empty old water
bags.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's words
doesn't change.
Like a sheet of gold,
well-burnished,
my body was splendid.
Now it's covered
with very fine wrinkles.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Smooth in their lines, like an
elephant's trunk,
both my thighs were once splendid.
With age, they're like knotted bamboo.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Adorned with gold and delicate
anklets,
my calves were once splendid.
With age,
they're like sesame sticks.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
As if they were stuffed with soft
cotton,
both my feet were once splendid.
With age,
they're shriveled and cracked.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Such was this physical
heap,
now: decrepit, the home of pains, many pains.
A
house with its plaster all fallen off.
The truth of the Truth-speaker's
words
doesn't change.
Nanda:
"Sick, putrid,
unclean:
look, Nanda, at this physical heap.
Through contemplation of the
foul,
develop your mind,
make it one, well-centered.
As this [your
body], so that.
As that, so this.
It gives off a foul
stench,
the delight of fools."
Considering it thus,
untiring,
both day and night,
I, with my own discernment
dissecting it,
saw.
And as I,
heedful,
examined it aptly,
this body -- as it
actually is --
was seen inside and out.
Then was I disenchanted with the
body
and dispassionate within:
Heedful,
detached,
calmed was I.
Unbound.
Sona:
Ten children having
borne
from this bodily congeries,
so I, now weak and old,
approached a
Bhikkhuni.
The Dhamma she taught me --
groups, sense-spheres and elements,
I heard the Dhamma,
and having
shaved my hair, went forth.
While still a probationer
I
purified the eye divine;
Former lives I knew,
and where I lived before.
One-pointed, well-composed,
the
Signless I developed,
immediately released,
unclinging now and
quenched!
Knowing the five groups well,
they still exist; but with their
roots removed.
Unmovable am I,
on a stable basis sure,
now rebirth is
no more.
"These two
qualities have a share in clear knowing. Which two? Tranquility (samatha)
and insight (vipassana).
"When tranquility is developed,
what purpose does it serve? The mind is developed. And when the mind is
developed, what purpose does it serve? Passion is abandoned.
"When insight is developed, what
purpose does it serve? Discernment is developed. And when discernment is
developed, what purpose does it serve? Ignorance is abandoned."
"Suppose that there
were a royal frontier fortress with strong ramparts, strong walls and arches,
and six gates. In it would be a wise, competent, knowledgeable gatekeeper to
keep out those he didn't know and to let in those he did. A swift pair of
messengers, coming from the east, would say to the gatekeeper, 'Where, my good
man, is the commander of this fortress?' He would say, 'There he is, sirs,
sitting in the central square.' The swift pair of messengers, delivering their
accurate report to the commander of the fortress, would then go back by the
route by which they had come. Then a swift pair of messengers, coming from the
west ... the north ... the south, would say to the gatekeeper, 'Where, my good
man, is the commander of this fortress?' He would say, 'There he is, sirs,
sitting in the central square.' The swift pair of messengers, delivering their
accurate report to the commander of the fortress, would then go back by the
route by which they had come.
"I have given you this simile to
convey a message. The message is this: The fortress stands for this body --
composed of four elements, born of mother and father, nourished with rice and
barley gruel, subject to constant rubbing and abrasion, to breaking and falling
apart. The six gates stand for the six internal sense media. The gatekeeper
stands for mindfulness. The swift pair of messengers stands for tranquility
(samatha) and insight (vipassana). The commander of the fortress
stands for consciousness. The central square stands for the four great elements:
the earth-property, the liquid-property, the fire-property, and the
wind-property. The accurate report stands for Unbinding (nibbana). The
route by which they had come stands for the noble eightfold path: right view,
right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, right concentration."
On one occasion
Ven. Ananda was staying in Kosambi, at Ghosita's monastery. There he addressed
the monks, "Friends!"
"Yes, friend," the monks responded.
Ven. Ananda said: "Friends, whoever
-- monk or nun -- declares the attainment of arahantship in my presence, they
all do it by means of one or another of four paths. Which four?
"There is the case where a monk has
developed insight preceded by tranquility. As he develops insight preceded by
tranquility, the path is born. He follows that path, develops it, pursues it. As
he follows the path, developing it and pursuing it -- his fetters are abandoned,
his obsessions destroyed.
