The Middle Length Discourses 119
Mindfulness Directed to the Body
Thus have I heard—
at one time the Bhagavā was dwelling at Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park.
Then, when a number of bhikkhus had returned from almsround after the meal and were sitting together, assembled in the attendance hall, this conversation arose among them:
“It is wonderful, friends, it is marvelous, friends.
To such an extent has mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] been declared by that Bhagavā who knows and sees, the arahant, the perfectly awakened one, as developed and cultivated, as having great fruit and great benefit.”
And this conversation among those bhikkhus was left unfinished. Then the Bhagavā, in the evening, having emerged from seclusion, went to the attendance hall; having gone there, he sat down on the prepared seat.
Seated, the Bhagavā addressed the bhikkhus:
“For what discussion are you sitting together now, bhikkhus, and what was your conversation that was left unfinished?”
“Here, bhante, when we had returned from almsround after the meal and were sitting together, assembled in the attendance hall, this conversation arose among us:
‘It is wonderful, friends, it is marvelous, friends.
To such an extent has mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] been declared by that Bhagavā who knows and sees, the arahant, the perfectly awakened one, as developed and cultivated, as having great fruit and great benefit.’
This, bhante, was our conversation that was left unfinished when the Bhagavā arrived.”
“And how, bhikkhus, is mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati], when developed and cultivated, of great fruit and great benefit?
Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, gone to the wilderness, or gone to the root of a tree, or gone to an empty hut, sits down; having folded his legs crosswise, set his body upright, and established sati before him.
With sati he breathes in, with sati he breathes out;
breathing in long, he understands, ‘I breathe in long’; or breathing out long, he understands, ‘I breathe out long’;
breathing in short, he understands, ‘I breathe in short’; or breathing out short, he understands, ‘I breathe out short’;
he trains: ‘Experiencing the whole body, I will breathe in’; he trains: ‘Experiencing the whole body, I will breathe out’;
he trains: ‘Settling the bodily saṅkhāra, I will breathe in’; he trains: ‘Settling the bodily saṅkhāra, I will breathe out.’
As he dwells in this way, diligent, ardent, and resolute, whatever household-based memories and intentions he has are abandoned.
With their abandoning, his citta settles internally, quiets down, becomes unified, and enters samādhi.
In this way, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, when walking, a bhikkhu understands, ‘I am walking’; or when standing, he understands, ‘I am standing’; or when sitting, he understands, ‘I am sitting’; or when lying down, he understands, ‘I am lying down.’
However his body is positioned, he understands it accordingly.
As he dwells in this way, diligent, ardent, and resolute, whatever household-based memories and intentions he has are abandoned.
With their abandoning, his citta settles internally, quiets down, becomes unified, and enters samādhi.
In this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu acts with clear comprehension [sampajānakārī] when going forward and returning; acts with clear comprehension [sampajānakārī] when looking ahead and looking aside; acts with clear comprehension [sampajānakārī] when bending and stretching; acts with clear comprehension [sampajānakārī] when wearing his outer robe, bowl, and robes; acts with clear comprehension [sampajānakārī] when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting; acts with clear comprehension [sampajānakārī] when defecating and urinating; acts with clear comprehension [sampajānakārī] when going, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking, and keeping silent.
As he dwells in this way, diligent, ardent, and resolute, whatever household-based memories and intentions he has are abandoned.
With their abandoning, his citta settles internally, quiets down, becomes unified, and enters samādhi.
In this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu reviews this very body, upward from the soles of the feet and downward from the tips of the hair, bounded by skin and full of many kinds of impurities:
‘In this body there are head-hairs, body-hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, stomach contents, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, mucus, joint fluid, and urine.’
Just as, bhikkhus, there might be a bag with openings at both ends, full of various sorts of grain, namely—
hill rice, paddy rice, mung beans, peas, sesame, and husked rice,
and a man with eyes, having opened it, would review it:
‘These are hill rice, these are paddy rice, these are mung beans, these are peas, these are sesame, these are husked rice’;
so too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu reviews this very body, upward from the soles of the feet and downward from the tips of the hair, bounded by skin and full of many kinds of impurities:
‘In this body there are head-hairs, body-hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, stomach contents, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, mucus, joint fluid, and urine.’
