The Way of Mindfulness
The Satipatthana Sutta and Its Commentary
by
Soma Thera
The Commentary to the Discourse
on the Arousing of Mindfulness
with Marginal Notes
The Section of Reflection on Repulsiveness
After explaining body-contemplation by way of the fourfold clear comprehension, to explain it by way of the reflection of repulsiveness, the Master said: "And further," and so forth.
Everything that should be said in connection with the passage beginning with "On just this body" and so forth, is stated in detail, taking into consideration all aspects of the matter, in the Path of Purity, the Visuddhi Magga, and its commentary, The Casket of the Highest Thing, Paramattha Mañjusa; a summary of that account is given here.
This reflection by way of mindfulness directed bodywards, called the reflection of repulsiveness is unknown to non-Buddhists in the form of subject of meditation development (kammatthana bhavana vasena). Hence it is a thing which comes into being when a Buddha arises; not at other times. This mindfulness directed bodywards leads to the following:
Great moral-emotional upsurge (maha samvega).
The great tranquillity or security based on effort (maha yogakkhema)
Great mindfulness and clear comprehension (maha sati sampajañña)
Attainment of insight-knowledge (ñanadassanapatilabha)
Happy living here and now (ditthadhammasukhavihara)
Realization of the fruition of wisdom and freedom[28] (vijjavi-muttiphalasacchikiriya).
This mindfulness has been explained in the following sections: Breathing-in-and-out; four kinds of deportment; the fourfold clear comprehension; the reflection on repulsiveness; the reflection on the elements or modes of existence; and the nine cemetery contemplation.
There are these seven kinds of skill in study to be acquired in regard to this subject of meditation, by:
Repetition of the thirty-two parts of the body verbally (vacasa).
Repetition of the parts only mentally (manasa).
Determining of the hair of the head and so forth according to colour (vannato).
Determining of the parts according to shape (santhanato).
Determination of situation of the parts as above or below the navel, on the upper or lower side of the body, directionally (disato).
Determination of the place in the body acquired by a part, that is, determination spatially (okasato).
Determination of one part by the position of another to it and by way of dissimilarity of one part to another (paricchedato).
There are these ten kinds of skill in reflecting on this subject of meditation:
Doing the meditation gradually as one climbing a stairway one step after another in due order taking one part after another serially (anupubbato).
Doing it not too quickly (natisighato).
Doing it not too slowly (natisanikato).
Doing it by warding off mental rambling (vikkhepapatibahanato).
Practice by way of going beyond the concept of hair and so forth to the idea of repulsiveness (pannattisamatikkamanato).
Practice by gradual elimination of the less clear parts (anupubbamuñcanato).
Practice by way of the part which is the source of ecstasy (appanato).
Practice by way of the Three Discourses: Adhicitta,[29] Sitibhava,[30] and Bojjhangakosalla.[31]
The following is the application of the simile: Like the bag with the two openings is the body made up of the four great primaries, earth, water, fire and air. The thirty-two parts beginning with hair-of-the-head are like the various grains thrown into that bag after mixing them. Like a man with seeing eyes is the yogi. Comparable to the time when after loosening the bag the various grains become clear to one reflecting, is the time when the thirty-two parts become clear to the yogi.
Iti ajjhattam = "Thus internally." The bhikkhu lives contemplating the body in his body or in another's. Sometimes he contemplates the body in his own body, at other times in another's, by way of laying hold on things beginning with the hair of the head.
From here the meaning should be known just in the way already stated by the commentator. Here the mindfulness which lays hold of the thirty-two parts, is the Truth of Suffering. Having interpreted, thus, the portal to emancipation should be understood.
The Section of Reflection on the Modes of Materiality
The Master having explained body-contemplation in the form of reflection on the repulsiveness of the thirty-two parts of the body, said: "And further", now, to set forth body-contemplation by way of reflection on the modes (or elements) of materiality.
The elaboration of the meaning together with the application of the simile, in this connection, is as follows:
Just as if some cow-butcher or a cow-butcher's apprentice, a man who works for his keep, having killed a cow and made it into parts, were sitting at a four-cross-road, just so, a bhikkhu reflects, by way of the modes, on the body, in any one of the four postures thus: "There are in this body the modes of extension, cohesion, caloricity, and oscillation."
