Dhammapada Verse 37
Samgharakkhitatthera Vatthu

Durangamam ekacaram1
asariram guhasayam2
ye cittam samyamissanti
mokkhanti marabandhana.

Verse 37: The mind wanders far and moves about alone: it is non-material; it lies in the cave (chamber) of the heart. Those who control their mind will be free from the bonds of Mara.

1. ekacaram: walking alone, moves about alone, it means conceiving one thought at a time, i.e., one thought arises only when another ceases.

2. guhasayam: lit., lying, or sleeping in a cave; mind lies and arises continually in the cave (chamber) of the heart (hadayavatthu), the seat of consciousness.

The Story of Thera Samgharakkhita

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (37) of this book, with reference to the nephew of Thera Samgharakkhita.

Once, there lived in Savatthi, a senior bhikkhu by the name of Samgharakkhita. When his sister gave birth to a son, she named the child after the thera and he came to be known as Samgharakkhita Bhagineyya. The nephew Samgharakkhita, in due course, was admitted into the Order. While the young bhikkhu was staying in a village monastery he was offered two sets of robes, and he intended to offer one to his uncle, the thera.

At the end of the vassa he went to his uncle to pay respect to him and offered the robe to the thera. But, the uncle declined to accept the robe, saying that he had enough. Although he repeated his request, the thera would not accept. The young bhikkhu felt disheartened and thought that since his uncle was so unwilling to share the requisites with him, it would be better for him to leave the Order and live the life of a layman.

From that point, his mind wandered and a train of thoughts followed. He thought that after leaving the Order he would sell the robe and buy a she-goat; that she-goat would breed quickly and soon he would make enough money to enable him to marry; his wife would give birth to a son. He would take his wife and child in a small cart to visit his uncle at the monastery. On the way, he would say that he would carry the child; she would tell him to drive the cart and not to bother about the child. He would insist and grab the child from her; between them the child would drop on the cart-track and the wheel would pass over the child. He would get so furious with his wife that he would strike her with the goading-stick.

At that time he was fanning the thera with a palmyra fan and he absentmindedly struck the head of the thera with the fan. The thera, knowing the thoughts of the young bhikkhu, said, "You were unable to beat your wife; why have you beaten an old bhikkhu?" Young Samgharakkhita was very much surprised and embarrassed at the words of the old bhikkhu; he also became extremely frightened. So he fled. Young bhikkhus and novices of the monastery chased him and finally took him to the presence of the Buddha.

When told about the whole episode, the Buddha said that the mind has the ability to think of an object even though it might be far away, and that one should strive hard for liberation from the bondage of passion, ill will and ignorance.

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 37: The mind wanders far and moves about alone: it is non-material; it lies in the cave (chamber) of the heart. Those who control their mind will be free from the bonds of Mara.

At the end of the discourse the young bhikkhu attained Sotapatti Fruition.


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Free Buddha Dharma ebook

A Practical Way Of Vipassana (Insight Meditation) Volume- I
By Mahasi Sayadaw Gyi

A Practical Way of Vipassana (Insight Meditation) in Myanmar is one of the most famous books of the Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw, which he completed on 8th February 1944 within seven months of writing, while residing at Seikkhun Village, Shwebo.

The English translation of the original Myanmar by U Min Swe book was prepared in two volumes (Chapter I to IV as Volume I and Chapter V to VI as Volume II) Since we have published Volume II for the first time in April 2018, now the readers can study Volume I and II together.


May all the readers of this book which is the authoritative manual of the doctrines and the practical aspects of the Sitapattahana Method of meditation, study and practise Meditation and attain Nibbana in the shortest time possible.

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Dhammapada Verses 38 and 39
Cittahatthatthera Vatthu

Anavatthitacittassa
saddhammam avijanato
pariplavapasadassa
panna na paripurati.

Anavassutacittassa
ananvahatacetaso
punnapapapahinassa1
natthi jagarato2 bhayam.

Verse 38: If a man's mind is unsteady, if he is ignorant of the true Dhamma, and if his faith is wavering, then his knowledge will never be perfect.