"Then there is the case where a
monk has developed tranquility preceded by insight. As he develops tranquility
preceded by insight, the path is born. He follows that path, develops it,
pursues it. As he follows the path, developing it and pursuing it -- his fetters
are abandoned, his obsessions destroyed.
"Then there is the case where a
monk has developed tranquility in tandem with insight. As he develops
tranquility in tandem with insight, the path is born. He follows that path,
develops it, pursues it. As he follows the path, developing it and pursuing it
-- his fetters are abandoned, his obsessions destroyed.
"Then there is the case where a
monk's mind has its restlessness concerning the Dhamma [Comm: the corruptions of
insight] well under control. There comes a time when his mind grows steady
inwardly, settles down, and becomes unified and concentrated. In him the path is
born. He follows that path, develops it, pursues it. As he follows the path,
developing it and pursuing it -- his fetters are abandoned, his obsessions
destroyed.
"Whoever -- monk or nun -- declares
the attainment of arahantship in my presence, they all do it by means of one or
another of these four paths."
"Monks, these four
types of individuals are to be found existing in world. Which four?
"There is the case of the
individual who has attained internal tranquility of awareness, but not insight
into phenomena through heightened discernment. Then there is the case of the
individual who has attained insight into phenomena through heightened
discernment, but not internal tranquility of awareness. Then there is the case
of the individual who has attained neither internal tranquility of awareness nor
insight into phenomena through heightened discernment. And then there is the
case of the individual who has attained both internal tranquility of awareness
and insight into phenomena through heightened discernment.
"The individual who has attained
internal tranquility of awareness, but not insight into phenomena through
heightened discernment, should approach an individual who has attained insight
into phenomena through heightened discernment and ask him: 'How should
fabrications be regarded? How should they be investigated? How should they be
seen with insight?' The other will answer in line with what he has seen and
experienced: 'Fabrications should be regarded in this way. Fabrications should
be investigated in this way. Fabrications should be seen in this way with
insight.' Then eventually he [the first] will become one who has attained both
internal tranquility of awareness and insight into phenomena through heightened
discernment.
"As for the individual who has
attained insight into phenomena through heightened discernment, but not internal
tranquility of awareness, he should approach an individual who has attained
internal tranquility of awareness... and ask him, 'How should the mind be
steadied? How should it be made to settle down? How should it be unified? How
should it be concentrated?' The other will answer in line with what he has seen
and experienced: 'The mind should be steadied in this way. The mind should be
made to settle down in this way. The mind should be unified in this way. The
mind should be concentrated in this way.' Then eventually he [the first] will
become one who has attained both internal tranquility of awareness and insight
into phenomena through heightened discernment.
"As for the individual who has
attained neither internal tranquility of awareness nor insight into phenomena
through heightened discernment, he should approach an individual who has
attained both internal tranquility of awareness and insight into phenomena
through heightened discernment...and ask him, 'How should the mind be steadied?
How should it be made to settle down? How should it be unified? How should it be
concentrated? How should fabrications be regarded? How should they be
investigated? How should they be seen with insight?' The other will answer in
line with what he has seen and experienced: 'The mind should be steadied in this
way. The mind should be made to settle down in this way. The mind should be
unified in this way. The mind should be concentrated in this way. Fabrications
should be regarded in this way. Fabrications should be investigated in this way.
Fabrications should be seen in this way with insight.' Then eventually he [the
first] will become one who has attained both internal tranquility of awareness
and insight into phenomena through heightened discernment.
"As for the individual who has
attained both internal tranquility of awareness and insight into phenomena
through heightened discernment, his duty is to make an effort in establishing
('tuning') those very same skillful qualities to a higher degree for the ending
of the (mental) fermentations.
"These are four types of
individuals to be found existing in world."
"Not knowing, not
seeing the body as it actually is present; not knowing, not seeing tactile
sensations ... consciousness at the body... contact at the body as they actually
are present; not knowing, not seeing whatever arises conditioned through contact
at the body -- experienced as pleasure, pain, or neither-pleasure-nor-pain -- as
it actually is present, one is infatuated with the body... ideas ...
consciousness at the body... contact at the body... whatever arises conditioned
by contact at the body and is experienced as pleasure, pain, or
neither-pleasure-nor-pain.
