Majjhima Nikaya - Kayagata-sati Sutta

MN 119
Kayagata-sati Sutta
Mindfulness Immersed in the Body
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: M iii 88



Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.



Copyright © 1997 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 1997
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
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I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Savatthi at
Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika'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 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 that he is breathing in long; or breathing out
long, he discerns that he is breathing out long. Or breathing in short, he
discerns that he is breathing in short; or breathing out short, he discerns that
he is breathing out short. He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to the
entire body and to breathe out sensitive to the entire body. He trains himself
to breathe in calming bodily fabrication (the breath) and to 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 that he is walking. When standing,
he discerns that he is standing. When sitting, he discerns that he is sitting.
When lying down, he discerns that he is 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
a skilled butcher or his 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 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 breast
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 Jhanas
"Furthermore, quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental
qualities, he enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from
withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. He permeates &
pervades, suffuses & fills this very body with the rapture & pleasure born from
withdrawal. Just as if a skilled 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 withdrawal.
There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture & pleasure born from
withdrawal. 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.
"And furthermore, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he
enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of composure,
unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation — internal
assurance. He permeates & pervades, suffuses & fills this very body with the
rapture & pleasure born of composure. 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 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 composure. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by
rapture & pleasure born of composure. 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.
"And furthermore, with the fading of rapture, he remains in equanimity, is
mindful & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the
third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a
pleasurable 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.
"And furthermore, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as with the earlier
disappearance of elation & distress — he enters & remains in the fourth jhana:
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 the side of
clear knowing.
"In whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued,
Mara gains entry, Mara 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, Mara gains entry, Mara 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, Mara gains entry, Mara 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, Mara gains entry, Mara gains a foothold.
"Now, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued,
Mara gains no entry, Mara 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, Mara gains no entry, Mara 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, Mara gains no entry, Mara 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 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, Mara gains no entry, Mara 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 a skilled 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, handed the reins and taken as a basis, 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 do not conquer him. He remains
victorious over any fear & dread that have arisen.
[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 jhanas —
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 crosslegged 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 Brahma 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 (lit: previous homes), i.e., one
birth, two births, three births, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty,
one hundred, one thousand, one hundred thousand, many aeons of cosmic
contraction, many aeons of cosmic expansion, many aeons 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: '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 awareness-release & discernment-release, 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, handed the reins and taken as a basis, 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.