Thus Have I
Heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living in the Kuru
country at a town of the Kurus named Kamma-sadhamma. There he
addressed the bhikkhus thus: "Bhikkhus." - "Venerable
sir," they replied. The Blessed One said thus:
"Bhikkhus,
this is the direct path for the purification of beings, for the
surmounting of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain
and grief, for the attainment of the true way, for the realisation
of nibbana - namely the four foundations of mindfulness.
"What are
these four? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body
as a body, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away
covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating
feelings as feelings, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put
away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating
feelings as feelings, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put
away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating
mind as mind, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away
covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating
mind-objects as mind-objects, ardent, fully aware, and mindful,
having put away covetousness and grief for the world.
1.
Contemplation of the Body
(a) Mindfulness
of Breathing
"And how,
bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu abide contemplating the body as body? Here
a bhikkhu, gone to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an
empty hut, sits down; having folded his legs crosswise, sets his
body erect, and established mindfulness in front of him, ever
mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out. Breathing in long,
he understands: ‘I breathe in long’; or breathing out long, he
understands: ‘ I breathe out long.’ Breathing in short, he
understands: ‘ I breathe in short’ ; breathing out short, he
understands: ‘I breathe out short.’ He trains thus: ‘I shall
breathe in experiencing the whole body (of breath).’ He trains
thus: ‘I shall breathe out experiencing the whole body (of
breathe).’ He trains thus: ‘I shall breathe in tranquillising
the bodily formation’; he trains thus: ‘I shall breathe out
tranquillising the bodily formation.’ Just as a skilled nurse or
his apprentice, when making a long turn, understands: ‘I make a
long turn’; or, when making a short turn understands: ‘I make a
short turn’ ; so too, breathing in long, a bhikkhu understands:
‘I breathe in long’…he trains thus: ‘I shall breathe out
tranquillising the bodily formation.’
(b) The
Four Postures
"Again,
bhikkhus, when walking a bhikkhu understands: ‘I am walking’;
when standing, he understands: ‘I am standing’; when sitting, he
understands: ‘I am sitting’; when lying down, he understands:
‘I am lying down’; or he understands accordingly however his
body is disposed.
"In this
way he abides contemplating the body as a body internally,
externally, and both internally and externally… And he abides
independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That too is how
a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.
(c) Full
Awareness
" Again,
bhikkhus, a bhikkhu is one who acts in full awareness when going
forward and returning; who acts in full awareness when looking ahead
and looking away; who acts in full awareness when flexing and
extending his limbs; who acts in full awareness when wearing his
robes and carrying his outer robe and bowl; who acts in full
awareness when eating, drinking, consuming food, and tasting; who
acts in full awareness when defecating and urinating; who acts in
full awareness when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep,
waking up, talking, and keeping silent.
"In this
way he abides contemplating the body as a body internally,
externally, and both internally and externally…And he abides
independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That is how a
bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.
(d) Foulness
- The Bodily Parts
"Again,
bhikkhus, a bhikkhu reviews this same body up from the soles of the
feet and down from the top of the hair, bounded by the skin, as full
of many kinds of impurity thus: ‘In this body there are
head-hairs, body-hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones,
bone-marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs,
large-intestines, small intestines, contents of the stomach, faeces,
bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, spittle, snot,
oil of the joints, and urine. Just as though there were a bag with
an opening at both ends full of many sorts of grain, such as hill
rice, red rice, beans, peas, millet, and white rice, and a man with
good eyes were to open it and review it thus: ‘This is hill rice,
this is red rice, these are beans, these are peas, this is millet,
this is white rice’; so too, a bhikkhu reviews this same body…as
full of many kinds of impurity thus: ‘In this body there are
head-hairs…and urine.’
"In this
way he abides contemplating the body as a body internally,
externally, and both internally and externally…And he abides
independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That too is how
a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.
(e) The
Primary Elements
"Again,
bhikkhus, a bhikkhu reviews this same body, however it is placed,
however disposed, as consisting of elements thus: ‘In this body
there are the earth element, the water element, the fire element and
the air element.’ Just as though a skilled butcher or his
apprentice had killed a cow and was seated at the crossroads with it
cut up into pieces; so too, a bhikkhu reviews this same body…as
consisting of elements thus: ‘In this body there are the earth
element, the water element, the fire element, and the air
element.’
"In this
way he abides contemplating the body as a body internally,
externally, and both internally and externally…And he abides
independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That too is how
a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.
(f) The
Nine Charnel Grounds Contemplations
"Again,
bhikkhus, as though he were to see a corpse thrown aside in a
charnel ground, one, two, or three days dead, bloated, livid, and
oozing matter, a bhikkhu compares this same body with it thus:
‘This body too is of the same nature, it will be like that, it is
not exempt from that fate.’
" In this
way he abides contemplating the body as the body internally,
externally, and both internally and externally…And he abides
independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That too is how
a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.
"Again,
as though he were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground,
being devoured by crows, hawks, vultures, dogs, jackals, or various
kinds of worms, a bhikkhu compares the same body with it thus:
‘This body too is of the same nature, it will be like that, it is
not exempt from that fate.’
