119. Mindfulness of the Body (MN119)

Thus I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park.

Then a number of bhikkhus were sitting in the assembly hall where they had met together on return from their alms-round after their meal was over. Meanwhile it was being said among them: “It is wonderful, friends, it is marvellous, how mindfulness of the body has been said by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, to be of great fruit, of great benefit when developed and repeatedly practised!”

Then their talk meanwhile was left unfinished for the Blessed One rose from meditation now when it was evening, and he came to the assembly hall and sat down on a seat made ready. When he had done so, he addressed the bhikkhus thus: “For what talk are you gathered here together now, bhikkhus? And what was your talk meanwhile which was left unfinished?”

“Here, venerable sir, we were sitting in the assembly hall where we had met together on return from our alms-round after our meal. Meanwhile it was being said amongst us: ‘It is wonderful, friends… and repeatedly practised!’ This was our talk meanwhile, venerable sir, which was left unfinished, for then the Blessed One arrived.”

“And how developed, bhikkhus, how repeatedly practised is mindfulness of the body of great fruit, of great benefit?

“Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu gone to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an empty hut, sits down; having folded his legs crosswise, set his body erect, established mindfulness before him, just mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out.

“Breathing in long, he understands: ‘I breathe in long’; breathing out long, he understands: ‘I breathe out long’. Breathing in short, he understands: ‘I breathe in short’; breathing out short, he understands: ‘I breathe out short’. He trains thus: ‘I shall breathe in experiencing a whole body’; he trains thus: ‘I shall breathe out experiencing a whole body’. He trains thus: ‘I shall breathe in tranquillizing the body process’; he trains thus: ‘I shall breathe out tranquillizing the bodily process’.

“Just as a skilled turner or his apprentice, when making a long turn understands: ‘I make a long turn’; or when making a short turn understands: ‘I make a short turn’; so too, breathing in long, he understands: ‘I breathe in long’;… he trains thus: ‘I shall breathe out tranquillizing the bodily process’.

“As he abides thus diligent, ardent and self-controlled, his memories and intentions based on the household life are abandoned; with their abandoning his mind becomes settled in himself, quieted, brought to singleness and concentrated. That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu when walking, understands: ‘I walk’; when standing, understands: ‘I stand’; when sitting, understands: ‘I sit’; when lying down, understands: ‘I am lying down’; or however his body is disposed he understands accordingly.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu is one who acts in full awareness when moving to and fro, who acts in full awareness when looking at and away, who acts in full awareness when flexing and extending, who acts in full awareness when wearing the patched cloak, bowl and robes, who acts in full awareness when feeding, drinking and supping, who acts in full awareness when evacuating the bowels and making water, who acts in full awareness when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, and keeping silent.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu reviews this same body up from the soles of the feet and down from the top of the hair as full of many kinds of filth, thus: ‘In this body there are head-hairs, body-hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone-marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, midriff, spleen, lungs, bowels, entrails, gorge, dung, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, spittle, snot, oil of the joints and urine’.

“Just as though there were a bag with an opening at both ends full of many sorts of grain such as hill rice, red rice, beans, peas, millet and white rice, and a man with clear eyes had opened it and were reviewing it thus: ‘This is hill rice, this is red rice, these are beans, these are peas, this is millet, this is white rice’, so too, a bhikkhu reviews this same body up from the soles of the feet and down from the top of the hair as full of many kinds of filth ‘… and urine’.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu reviews this same body however it is placed consisting of elements, thus: ‘In this body there are the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the air element’.

“Just as though a skilled butcher or his apprentice had killed a cow and were seated at the four crossroads with it cut up into pieces; so too, however it is placed, however disposed, a bhikkhu reviews this same body ‘… and the air element’.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, as though a bhikkhu here were looking at bodily remains thrown on a charnel ground one day dead, two days dead, three days dead, bloated, livid, and oozing matter, thus: ‘This body too is of such a nature, it will be like that, it is not exempt from that’.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu judges this same body as though he were looking at bodily remains thrown on a charnel ground, being devoured by crows, kites, vultures, dogs, jackals, and the multitudinous kinds of worms, thus: ‘This body too is of such a nature, it will be like that, it is not exempt from that’.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu judges this same body as though he were looking at bodily remains thrown on a charnel ground, a skeleton with flesh and blood held together with sinews, thus: ‘This body too is of such a nature, it is not exempt from that’.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu judges this same body as though he were looking at bodily remains thrown in a charnel ground, a fleshless skeleton smeared with blood and held together with sinews ‘… it is not exempt from that’.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu judges this same body as though he were looking at bodily remains thrown in a charnel ground, a skeleton without flesh and blood held together with sinews ‘… it is not exempt from that’.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu judges this same body as though he were looking at bodily remains thrown in a charnel ground, bones without sinews scattered in all directions: here a hand-bone, there a foot-bone, there a shin-bone, there a thigh-bone, there a hip-bone, there a back-bone, there a rib-bone, there a breast-bone, there an arm-bone, there a shoulder-bone, there a neck-bone, there a jaw-bone, there a tooth-bone, there the skull ‘… it is not exempt from that’.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu judges this same body as though he were looking at bodily remains thrown in a charnel ground, bones bleached white, the colour of shells ‘… it is not exempt from that’.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu judges this same body as though he were looking at bodily remains thrown in a charnel ground, bones heaped up, more than a year old ‘… it is not exempt from that’.

