Mindful of the Body. prepared by. Thanissaro Bhikkhu

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2 Mindful of the Body A S T U D Y G U I D E prepared by Thanissaro Bhikkhu 2

3 copyright 2016 ṭhānissaro bhikkhu This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial 3.0 Unported. To see a copy of this license visit Commercial shall mean any sale, whether for commercial or non-profit purposes or entities. questions about this book may be addressed to Metta Forest Monastery Valley Center, CA U.S.A. additional resources More Dhamma talks, books and translations by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu are available to download in digital audio and various ebook formats at dhammatalks.org. printed copy A paperback copy of this book is available free of charge. To request one write to: Book Request, Metta Forest Monastery, PO Box 1409, Valley Center, CA USA. 3

4 INTRODUCTION Although early Buddhism is widely believed to take a negative attitude toward the body, the texts of the Pali Canon do not support this belief. They approach the body both in its positive role, as an object of meditation to develop mindfulness, concentration, and the mental powers based on concentration; and in its negative role as a object for unskillful states of mind. Even in its negative role, the body is not the culprit: the problem is the mind s attachment to the body. Once the body can be used in its positive role to develop mindfulness and concentration, those mental qualities can be used to free the mind of its attachments to the body. Then, as many a modern meditation master has noted, the mind and body can live in peace. This study guide focuses on the primary sutta in the Pali Canon dealing with the contemplation of the body: The Discourse on Mindfulness Immersed in the Body (MN 119). The first section, The Context, establishes the general principles underlying the practice of mindfulness immersed in the body, showing why attachment to the body is considered problematic in the first place. The second section presents the sutta itself. The remaining sections expand on points raised in the sutta: Section Three dealing with the advantages of practicing mindfulness immersed in the body, and Section Four expanding on the drawbacks of attachment to the body. Because the sutta treats the body both as an object of mindfulness and as an object of jhāna, or mental absorption, it raises questions concerning the relationship between these two mental qualities in the practice of meditation. There is a widespread belief that they represent two sides of a great divide in Buddhist meditation practice, with mindfulness on one side, joined with vipassanā (insight) and discernment; and jhāna on the other side joined with samatha (tranquility). The Pali Canon, however, presents a much more complex picture of the interrelated roles these mental qualities in the pursuit of awakening. And in fact, the Great Divide picture of Buddhist meditation practice conflates what the Pali Canon treats as three separate, albeit related issues: the relationship between samatha and vipassanā, the relationship between mindfulness and jhāna, and the relationship between jhāna and discernment. To convey the original parameters of these issues, this study guide ends with three sections focused on precisely these relationships. For supplemental reading on the issues of jhāna, mindfulness, and insight, see the articles, The Path of Mindfulness and Concentration and One Tool Among Many, and the book, Right Mindfulness 4

5 For further reading on contemplation of the body, see the following books and dhamma talks available on and Ajaan Mun Bhūridatto: A Heart Released Ajaan Mun Bhūridatto: The Ever-present Truth Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo: The Craft of the Heart Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo: Frames of Reference Ajaan Mahā Boowa Ñāṇasampanno: The Work of a Contemplative Ajaan Mahā Boowa Ñāṇasampanno: An Heir to the Dhamma Ajaan Suwat Suvaco: This Body of Mine Ajaan Suwat Suvaco: Disenchantment 5

6 ABBREVIATIONS AN Cv Dhp DN MN SN Sn Thag Thig Ud Aṅguttara Nikāya Cullavagga Dhammapada Dīgha Nikāya Majjhima Nikāya Saṁyutta Nikāya Sutta Nipāta Theragāthā Therīgāthā Udāna References to DN and MN are to discourse (sutta). Those to Dhp are to verse. Those to Cv are to chapter, section, and sub-section. References to other texts are to section (saṁyutta, nipāta, or vagga) and discourse. All translations are based on the Royal Thai Edition of the Pali Canon (Bangkok: Mahāmakut Rājavidyālaya, 1982). 6