"…That
too is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.
"Again,
as though he were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground,
a skeleton with flesh and blood, held together with sinews…a
fleshless skeleton smeared with blood, held together with sinews…a
skeleton without flesh and blood, held together with
sinews…disconnected bones 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-bone, there a
breast-bone, here an arm-bone, there a shoulder-bone, here a
neck-bone, there a jaw-bone, here a tooth, there the skull - a
bhikkhu compares this same body with it thus:’This body too is of
the same nature, it will be like that, it is not exempt from that
fate.’
"…That
too is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.
"Again,
as though he were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground,
bones bleached white, the colour of shells…bones heaped up, more
than a year old…bones rotted and crumbled to dust, a bhikkhu
compares this same body with it thus: ‘This body too is of the
same nature, it will be like that, it is not exempt from that
fate.’
[Insight]
"In this
way he abides contemplating the body as a body internally, or he
abides contemplating the body as a body externally, or he abides
contemplating the body as a body both internally and externally. Or
else he abides contemplating in the body its arising factors, or he
abides contemplating its vanishing factors, or he abides
contemplating in the body both its arising and vanishing factors. Or
else mindfulness that ‘there is a body’ is simply established in
him to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and mindfulness. And
he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That
is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.
2.
Contemplation of Feelings
"And how,
bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu contemplating feelings as feelings? Here,
when feeling a pleasant feeling, a bhikkhu understands: 'I feel a
pleasant feeling', when feeling a painful feeling, he understands:
'I feel a painful feeling'; when feeling a
neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling.' he understands 'I feel a
neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling.' When feeling a worldly
pleasant feeling, he understands: 'I feel a worldly pleasant
feeling'; when feeling an unworldly pleasant feeling, he
understands: 'I feel an unworldly pleasant feeling'; when feeling a
worldly painful feeling, he understands: 'I feel a worldly painful
feeling'; when feeling a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he
understands: 'I feel a worldly neither-painful-nor-pleasant
feeling'; when feeling an unworldly neither-painful-nor-pleasant
feeling, he understands: 'I feel an unworldly
neither-painful-nor-pleasant-feeling.'
3.
Contemplation of the Mind-State
"And how,
bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu abide contemplating mind as mind? Here a
bhikkhu understands mind affected by lust as mind affected by lust,
and mind unaffected by lust as mind unaffected by lust. He
understands mind affected by hate as mind affected by hate, and mind
unaffected by hate. He understands mind affected by delusion as mind
affected by delusion, and mind unaffected by delusion as mind
unaffected by delusion. He understands contracted mind as contracted
mind, and distracted mind as distracted mind as distracted mind. He
understands exalted mind as exalted mind, and unexalted mind as
unexalted mind. He understands surpassed mind as surpassed mind, and
unsurpassed mind as unsurpassed mind. He understands concentrated
mind as concentrated mind, and unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated
mind. He understands liberated mind as liberated mind, and
unliberated mind as unliberated mind.
"In this
way he abides contemplating mind as mind internally, or he abides
contemplating mind as mind externally, or he abides contemplating
mind as mind both internally and externally. Or else he abides
contemplating in mind its arising factors, or he abides
contemplating in mind its vanishing factors, or he abides
contemplating in mind both its arising and vanishing factors. Or
else mindfulness that 'there is a mind' is simply established in him
to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and mindfulness. And he
abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That is
how a bhikkhu abides contemplating mind as mind.
4.Contemplation
of Mind-Objects
(a) The
Five Hindrances
"And how,
bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu abide contemplating mind-objects as
mind-objects? Here a bhikkhu abides contemplating mind-objects as
mind-objects in terms of the five hindrances. And how does a bhikkhu
abide contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects in terms of the
five hindrances? Here, there being sensual desire in him, a bhikkhu
understands: ‘There is sensual desire in me’; or there being no
sensual desire in him, he understands: ‘There is no sensual desire
in me’; and he also understands how there comes to be the arising
of unarisen sensual desire, and how there comes to be the
abandonment of unarisen sensual desire; and how there comes to be
the abandonment of arisen sensual desire, and how there comes to be
the future non-arising of abandoned sensual desire.’
"There
being ill will in him…There being sloth and torpor in him…There
being restlessness and remorse in him…There being doubt in him, a
bhikkhu understands: ‘There is doubt in me’; or there being no
doubt in him, he understands: ‘There is no doubt in me’; and he
understands how there comes to be the arising of unarisen doubt, and
how there comes to be the abandoning of arisen doubt, and how there
comes to be the future non-arising of abandoned doubt.
(b) The
Five Aggregates
"Again,
bhikkhus, a bhikkhu abides contemplating mind-objects as
mind-objects in terms of the five aggregates affected by clinging.
And how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating mind-objects as
mind-objects in terms of the five aggregates affected by clinging?
Here a bhikkhu understands: ‘Such is material form, such its
origin, such its disappearance; such is feeling, such its origin,
such its disappearance, such is perception, such its origin, such
its disappearance; such are the formations, such their origin, such
their disappearance; such is consciousness, such its origin, such
its disappearance.’