As he dwells in this way, diligent, ardent, and resolute, whatever household-based memories and intentions he has are abandoned.
With their abandoning, his citta settles internally, quiets down, becomes unified, and enters samādhi.
In this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu reviews this very body as it stands, as it is positioned, according to elements:
‘In this body there are the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the air element.’
Just as, bhikkhus, a skilled butcher or a butcher’s apprentice, having slaughtered a cow and divided it into portions, might be sitting at a crossroads;
so too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu reviews this very body as it stands, as it is positioned, according to elements:
‘In this body there are the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the air element.’
As he dwells in this way, diligent, ardent, and resolute, whatever household-based memories and intentions he has are abandoned.
With their abandoning, his citta settles internally, quiets down, becomes unified, and enters samādhi.
In this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might see a corpse discarded in a charnel ground, dead for one day, or dead for two days, or dead for three days, bloated, livid, and festering.
He compares this very body with it:
‘This body too is of the same nature, will become like that, and has not gone beyond that.’
As he dwells in this way, diligent, ardent, and resolute, whatever household-based memories and intentions he has are abandoned.
With their abandoning, his citta settles internally, quiets down, becomes unified, and enters samādhi.
In this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might see a corpse discarded in a charnel ground, being eaten by crows, or being eaten by hawks, or being eaten by vultures, or being eaten by herons, or being eaten by dogs, or being eaten by tigers, or being eaten by leopards, or being eaten by jackals, or being eaten by various kinds of little creatures.
He compares this very body with it:
‘This body too is of the same nature, will become like that, and has not gone beyond that.’
As he dwells in this way, diligent …
in this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might see a corpse discarded in a charnel ground, a skeleton with flesh and blood, held together by sinews …
a skeleton without flesh, smeared with blood, held together by sinews …
a skeleton with flesh and blood gone, held together by sinews …
bones disconnected and scattered in all directions: here a hand bone, there a foot bone, there an ankle bone, there a shin bone, there a thigh bone, there a hip bone, there a rib bone, there a back bone, there a shoulder bone, there a neck bone, there a jaw bone, there a tooth bone, there the skull.
He compares this very body with it:
‘This body too is of the same nature, will become like that, and has not gone beyond that.’
As he dwells in this way, diligent …
in this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might see a corpse discarded in a charnel ground—
bones white, the color of shells …
bones piled up, more than a year old …
bones rotten, become dust.
He compares this very body with it:
‘This body too is of the same nature, will become like that, and has not gone beyond that.’
As he dwells in this way, diligent …
…
in this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, quite secluded from sensual pleasures … enters and dwells in the first jhāna.
He drenches, saturates, fills, and pervades this very body with pīti and sukha born of seclusion [vivekajena], so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by pīti and sukha born of seclusion [vivekajena].
Just as, bhikkhus, a skilled bathman or a bathman’s apprentice, having poured bath powder into a bronze bowl, would knead it, sprinkling it again and again with water, so that the ball of bath powder would be permeated with moisture, suffused with moisture, pervaded within and without with moisture, yet would not drip;
so too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu drenches, saturates, fills, and pervades this very body with pīti and sukha born of seclusion [vivekajena], so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by pīti and sukha born of seclusion [vivekajena].
As he dwells in this way, diligent …
…
in this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, with the subsiding of thought and examination … a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the second jhāna.
He drenches, saturates, fills, and pervades this very body with pīti and sukha born of samādhi, so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by pīti and sukha born of samādhi.
Just as, bhikkhus, there might be a deep lake with water welling up from below. It would have no inlet for water from the east, no inlet for water from the west, no inlet for water from the north, and no inlet for water from the south; nor would the sky-god send down proper showers from time to time. Yet streams of cool water, welling up from within that very lake, would drench, saturate, fill, and pervade that very lake with cool water, so that there would be no part of the whole lake unpervaded by cool water;
so too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu drenches, saturates, fills, and pervades this very body with pīti and sukha born of samādhi, so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by pīti and sukha born of samādhi.