"For him -- infatuated, attached,
confused, not remaining focused on their drawbacks -- the five
clinging-aggregates head toward future accumulation. The craving that makes for
further becoming -- accompanied by passion and delight, relishing now this and
now that -- grows within him. His bodily disturbances and mental disturbances
grow. His bodily torments and mental torments grow. His bodily distresses and
mental distresses grow. He is sensitive both to bodily stress and mental
stress...
"However, knowing and seeing the
body as it actually is present, knowing and seeing tactile sensations ...
consciousness at the body... contact at the body as they actually are present,
knowing and seeing whatever arises conditioned through contact at the body --
experienced as pleasure, pain, or neither-pleasure-nor-pain -- as it actually is
present, one is not infatuated with the body... tactile sensations ...
consciousness at the body... contact at the body... whatever arises conditioned
by contact at the body and is experienced as pleasure, pain, or
neither-pleasure-nor-pain.
"For him -- uninfatuated,
unattached, unconfused, remaining focused on their drawbacks -- the five
clinging-aggregates head toward future diminution. The craving that makes for
further becoming -- accompanied by passion and delight, relishing now this and
now that -- is abandoned by him. His bodily disturbances and mental disturbances
are abandoned. His bodily torments and mental torments are abandoned. His bodily
distresses and mental distresses are abandoned. He is sensitive both to ease of
body and ease of awareness.
"Any view belonging to one who has
come to be like this is his right view. Any resolve, his right resolve. Any
effort, his right effort. Any mindfulness, his right mindfulness. Any
concentration, his right concentration: just as earlier his actions, speech, and
livelihood were already well-purified. Thus for him, having thus developed the
noble eightfold path, the four frames of reference go to the culmination of
their development. The four right exertions ... the four bases of power ... the
five faculties ... the five strengths ... the seven factors for awakening go to
the culmination of their development. [And] for him these two qualities occur in
tandem: tranquility and insight.
"He comprehends through direct
knowledge whatever qualities are to be comprehended through direct knowledge,
abandons through direct knowledge whatever qualities are to be abandoned through
direct knowledge, develops through direct knowledge whatever qualities are to be
developed through direct knowledge, and realizes through direct knowledge
whatever qualities are to be realized through direct knowledge.
"And what qualities are to be
comprehended through direct knowledge? 'The five clinging-aggregates,' should be
the reply. Which five? Form as a clinging-aggregate ... feeling ... perception
... fabrications ... consciousness as a clinging-aggregate. These are the
qualities that are to be comprehended through direct knowledge.
"And what qualities are to be
abandoned through direct knowledge? Ignorance and craving for becoming: these
are the qualities that are to be abandoned through direct knowledge.
"And what qualities are to be
developed through direct knowledge? Tranquility and insight: these are the
qualities that are to be developed through direct knowledge.
"And what qualities are to be
realized through direct knowledge? Clear knowing and release: these are the
qualities that are to be realized through direct knowledge."
[Insight and calm
as a prerequisite for jhana:] "If a monk would wish, 'May I attain -- whenever I
want, without strain, without difficulty -- the four jhanas that are heightened
mental states, pleasant abidings in the here-and-now,' then he should be one who
brings the precepts to perfection, who is committed to mental calm, who does not
neglect jhana, who is endowed with insight, and who frequents empty dwellings.
Visakha: "Now what is concentration, what qualities
are its themes, what qualities are its requisites, and what is its development?"
Sister
Dhammadinna: "Singleness of
mind is concentration; the four frames of reference are its themes; the four
right exertions are its requisites; and any cultivation, development, and
pursuit of these qualities is its development."
[A certain monk:] "May the Blessed One teach me the Dhamma in
brief! May the One Well-gone teach me the Dhamma in brief! It may well be that I
will understand the Blessed One's words. It may well be that I will become an
heir to the Blessed One's words."
[The Buddha:] "Then, monk, you should train yourself
thus: 'My mind will be established inwardly, well-composed. No evil, unskillful
qualities, once they have arisen, will remain consuming the mind.' That's how
you should train yourself.
