9.
The Discourse on Mindfulness Directed to the Body
153. Thus have I heard - On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park. Then, when several monks, after the meal, having returned from their alms round, were seated together assembled in the assembly hall, this discussion arose - "It is wonderful, friends, it is marvellous, friends! How well mindfulness of the body, when developed and cultivated, has been declared to be of great fruit and great benefit by that Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Worthy One, the One Enlightened by himself." And this discussion among those monks was not finished, when the Blessed One, in the evening, having emerged from seclusion, went to the assembly hall; having approached, he sat down on the prepared seat. Having sat down, the Blessed One addressed the monks: "What discussion were you having as you sat together here, monks? And what was the conversation that was interrupted?" "Here, venerable sir, when we, after the meal, having returned from our alms round, were seated together assembled in the assembly hall, this discussion arose - 'It is wonderful, friends, it is marvellous, friends! How well mindfulness of the body, when developed and cultivated, has been declared to be of great fruit and great benefit by that Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Worthy One, the One Enlightened by himself.' This, venerable sir, was our discussion that was interrupted when the Blessed One arrived."
154. "And how, monks, is mindfulness of the body developed, how is it cultivated, so that it is of great fruit and great benefit? Here, monks, a monk, having gone to the forest, or having gone to the root of a tree, or having gone to an empty house, sits down, folding his legs crosswise, directing his body upright, having established mindfulness in front of him. He, mindful, 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'; or breathing in short, he understands: 'I breathe in short'; or breathing out short, he understands: 'I breathe out short'; he trains: 'Experiencing the whole body, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Experiencing the whole body, I shall breathe out'; he trains: 'Calming the bodily activity, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Calming the bodily activity, I shall breathe out.' For him dwelling thus diligent, ardent, and resolute, those thoughts connected with the household life are abandoned. With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated. Thus, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
"Furthermore, monks, a monk when going understands 'I am going,' or when standing understands 'I am standing,' or when seated understands 'I am seated,' or when lying down understands 'I am lying down.' Or in whatever way his body is disposed, he understands it accordingly. For him dwelling thus diligent, ardent, and resolute, those thoughts connected with the household life are abandoned. With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated. Thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
"Furthermore, monks, a monk acts with full awareness when going forward and returning, acts with full awareness when looking ahead and looking aside, acts with full awareness when bending and stretching, acts with full awareness when wearing the double robe, bowl and robes, acts with full awareness when eating, drinking, chewing and tasting, acts with full awareness when defecating and urinating, acts with full awareness when walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking and remaining silent. For him dwelling thus diligent, ardent, and resolute, those thoughts connected with the household life are abandoned. With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated. Thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
"Furthermore, monks, a monk reviews this very body, upwards from the soles of the feet, downwards from the top of the hair, bounded by the skin, as full of many kinds of impurity: 'There are in this body head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, undigested food, excrement, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, spittle, snot, synovic fluid, urine.'
"Just as, monks, a double-mouthed bag full of various kinds of grain, as follows - hill rice, paddy, green peas, beans, sesame seeds, rice grains - a man with eyes, having opened it, might review it: 'This is hill rice, this is paddy, these are green peas, these are beans, these are sesame seeds, these are rice grains'; just so, monks, a monk reviews this very body, upwards from the soles of the feet, downwards from the top of the hair, bounded by the skin, as full of many kinds of impurity: 'There are in this body head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, undigested food, excrement, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, spittle, snot, synovic fluid, urine.' For him dwelling thus diligent, ardent, and resolute, those thoughts connected with the household life are abandoned. With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated. Thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
"Furthermore, monks, a monk reviews this very body, as it is placed, as it is disposed, according to the elements: 'There are in this body the solid element, the liquid element, the heat element, and the air element.'