Verse 39: If a man's mind is free from passion, if he is free from ill will, if he has abandoned both good and evil, and if he is vigilant, for such a man there is no danger.

The Story of Thera Cittahattha

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verses (38) and (39) of this book, with reference to Thera Cittahattha.

A man from Savatthi, after looking for his lost ox in the forest, felt very hungry and went to a village monastery, where he was given the remains of the morning meal. While taking his food, it occurred to him that even though he worked hard every day he could not get such good food and that it might be a good idea to become a bhikkhu. So he asked the bhikkhus to admit him into the Order. At the monastery, he performed the duties of a bhikkhu and as there was plenty of food he soon gained weight. After some time, he got weary of going round for alms-food and returned to the life of a lay man. A few days later, he felt that life at home was too strenuous and he went back to the monastery to be admitted as a bhikkhu for a second time. For a second time, he left the Order and returned to home-life. Again, he went back to the monastery for a third time and left it. This shuttling process went on for six times, and because he acted only according to his whims he was known as Thera Cittahattha.

While he was going back and forth between his home and the monastery, his wife became pregnant. One day, during his last stay at home, he happened to enter the bedroom while his wife was asleep. She was almost naked as the clothes she was wearing had partially fallen off. She was also snoring loudly through her nose and mouth and saliva was trickling down her mouth. Thus, with her mouth open and her bloated stomach, she looked just like a corpse. Seeing her thus, he instantly came to perceive the impermanent and unpleasant nature of the body, and he reflected, "I have been a bhikkhu for several times and it is only because of this woman that I have not been able to remain as a bhikkhu." Hence, taking the yellow robe with him he left his home for the monastery for the seventh time. As he went along he repeated the words "impermanence" and "unpleasantness" (anicca and dukkha) and thus attained Sotapatti Fruition on the way to the monastery.

On arrival at the monastery he asked the bhikkhus to admit him into the Order. They refused and said, "We cannot admit you as a bhikkhu. You have been shaving your head so often that your head is like a whetting stone." Still, he entreated them to admit him into the Order just once more and they complied. Within a few days, the bhikkhu Cittahattha attained arahatship together with Analytical Insight. Other bhikkhus, seeing him staying on for a long time in the monastery, were surprised and they asked him the reason why. To this, he replied. "I went home when I still had attachment in me, but now that attachment has been cut off" The bhikkhus, not believing him, approached the Buddha and reported the matter. To them, the Buddha said, "Thera Cittahattha was speaking the truth; he shifted between home and monastery before because at that time, his mind was not steadfast and he did not understand the Dhamma. But at this moment, Thera Cittahattha is already an arahat; he has discarded both good and evil."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 38: If a man's mind is unsteady, if he is ignorant of the true Dhamma, and if his faith is wavering, then his knowledge will never be perfect.

Verse 39: If a man's mind is free from passion, if he is free from ill will, if he has abandoned both good and evil, and if he is vigilant, for such a man there is no danger.

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Dhammapada Verse 40
Pancasatabhikkhu Vatthu

Kumbhupamam kayamimam viditva
nagarupam cittamidam thapetva
yodhetha maram panna vudhena
jitanca rakkhe anivesano siya1.

Verse 40: Knowing that this body is (fragile) like an earthern jar, making one's mind secure like a fortified town, one should fight Mara with the weapon of Knowledge. (After defeating Mara) one should still continue to guard one's mind, and feel no attachment to that which has been gained (i.e., jhana ecstasy and serenity gained through meditation).

1. anivesano siya: not to be attached; in this Context not to be attached to jhana ecstasy and serenity gained through meditation, but to proceed further with Insight meditation practices until the attainment of arahatship. (The Commentary)

The Story of Five Hundred Bhikkhus

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (40) of this book, with reference to five hundred bhikkhus.