7 I. THE CONTEXT Monks, I lived in refinement, utmost refinement, total refinement. My father even had lotus ponds made in our palace: one where red-lotuses bloomed, one where white lotuses bloomed, one where blue lotuses bloomed, all for my sake. I used no sandalwood that was not from Vārāṇasī. My turban was from Vārāṇasī, as were my tunic, my lower garments, & my outer cloak. A white sunshade was held over me day & night to protect me from cold, heat, dust, dirt, & dew. I had three palaces: one for the cold season, one for the hot season, one for the rainy season. During the four months of the rainy season I was entertained in the rainy-season palace by minstrels without a single man among them, and I did not once come down from the palace. Whereas the servants, workers, & retainers in other people s homes are fed meals of lentil soup & broken rice, in my father s home the servants, workers, & retainers were fed wheat, rice, and meat. Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to aging, not beyond aging, sees another who is aged, he is horrified, humiliated, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to aging, not beyond aging. If I who am subject to aging, not beyond aging were to be horrified, humiliated, & disgusted on seeing another person who is aged, that would not be fitting for me. As I noticed this, the [typical] young person s intoxication with youth entirely dropped away. Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to illness, not beyond illness, sees another who is ill, he is horrified, humiliated, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to illness, not beyond illness. And if I who am subject to illness, not beyond illness were to be horrified, humiliated, & disgusted on seeing another person who is ill, that would not be fitting for me. As I noticed this, the healthy person s intoxication with health entirely dropped away. Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to death, not beyond death, sees another who is dead, he is horrified, humiliated, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to death, not beyond death. And if I who am subject to death, not beyond death were to be horrified, humiliated, & disgusted on seeing another person who is dead, that would not be fitting for me. As I noticed this, the living person s intoxication with life entirely dropped away. Monks, there are these three forms of intoxication. Which three? Intoxication with youth, intoxication with health, intoxication with life. 7

8 Drunk with the intoxication of youth, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct. Having engaged in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct, he on the break-up of the body, after death reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. Drunk with the intoxication of health, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct. Having engaged in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct, he on the break-up of the body, after death reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. Drunk with the intoxication of life, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct. Having engaged in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct, he on the break-up of the body, after death reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. AN 3:39 Before my self-awakening, when I was still just an unawakened bodhisatta, being subject myself to birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, and defilement, I sought [happiness in] what was subject to birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, and defilement. The thought occurred to me: Why am I, being subject myself to birth defilement, seeking what is subject to birth defilement? What if I were to seek the unborn, unaging, unailing, undying, sorrowless, undefiled, unsurpassed security from bondage: unbinding. MN 26 I tell you, friend, that it isn t possible by traveling to know or see or reach a far end of the cosmos where one doesn t take birth, age, die, pass away, or reappear. But at the same time, I tell you that there is no making an end of suffering & stress without reaching the end of the cosmos. Yet it is just within this fathom-long body, with its perception & intellect, that I declare that there is the cosmos, the origination of the cosmos, the cessation of the cosmos, and the path of practice leading to the cessation of the cosmos. AN 4:45 Now this is the noble truth of stress: Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful; association with the unbeloved is stressful, separation from the loved is stressful, not getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful. And this is the noble truth of the origination of stress: the craving that makes for further becoming accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now here & now there i.e., craving for sensuality, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming. 8

9 And this is the noble truth of the cessation of stress: the remainderless fading & cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release, & letting go of that very craving. And this is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress: precisely this noble eightfold path right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This noble truth of stress is to be comprehended This noble truth of the origination of stress is to be abandoned This noble truth of the cessation of stress is to be directly experienced This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress is to be developed. SN 56:11 And what, monks, is right view? Knowledge with regard to stress, knowledge with regard to the origination of stress, knowledge with regard to the stopping of stress, knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the stopping of stress: This, monks, is called right view. And what, monks, is right resolve? Being resolved on renunciation, on freedom from ill will, on harmlessness: This, monks, is called right resolve. And what, monks, is right speech? Abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from abusive speech, abstaining from idle chatter: This, monks, is called right speech. And what, monks, is right action? Abstaining from taking life, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from sexual intercourse: This, monks, is called right action. And what, monks, is right livelihood? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood: This, monks, is called right livelihood. And what, monks, is right effort? (i) There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen. (ii) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the abandonment of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen. (iii) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen. (iv) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, & culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen: This, monks, is called right effort. And what, monks, is right mindfulness? (i) There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself ardent, alert, & mindful putting away greed & distress with reference to the world. (ii) He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves ardent, alert, & mindful putting away greed & distress with reference to the world. (iii) He remains focused on the mind in & of itself ardent, alert, & mindful putting away greed & distress with reference to the world. (iv) He 9