"Then you should train yourself
thus: 'Good-will, as my awareness-release, will be developed, pursued, given a
means of transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and
well-undertaken.' That's how you should train yourself. When you have developed
this concentration in this way, you should develop this concentration with
directed thought and evaluation, you should develop it with no directed thought
and a modicum of evaluation, you should develop it with no directed thought and
no evaluation, you should develop it accompanied by rapture ... not accompanied
by rapture ... endowed with a sense of enjoyment; you should develop it endowed
with equanimity.
"When this concentration is thus
developed, thus well-developed by you, you should then train yourself thus:
'Compassion, as my awareness-release... Appreciation, as my awareness-release...
Equanimity, as my awareness-release, will be developed, pursued, given a means
of transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken.'
That's how you should train yourself. When you have developed this concentration
in this way, you should develop this concentration with directed thought and
evaluation, you should develop it with no directed thought and a modicum of
evaluation, you should develop it with no directed thought and no evaluation,
you should develop it accompanied by rapture ... not accompanied by rapture ...
endowed with a sense of enjoyment; you should develop it endowed with
equanimity.
"When this concentration is thus
developed, thus well-developed by you, you should then train yourself thus: 'I
will remain focused on the body in and of itself -- ardent, alert, and mindful
-- putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world.' That's how you
should train yourself. When you have developed this concentration in this way,
you should develop this concentration with directed thought and evaluation, you
should develop it with no directed thought and a modicum of evaluation, you
should develop it with no directed thought and no evaluation, you should develop
it accompanied by rapture ... not accompanied by rapture ... endowed with a
sense of enjoyment; you should develop it endowed with equanimity.
"When this concentration is thus
developed, thus well-developed by you, you should train yourself: 'I will remain
focused on feelings in and of themselves... the mind in and of itself ... mental
qualities in and of themselves -- ardent, alert, and mindful -- putting aside
greed and distress with reference to the world.' That's how you should train
yourself. When you have developed this concentration in this way, you should
develop this concentration with directed thought and evaluation, you should
develop it with no directed thought and a modicum of evaluation, you should
develop it with no directed thought and no evaluation, you should develop it
accompanied by rapture ... not accompanied by rapture ... endowed with a sense
of enjoyment; you should develop it endowed with equanimity.
"When this concentration is thus
developed, thus well-developed by you, then wherever you go, you will go in
comfort. Wherever you stand, you will stand in comfort. Wherever you sit, you
will sit in comfort. Wherever you lie down, you will lie down in comfort."
Then that monk, having been
admonished by the admonishment from the Blessed One, got up from his seat and
bowed down to the Blessed One, circled around him, keeping the Blessed One to
his right side, and left. Then, dwelling alone, secluded, heedful, ardent, and
resolute, he in no long time reached and remained in the supreme goal of the
holy life for which clansmen rightly go forth from home into homelessness,
knowing and realizing it for himself in the here and now. He knew: "Birth is
ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for the
sake of this world." And thus he became another one of the Arahants.
"Having abandoned
the five hindrances -- imperfections of awareness that weaken discernment -- the
monk remains focused on the body in and of itself -- ardent, alert, and mindful
-- putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. He remains
focused on feelings...mind...mental qualities in and of themselves -- ardent,
alert, and mindful -- putting aside greed and distress with reference to the
world. Just as if an elephant trainer were to plant a large post in the ground
and were to bind a forest elephant to it by the neck in order to break it of its
forest habits, its forest memories and resolves, its distraction, fatigue, and
fever over leaving the forest, to make it delight in the town and to inculcate
in it habits congenial to human beings; in the same way, these four frames of
reference are bindings for the awareness of the disciple of the noble ones, to
break him of his household habits, his household memories and resolves, his
distraction, fatigue, and fever over leaving the household life, for the
attainment of the right method and the realization of Unbinding.
"Then the Tathagata trains him
further: 'Come, monk, remain focused on the body in and of itself, but do not
think any thoughts connected with the body. Remain focused on feelings in and of
themselves, but do not think any thoughts connected with feelings. Remain
focused on the mind in and of itself, but do not think any thoughts connected
with mind. Remain focused on mental qualities in and of themselves, but do not
think any thoughts connected with mental qualities.' With the stilling of
directed thought and evaluation, he enters the second jhana..."
