2.
The Greater Discourse of Advice to Rāhula
113. Thus have I heard - On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park. Then the Blessed One, having dressed in the earlier period of the day, taking his bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for almsfood. The Venerable Rāhula also, having dressed in the earlier period of the day, taking his bowl and robe, followed closely behind the Blessed One. Then the Blessed One, having looked back, addressed the Venerable Rāhula - "Whatever matter, Rāhula - past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, whether far or near - all matter should be seen as it really is with right wisdom thus: 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.'" "Only matter, Blessed One, only matter, Fortunate One?" "Matter too, Rāhula, feeling too, Rāhula, perception too, Rāhula, activities too, Rāhula, consciousness too, Rāhula." Then the Venerable Rāhula, thinking "Who, having been exhorted today face to face by the Blessed One with an exhortation, will enter the village for almsfood?" turned back from there and sat down at the foot of a certain tree, folding his legs crosswise, directing his body upright, having established mindfulness in front of him. The Venerable Sāriputta saw the Venerable Rāhula seated at the foot of a certain tree, folding his legs crosswise, directing his body upright, having established mindfulness in front of him. Having seen him, he addressed the Venerable Rāhula - "Rāhula, develop the meditation on mindfulness of breathing. Rāhula, mindfulness of breathing, when developed and cultivated, is of great fruit and great benefit."
114. Then the Venerable Rāhula, in the evening, having emerged from seclusion, approached the Blessed One; having approached, he paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the Venerable Rāhula said this to the Blessed One - "How, venerable sir, is mindfulness of breathing developed, how is it cultivated, so that it is of great fruit and great benefit?" "Whatever, Rāhula, internally, individually, is hard, solidified, grasped, as follows - head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, undigested food, excrement, or whatever else internally, individually, is hard, solidified, grasped - this is called, Rāhula, the internal solid element. Now both the internal solid element and the external solid element are just the solid element. That should be seen as it really is with right wisdom thus: 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self' - thus this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom. Having seen this as it really is with right wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the solid element, one makes the mind dispassionate towards the solid element."
115. "And what, Rāhula, is the liquid element? The liquid element may be internal, may be external. And what, Rāhula, is the internal liquid element? Whatever internally, individually, is liquid, having the nature of liquid, grasped, as follows - bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, spittle, snot, synovic fluid, urine, or whatever else internally, individually, is liquid, having the nature of liquid, grasped - this is called, Rāhula, the internal liquid element. Now both the internal liquid element and the external liquid element are just the liquid element. That should be seen as it really is with right wisdom thus: 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self' - thus this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom. Having seen this as it really is with right wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the liquid element, one makes the mind dispassionate towards the liquid element.
116. "And what, Rāhula, is the heat element? The heat element may be internal, may be external. And what, Rāhula, is the internal heat element? Whatever internally, individually, is heat, having the nature of heat, grasped, as follows - that by which one is warmed, that by which one ages, that by which one is consumed, that by which what is eaten, drunk, chewed, and tasted is properly digested, or whatever else internally, individually, is heat, having the nature of heat, grasped - this is called, Rāhula, the internal heat element. Now both the internal heat element and the external heat element are just the heat element. That should be seen as it really is with right wisdom thus: 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self' - thus this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom. Having seen this as it really is with right wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the heat element, one makes the mind dispassionate towards the heat element.
117. "And what, Rāhula, is the air element? The air element may be internal, may be external. And what, Rāhula, is the internal air element? Whatever internally, individually, is air, having the nature of air, grasped, as follows - upward-moving winds, downward-moving winds, winds in the belly, winds in the abdomen, winds that course through the limbs, in-breath and out-breath, or whatever else internally, individually, is air, having the nature of air, grasped - this is called, Rāhula, the internal air element. Now both the internal air element and the external air element are just the air element. That should be seen as it really is with right wisdom thus: 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self' - thus this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom. Having seen this as it really is with right wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the air element, one makes the mind dispassionate towards the air element.
118. "And what, Rāhula, is the space element? The space element may be internal, may be external. And what, Rāhula, is the internal space element? Whatever internally, individually, is space, having the nature of space, grasped, as follows - the ear-hole, the nose-hole, the mouth opening, that by which what is eaten, drunk, chewed, and tasted is swallowed, where what is eaten, drunk, chewed, and tasted remains, that by which what is eaten, drunk, chewed, and tasted passes out below, or whatever else internally, individually, is space, having the nature of space, open, having the nature of openness, hollow, having the nature of hollowness, not touched by flesh and blood, grasped - this is called, Rāhula, the internal space element. Now both the internal space element and the external space element are just the space element. That should be seen as it really is with right wisdom thus: 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self' - thus this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom. Having seen this as it really is with right wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the space element, one makes the mind dispassionate towards the space element.