10 remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves ardent, alert, & mindful putting away greed & distress with reference to the world. This, monks, is called right mindfulness. And what, monks, is right concentration? (i) There is the case where a monk quite secluded from sensuality, secluded from unskillful qualities enters & remains in the first jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. (ii) With the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters & remains in the second jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation internal assurance. (iii) With the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare, Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding. (iv) With the abandoning of pleasure & pain as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress he enters & remains in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This, monks, is called right concentration. SN 45:8 10

11 II. MINDFULNESS IMMERSED IN THE BODY Kāyagatā-sati Sutta (Majjhima Nikāya 119) I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Sāvatthi at Jeta s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika s monastery. Now at that time a large number of monks, after the meal, on returning from their alms round, had gathered at the meeting hall when this discussion arose: Isn t it amazing, friends! Isn t it astounding! the extent to which mindfulness immersed in the body, when developed & pursued, is said by the Blessed One who knows, who sees the worthy one, rightly self-awakened to be of great fruit & great benefit. And this discussion came to no conclusion. Then the Blessed One, emerging from his seclusion in the late afternoon, went to the meeting hall and, on arrival, sat down on a seat made ready. As he was sitting there, he addressed the monks: For what topic are you gathered together here? And what was the discussion that came to no conclusion? Just now, lord, after the meal, on returning from our alms round, we gathered at the meeting hall when this discussion arose: Isn t it amazing, friends! Isn t it astounding! the extent to which mindfulness immersed in the body, when developed & pursued, is said by the Blessed One who knows, who sees the worthy one, rightly self-awakened to be of great fruit & great benefit. This was the discussion that had come to no conclusion when the Blessed One arrived. [The Blessed One said:] And how, monks, is mindfulness immersed in the body developed, how is it pursued, so as to be of great fruit & great benefit? 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 [the in-&-out breath]. He trains himself, I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body. Furthermore, when walking, the monk discerns, I am walking. When standing, 11

12 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. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body. Furthermore, when going forward & returning, he makes himself fully alert; when looking toward & looking away when bending & extending his limbs when carrying his outer cloak, his upper robe & his bowl when eating, drinking, chewing, & savoring when urinating & defecating when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, & remaining silent, he makes himself fully alert. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body. Furthermore, 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. 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. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body. Furthermore, the monk contemplates 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, & the wind property. Just as an adept butcher or butcher s apprentice, having killed a cow, would sit at a crossroads cutting it up into pieces, the monk contemplates 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, & the wind property. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are 12

13 abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body. Furthermore, as if he were to see a corpse cast away in a charnel ground one day, two days, three days dead bloated, livid, & festering, he applies it to this very body, This body, too: Such is its nature, such is its future, such its unavoidable fate Or again, as if he were to see a corpse cast away in a charnel ground, picked at by crows, vultures, & hawks, by dogs, hyenas, & various other creatures a skeleton smeared with flesh & 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 piled up, more than a year old 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. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body. The Four Jhānas Furthermore, quite secluded from sensuality, secluded from unskillful qualities, he enters & remains in the first jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. He permeates & pervades, suffuses & fills this very body with the rapture & pleasure born of seclusion. Just as if an adept bathman or bathman s apprentice would pour bath powder into a brass basin and knead it together, sprinkling it again & again with water, so that his ball of bath powder saturated, moisture-laden, permeated within & without would nevertheless not drip; even so, the monk permeates this very body with the rapture & pleasure born of seclusion. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture & pleasure born of seclusion. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body. Then, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters & remains in the second jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation internal assurance. He permeates & pervades, suffuses & fills this very body with the rapture & pleasure born of concentration. Just like a lake with spring-water welling up from within, having no inflow from the east, west, north, or south, and with the skies supplying abundant 13

14 showers time & again, so that the cool fount of water welling up from within the lake would permeate & pervade, suffuse & fill it with cool waters, there being no part of the lake unpervaded by the cool waters; even so, the monk permeates this very body with the rapture & pleasure born of concentration. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture & pleasure born of concentration. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body. Then, with the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare, Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding. He permeates & pervades, suffuses & fills this very body with the pleasure divested of rapture. Just as in a lotus pond, some of the lotuses, born & growing in the water, stay immersed in the water and flourish without standing up out of the water, so that they are permeated & pervaded, suffused & filled with cool water from their roots to their tips, and nothing of those lotuses would be unpervaded with cool water; even so, the monk permeates this very body with the pleasure divested of rapture. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded with pleasure divested of rapture. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body. Then, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress he enters & remains in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain. He sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. Just as if a man were sitting covered from head to foot with a white cloth so that there would be no part of his body to which the white cloth did not extend; even so, the monk sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by pure, bright awareness. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body. Fullness of Mind Monks, whoever develops & pursues mindfulness immersed in the body encompasses whatever skillful qualities are on the side of clear knowing. Just as whoever pervades the great ocean with his awareness encompasses whatever rivulets flow down into the ocean, in the same way, whoever develops & pursues mindfulness immersed in the body encompasses whatever skillful qualities are on 14