"Monks, those who
are new, not long gone-forth, only recently come to this doctrine and
discipline, should be roused, encouraged, and exhorted by you to develop the
four frames of reference [in this way]:
"'Come, friends, remain focused on
the body in and of itself -- being ardent, alert, with your minds unified,
clear, concentrated, and single-minded for knowledge of the body as it actually
is. Remain focused on feelings in and of themselves...focused on the mind in and
of itself...focused on mental qualities in and of themselves -- being ardent,
alert, one-pointed, with your minds unified, clear, concentrated, and
single-minded for knowledge of mental qualities as they actually are.'
"Monks, even those who are learners
-- who have yet to attain their hearts' desire, who stay resolved on the
unsurpassed security from bondage -- even they remain focused on the body in and
of itself -- being ardent, alert, one-pointed, with their minds unified, clear,
concentrated, and single-minded for complete comprehension of the body. They
remain focused on feelings in and of themselves...focused on the mind in and of
itself...focused on mental qualities in and of themselves -- being ardent,
alert, one-pointed, with their minds unified, clear, concentrated, and
single-minded for complete comprehension of mental qualities.
"Even those who are arahants --
whose mental effluents are ended, who have reached fulfillment, done the task,
laid down the burden, attained the true goal, totally destroyed the fetter of
becoming, and who are released through right gnosis -- even they remain focused
on the body in and of itself -- being ardent, alert, one-pointed, with their
minds unified, clear, concentrated, and single-minded, disjoined from the body.
They remain focused on feelings in and of themselves...focused on the mind in
and of itself...focused on mental qualities in and of themselves -- being
ardent, alert, one-pointed, with their minds unified, clear, concentrated, and
single-minded, disjoined from mental qualities.
"So even those who are new, not
long gone-forth, only recently come to this doctrine and discipline, should be
roused, encouraged, and exhorted by you to develop the four frames of reference
[in this way]."
"Suppose that there
is a foolish, inexperienced, unskillful cook who has presented a king or a
king's minister with various kinds of curry: mainly sour, mainly bitter, mainly
peppery, mainly sweet, alkaline or non-alkaline, salty or non-salty. He does not
take note of (lit: pick up on the theme of) his master, thinking, 'Today my
master likes this curry, or he reaches out for that curry, or he takes a lot of
this curry, or he praises that curry'... As a result, he is not rewarded with
clothing or wages or gifts. Why is that? Because the foolish, inexperienced,
unskillful cook does not pick up on the theme of his own master.
"In the same way, there are cases
where a foolish, inexperienced, unskillful monk remains focused on the body in
and of itself -- ardent, alert, and mindful -- putting aside greed and distress
with reference to the world. As he remains thus focused on the body in and of
itself, his mind does not become concentrated, his defilements [Comm: the five
Hindrances] are not abandoned. He does not take note of that fact (does not pick
up on that theme). He remains focused on feelings in and of themselves...the
mind in and of itself...mental qualities in and of themselves -- ardent, alert,
and mindful -- putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. As
he remains thus focused on mental qualities in and of themselves, his mind does
not become concentrated, his defilements are not abandoned. He does not take
note of that fact. As a result, he is not rewarded with a pleasant abiding here
and now, nor with mindfulness and alertness. Why is that? Because the foolish,
inexperienced, unskillful monk does not take note of his own mind (does not pick
up on the theme of his own mind).
"Now suppose that there is a wise,
experienced, skillful cook who has presented a king or a king's minister with
various kinds of curry... He takes note of his master, thinking, 'Today my
master likes this curry, or he reaches out for that curry, or he takes a lot of
this curry or he praises that curry'... As a result, he is rewarded with
clothing, wages, and gifts. Why is that? Because the wise, experienced, skillful
cook picks up on the theme of his own master.
"In the same way, there are cases
where a wise, experienced, skillful monk remains focused on the body in and of
itself...feelings in and of themselves...the mind in and of itself...mental
qualities in and of themselves -- ardent, alert, and mindful -- putting aside
greed and distress with reference to the world. As he remains thus focused on
mental qualities in and of themselves, his mind becomes concentrated, his
defilements are abandoned. He takes note of that fact. As a result, he is
rewarded with a pleasant abiding here and now, together with mindfulness and
alertness. Why is that? Because the wise, experienced, skillful monk picks up on
the theme of his own mind."