"Just as, monks, a skilled butcher or a butcher's apprentice, having slaughtered a cow, having divided it into portions at a crossroads, might be seated; just so, monks, a monk reviews this very body, as it is placed, as it is disposed, according to the elements: 'There are in this body the solid element, the liquid element, the heat element, and the air element.' For him dwelling thus diligent, ardent, and resolute, those thoughts connected with the household life are abandoned. With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated. Thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
"Furthermore, monks, a monk, just as if he were to see a body abandoned in a charnel ground, dead for one day, or dead for two days, or dead for three days, bloated, discoloured, festering. He compares this very body with that - 'This body too is of such a nature, will become thus, has not gone beyond this.' For him dwelling thus diligent, ardent, and resolute, those thoughts connected with the household life are abandoned. With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated. Thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
"Furthermore, monks, a monk, just as if he were to see a body abandoned in a charnel ground, being devoured by crows, or being devoured by hawks, or being devoured by vultures, or being devoured by herons, or being devoured by dogs, or being devoured by tigers, or being devoured by leopards, or being devoured by jackals, or being devoured by various kinds of creatures. He compares this very body with that - 'This body too is of such a nature, will become thus, has not gone beyond this.' For him, dwelling thus diligent, etc. thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
"Furthermore, monks, a monk, just as if he were to see a body abandoned in a charnel ground, a skeleton with flesh and blood, held together by sinews... etc. a skeleton without flesh, smeared with blood, held together by sinews, etc. a skeleton without flesh and blood, held together by sinews... etc. bones disconnected, scattered in all directions - here a hand bone, there a foot bone, here an ankle bone, there a shin bone, here a thigh bone, there a hip bone, here a rib bone, there a back bone, here a shoulder bone, there a neck bone, here a jaw bone, there a tooth bone, here a skull. He compares this very body with that - 'This body too is of such a nature, will become thus, has not gone beyond this.' For him, dwelling thus diligent, etc. thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
"Furthermore, monks, a monk, just as if he were to see a body abandoned in a charnel ground - bones white, the colour of shells, etc. bones heaped up, more than a year old... etc. bones rotten, reduced to powder. He compares this very body with that - 'This body too is of such a nature, will become thus, has not gone beyond this.' For him, dwelling thus diligent, etc. thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
155. "Furthermore, monks, a monk, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, etc. he enters and dwells in the first meditative absorption. He drenches, steeps, fills, and pervades this very body with the rapture and happiness born of seclusion, so that there is no part of his entire body unpervaded by the rapture and happiness born of seclusion. Just as, monks, a skilled bathman or his apprentice, having scattered bath powder in a bronze dish, might knead it by sprinkling it again and again with water, so that the ball of bath powder is permeated with moisture, pervaded by moisture, pervaded within and without by moisture, yet does not drip; just so, monks, a monk drenches, steeps, fills, and pervades this very body with the rapture and happiness born of seclusion; there is no part of his entire body unpervaded by the rapture and happiness born of seclusion. For him, dwelling thus diligent, etc. thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
"Furthermore, monks, with the subsiding of applied and sustained thought, etc. he enters and dwells in the second meditative absorption. He drenches, steeps, fills, and pervades this very body with the rapture and happiness born of concentration; there is no part of his entire body unpervaded by the rapture and happiness born of concentration. Just as, monks, there might be a deep lake with a spring. It has no inlet for water from the eastern direction, no inlet for water from the western direction, no inlet for water from the northern direction, no inlet for water from the southern direction; and the rain god would not send down proper showers from time to time; then cool streams of water, having sprung up from that very lake, would drench, steep, fill, and pervade that very lake with cool water, so that there would be no part of the entire lake unpervaded by cool water; just so, monks, a monk drenches, steeps, fills, and pervades this very body with the rapture and happiness born of concentration, so that there is no part of his entire body unpervaded by the rapture and happiness born of concentration. For him, dwelling thus diligent, etc. thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
"Furthermore, monks, with the fading away of rapture, etc. he enters and dwells in the third meditative absorption. He drenches, steeps, fills, and pervades this very body with happiness free from rapture, so that there is no part of his entire body unpervaded by happiness free from rapture. Just as, monks, in a pond of water lilies, or a pond of lotuses, or a pond of white lotuses, some water lilies, or lotuses, or white lotuses are born in the water, grow in the water, do not rise above the water, and are nourished while submerged within, and they, from their tips to their roots, are drenched, steeped, filled, and pervaded with cool water, so that there is no part of the entire water lilies, or lotuses, or white lotuses unpervaded by cool water; just so, monks, a monk drenches, steeps, fills, and pervades this very body with happiness free from rapture, so that there is no part of his entire body unpervaded by happiness free from rapture. For him, dwelling thus diligent, etc. thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
"Furthermore, monks, with the abandoning of pleasure, etc. he enters and dwells in the fourth meditative absorption. He sits having pervaded this very body with a pure and bright mind; there is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by the pure and bright mind. Just as, monks, a man having wrapped himself up to the head with a white cloth might be seated, so that there would be no part of his entire body untouched by the white cloth; just so, monks, a monk sits having pervaded this very body with a pure and bright mind, so that there is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by the pure and bright mind. For him dwelling thus diligent, ardent, and resolute, those thoughts connected with the household life are abandoned. With their abandoning, internally the mind stands still, settles, becomes unified, and becomes concentrated. Thus also, monks, a monk develops mindfulness of the body.
156. "For whoever, monks, has mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated, whatever wholesome mental states are conducive to true knowledge are included within him. Just as, monks, for whoever has pervaded the great ocean with the mind, whatever rivulets that flow to the ocean are included within it; just so, monks, for whoever has mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated, whatever wholesome mental states are conducive to true knowledge are included within him.
"For whoever, monks, has mindfulness of the body not developed and not cultivated, Māra gains access to him, Māra gains an object in him. Just as, monks, a man might throw a heavy stone ball into a heap of wet clay. What do you think, monks, would that heavy stone ball gain access into the heap of wet clay?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Just so, monks, for whoever has mindfulness of the body not developed and not cultivated, Māra gains access to him, Māra gains an object in him. Just as, monks, dry wood, a dead tree; then a man might come along having taken an upper fire-stick - 'I will produce fire, I will manifest heat.' What do you think, monks, would that man, having taken an upper fire-stick, rubbing that dry wood, that dead tree, produce fire, manifest heat?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Just so, monks, for whoever has mindfulness of the body not developed and not cultivated, Māra gains access to him, Māra gains an object in him. Just as, monks, a water jar, empty, hollow, placed on a stand; then a man might come along having taken a load of water. What do you think, monks, would that man find a place to deposit the water?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Just so, monks, for whoever has mindfulness of the body not developed and not cultivated, Māra gains access to him, Māra gains an object in him."