15 the side of clear knowing. In whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued, Māra gains entry, Māra gains a foothold. Suppose that a man were to throw a heavy stone ball into a pile of wet clay. What do you think, monks would the heavy stone ball gain entry into the pile of wet clay? Yes, lord. In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued, Māra gains entry, Māra gains a foothold. Now, suppose that there were a dry, sapless piece of timber, and a man were to come along with an upper fire-stick, thinking, I ll light a fire. I ll produce heat. What do you think would he be able to light a fire and produce heat by rubbing the upper fire-stick in the dry, sapless piece of timber? Yes, lord. In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued, Māra gains entry, Māra gains a foothold. Now, suppose that there were an empty, hollow water-pot set on a stand, and a man were to come along carrying a load of water. What do you think would he get a place to put his water? Yes, lord. In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued, Māra gains entry, Māra gains a foothold. Now, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Māra gains no entry, Māra gains no foothold. Suppose that a man were to throw a ball of string against a door panel made entirely of heartwood. What do you think would that light ball of string gain entry into that door panel made entirely of heartwood? No, lord. In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Māra gains no entry, Māra gains no foothold. Now, suppose that there were a wet, sappy piece of timber, and a man were to come along with an upper fire-stick, thinking, I ll light a fire. I ll produce heat. What do you think would he be able to light a fire and produce heat by rubbing the upper fire-stick in the wet, sappy piece of timber? No, lord. In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Māra gains no entry, Māra gains no foothold. Now, suppose that there were a water-pot set on a stand, full of water up to the brim so that crows could drink out of it, and a man were to come along carrying a 15

16 load of water. What do you think would he get a place to put his water? No, lord. In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Māra gains no entry, Māra gains no foothold. An Opening to the Higher Knowledges When anyone has developed & pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the six higher knowledges he turns his mind to know & realize, he can witness them for himself whenever there is an opening. Suppose that there were a water jar, set on a stand, brimful of water so that a crow could drink from it. If a strong man were to tip it in any way at all, would water spill out? Yes, lord. In the same way, when anyone has developed & pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the six higher knowledges he turns his mind to know & realize, he can witness them for himself whenever there is an opening. Suppose there were a rectangular water tank set on level ground, bounded by dikes brimful of water so that a crow could drink from it. If a strong man were to loosen the dikes anywhere at all, would water spill out? Yes, lord. In the same way, when anyone has developed & pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the six higher knowledges he turns his mind to know & realize, he can witness them for himself whenever there is an opening. Suppose there were a chariot on level ground at four crossroads, harnessed to thoroughbreds, waiting with whips lying ready, so that an adept driver, a trainer of tamable horses, might mount and taking the reins with his left hand and the whip with his right drive out & back, to whatever place & by whichever road he liked; in the same way, when anyone has developed & pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the six higher knowledges he turns his mind to know & realize, he can witness them for himself whenever there is an opening. Ten Benefits Monks, for one in whom mindfulness immersed in the body is cultivated, developed, pursued, given a means of transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, & well-undertaken, ten benefits can be expected. Which ten? (1) He conquers displeasure & delight, and displeasure does not conquer him. He remains victorious over any displeasure that has arisen. (2) He conquers fear & dread, and fear & dread to not conquer him. He remains victorious over any fear & dread that have arisen. 16