Five hundred bhikkhus from Savatthi, after obtaining a subject of meditation from the Buddha, travelled for a distance of one hundred yojanas* away from Savatthi and came to a large forest grove, a suitable place for meditation practice. The guardian spirits of the trees dwelling in that forest thought that if those bhikkhus were staying in the forest, it would not be proper for them to live with their families in the trees. So they descended from the trees, thinking that the bhikkhus would stop there only for one night. But the bhikkhus were still there at the end of a fortnight; then it occurred to them that the bhikkhus might be staying there till the end of the vassa. In that case, they and their families would have to be living on the ground for a long time. So, they decided to frighten away the bhikkhus, by making ghostly sounds and frightful apparitions. They showed up with bodies without heads, and with heads without bodies, etc. The bhikkhus were very upset and left the place and returned to the Buddha, to whom they related everything. On hearing their account, the Buddha told them that this had happened because previously they went without any weapon and that they should go back there armed with a suitable weapon. So saying, the Buddha taught them the entire Metta Sutta (discourse on Loving-Kindness) beginning with the following stanza:

Karaniyamattha kusalena
Yanta santam padam abhisamecca
Sakko uju ca suhuju ca
Suvaco c'assa mudu anatimani.

[The above stanza may be translated as: "He who is skilled in (acquiring) what is good and beneficial, (mundane as well as supra-mundane), aspiring to attain Perfect Peace (Nibbana) should act (thus): He should be efficient, upright, perfectly upright, compliant, gentle and free from conceit."]

The bhikkhus were instructed to recite the sutta from the time they came to the outskirts of the forest grove and to enter the monastery reciting the same. The bhikkhus returned to the forest grove and did as they were told. The guardian spirits of the trees receiving loving-kindness from the bhikkhus reciprocated by readily welcoming and not harming them. There were no more ghostly sounds and ungainly sights. Thus left in peace, the bhikkhus meditated on the body and came to realize its fragile and impermanent nature.

From the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha, by his supernormal power, learned about the progress of the bhikkhus and sent forth his radiance making them feel his presence. To them he said, "Bhikkhus just as you have realized, the body is, indeed, impermanent."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 40: Knowing that this body is (fragile) like an earthern jar, making one's mind secure like a fortified town, one should fight Mara with the weapon of Knowledge. (After defeating Mara) one should still continue to guard one's mind, and feel no attachment to that which has been gained (i.e., jhana ecstasy and serenity gained through meditation).

At the end of the discourse, the five hundred bhikkhus attained arahatship.

* yozana: a measure of length about twelve miles.

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Dhammapada Verse 41
Putigattatissatthera Vatthu

Aciram vata' yam kayo
pathavim adhisessati
chuddho apetavinnano
niratthamva kalingaram.

Verse 41: Before long, alas, this body, deprived of consciousness, will lie on the earth, discarded like a useless log.

The Story of Tissa, the Thera with a Stinking Body

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (41) of this book, with reference to Thera Tissa.

After taking a subject of meditation from the Buddha, Thera Tissa was diligently practising meditation when he was afflicted with a disease. Small boils appeared all over his body and these developed into big sores. When these sores burst, his upper and lower robes became sticky and stained with pus and blood, and his whole body was stinking. For this reason, he was known as Putigattatissa, Tissa the thera with stinking body.

As the Buddha surveyed the universe with the light of his own intellect, the thera appeared in his vision. He saw the sorrowful state of the thera, who had been abandoned by his resident pupils on account of his stinking body. At the same time, he also knew that Tissa would soon attain arahatship. So, the Buddha proceeded to the fire-shed, close to the place where the thera was staying. There, he boiled some water, and then going, to where the thera was lying down, took hold of the edge of the couch. It was then only that the resident pupils gathered round the thera, and as instructed by the Buddha, they carried the thera to the fire-shed, where he was washed and bathed. While he was being bathed, his upper and lower robes were washed and dried. After the bath, the thera became fresh in body and mind and soon developed one-pointedness of concentration. Standing at the head of the couch, the Buddha said to him that this body when devoid of life would be as useless as a log and would be laid on the earth.

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 41: Before long, alas, this body, deprived of consciousness, will lie on the earth, discarded like a useless log.