As he dwells in this way, diligent …
in this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, with the fading away of pīti … a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the third jhāna.
He drenches, saturates, fills, and pervades this very body with sukha free from pīti, so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by sukha free from pīti.
Just as, bhikkhus, in a lotus pond, or a red-lotus pond, or a white-lotus pond, some lotuses, red lotuses, or white lotuses, born in the water, grown in the water, not rising above the water, nourished from within the water, would be drenched, saturated, filled, and pervaded by cool water from their tips to their roots, so that there would be no part of those whole lotuses, red lotuses, or white lotuses unpervaded by cool water;
so too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu drenches, saturates, fills, and pervades this very body with sukha free from pīti, so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by sukha free from pīti.
As he dwells in this way, diligent …
in this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
Again, bhikkhus, with the abandoning of sukha … a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna.
He sits pervading this very body with a pure and bright mind, so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by the pure and bright mind.
Just as, bhikkhus, a man might be sitting wrapped from head down in a white cloth, so that there would be no part of his whole body unpervaded by the white cloth;
so too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu sits pervading this very body with a pure and bright mind, so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by the pure and bright mind.
As he dwells in this way, diligent, ardent, and resolute, whatever household-based memories and intentions he has are abandoned.
With their abandoning, his citta settles internally, quiets down, becomes unified, and enters samādhi.
In this way too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsatiṁ].
For anyone, bhikkhus, whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has been developed and cultivated, whatever wholesome dhammas partake of knowledge are included within it.
Just as, bhikkhus, for anyone whose mind has pervaded the great ocean, whatever small rivers flow to the ocean are included within it;
so too, bhikkhus, for anyone whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has been developed and cultivated, whatever wholesome dhammas partake of knowledge are included within it.
For anyone, bhikkhus, whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has not been developed and cultivated, Māra gains an opening with him, Māra gains a foothold with him.
Just as, bhikkhus, a man might throw a heavy stone ball into a heap of wet clay.
What do you think, bhikkhus?
Would that heavy stone ball find entry into that heap of wet clay?”
“Yes, bhante.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for anyone whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has not been developed and cultivated, Māra gains an opening with him, Māra gains a foothold with him.
Just as, bhikkhus, there might be a dry, withered piece of wood;
then a man would come along carrying an upper fire-stick:
‘I will produce fire, I will make heat appear.’
What do you think, bhikkhus?
Could that man, by rubbing that dry, withered piece of wood with the upper fire-stick, produce fire and make heat appear?”
“Yes, bhante.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for anyone whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has not been developed and cultivated, Māra gains an opening with him, Māra gains a foothold with him.
Just as, bhikkhus, there might be a water jar, empty and hollow, set on a stand;
then a man would come along carrying a load of water.
What do you think, bhikkhus?
Would that man find a place to deposit the water?”
“Yes, bhante.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for anyone whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has not been developed and cultivated, Māra gains an opening with him, Māra gains a foothold with him.
For anyone, bhikkhus, whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has been developed and cultivated, Māra gains no opening with him, Māra gains no foothold with him.
Just as, bhikkhus, a man might throw a light ball of thread at a door-panel made entirely of heartwood.
What do you think, bhikkhus?
Would that man get that light ball of thread to find entry into that door-panel made entirely of heartwood?”
“No, bhante.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for anyone whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has been developed and cultivated, Māra gains no opening with him, Māra gains no foothold with him.
Just as, bhikkhus, there might be a wet piece of wood, full of sap;
then a man would come along carrying an upper fire-stick:
‘I will produce fire, I will make heat appear.’
What do you think, bhikkhus?
Could that man, by rubbing that wet piece of wood full of sap with the upper fire-stick, produce fire and make heat appear?”
“No, bhante.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for anyone whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has been developed and cultivated, Māra gains no opening with him, Māra gains no foothold with him.