“As he abides thus diligent… That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu judges this same body as though he were looking at bodily remains thrown in a charnel ground, bones rotted and crumbled to dust, thus: ‘This body too is of such a nature, it will be like that, it is not exempt from that’.

“As he abides thus diligent, ardent and self-controlled, his memories and intentions based on the household life are abandoned; with their abandoning his mind becomes settled in himself, quieted, brought to singleness and concentrated. That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, quite secluded from sensual desires, secluded from unprofitable dhammas, he enters upon and abides in the first jhāna which is accompanied by initial and sustained application, with happiness and pleasure born of seclusion.

“He makes happiness and pleasure born of seclusion drench, steep, fill and extend throughout his whole body, so that there is nothing of his whole body to which the happiness and pleasure born of seclusion do not extend. Just as a skilled bath man or bath man’s apprentice heaps bath powder in a metal basin and, sprinkling it gradually with water, kneads it up till the moisture wets his ball of bath powder, soaks it, and extends over it within and without though it does not itself become liquid, so too, a bhikkhu makes happiness and pleasure born of seclusion drench, steep, fill, and extend throughout this whole body, so that there is nothing of his whole body to which the happiness and pleasure born of seclusion do not extend.

“As he abides thus diligent… mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, with the stilling of initial and sustained application he enters upon and abides in the second jhāna, which has self-confidence and singleness of mind, without initial application and without sustained application, with happiness and pleasure born of concentration.

“He makes happiness and pleasure born of concentration drench, steep, fill and extend throughout this body, and there is nothing of his whole body to which the happiness and pleasure born of concentration do not extend. Just as though there were a lake whose waters welled up from below, having no inflow from east, west, north or south, nor yet replenished from time to time by the skies with showers, then the cool fount of water welling up in the lake would make the cool water drench, steep, fill and extend throughout the lake, and there would be nothing of the whole lake to which the cool water did not extend, so, too, the bhikkhu makes happiness and pleasure born of concentration drench, steep, fill and extend throughout this body, so that there is nothing of his whole body to which the happiness and pleasure born of concentration do not extend.

“As he abides thus diligent… mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, with the fading as well of happiness he abides in equanimity, and mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure with the body, he enters upon and abides in the third jhāna, on account of which the Noble Ones announce: ‘He has a pleasant abiding who has equanimity and is mindful.’

“He makes pleasure divested of happiness drench, steep, fill and extend throughout this body, and there is nothing of his whole body to which the pleasure divested of happiness does not extend. Just as, in a water-lily pond or a white lotus pond or a red lotus pond some waterlilies or white lotuses or red lotuses are born under the water, grow under the water, do not stand up out of the water, flourish immersed under the water, and cool water drenches, steeps, fill and extends throughout them, to their tips and to their roots, and there is nothing of the whole of those water-lilies, those white lotuses, those red lotuses, to which the cool water does not extend, so too, the bhikkhu makes pleasure divested of happiness drench, steep, fill and extend throughout this body, and there is nothing of his whole body to which pleasure divested of happiness does not extend.

“As he abides thus diligent… mindfulness of the body.

“Again, bhikkhus, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, he enters upon and abides in the fourth jhāna, which has neither-pain-nor-pleasure, and has purity of mindfulness due to equanimity.

“He sits with pure bright mind extending over this body, and there is nothing of his whole body to which the pure bright mind does not extend. Just as though a man were sitting clothed from head to foot in white cloth, and there were nothing of his whole body to which the white cloth did not extend, so too, the bhikkhu sits with a pure bright mind extending over this body, and there is nothing of his whole body to which the pure bright mind does not extend.

“As he abides thus diligent, ardent and self-controlled, his memories and intentions based on the household life are abandoned; with their abandoning his mind becomes settled in himself, quieted, brought to singleness, and concentrated. That is how a bhikkhu develops mindfulness of the body.