At the end of the discourse Thera Tissa attained arahatship together with Analytical Insight, and soon passed away.

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The Buddha’s Original Teachings on Mindfulness

The Satipatthana Sutta, from the Pali Canon, outlines some of the Buddha’s first instructions in establishing mindful awareness.
Translation and introduction by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Mindfulness means the ability to keep something in mind. On the Buddhist path, it functions in three ways: remembering to stay alert to what you’re doing in the present moment; remembering to recognize the skillful and unskillful qualities that arise in the mind; and remembering how to effectively abandon the qualities that get in the way of concentration, then developing the skillful ones that promote it.

The Satipatthana Sutta—The Establishing of Mindfulness Discourse—gives detailed instructions in the first two of these functions. It starts with the basic formula for establishing mindfulness, describing four frames of reference for anchoring mindfulness in the present moment. Then it asks and answers questions that focus solely on the beginning part of the formula: how to remain focused on each frame in and of itself.

To give you a sense of how the Buddha would recommend getting started in mindfulness for the sake of true happiness, here is the entire translated discourse.
The Establishing of Mindfulness Discourse
Satipatthana Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya [MN] 10)

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying in the Kuru country. Now there is a town of the Kurus called Kammasadhamma. There the Blessed One [the Buddha] addressed the monks, “Monks.”

“Lord,” the monks responded to him.

The Blessed One said: “This is the direct path for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and distress, for the attainment of the right method, and for the realization of unbinding—in other words, the four establishings of mindfulness. Which four?

[Unbinding: Pali nibbana (Skt. nirvana) is the goal of practice. In everyday Pali, nibbana referred to the extinguishing of a fire. In the physics of the Buddha’s time, this did not mean that the fire went out of existence. Instead, while the fire was burning, it was seen to be in a state of agitation because it clung to its fuel and, as a result, was trapped there. When it let go of its fuel, it was freed and reached a state of calm. The implication of the image is that you are trapped by your experiences because you hold onto them—they don’t hold onto you—and you can reach freedom by letting go.]

“There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in and of itself—ardent, alert, and mindful—subduing greed and distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings . . . mind . . . mental qualities in and of themselves—ardent, alert, and mindful—subduing greed and distress with reference to the world.

[“In and of itself” here means that you stay focused on the experience of the body, etc., on its own terms, without reference to how it might function in the external world or in the worlds of your imagination.

According to the Buddha, to be ardent means to wipe out unskillful thoughts as soon as they arise, giving rise to skillful ones in their place.]
BODY

“And how does a monk remain focused on the body in and of itself?

“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, ‘I am breathing in long’; or breathing out long, he discerns, ‘I am breathing out long.’ Or breathing in short, he discerns, ‘I am breathing in short’; or breathing out short, he discerns, ‘I am breathing out short.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body’; he trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication’ [in other words, the in-and-out breath]; he trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.’ Just as a dexterous turner or

his apprentice, when making a long turn, discerns, ‘I am making a long turn,’ or when making a short turn discerns, ‘I am making a short turn’; in the same way the monk, when breathing in long, discerns, ‘I am breathing in long’; or breathing out long, he discerns, ‘I am breathing out long.’ . . . He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication’; he trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.’

“In this way he remains focused internally on the body in and of itself, or externally on the body in and of itself, or both internally and externally on the body in and of itself. Or he remains focused on the phenomenon of origination [Pali samudaya, referring not to the simple arising of something, but to the processes that cause it to arise] with regard to the body, on the phenomenon of passing away with regard to the body, or on the phenomenon of origination and passing away with regard to the body. Or his mindfulness that ‘There is a body’ is maintained to the extent of knowledge and remembrance. And he remains independent, unsustained by [not clinging to] anything in the world. This is how a monk remains focused on the body in and of itself.

“And further, when walking, the monk discerns, ‘I am walking.’ When standing, he discerns, ‘I am standing.’ When sitting, he discerns, ‘I am sitting.’ When lying down, he discerns, ‘I am lying down.’ Or however his body is disposed, that is how he discerns it.