"Ananda, if a monk
or nun remains with mind well established in the four frames of reference,
he/she may be expected to realize greater-than-ever distinction.
"There is the case of a monk who
remains focused on the body in and of itself -- ardent, alert, and mindful --
putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. As he remains thus
focused on the body in and of itself, a fever based on the body arises within
his body, or there is sluggishness in his awareness, or his mind becomes
scattered externally. He should then direct his mind to any inspiring theme
[Comm: such as recollection of the Buddha]. As his mind is directed to any
inspiring theme, delight arises within him. In one who feels delight, rapture
arises. In one whose mind is enraptured, the body grows serene. His body serene,
he feels pleasure. As he feels pleasure, his mind grows concentrated. He
reflects, 'I have attained the aim to which my mind was directed. Let me
withdraw [my mind from the inspiring theme].' He withdraws and engages neither
in directed thought nor in evaluation. He discerns, 'I am not thinking or
evaluating. I am inwardly mindful and at ease.'
"Furthermore, he remains focused on
feelings...mind...mental qualities in and of themselves -- ardent, alert, and
mindful -- putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. As he
remains thus focused on mental qualities in and of themselves, a fever based on
mental qualities arises within his body, or there is sluggishness in his
awareness, or his mind becomes scattered externally. He should then direct his
mind to any inspiring theme. As his mind is directed to any inspiring theme,
delight arises within him. In one who feels delight, rapture arises. In one
whose mind is enraptured, the body grows serene. His body serene, he is
sensitive to pleasure. As he feels pleasure, his mind grows concentrated. He
reflects, 'I have attained the aim to which my mind was directed. Let me
withdraw.' He withdraws and engages neither in directed thought nor in
evaluation. He discerns, 'I am not thinking or evaluating. I am inwardly mindful
and at ease.'
"This, Ananda, is development based
on directing. And what is development based on not directing? A monk, when not
directing his mind to external things, discerns, 'My mind is not directed to
external things. It is not attentive to what is in front or behind. It is
released and undirected. And furthermore I remain focused on the body in and of
itself. I am ardent, alert, mindful, and at ease.'
"When not directing his mind to
external things, he discerns, 'My mind is not directed to external things. It is
not attentive to what is in front or behind. It is released and undirected. And
furthermore I remain focused on feelings... mind...mental qualities in and of
themselves. I am ardent, alert, mindful, and at ease.'
"This, Ananda, is development based
on not directing.
"Now, Ananda, I have taught you
development based on directing and development based on not directing. What a
teacher should do out of compassion for his disciples, seeking their welfare,
that I have done for you. Over there are [places to sit at] the foot of trees.
Over there are empty dwellings. Practice jhana, Ananda. Do not be heedless. Do
not be remorseful in the future. That is our instruction to you all."
There's no jhana
for
one with no discernment,
no
discernment
for one with no
jhana.
But one with both
jhana
and discernment:
he's on the
verge
of Unbinding.
[Jhana as a prerequisite for liberating
insight:] "If a monk would wish, 'May I -- with the ending of mental
fermentations -- remain in the fermentation-free awareness-release and
discernment-release, having directly known and realized them for myself right in
the here-and-now,' then he should be one who brings the precepts to perfection,
who is committed to mental calm, who does not neglect jhana, who is endowed with
insight, and who frequents empty dwellings.
"Monks, Sariputta
is wise, of great discernment, deep discernment,
wide...joyous...rapid...quick...penetrating discernment... There is the case
where Sariputta...enters and remains in the first jhana. Whatever qualities
there are in the first jhana -- applied thought, evaluation, rapture, pleasure,
singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention, consciousness
(vl. intent), desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, and
attention -- he ferrets them out one by one. Known to him they arise, known to
him they remain, known to him they subside. He discerns, 'So this is how these
qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they vanish.' He
remains unattracted and unrepelled with regard to those qualities, independent,
detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers. He
understands, 'There is a further escape,' and pursuing it, he confirms that
'There is.' (Similarly with the levels of jhana up through the sphere of
nothingness.)
"Furthermore, completely
transcending the sphere of nothingness, he enters and remains in the sphere of
neither perception nor non-perception. He emerges mindful from that attainment.
