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Translated
from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.
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 & pursued, is said by the Blessed One who knows, who sees -- the
worthy one, rightly self-awakened -- to be of great fruit & 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 sat down
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 & pursued, is said by the Blessed One who knows, who sees -- the
worthy one, rightly self-awakened -- to be of great fruit & 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 & 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, & resolute, any
memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with
their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified &
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, & resolute,
any memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and
with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified
& centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.
"Furthermore,
when going forward & returning, he makes himself fully alert; when looking
toward & looking away... when bending & extending his limbs... when
carrying his outer cloak, his upper robe & his bowl... when eating,
drinking, chewing, & savoring... when urinating & defecating... when
walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, & remaining
silent, he makes himself fully alert. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent,
& resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are
abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly,
grows unified & 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, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the
household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers &
settles inwardly, grows unified & 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, & 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, &
the wind property.' And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any
memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with
their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified &
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, & 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, & hawks, by dogs, hyenas, & various other
creatures... a skeleton smeared with flesh & 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, & resolute, any memories & resolves
related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind
gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a
monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.
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