“In this way he remains focused internally on the body in and of itself . . . This is how a monk remains focused on the body in and of itself.

“And further, when going forward and returning, he makes himself fully alert; when looking toward and looking away . . . when flexing and extending his limbs… when carrying his outer cloak, his upper robe, and his bowl . . . when eating, drinking, chewing, and savoring . . . when urinating and defecating . . . when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, and remaining silent, he makes himself fully alert.

“In this way he remains focused internally on the body in and of itself . . . This is how a monk remains focused on the body in and of itself.

“And further . . . 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.’

“In this way he remains focused internally on the body in and of itself . . . This is how a monk remains focused on the body in and of itself.

“And further . . . just as a dexterous butcher or his apprentice, having killed a cow, would sit at a crossroads cutting it up into pieces, the monk reflects on 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, and the wind property.’

“In this way he remains focused internally on the body in and of itself . . . This is how a monk remains focused on the body in and of itself.

“And further, as if he were to see a corpse cast away in a charnel ground—one day, two days, three days dead—bloated, livid, and festering, he applies it to this very body, ‘This body, too: Such is its nature, such is its future, such its unavoidable fate.’

“In this way he remains focused internally on the body in and of itself . . . This is how a monk remains focused on the body in and of itself.

“Or again, as if he were to see a corpse cast away in a charnel ground, being chewed by crows, being chewed by vultures, being chewed by hawks, being chewed by dogs, being chewed by hyenas, being chewed by various other creatures . . . a skeleton smeared with flesh and 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 . . . the bones piled up, more than a year old . . . the bones 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.’

“In this way he remains focused internally on the body in and of itself, or externally on the body in and of itself, or both internally and externally on the body in and of itself. Or he remains focused on the phenomenon of origination with regard to the body, on the phenomenon of passing away with regard to the body, or on the phenomenon of origination and passing away with regard to the body. Or his mindfulness that ‘There is a body’ is maintained to the extent of knowledge and remembrance. And he remains independent, unsustained by [not clinging to] anything in the world. This is how a monk remains focused on the body in and of itself.

FEELINGS

“And how does a monk remain focused on feelings in and of themselves? There is the case where a monk, when feeling a painful feeling, discerns, ‘I am feeling a painful feeling.’ When feeling a pleasant feeling, he discerns, ‘I am feeling a pleasant feeling.’ When feeling a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he discerns, ‘I am feeling a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling.’

“When feeling a painful feeling of the flesh, he discerns, ‘I am feeling a painful feeling of the flesh.’ When feeling a painful feeling not of the flesh, he discerns, ‘I am feeling a painful feeling not of the flesh.’ When feeling a pleasant feeling of the flesh, he discerns, ‘I am feeling a pleasant feeling of the flesh.’ When feeling a pleasant feeling not of the flesh, he discerns, ‘I am feeling a pleasant feeling not of the flesh.’ When feeling a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling of the flesh, he discerns, ‘I am feeling a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling of the flesh.’ When feeling a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling not of the flesh, he discerns, ‘I am feeling a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling not of the flesh.’

[Feelings of the flesh are the simple pains, pleasures, etc., that arise willy-nilly at the senses including the mind as the sixth sense. Feelings not of the flesh are those that you deliberately bring into being with regard to the practice. A pain not of the flesh would be the pain that comes from the thought that you still have further to go in practice and have not yet reached your goal. A pleasure not of the flesh would be the pleasure that comes from getting the mind into a solid state of concentration, called jhana. The Buddha recommends developing both these sorts of feelings—the pain, as a way of motivating yourself to practice more seriously; the pleasure, as a way of giving the mind nourishment and shelter along the path.]

“In this way he remains focused internally on feelings in and of themselves, or externally on feelings in and of themselves, or both internally and externally on feelings in and of themselves. Or he remains focused on the phenomenon of origination with regard to feelings, on the phenomenon of passing away with regard to feelings, or on the phenomenon of origination and passing away with regard to feelings. Or his mindfulness that ‘There are feelings’ is maintained to the extent of knowledge and remembrance.