119. "Rāhula, develop the meditation like the earth. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation like the earth, arisen agreeable and disagreeable contacts will not remain obsessing the mind. Just as, Rāhula, on the earth they throw what is pure, they throw what is impure, they throw faeces, they throw urine, they throw spittle, they throw pus, they throw blood, and the earth is not troubled or ashamed or disgusted on that account; just so you, Rāhula, develop the meditation like the earth. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation like the earth, arisen agreeable and disagreeable contacts will not remain obsessing the mind.
"Rāhula, develop the meditation like water. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation like water, arisen agreeable and disagreeable contacts will not remain obsessing the mind. Just as, Rāhula, in water they wash what is pure, they wash what is impure, they wash faeces, they wash urine, they wash spittle, they wash pus, they wash blood, and the water is not troubled or ashamed or disgusted on that account; just so you, Rāhula, develop the meditation like water. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation like water, arisen agreeable and disagreeable contacts will not remain obsessing the mind.
"Rāhula, develop the meditation like fire. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation like fire, arisen agreeable and disagreeable contacts will not remain obsessing the mind. Just as, Rāhula, fire burns what is pure, burns what is impure, burns faeces, burns urine, burns spittle, burns pus, burns blood, and the fire is not troubled or ashamed or disgusted on that account; just so you, Rāhula, develop the meditation like fire. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation like fire, arisen agreeable and disagreeable contacts will not remain obsessing the mind.
"Rāhula, develop the meditation like air. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation like air, arisen agreeable and disagreeable contacts will not remain obsessing the mind. Just as, Rāhula, air blows upon what is pure, blows upon what is impure, blows upon faeces, blows upon urine, blows upon spittle, blows upon pus, blows upon blood, and the air is not troubled or ashamed or disgusted on that account; just so you, Rāhula, develop the meditation like air. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation like air, arisen agreeable and disagreeable contacts will not remain obsessing the mind.
"Rāhula, develop the meditation like space. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation like space, arisen agreeable and disagreeable contacts will not remain obsessing the mind. Just as, Rāhula, space is not established anywhere; just so you, Rāhula, develop the meditation like space. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation like space, arisen agreeable and disagreeable contacts will not remain obsessing the mind.
120. "Rāhula, develop the meditation on friendliness. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation on friendliness, whatever anger there is will be abandoned. Rāhula, develop the meditation on compassion. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation on compassion, whatever harming there is will be abandoned. Rāhula, develop the meditation on altruistic joy. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation on altruistic joy, whatever discontent there is will be abandoned. Rāhula, develop the meditation on equanimity. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation on equanimity, whatever aversion there is will be abandoned. Rāhula, develop the meditation on foulness. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation on foulness, whatever lust there is will be abandoned. Rāhula, develop the meditation on the perception of impermanence. For when you, Rāhula, are developing the meditation on the perception of impermanence, whatever conceit 'I am' there is will be abandoned.
121. "Rāhula, develop the meditation on mindfulness of breathing. For mindfulness of breathing, Rāhula, when developed and cultivated, is of great fruit and great benefit. And how, Rāhula, is mindfulness of breathing developed, how is it cultivated, so that it is of great fruit and great benefit? Here, Rāhula, 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.'
He trains: 'Experiencing rapture, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Experiencing rapture, I shall breathe out'; he trains: 'Experiencing happiness, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Experiencing happiness, I shall breathe out'; he trains: 'Experiencing mental activity, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Experiencing mental activity, I shall breathe out'; he trains: 'Calming mental activity, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Calming mental activity, I shall breathe out.'
He trains: 'Experiencing the mind, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Experiencing the mind, I shall breathe out'; he trains: 'Gladdening the mind, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Gladdening the mind, I shall breathe out'; he trains: 'Concentrating the mind, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Concentrating the mind, I shall breathe out'; he trains: 'Releasing the mind, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Releasing the mind, I shall breathe out.'
He trains: 'Observing impermanence, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Observing impermanence, I shall breathe out'; he trains: 'Observing dispassion, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Observing dispassion, I shall breathe out'; he trains: 'Observing cessation, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Observing cessation, I shall breathe out'; he trains: 'Observing relinquishment, I shall breathe in'; he trains: 'Observing relinquishment, I shall breathe out.'
"Thus developed, Rāhula, mindfulness of breathing, thus cultivated, is of great fruit and great benefit. When mindfulness of breathing is thus developed, Rāhula, thus cultivated, even the final in-breaths cease being known, not unknown."
This is what the Blessed One said. Delighted, the Venerable Rāhula rejoiced in what the Blessed One had said.
The Greater Discourse on the Exhortation to Rāhula is concluded as second.