The cow-butcher does not get rid of the cow-percept while feeding the cow, driving it to the place of slaughter, tying it and putting it up there, killing it, and even when seeing the dead carcass of the cow; not until he cuts it up and divides it into parts does the perception of a cow disappear. To that butcher sitting (with the meat before him) after cutting up the cow, however, the perception of a cow disappears, and the perception of flesh comes into being. To him, there is not this thought: "I am selling the cow; these people are taking away the cow." But to him, indeed, there occurs this thought: "I am selling flesh; these people indeed, are taking away flesh." .......
To the bhikkhu, similarly, the perception of a being or the perception of a person does not disappear as long as he does not reflect, by way of the modes of materiality, in this body as it is placed or disposed in whatsoever position, after sifting thoroughly the apparently compact aggregation. To him who reflects by way of the modes of materiality, however, the perception of a being disappears; the mind gets established by way of the modes of materiality. Therefore, the Blessed One declared: "A bhikkhu reflects on just this body according as it is placed or disposed, by way of the mode of materiality, thinking thus: 'There are, in this body, the mode of solidity, the mode of cohesion, the mode of caloricity, and the mode of oscillation.' O bhikkhus, in whatever manner, a clever cow-butcher or a cow-butcher's apprentice having slaughtered a cow and divided it by way of portions should be sitting at the junction of a cross-road, in the same manner, a bhikkhu reflects .... thinking thus: 'There are, in this body, the mode of solidity .... And the mode of oscillation.' = Imameva kayam yatha thitam yatha panihitam dhatuso paccavekkhati: atthi imasmim kaye pathavidhatu apodhatu tejodhatu vayodhatuti. Seyyathapi bhikkhave dakkho goghatako va goghatakantevasi va gavim vadhitva catummahapathe bilaso pativibhajitva nissinno assa evameva kho bhikkhave bhikkhu imameva kayam .... paccavekkhati atthi imasmim kaye pathavidhatu .... vayodhatuti.
The yogi is comparable to the cow-butcher; the perception of a being is comparable to the perception of a cow; the fourfold posture is comparable to the cross-road; and the reflection by way of the modes of materiality is comparable to the state of sitting with the cow's flesh in front after dividing the cow into parts. Here, this is the textual explanation. Details of the reflection on the modes of materiality as a subject of meditation, however, are given in the Path of Purity.
Iti ajjhattam = "Thus internally". One dwells contemplating the body in the body thus by way of the laying hold of the four modes of materiality, in one's own or in another's body or at one time in one's own body and at another time in another's body. From here on the exposition should be known just by the method already mentioned. The mindfulness which lays hold of the four modes of materiality is the Truth of Suffering. Thus the portal to deliverance should be known.
By the word placed there is the elucidation of occasion by way of own (or particular) function of material things known as the body in various moments [kaya sankhatam rupadhammanam tasmim tasmim khane sakicca vasena avatthana paridipanam].
By the word disposed here the following meaning should be known: By way of condition, the putting down or settling owing to the arrangement of several conditions [paccaya vasena tehi tehi paccayehi pakarato nihitam].
Reflects (paccavekkhati) = Considers again and again, sees analytically, part by part, separately after sifting thoroughly with the eye of wisdom [pati pati avekkhati ñanacakkhuna vinibhujjitva visum visum passati].
The Section on the Nine Cemetery Contemplations
After explaining body-contemplation in the form of the modes of materiality, the Master said, "And further," in order to explain body-contemplation through the nine cemetery contemplations.
Uddhumatam = "Swollen". By reason of the swelled state of the corpse comparable to a pair of wind-filled bellows owing to the gradually uprising bloattedness after death.
Vinilakam = "Blue" is stated to be the colour of fully differing shades [viparibhinnavannam]. Blue is that corpse which is reddish in the protuberantly fleshy parts, and whitish in the purulent parts, while, in those parts which are predominantly blue it seems to be as though covered with a blue mantle. This is the descriptive statement of the "blue" corpse.
Vipubbakajatam = "Festering" is the corpse that is full of pus flowing from the broken parts or from the nine openings of the body.
So imameva kayam upasamharati ayampi kho kayo evam dhammo evam bhavi evam anatitoti = "He thinks of his own body thus: 'This body of mine, too, is of the same nature as that (dead) body, is going to be like that body, and has not got past the condition of becoming like that body.'"