And he remains independent, unsustained by [not clinging to] anything in the world. This is how a monk remains focused on feelings in and of themselves.

MIND

“And how does a monk remain focused on the mind in and of itself? There is the case where a monk, when the mind has passion, discerns, ‘The mind has passion.’ When the mind is without passion, he discerns, ‘The mind is without passion.’ When the mind has aversion, he discerns, ‘The mind has aversion.’ When the mind is without aversion, he discerns, ‘The mind is without aversion.’ When the mind has delusion, he discerns, ‘The mind has delusion.’ When the mind is without delusion, he discerns, ‘The mind is without delusion.’

“When the mind is constricted, he discerns, ‘The mind is constricted [sluggish].’ When the mind is scattered, he discerns, ‘The mind is scattered.’ When the mind is enlarged, he discerns, ‘The mind is enlarged. When the mind is not enlarged, he discerns that the mind is not enlarged. When the mind is surpassed, he discerns, ‘The mind is surpassed.’ When the mind is unsurpassed, he discerns, ‘The mind is unsurpassed.’ When the mind is concentrated, he discerns, ‘The mind is concentrated.’ When the mind is not concentrated, he discerns, ‘The mind is not concentrated.’ When the mind is released, he discerns, ‘The mind is released.’ When the mind is not released, he discerns, ‘The mind is not released.’

“In this way he remains focused internally on the mind in and of itself, or externally on the mind in and of itself, or both internally and externally on the mind in and of itself. Or he remains focused on the phenomenon of origination with regard to the mind, on the phenomenon of passing away with regard to the mind, or on the phenomenon of origination and passing away with regard to the mind. Or his mindfulness that ‘There is a mind’ is maintained to the extent of knowledge and remembrance. And he remains independent, unsustained by [not clinging to] anything in the world. This is how a monk remains focused on the mind in and of itself.

MENTAL QUALITIES

“And how does a monk remain focused on mental qualities in and of themselves?

“There is the case where a monk remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the five hindrances. And how does a monk remain focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the five hindrances? There is the case where, there being sensual desire present within, a monk discerns, ‘There is sensual desire present within me.’ Or, there being no sensual desire present within, he discerns, ‘There is no sensual desire present within me.’ He discerns how there is the arising of unarisen sensual desire. And he discerns how there is the abandoning of sensual desire once it has arisen. And he discerns how there is no further appearance in the future of sensual desire that has been abandoned. [The same formula is repeated for the remaining hindrances: ill will, sloth and drowsiness, restlessness and anxiety, and uncertainty.]

“In this way he remains focused internally on mental qualities in and of themselves . . . This is how a monk remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the five hindrances.

“And further, the monk remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the five clinging-aggregates. And how does a monk remain focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the five clinging-aggregates? There is the case where a monk [discerns]: ‘Such is form, such its origination, such its disappearance. Such is feeling . . . Such is perception . . . Such are fabrications . . . Such is consciousness, such its origination, such its disappearance.’

“In this way he remains focused internally on mental qualities in and of themselves . . . This is how a monk remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the five clinging-aggregates.

“And further, the monk remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the sixfold internal and external sense media. And how does a monk remain focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the sixfold internal and external sense media? There is the case where he discerns the eye, he discerns forms, he discerns the fetter that arises dependent on both. He discerns how there is the arising of an unarisen fetter. And he discerns how there is the abandoning of a fetter once it has arisen. And he discerns how there is no further appearance in the future of a fetter that has been abandoned. [The same formula is repeated for the remaining sense media: ear, nose, tongue, body, and intellect.]

“In this way he remains focused internally on mental qualities in and of themselves . . . This is how a monk remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the sixfold internal and external sense media.