17 (3) He is resistant to cold, heat, hunger, thirst, the touch of gadflies & mosquitoes, wind & sun & creeping things; to abusive, hurtful language; he is the sort that can endure bodily feelings that, when they arise, are painful, sharp, stabbing, fierce, distasteful, disagreeable, deadly. (4) He can attain at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhānas heightened mental states providing a pleasant abiding in the here & now. (5) He wields manifold supranormal powers. Having been one he becomes many; having been many he becomes one. He appears. He vanishes. He goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, & mountains as if through space. He dives in & out of the earth as if it were water. He walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land. Sitting cross-legged he flies through the air like a winged bird. With his hand he touches & strokes even the sun & moon, so mighty & powerful. He exercises influence with his body even as far as the Brahmā worlds. (6) He hears by means of the divine ear-element, purified & surpassing the human both kinds of sounds: divine & human, whether near or far. (7) He knows the awareness of other beings, other individuals, having encompassed it with his own awareness. He discerns a mind with passion as a mind with passion, and a mind without passion as a mind without passion. He discerns a mind with aversion as a mind with aversion, and a mind without aversion as a mind without aversion. He discerns a mind with delusion as a mind with delusion, and a mind without delusion as a mind without delusion. He discerns a restricted mind as a restricted mind, and a scattered mind as a scattered mind. He discerns an enlarged mind as an enlarged mind, and an unenlarged mind as an unenlarged mind. He discerns an excelled mind [one that is not at the most excellent level] as an excelled mind, and an unexcelled mind as an unexcelled mind. He discerns a concentrated mind as a concentrated mind, and an unconcentrated mind as an unconcentrated mind. He discerns a released mind as a released mind, and an unreleased mind as an unreleased mind. (8) He recollects his manifold past lives, i.e., one birth, two births, three births, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred, one thousand, one hundred thousand, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction & expansion, [recollecting], There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose here. Thus he remembers his manifold past lives in their modes & details. (9) He sees by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human beings passing away & re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma: 17

18 These beings who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech, & mind, who reviled the noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. But these beings who were endowed with good conduct of body, speech, & mind, who did not revile the noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the good destinations, in the heavenly world. Thus by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human he sees beings passing away & re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma. (10) Through the ending of the mental effluents, he remains in the effluent-free release of awareness & release of discernment, having known and made them manifest for himself right in the here & now. Monks, for one in whom mindfulness immersed in the body is cultivated, developed, pursued, given a means of transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, & well-undertaken, these ten benefits can be expected. That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed One s words. MN 119 Mindfulness of In-&-Out Breathing Now how is mindfulness of in-&-out breathing developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, of great benefit? 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. 1 Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes out. (1) Breathing in long, he discerns, I am breathing in long ; or breathing out long, he discerns, I am breathing out long. (2) Or breathing in short, he discerns, I am breathing in short ; or breathing out short, he discerns, I am breathing out short. (3) He trains himself, I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body. 2 He trains himself, I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body. (4) He trains himself, I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication. 3 He trains himself, I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication. (5) He trains himself, I will breathe in sensitive to rapture. He trains himself, I will breathe out sensitive to rapture. (6) He trains himself, I will breathe in sensitive to pleasure. He trains himself, I will breathe out sensitive to pleasure. (7) He trains himself, I will breathe in sensitive to mental fabrication. 4 He trains himself, I will breathe out sensitive to mental fabrication. (8) He trains himself, I will breathe in calming mental fabrication. He trains himself, I will breathe out calming mental 18

19 fabrication. (9) He trains himself, I will breathe in sensitive to the mind. He trains himself, I will breathe out sensitive to the mind. (10) He trains himself, I will breathe in satisfying the mind. He trains himself, I will breathe out satisfying the mind. (11) He trains himself, I will breathe in steadying the mind. He trains himself, I will breathe out steadying the mind. (12) He trains himself, I will breathe in releasing the mind. He trains himself, I will breathe out releasing the mind. 5 (13) He trains himself, I will breathe in focusing on inconstancy. He trains himself, I will breathe out focusing on inconstancy. (14) He trains himself, I will breathe in focusing on dispassion [literally, fading]. He trains himself, I will breathe out focusing on dispassion. (15) He trains himself, I will breathe in focusing on cessation. He trains himself, I will breathe out focusing on cessation. (16) He trains himself, I will breathe in focusing on relinquishment. He trains himself, I will breathe out focusing on relinquishment. This is how mindfulness of in-&-out breathing is developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, of great benefit. The Four Establishings of Mindfulness And how is mindfulness of in-&-out breathing developed & pursued so as to bring the four establishings of mindfulness to their culmination? (1) On whatever occasion a monk breathing in long discerns, I am breathing in long ; or breathing out long, discerns, I am breathing out long ; or breathing in short, discerns, I am breathing in short ; or breathing out short, discerns, I am breathing out short ; trains himself, I will breathe in & out sensitive to the entire body ; trains himself, I will breathe in & out calming bodily fabrication : On that occasion the monk remains focused on the body in & of itself ardent, alert, & mindful putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. I tell you, monks, that this the in- &-out breath is classed as a body among bodies, which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on the body in & of itself ardent, alert, & mindful putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. (2) On whatever occasion a monk trains himself, I will breathe in & out sensitive to rapture ; trains himself, I will breathe in & out sensitive to pleasure ; trains himself, I will breathe in & out sensitive to mental fabrication ; trains himself, I will breathe in & out calming mental fabrication : On that occasion the monk remains focused on feelings in & of themselves ardent, alert, & mindful putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. I tell you, monks, that this careful attention to in-&-out breaths is classed as a feeling among feelings, 6 which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on feelings in & of themselves ardent, alert, & mindful putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. (3) On whatever occasion a monk trains himself, I will breathe in & out 19