157. "For whoever, monks, has mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated, Māra does not gain access to him, Māra does not gain an object in him. Just as, monks, a man might throw a light ball of string at a door-panel made entirely of heartwood. What do you think, monks, would that man find access for that light ball of string into that door-panel made entirely of heartwood?" "No, Venerable Sir." "Just so, monks, for whoever has mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated, Māra does not gain access to him, Māra does not gain an object in him. Just as, monks, wet wood with sap; then a man might come along having taken an upper fire-stick - 'I will produce fire, I will manifest heat.' What do you think, monks, would that man, having taken an upper fire-stick, rubbing that wet wood with sap, produce fire, manifest heat?" "No, Venerable Sir." "Just so, monks, for whoever has mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated, Māra does not gain access to him, Māra does not gain an object in him. Just as, monks, a water jar full of water, filled to the brim so that a crow could drink from it, placed on a stand; then a man might come along having taken a load of water. What do you think, monks, would that man find a place to deposit the water?" "No, Venerable Sir." "Just so, monks, for whoever has mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated, Māra does not gain access to him, Māra does not gain an object in him."
158. "For whoever, monks, has mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated, he inclines the mind towards whatever mental state is to be realised by direct knowledge, for the realisation by direct knowledge, and in each case he attains the ability to witness, when there is a basis for mindfulness. Just as, monks, a water jar full of water, filled to the brim so that a crow could drink from it, placed on a stand. If a strong man were to draw water from it from any direction, would water come out?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Just so, monks, for whoever has mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated, he inclines the mind towards whatever mental state is to be realised by direct knowledge, for the realisation by direct knowledge, and in each and every case he attains the ability to witness, when there is a basis for mindfulness. Just as, monks, on a level piece of ground there might be a quadrangular pond, bounded by embankments, full of water, filled to the brim so that a crow could drink from it. If a strong man were to release the embankment from any direction, would water come out?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Just so, monks, for whoever has mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated, he inclines the mind towards whatever mental state is to be realised by direct knowledge, for the realisation by direct knowledge, and in each and every case he attains the ability to witness, when there is a basis for mindfulness. Just as, monks, on level ground at a crossroads a chariot harnessed to thoroughbreds might stand ready with goad lying ready; a skilled trainer, a charioteer of horses to be tamed, having mounted it, having taken the reins in his left hand, having taken the goad in his right hand, might drive it forward and back wherever he wishes, however he wishes; just so, monks, for whoever has mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated, he inclines the mind towards whatever mental state is to be realised by direct knowledge, for the realisation by direct knowledge, and in each and every case he attains the ability to witness, when there is a basis for mindfulness."
159. "Monks, when mindfulness directed to the body has been practised, developed, cultivated, mastered, made a basis of, practised, accumulated, and thoroughly undertaken, ten benefits are to be expected. He is one who overcomes discontent and delight, and discontent does not overcome him; he dwells having overcome arisen discontent.
"He is one who overcomes fear and dread, and fear and dread do not overcome him; he dwells having overcome arisen fear and dread.
"He is patient with cold and heat, with hunger and thirst, with the contact of gadflies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and creeping creatures, with ill-spoken and ill-expressed ways of speech; he is one who by nature endures arisen bodily feelings that are painful, sharp, rough, severe, disagreeable, unpleasant, and life-threatening.
"He is one who obtains at will, obtains without difficulty, obtains without trouble, the four meditative absorptions pertaining to the higher mind, which are pleasant abidings in the present life.
"He experiences the various kinds of supernormal power. Having been one, he becomes many; having been many, he becomes one; appearing, etc. He exercises mastery with his body even as far as the Brahma world.
"With the divine ear element, purified and surpassing the human, he hears both sounds, divine and human, whether far or near, etc.
"He understands the minds of other beings, of other persons, having encompassed them with his own mind. He understands a mind with lust as 'a mind with lust', a mind without lust, etc. a mind with hate, a mind without hate, a mind with delusion, a mind without delusion, a contracted mind, a distracted mind, an exalted mind, a not exalted mind, a surpassed mind, an unsurpassed mind, a concentrated mind, an unconcentrated mind, a liberated mind, he understands an unliberated mind as 'an unliberated mind'.
"He recollects manifold past lives, as follows - one birth, two births, etc. thus with aspects and terms he recollects manifold past lives.
"With the divine eye, which is pure and surpasses the human, he sees beings passing away and arising, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands beings according to their actions.
With the elimination of the mental corruptions, in this very life, having realised by direct knowledge himself, having attained, he dwells in the liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom that are without mental corruptions.
"Monks, when mindfulness directed to the body has been practised, developed, cultivated, mastered, made a basis of, practised, accumulated, and thoroughly undertaken, these ten benefits are to be expected."
This is what the Blessed One said. Those monks, delighted, rejoiced in what the Blessed One had said.
The Discourse on Mindfulness of the Body is concluded as ninth.