“When anyone has developed and repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, he has included whatever profitable dhammas there are that partake of true knowledge.

“Just as anyone who extends his mind over the great ocean has included whatever streams there are that flow into the ocean, so too, when anyone has developed and repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, he has included whatever profitable dhammas there are that partake of true knowledge.

“When anyone has not developed or repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, Māra finds an opportunity and a support in him.

“Suppose a man were to throw a heavy stone ball at a heap of wet-clay; what do you think, bhikkhus, would that heavy stone ball find an entry into that heap of wet clay?”

“Yes, venerable sir.”

“So too, bhikkhus, when anyone has not developed or repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, Māra finds an opportunity and a support in him.

“Suppose there were a dry sapless piece of wood and man came with an upper fire-stick, thinking: ‘I shall light a fire, I shall produce heat’; what do you think, bhikkhus, would the man light a fire and produce heat by rubbing the dry sapless piece of wood with an upper fire-stick?”

“Yes, venerable sir.”

“So too, bhikkhus, when anyone has not developed or repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, Māra finds an opportunity and a support in him.

“Suppose there were a hollow empty water pot standing on a stand and a man came with a load of water; what do you think, bhikkhus, would he be able to pour water into it?”

“Yes, venerable sir.”

“So too, bhikkhus, when anyone has not developed or repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, Māra finds an opportunity and a support in him.

“When anyone has developed and repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, Māra finds no opportunity or support in him.

“Suppose a man were to throw a light ball of string at a door-panel all made of heartwood; what do you think, bhikkhus, would that light ball of string find an entry into that door-panel all made of heartwood?”

“No, venerable sir.”

“So too, bhikkhus, when anyone has developed and repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, Māra finds no opportunity or support in him.

“Suppose there were a wet sappy piece of wood, and a man came with an upper fire-stick, thinking, ‘I shall light a fire, I shall produce heat’; what do you think, bhikkhus, would the man light a fire and produce heat by taking the upper fire-stick and rubbing the wet sappy piece of wood with it?”

“No, venerable sir.”

“So too, bhikkhus, when anyone has developed and repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, Māra finds no opportunity or support in him.

“Suppose there were a water pot full of water, brimming so that crows could drink out of it, standing on a stand, and man came with a load of water; what do you think, bhikkhus, would he be able to pour water into it?”

“No, venerable sir.”

“So too, bhikkhus, when anyone has developed and repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, Māra finds no opportunity or support in him.

“When anyone has developed and repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, then he attains the ability to be a witness, through realization by direct knowledge, of any dhamma realizable by direct knowledge to which he inclines his mind, whenever there is opportunity.

“Suppose there were a water pot full of water, brimming so that crows could drink out of it, standing on a stand, then as soon as a strong man tipped it would water come from it each time?”

“Yes, venerable sir.”

“So too, bhikkhus, when anyone has developed and repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body, then he attains the ability to be a witness, through realization by direct knowledge, of any dhamma realizable by direct knowledge to which he inclines his mind, whenever there is opportunity.

“Suppose there were a square pond on a level piece of ground, surrounded by an embankment, full of water, brimming so that crows could drink out of it, then as soon as a strong man loosened the embankment would water come from it each time?”

“Yes, venerable sir.”

“So too, bhikkhus, when anyone has developed and repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body… whenever there is opportunity.

“Suppose there were a chariot on even ground at the four crossroads, harnessed to thoroughbreds, waiting with whips lying ready, so that a skilled trainer, a driver of horses to be tamed, might mount, and taking the reins in his hand, drive out and back by any road in any way he liked, so too, bhikkhus, when anyone has developed and repeatedly practised mindfulness of the body… whenever there is opportunity.

“When mindfulness of the body is developed, repeatedly practised, made the vehicle, made the basis, established, consolidated, and properly undertaken, these ten rewards may be expected. What ten?

“He becomes a conqueror of aversion and delight and aversion does not conquer him, and he abides transcending aversion as it arises.

“He becomes a conqueror of fear and dread, fear and dread do not conquer him, and he abides transcending fear and dread as they arise.

“He becomes one who bears cold and heat, hunger and thirst and contact with mosquitoes, flies, wind, sun and creeping things, who endures ill-spoken unwelcome words and arisen bodily feelings that are painful, racking, sharp, piercing, disagreeable, distressing, and menacing to life.

“He becomes one who obtains at will with no trouble and easily the four jhānas which are the higher mind and provide a pleasant abiding here and now.