20 sensitive to the mind ; trains himself, I will breathe in & out satisfying the mind ; trains himself, I will breathe in & out steadying the mind ; trains himself, I will breathe in & out releasing the mind : On that occasion the monk remains focused on the mind in & of itself ardent, alert, & mindful putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. I don t say that there is mindfulness of in-&-out breathing in one of lapsed mindfulness and no alertness, which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on the mind in & of itself ardent, alert, & mindful putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. (4) On whatever occasion a monk trains himself, I will breathe in & out focusing on inconstancy ; trains himself, I will breathe in & out focusing on dispassion ; trains himself, I will breathe in & out focusing on cessation ; trains himself, I will breathe in & out focusing on relinquishment : On that occasion the monk remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves ardent, alert, & mindful putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He who sees with discernment the abandoning of greed & distress is one who watches carefully with equanimity, which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves ardent, alert, & mindful putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. This is how mindfulness of in-&-out breathing is developed & pursued so as to bring the four establishings of mindfulness to their culmination. NOTES 1. To the fore (parimukhaṁ): The Abhidhamma takes an etymological approach to this term, defining it as around (pari-) the mouth (mukhaṁ). In the Vinaya, however, it is used in a context (Cv.V.27.4) where it undoubtedly means the front of the chest. There is also the possibility that the term could be used idiomatically as to the front, which is how I have translated it here. 2. The commentaries insist that body here means the breath, but this is unlikely in this context, for the next step without further explanation refers to the breath as bodily fabrication. If the Buddha were using two different terms to refer to the breath in such close proximity, he would have been careful to signal that he was redefining his terms (as he does below, when explaining that the first four steps in breath meditation correspond to the practice of focusing on the body in and of itself as a frame of reference). The step of breathing in and out sensitive to the entire body relates to the many similes in the suttas depicting jhāna as a state of whole-body awareness (see MN 119). 3. In-&-out breaths are bodily; these are things tied up with the body. That s why in-&-out breaths are bodily fabrications. MN 44. And how is a monk calmed in his bodily fabrication? There is the case where a monk, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain as with the earlier disappearance of 20

21 elation & distress enters & remains in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. AN 10:20 When one has attained the fourth jhāna, in-and-out breaths have ceased. SN 36:11 & AN 9:31 4. Perceptions & feelings are mental; these are things tied up with the mind. That s why perceptions & feelings are mental fabrications. MN AN 9:34 shows how the mind, step by step, is temporarily released from burdensome mental states of greater and greater refinement as it advances through the stages of jhāna. 6. As this shows, a meditator focusing on feelings in themselves as a frame of reference should not abandon the breath as the basis for his/her concentration. MN

22 III. THE ADVANTAGES OF MINDFULNESS IMMERSED IN THE BODY Khitaka: How light my body! Touched by abundant rapture & bliss, like a cotton tuft borne on the breeze it seems to be floating my body! Thag 1:104 Ven. Ānanda: Lord, does the Blessed One have direct experience of going to the Brahmā world by means of supranormal power with a mind-made body? The Buddha: Yes, Ānanda. Ven. Ānanda: But does the Blessed One also have direct experience of going to the Brahmā world by means of supranormal power with this very physical body, composed of the four great elements? The Buddha: Yes. Ven. Ānanda: It s amazing, lord, and astounding that the Blessed One should have direct experience of going to the Brahmā world by means of supranormal power with a mind-made body, and of going to the Brahmā world by means of supranormal power with this very physical body, composed of the four great elements. The Buddha: Tathāgatas are both amazing, Ānanda, and endowed with amazing qualities. They are both astounding and endowed with astounding qualities. Whenever the Tathāgata merges his body with his mind and his mind with his body, and remains having alighted on the perception of ease and buoyancy with regard to the body, then his body becomes lighter, more pliant, more malleable, & more radiant. Just as when an iron ball heated all day becomes lighter, more pliant, more malleable, & more radiant; in the same way, whenever the Tathāgata merges his body with his mind and his mind with his body, and remains having alighted on the perception of ease and buoyancy with regard to the body, then his body becomes lighter, more pliant, more malleable, & more radiant. Now, whenever the Tathāgata merges his body with his mind and his mind with 22