“And further, the monk remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the seven factors for awakening. And how does a monk remain focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the seven factors for awakening? There is the case where, there being mindfulness as a factor for awakening present within, he discerns, ‘Mindfulness as a factor for awakening is present within me.’ Or, there being no mindfulness as a factor for awakening present within, he discerns, ‘Mindfulness as a factor for awakening is not present within me.’ He discerns how there is the arising of unarisen mindfulness as a factor for awakening. And he discerns how there is the culmination of the development of mindfulness as a factor for awakening once it has arisen. [The same formula is repeated for the remaining factors for awakening: analysis of qualities, persistence, rapture, calm, concentration, and equanimity.]

“In this way he remains focused internally on mental qualities in and of themselves . . . This is how a monk remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the seven factors for awakening.

“And further, the monk remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the four noble truths. And how does a monk remain focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the four noble truths? There is the case where he discerns, as it has come to be, that ‘This is stress . . .This is the origination of stress . . . This is the cessation of stress . . . This is the way leading to the cessation of stress.’

“In this way he remains focused internally on mental qualities in and of themselves, or externally on mental qualities in and of themselves, or both internally and externally on mental qualities in and of themselves. Or he remains focused on the phenomenon of origination with regard to mental qualities, on the phenomenon of passing away with regard to mental qualities, or on the phenomenon of origination and passing away with regard to mental qualities. Or his mindfulness that ‘There are mental qualities’ is maintained to the extent of knowledge and remembrance. And he remains independent, unsustained by [not clinging to] anything in the world. This is how a monk remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves with reference to the four noble truths.

CONCLUSION

“Now, if anyone would develop these four establishings of mindfulness in this way for seven years, one of two fruits can be expected for him: either gnosis [full awakening] right here and now, or—if there be any remnant of clinging-sustenance—non-return. [There are four levels of awakening. Non-return—in which you are not destined to be born again in the human world, and will reach unbinding in one of the higher heavens—is the third of the four.]

“Let alone seven years. If anyone would develop these four establishings of mindfulness in this way for six years . . . five . . . four . . . three . . . two years . . . one year . . . seven months . . . six months . . . five . . . four . . . three . . . two months . . . one month . . . half a month, one of two fruits can be expected for him: either gnosis right here and now, or—if there be any remnant of clinging-sustenance—non-return.

“Let alone half a month. If anyone would develop these four establishings of mindfulness in this way for seven days, one of two fruits can be expected for him: either gnosis right here and now, or—if there be any remnant of clinging-sustenance—non-return.

“‘This is the direct path for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and distress, for the attainment of the right method, and for the realization of unbinding—in other words, the four establishings of mindfulness.’ Thus was it said, and in reference to this was it said.”

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed One’s words.

For more on mindfulness practice, see suttas MN 2, MN 101, MN 118; Samyutta Nikaya [SN] 16:2; or Anguttara Nikaya [AN] 4:245, and AN 8:70—all available at

www.dhammatalks.org

Thanissaro Bhikkhu has also written two books on the topic: The Karma of Mindfulness and Right Mindfulness.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu is an American Theravada Buddhist monk trained in the Thai Forest Tradition. He currently serves as abbot of the Metta Forest Monastery in San Diego County, California and is a frequent contributor to Tricycle. His latest book is Good Heart, Good Mind: The Practice of the Ten Perfections. Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s talks, writings, and translations are all freely available at his website, dhammatalks.org.

Theravadin monks at Borobudur temple, Java island, Indonesia

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The life of the Buddha
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The Maha Bodhi Society, Bangalore, and Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre at Leh, Ladakh, are engaged in popularizing the Teaching of the Buddha. Besides meditation courses, we are administering several projects of social service, of which education is one. We have established schools at Bangalore, Mysore and Ladakh.

In these schools, students, besides the standard scholastic education, are given sound training in moral education and in the basic Buddhist culture. For this "The LifeoftheBuddha' in two parts published by the Buddhist Missionary Society, Kuala Lumpur, was found to be ideal for use as a test book, because of the simple and lucid narration of the life of the Buddha. The presentation is not only inspiring but effectively brings out the fundamental teachings of the Buddha.

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