Just as, bhikkhus, there might be a water jar full of water, filled to the brim so a crow could drink from it, set on a stand;
then a man would come along carrying a load of water.
What do you think, bhikkhus?
Would that man find a place to deposit the water?”
“No, bhante.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for anyone whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has been developed and cultivated, Māra gains no opening with him, Māra gains no foothold with him.
For anyone, bhikkhus, whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has been developed and cultivated, whichever dhamma realizable by direct knowledge he inclines his citta toward for realization by direct knowledge, he attains the capacity to witness it in each case, when there is a suitable basis.
Just as, bhikkhus, there might be a water jar full of water, filled to the brim so a crow could drink from it, set on a stand.
If a strong man tipped it in any direction at all, would water come out?”
“Yes, bhante.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for anyone whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has been developed and cultivated, whichever dhamma realizable by direct knowledge he inclines his citta toward for realization by direct knowledge, he attains the capacity to witness it in each case, when there is a suitable basis.
Just as, bhikkhus, on level ground there might be a square pond, enclosed by embankments, full of water, filled to the brim so a crow could drink from it.
If a strong man opened the embankment in any direction at all, would water come out?”
“Yes, bhante.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for anyone whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has been developed and cultivated, whichever dhamma realizable by direct knowledge he inclines his citta toward for realization by direct knowledge, he attains the capacity to witness it in each case, when there is a suitable basis.
Just as, bhikkhus, on good ground at a crossroads, a thoroughbred chariot might stand harnessed, with whip laid ready;
and a skilled trainer, a charioteer of horses to be tamed, having mounted it, taking the reins in his left hand and the whip in his right hand, could drive it forward and back wherever he wishes, wherever he likes;
so too, bhikkhus, for anyone whose mindfulness directed to the body [kāyagatāsati] has been developed and cultivated, whichever dhamma realizable by direct knowledge he inclines his citta toward for realization by direct knowledge, he attains the capacity to witness it in each case, when there is a suitable basis.
When sati directed to the body has been practiced, developed, cultivated, made a vehicle, made a basis, established, consolidated, and well undertaken, ten benefits may be expected.
One becomes able to endure discontent and delight; discontent does not overcome one, and when discontent has arisen, one dwells having overcome it.
One becomes able to endure fear and dread; fear and dread do not overcome one, and when fear and dread have arisen, one dwells having overcome them.
One is able to endure cold and heat, hunger and thirst, the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles, and harsh and unwelcome ways of speech; one becomes the kind of person who can bear bodily vedanās that have arisen, painful, sharp, severe, bitter, unpleasant, disagreeable, and life-threatening.
One gains at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhānas, which are higher mental states and pleasant dwellings in this very life.
One experiences many kinds of psychic power. Having been one, one becomes many; having been many, one becomes one; one appears and vanishes … even as far as the brahmā world, one wields mastery with the body.
With the divine ear element, purified and surpassing the human, one hears both kinds of sounds, divine and human, whether far or near …
One understands the citta of other beings and other persons, having encompassed it with one’s own citta.
One understands citta with passion as ‘citta with passion’;
or citta free from passion …
or citta with hatred …
or citta free from hatred …
or citta with delusion …
or citta free from delusion …
or contracted citta …
or scattered citta …
or exalted citta …
or unexalted citta …
or surpassable citta …
or unsurpassable citta …
or citta endowed with samādhi …
or citta not endowed with samādhi …
or liberated citta …
or unliberated citta as ‘unliberated citta.’
One recollects many kinds of former lives, that is: one birth, two births … thus with their aspects and details one recollects many kinds of former lives.
With the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, one sees beings passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and one understands beings as faring according to their kamma.
With the destruction of the āsavas, one realizes for oneself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of citta and liberation by paññā, and having entered upon it, one dwells in it.
When sati directed to the body has been practiced, developed, cultivated, made a vehicle, made a basis, established, consolidated, and well undertaken, these ten benefits may be expected.”
This is what the Bhagavā said.
Satisfied, those bhikkhus rejoiced in the Bhagavā’s words.
The Mindfulness Directed to the Body is finished, the ninth.