23 his body, and remains having alighted on the perception of ease and buoyancy with regard to the body, then his body rises effortlessly from the earth up into the sky. He then experiences manifold supranormal powers. Having been one he becomes many; having been many he becomes one. He appears. He vanishes. He goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, & mountains as if through space. He dives in & out of the earth as if it were water. He walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land. Sitting cross-legged he flies through the air like a winged bird. With his hand he touches & strokes even the sun & moon, so mighty & powerful. He exercises influence with his body even as far as the Brahmā worlds. Just as a tuft of cotton seed or a ball of thistle down, lightly wafted by the wind, rises effortlessly from the earth up into the sky, in the same way, whenever the Tathāgata concentrates his body in his mind & his mind in his body, and remains having alighted on the perception of ease and buoyancy, then his body rises effortlessly from the earth up into the sky. He then experiences manifold supranormal powers even as far as the Brahmā worlds. SN 51:22 Simply talking a lot doesn t maintain the dhamma. Whoever although he s heard next to nothing sees dhamma through his body, is not heedless of dhamma: he s one who maintains the dhamma. Dhp 259 They awaken, always wide awake: Gotama s disciples whose mindfulness, both day & night, is constantly immersed in the body. Dhp 299 Once a hawk suddenly swooped down on a quail and seized it. Then the quail, as it was being carried off by the hawk, lamented, O, just my bad luck and lack of merit that I was wandering out of my proper range and into the territory of others! If only I had kept to my proper range today, to my own ancestral territory, this hawk would have been no match for me in battle. But what is your proper range? the hawk asked. What is your own ancestral territory? A newly plowed field with clumps of earth all turned up. 23

24 So the hawk, without bragging about its own strength, without mentioning its own strength, let go of the quail. Go, quail, but even when you have gone there you won t escape me. Then the quail, having gone to a newly plowed field with clumps of earth all turned up and climbing up on top of a large clump of earth, stood taunting the hawk, Now come and get me, you hawk! Now come and get me, you hawk! So the hawk, without bragging about its own strength, without mentioning its own strength, folded its two wings and suddenly swooped down toward the quail. When the quail knew, The hawk is coming at me full speed, it slipped behind the clump of earth, and right there the hawk shattered its breast. This is what happens to anyone who wanders into what is not his proper range and is the territory of others. For this reason, you should not wander into what is not your proper range and is the territory of others. In one who wanders into what is not his proper range and is the territory of others, Māra gains an opening, Māra gains a foothold. And what, for a monk, is not his proper range and is the territory of others? The five strands of sensuality. Which five? Forms cognizable by the eye agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing. Sounds cognizable by the ear Smells cognizable by the nose Tastes cognizable by the tongue Tactile sensations cognizable by the body agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing. These, for a monk, are not his proper range and are the territory of others. Wander, monks, in what is your proper range, your own ancestral territory. In one who wanders in what is his proper range, his own ancestral territory, Māra gains no opening, Māra gains no foothold. And what, for a monk, is his proper range, his own ancestral territory? The four establishings of mindfulness. Which four? There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself ardent, alert, & mindful putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves mind in & of itself mental qualities in & of themselves ardent, alert, & mindful putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. This, for a monk, is his proper range, his own ancestral territory. SN 47:6 There are in the Himalayas, the king of mountains, difficult, uneven areas where neither monkeys nor human beings wander. There are difficult, uneven areas where monkeys wander, but not human beings. There are level stretches of land, delightful, where both monkeys and human beings wander. In such spots hunters set a tar trap in the monkeys tracks, in order to catch some monkeys. Those monkeys who are not foolish or careless by nature, when they see the tar trap, will keep their distance. But any monkey who is foolish & careless by nature comes up to the tar trap and grabs it with its paw, which then gets stuck there. Thinking, I ll free my paw, he grabs it with his other paw. That too gets stuck. Thinking, I ll free both of my paws, he grabs it 24