1. THUS HAVE I HEARD. On one occasion the Blessed One was living in the
Kuru country at a town of the Kurus named Kammasadhamma. There he addressed
the Bhikkhus thus: "Bhikkhus." - "Venerable sir, " they
replied. The Blessed One said this:
2. "Bhikkhus, this is the direct path for the purification of beings
[56], for the surmounting of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance
of pain and grief, for the attainment of the true way, for the realization
of Nibbana - namely, the four foundations of mindfulness.
3. What are the 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 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.
(CONTEMPLATION OF THE BODY)
(1. Mindfulness of Breathing)
4. "And how, bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu abide contemplating the body
as a 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, set 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’; or 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 breath].’ He trains
thus: ‘I shall breathe in tranquilizing the bodily formation’; he trains
thus: ‘I shall breathe out tranquilizing the bodily formation.’ Just as
a skilled turner 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 tranquilizing
the bodily formation.’
(INSIGHT)
5. "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 in the body 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. The Four Postures)
6. "Again, bhikkhus, when walking, a bhikkhu understands: ‘I am
walking’; when standing, he understands: ‘I am standing’; when
sitting, [57] he understands: ‘I am sitting’; when lying down, he
understands: ‘I am lying down’; or he understands accordingly however
his body is disposed.
7. "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.
(3. Full Awareness)
8. "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.
9. "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.
(4. Foulness - The Bodily Parts)
10. "Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu reviews this same body up from the
soles of the feet and down f ROM the top of the hair, bounded by skin, as
full of many kinds of impurity thus: ‘In this body there are head-hairs,
body-hairs, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone-marrow, kidneys, heart,
liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines,
contents of the stomach, feces, 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, ad 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.’
11. "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.
(5. Elements)
12. "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.’ [58] 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.’
13. "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.
(6-14. The Nine Charnel Ground Contemplations)
14. "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.’
15. "In this way he abides contemplating the body as a body inter
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.
16. "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 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.’
17. "...That too is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a
body.
18-24. "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...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.’
25. "...That too is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a
body.
26-30. "Again, as though he were to see a corpse thrown aside in a
charnel ground, bones bleached white, the color of shells... bones heaped
up, more than a year old...bones rotted and crumbled to dust [59], 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)
31. "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 in the body 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 too is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating the
body as a body.
(CONTEMPLATION OF FEELING)
32. "And how, bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu abide 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 an
unworldly painful feeling, he understands; "I feel an unworldly painful
feeling’; when feeling a worldly 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 unworldly
feeling.’
(INSIGHT)
33. "In this way he abides contemplating feelings as feelings
internally, or he abides contemplating feelings as feelings externally, or
he abides contemplating feelings as feelings both internally and externally.
Or else he abides contemplating in feelings their arising factors, or he
abides contemplating in feelings their vanishing factors, or he abides in
contemplating in feelings both their arising and vanishing factors. Or else
mindfulness that ‘there is feeling’ 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 feelings as feelings.
(CONTEMPLATION OF MIND)
34. "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 as 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. He understands exalted mind as
exalted mind, and unexalted mind as unexalted mind. He understands surpassed
mind as surpassed mind, an unsurpassed mind as unsurpassed mind. He
understand concentrated mind as concentrated mind, and unconcentrated mind
as unconcentrated mind. He understands liberated mind as liberated mind, and
unliberated mind as unliberated mind.
(INSIGHT)
35. "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, [60] 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 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.
(CONTEMPLATION OF MIND-OBJECTS)
(1. The Five Hindrances)
36. "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 abandoning of 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 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.
(INSIGHT)
37. "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 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 as mind-objects in terms of the five
hindrances.
(2. The Five Aggregates)
38. "Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu abides contemplating mind-objects as
mind-objects [61] 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.’
39. "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 in terms of
the five aggregates affected by clinging.
(3. The Six Bases)
40. "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 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 odors...He understands the tongue, he understands
flavors...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.
41. "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.
(4. The Seven Enlightenment Factors)
42. "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: [62] ‘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 fulfillment 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 tranquility
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’;
or there being no equanimity enlightenment factor in him, he understands:
‘There is no equanimity enlightenment 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
comes to fulfillment by development.
43. "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.
(5. The Four Noble Truths)
44. "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)
45. "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.
(CONCLUSION)
46. "Bhikkhus, is 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. [63] 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 the 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 the 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 the two
fruits could be expected for him: either final knowledge here and now, or if
there is a trace of clinging left, non-return.
47. "So it was with reverence 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 realization 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.