“He wields the various kinds of supernormal success: having been one, they are many; having been many, they are one; they appear and vanish; they go unhindered through walls, through enclosures, through mountains, as though in space; they dive in and out of earth as though in water; they go on unbroken water as though on earth; seated crosslegged they travel in space like winged birds; with their hands they touch and stroke the moon and sun so mighty and powerful; they wield bodily mastery even as far as the world of the Divinity (Brahma). Just as a skilled potter or his apprentice might make, might create, out of well-prepared clay whatever shape of pot he wished; or just as a skilled ivory-worker or his apprentice might make, might create, out of well-prepared ivory whatever ivory work of art he wished; or just as a skilled goldsmith or his apprentice might make, might create out of well-prepared gold whatever gold work of art he wished, so too, I have proclaimed to my disciples the way to wield the various kinds of supernormal success… they wield bodily mastery even as far as the world of the Divinity (Brahma).

“With the heavenly ear-element, which is purified and surpasses the human, hear both kinds of sounds, the heavenly and the human, those that are far as well as near. Just as though a vigorous hornblower might make himself heard without difficulty in the four directions, so too, I have proclaimed to my disciples the way to hear… far as well as near.

“He encompasses with his mind the mind of other beings, of other persons. They understand mind affected by lust as affected by lust, mind unaffected by lust as unaffected by lust; they understand mind affected by hate as affected by hate, mind unaffected by hate as unaffected by hate; they understand mind affected by delusion as affected by delusion, mind unaffected by delusion as unaffected by delusion; they understand the contracted mind as contracted and the distracted mind as distracted; they understand the exalted mind as exalted, the unexalted mind as unexalted; they understand the surpassed mind as surpassed, and the unsurpassed mind as unsurpassed; they understand the concentrated mind as concentrated, and the unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated; they understand the liberated mind as liberated and the unliberated mind as unliberated. Just as a woman—or a man—young, youthful, fond of finery, on regarding the image of her own face in a clean, bright looking-glass or in a bowl of clear water would know if there were a spot thus: ‘There is a spot’, or would know if there were no spot thus: ‘There is no spot’, so too, I have proclaimed to my disciples the way to understand… and unliberated mind as unliberated.

“He recollects his past life, that is to say one birth, two, three, four, five births, ten births, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred-thousand births, many aeons of world contraction, many aeons of world expansion, many aeons of world contraction and expansion: ‘There I was so named, of such a race, with such an appearance, such was my food, such my acquaintance with pleasure and pain, such the end of my life-span; and passing away from there, I appeared elsewhere; and there too I was so named… and passing away from there, I reappeared here.’ Thus with its details and particulars they recollect their manifold past life. Just as though a man went from his own village to another village, and then he went from that village to another village and then he went back again to his own village and thought: ‘I went from my own village to that village and there such was the way I stood, such the way I sat, such the way I spoke, such the way I was silent; and from that village I went on to that other village and there such was the way I stood, such the way I sat, such the way I spoke, such the way I was silent; and from that village I came back to my own village; so too, I have proclaimed to my disciples the way to recollect their manifold past life… thus they recollect their manifold past life with its details and particulars.

“With the heavenly eyesight, which is purified and surpasses the human, to see beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, well-behaved and ill-behaved. They understand how beings pass on according to their kammas thus: ‘These worthy beings who are ill-conducted in body, speech and mind, revilers of Noble Ones, wrong in their views, giving effect to wrong view in their actions, have, on the dissolution of the body, after death, appeared in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell; but these worthy beings who are well-conducted in body, speech and mind, not revilers of the Noble Ones, right in their views, giving effect to right view in their actions, have, on the dissolution of the body, after death, appeared in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world; thus with the heavenly eyesight, which is purified and surpasses the human, they see beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, well-behaved and ill-behaved; they understand how beings pass on according to their kammas. Just as though there were two houses with doors and a man with good eyes standing there in between saw men entering the houses and coming out and going to and fro; so too, I have proclaimed to my disciples the way to see, with heavenly eyesight,… how beings pass on according to their kammas.

“By realization himself with direct knowledge here and now, he enters upon and abides in the deliverance of the heart and the deliverance by understanding that are taint-free with exhaustion of taints.

“When mindfulness of the body is developed, repeatedly practised, made the vehicle, made the basis, established, consolidated, and properly undertaken, these ten rewards may be expected.”

This is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and they delighted in the Blessed One’s words.

This is an excerpt from A Treasury of the Buddha's Words, a collection of suttas from the Majjhima Nikāya translated by Ven. Nyanamoli Thera and edited by Khantipalo Bhikkhu in 1977.

It was printed in Thailand by Mahāmakut Rājavidyālaya Press for free distribution.