On emerging...he regards the past qualities that have ceased and changed: 'So
this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they
vanish.' He remains unattracted and unrepelled with regard to those qualities,
independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers.
He understands, 'There is a further escape,' and pursuing it, he confirms that
'There is.'
"Furthermore, completely
transcending the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, he enters and
remains in the cessation of feeling and perception. When he sees with
discernment, his effluents are totally ended. He emerges mindful from that
attainment. On emerging...he regards the past qualities that have ceased and
changed: 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play.
Having been, they vanish.' He remains unattracted and unrepelled with regard to
those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness
rid of barriers. He understands, 'There is no further escape,' and pursuing it,
he confirms that 'There isn't.'
"If someone, rightly describing a
person, were to say, 'He has attained mastery and perfection in noble
virtue...noble concentration...noble discernment...noble release,' he would be
rightly describing Sariputta... Sariputta takes the unexcelled wheel of Dhamma
set rolling by the Tathagata, and keeps it rolling rightly."
"I tell you, the
ending of the effluents depends on the first jhana...the second jhana...the
third...the fourth...the sphere of the infinitude of space...the sphere of the
infinitude of consciousness...the sphere of nothingness...the sphere of neither
perception nor non-perception.
"'I tell you, the ending of the
effluents depends on the first jhana.' Thus it has been said. In reference to
what was it said?... Suppose that an archer or archer's apprentice were to
practice on a straw man or mound of clay, so that after a while he would become
able to shoot long distances, to fire accurate shots in rapid succession, and to
pierce great masses. In the same way, there is the case where a monk...enters
and remains in the first jhana: rapture and pleasure born of withdrawal,
accompanied by directed thought and evaluation. He regards whatever phenomena
there that are connected with form, feeling, perceptions, fabrications, and
consciousness, as inconstant, stressful, a disease, a cancer, an arrow, painful,
an affliction, alien, a disintegration, a void, not-self. He turns his mind away
from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of
deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite -- the resolution of all
fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving;
dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.'
"Staying right there, he reaches
the ending of the mental effluents. Or, if not, then -- through passion and
delight for this very property [the discernment inclining to deathlessness] and
from the total wasting away of the first of the five Fetters [self-identity
views, grasping at precepts and practices, uncertainty, sensual passion, and
irritation] -- he is due to be reborn [in the Pure Abodes], there to be totally
unbound, never again to return from that world.
"'I tell you, the ending of the
effluents depends on the first jhana.' Thus it was said, and in reference to
this was it said."
[Similarly with the other levels of
jhana up through the sphere of nothingness.]
"Thus, as far as the
perception-attainments go, that is as far as gnosis-penetration goes. As for
these two spheres -- the attainment of the sphere of neither perception nor
non-perception and the attainment of the cessation of feeling and perception --
I tell you that they are to be rightly explained by those monks who are
meditators, skilled in attaining, skilled in attaining and emerging, who have
attained and emerged in dependence on them."
Then Dasama the
householder from the city of Atthaka went to where Ven. Ananda was staying and
on arrival, having bowed down, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he said
to Ven. Ananda, "Is there, venerable sir, any one condition explained by the
Blessed One...whereby a monk -- dwelling heedful, ardent, and resolute --
releases his mind that is as yet unreleased, or whereby the effluents not yet
brought to an end come to an end, or whereby he attains the unsurpassed security
from bondage that he has not yet attained?"
Ananda: "Yes, householder, there is...There is the
case where a monk...enters and remains in the first jhana...He notices that
'This first jhana is fabricated and willed.' He discerns, 'Whatever is
fabricated and willed is inconstant and subject to cessation.' Staying right
there, he reaches the ending of the effluents. Or, if not, then -- through
passion and delight for this very phenomenon [of discernment] and from the total
ending of the first five Fetters -- he is due to be reborn [in the Pure Abodes],
there to be totally unbound, never again to return from that world."
[Similarly with the other levels of
jhana up through the sphere of nothingness and the four releases of awareness
based on good will, compassion, appreciation, and equanimity.]
Sariputta: "This Unbinding is pleasant, friends. This
Unbinding is pleasant."