"In this
way he abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects internally,
externally, and both internally and externally…And he abides
independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That is how a
bhikkhu abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects in terms
of the five aggregates affected by clinging.
(c) The Six
Sense-Bases
"Again,
bhikkhus, a bhikkhu abides contemplating mind-objects as
mind-objects in terms of the six internal and external bases. And
how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects
in terms of the six internal and external bases? Here a bhikkhu
understands the eye, he understands forms, and he understands the
fetter that arises dependent on both, and he also understands how
there comes to be the arising of the unarisen fetter, and how there
comes to be the abandoning of the arisen fetter, and how there comes
to be the future non-arising of the abandoned fetter.
"He
understands the ear, he understands sounds…He understands the
nose, he understands odours…He understands the tongue, he
understands flavours…He understands the body, he understands
tangibles…He understands the mind, he understands mind-objects,
and he understands the fetter that arises dependent on both, and he
also understands how there comes to be the arising of the unarisen
fetter, and how there comes to be the abandoning of the arisen
fetter, and how there comes to be the future non-arising of the
abandoned fetter.
"In
this way he abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects
internally, externally, and both internally and externally…And he
abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That is
how a bhikkhu abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects in
terms of the six internal and external bases.
(d) The
Seven Enlightenment Factors
"Again,
bhikkhus, a bhikkhu abides contemplating mind-objects as
mind-objects in terms of the seven enlightenment factors. And how
does a bhikkhu abide contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects in
terms of the seven enlightenment factors? Here, there being the
mindfulness enlightenment factor in him, a bhikkhu understands:
‘There is the mindfulness enlightenment factor in me’; or there
being no mindfulness enlightenment factor in him, he understands:
’There is no mindfulness enlightenment factor in me’; and he
also understands how there comes to be the arising of the unarisen
mindfulness enlightenment factor, and how the arisen mindfulness
enlightenment factor comes to fulfilment by development.
"There
being the investigation-of-states enlightenment factor in
him…There being the energy enlightenment factor in him…There
being the rapture enlightenment factor in him…There being the
tranquillity enlightenment factor in him…There being the
concentration enlightenment factor in him…There being the
equanimity enlightenment factor in him, a bhikkhu understands:
‘There is the equanimity enlightenment factor in me’; and he
also understands how there comes to be the arising of the unarisen
equanimity enlightenment factor in him, he understands: ‘There is
no enlightenment equanimity factor in me’; and he also understands
how there comes to be the arising of the unarisen equanimity
enlightenment factor, and how the arisen equanimity enlightenment
factor come to fulfilment by development.
"In this
way he abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects internally,
externally, and both internally and externally… And he abides
independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That is how a
bhikkhu abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects in terms
of the seven enlightenment factors.
(e) The
Four Noble Truths
"Again,
bhikkhus, a bhikkhu abides contemplating mind-objects as
mind-objects in terms of the Four Noble Truths. And how does a
bhikkhu abide contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects in terms of
the Four Noble Truths? Here a bhikkhu understands as it actually is:
‘This is suffering’; he understands as it actually is: ‘This
is the origin of suffering’; he understands as it actually is:
‘This is the cessation of suffering’; he understands as it
actually is: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of
suffering.’
[Insight]
"In this
way he abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects internally,
or he abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects externally,
or he abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects both
internally and externally. Or else he abides contemplating in mind
objects their arising factors, or he abides contemplating in
mind-objects their vanishing factors, or he abides contemplating in
mind-objects both their arising and vanishing factors. Or else
mindfulness that ‘there are mind-objects’ is simply established
in him to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and mindfulness.
And he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
That is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating mind-objects as
mind-objects in terms of The Four Noble Truths.
"Bhikkhus,
if anyone should develop these four foundations of mindfulness in
such a way for seven years, one of two fruits could be expected for
him: either final knowledge here and now, or if there is a trace of
clinging left, non-return.
"Let
alone seven years, bhikkhus. If anyone should develop these four
foundations of mindfulness in such a way for six years…for five
years…for four years…for three years…for two years…for one
year, one of two fruits could be expected for him either final
knowledge here and now, or if there is a trace of clinging left,
non-return.
"Let
alone one year, bhikkhus. If anyone should develop these four
foundations of mindfulness in such a way for seven months…for six
months…for five months…for four months…for three months…for
two months…for one month…for half a month, one of two fruits
could be expected for him, either final knowledge here and now, or
if there is a trace of clinging left, non-return.
"Let
alone half a month, bhikkhus. If anyone should develop these four
foundations of mindfulness in such a way for seven days, one of two
fruits could b expected for him: either final knowledge here and
now, or if there is a trace of clinging left, non-return.
"So
it was with reference to this that it was said:’Bhikkhus, this is
the direct path for the purification of beings, for the surmounting
of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and grief,
for the attainment of the true way, for the realisation of Nibbana -
namely, the four foundations of mindfulness.’
That is what
the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in
the Blessed One’s words.
