46.11. Living Beings (SN46.11)

“Bhikkhus, whatever living beings there are which assume the four postures—sometimes walking, sometimes standing, sometimes sitting, sometimes lying down—all assume the four postures based upon the earth, established upon the earth. So too, based upon virtue, established upon virtue, a bhikkhu develops and cultivates the seven factors of enlightenment.

“And how does he do so? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops the enlightenment factor of mindfulness, which is based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release…. He develops the enlightenment factor of equanimity, which is based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. It is in this way, bhikkhus, that a bhikkhu, based upon virtue, established upon virtue, develops and cultivates the seven factors of enlightenment.”

© Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha (Wisdom Publications, 2000)

This excerpt from The Connected Discourses of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Bodhi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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