This has been stated: By the existence of these three: life [ayu], warmth [usma], consciousness [viññanam], this body can endure to stand, to walk, and do other things; by the separation of these three however this body is indeed a thing like that corpse, is possessed of the nature of corruption, is going to become like that, will become swollen, blue and festering and cannot escape the state of being like that, cannot transcend the condition of swelling up, become blue and festering.
Iti ajjhattam = "Thus internally." Thus by laying hold of the state of swelling and so forth, in regard to one's own body or another's, or at one time in regard to one's own and at another in regard to another's, one dwells contemplating the body in the body.
Khajjamanam = "Whilst it is being eaten": When crows and other creatures after sitting on the belly or another part of the corpse are eating the carcass by picking the flesh of the belly, of the lips, the corners of the eye and so forth.
Samamsalohitam = "Together with (some) flesh and blood": With the flesh and blood still remaining.
Nimmamsalohitam = "Blood-besmeared (skeleton) without flesh": When, though rid of flesh, the blood is still not dry.
Aññena = "In a different place": In a different direction.
Hatthatthikam = "Bone of the hand": the sixty-four kinds of bones of the hand; when these are lying in different places separate from one another. In the explanation of the bone of the foot and so forth, the method is the same as this.
Terovassikani = "More than a year old": beyond a year in a state of exposure.
Putini = "Rotten": just those in the open become rotten by being exposed to wind, sun and rain for over a year. Bones buried in the earth last longer.
Cunnakajatani = "Become dust": scattered in the form of powder.
Everywhere, according to the method already stated beginning: "He thinks of his own body thus: 'This body of mine too is of the same nature as that (dead) body, is going to be like that body, and has not got past the condition of becoming like that body."
Iti ajjhattam = "Thus internally": Thus through the laying hold of the corpse from the state in which it is being eaten by crows and other creatures to the state when it is dust, one dwells contemplating the body in one's own body, or in another's or at one time in one's own body and at another time in another's body.
Further having stopped here one should put together the nine cemetery contemplations thus:
Ekahamatam va dvihamatam va tihamatam va = "A body dead one, two or three day." This is the first contemplation.
Kakehi va khajjamanam = "Whilst it is being eaten by crows." This portion of the Discourse where the devouring of the body of various kinds of animals is stated refers to the second contemplation.
Atthikasamkhalikam samamsalohitam naharusamban-dham = "A skeleton together with (some) flesh and blood held in by the tendons." This is the third contemplation.
Nimmamsalohitamakkhitam naharusambandham = "A blood-smeared skeleton without flesh but held in by the tendons." This is the fourth.
Apagatamamsalohitam naharusambandham = "A skeleton held in by the tendons but without flesh and not besmeared with blood." This is the fifth.
Atthikani apagatasambandhani = "Bones gone loose, scattered in all directions." This is the sixth.
Atthikani setani sankhavannupanibhani = "Bones white in colour like a conch." This is the seventh.
Atthikani puñjakitani terovassikani = "Bones more than a year old heaped together." This is the eighth.
Atthikani putini cunnakajatani = "Bones gone rotten and become dust." This is the ninth.
Evam kho bhikkhave = "Thus, indeed, o bhikkhus." He said this bringing to an end body-contemplation after pointing out the nine cemetery contemplations. The mindfulness which lays hold of the nine cemetery contemplations is the Truth of Suffering; the previous craving which originates that mindfulness is the Truth of Origin; the non-occurrence of both that mindfulness and the craving is the Truth of Cessation. The Real Path that understands suffering, casts out the origin, and has cessation for its object is the Truth of the Way. Endeavouring in this way by means of the Four Truths one arrives at peace. This is for the bhikkhu who lays hold of the nine cemetery contemplations the portal of deliverance up to arahantship.
Now, these are the fourteen portions which comprise body-contemplation: The section on breathing in and breathing out, on the postures, on the four kinds of clear comprehension, of reflection on repulsiveness, on the modes of materiality, and on the nine cemetery contemplations. There, only the sections on breathing in and breathing out and of the reflection on repulsiveness can become meditation-subjects of full absorption. As the cemetery contemplations are stated by way of consideration of disadvantages, dangers or evils, all the remaining twelve are only meditation-subjects of partial absorption.
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