Udayin: "But what is the pleasure here, my friend,
where there is nothing felt?"
Sariputta: "Just that is the pleasure here, my friend:
where there is nothing felt. There are these five strands of sensuality. Which
five? Forms cognizable via the eye -- agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing,
fostering desire, enticing; sounds...smells...tastes...tactile sensations
cognizable via the body -- agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering
desire, enticing. Whatever pleasure or joy arises in dependence on these five
strands of sensuality, that is sensual pleasure.
"Now there is the case where a monk
-- quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful qualities --
enters and remains in the first jhana...If, as he remains there, he is beset
with attention to perceptions dealing with sensuality, that is an
affliction for him. Just as pain arises as an affliction for a healthy person,
even so the attention to perceptions dealing with sensuality that beset the monk
is an affliction for him. Now the Blessed One has said that whatever is an
affliction is stress. So by this line of reasoning it may be known how Unbinding
is pleasant.
"Furthermore, there is the case
where a monk...enters and remains in the second jhana...If, as he remains there,
he is beset with attention to perceptions dealing with directed thought,
that is an affliction for him...
"Furthermore, there is the case
where a monk...enters and remains in the third jhana...If, as he remains there,
he is beset with attention to perceptions dealing with rapture, that is
an affliction for him...
"Furthermore, there is the case
where a monk...enters and remains in the fourth jhana...If, as he remains there,
he is beset with attention to perceptions dealing with equanimity, that
is an affliction for him...
"Furthermore, there is the case
where a monk...enters and remains in the sphere of the infinitude of space. If,
as he remains there, he is beset with attention to perceptions dealing with
form, that is an affliction for him...
"Furthermore, there is the case
where a monk...enters and remains in the sphere of the infinitude of
consciousness. If, as he remains there, he is beset with attention to
perceptions dealing with the sphere of the infinitude of space, that is
an affliction for him...
"Furthermore, there is the case
where a monk...enters and remains in the sphere of nothingness. If, as he
remains there, he is beset with attention to perceptions dealing with the
sphere of the infinitude of consciousness, that is an affliction for him...
"Furthermore, there is the case
where a monk...enters and remains in the sphere of neither perception nor
non-perception. If, as he remains there, he is beset with attention to
perceptions dealing with the sphere of the infinitude of consciousness,
that is an affliction for him...whatever is an affliction is stress. So by
this line of reasoning it may be known how Unbinding is pleasant.
"Furthermore, there is the case
where a monk...enters and remains in the cessation of perception and feeling.
And, having seen [that] with discernment, his effluents are completely ended. So
by this line of reasoning it may be known how Unbinding is pleasant."
"[On attaining the
fourth level of jhana] there remains only equanimity: pure and bright, pliant,
malleable and luminous. Just as if a skilled goldsmith or goldsmith's apprentice
were to prepare a furnace, heat up a crucible, and, taking gold with a pair of
tongs, place it in the crucible. He would blow on it periodically, sprinkle
water on it periodically, examine it periodically, so that the gold would become
refined, well-refined, thoroughly refined, flawless, free from dross, pliant,
malleable and luminous. Then whatever sort of ornament he had in mind -- whether
a belt, an earring, a necklace, or a gold chain -- it would serve his purpose.
In the same way, there remains only equanimity: pure and bright, pliant,
malleable, and luminous. He [the meditator] discerns that 'If I were to direct
equanimity as pure and bright as this toward the sphere of the infinitude of
space, I would develop the mind along those lines, and thus this equanimity of
mine -- thus supported, thus sustained -- would last for a long time. (Similarly
with the spheres of the infinitude of consciousness, nothingness, and neither
perception nor non-perception.)'
"He discerns that 'If I were to
direct equanimity as pure and bright as this toward the sphere of the infinitude
of space and to develop the mind along those lines, that would be fabricated.
(Similarly with the spheres of the infinitude of consciousness, nothingness, and
neither perception nor non-perception.)' He neither fabricates nor wills for the
sake of becoming or un-becoming. This being the case, he is not sustained by
anything in the world (does not cling to anything in the world). Unsustained, he
is not agitated. Unagitated, he is totally unbound right within. He discerns
that 'Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing
further for this world.'"
Revised: Sat 29-Nov-2003