MN 10Foundations of Mindfulness

– Majjhima Nikāya

10. The Foundations of Mindfulness

Nya 1 Thus I heard :

On one occasion the Blessed One was living in the Kuru country.

There is town of theirs called Kammāssadamma, and there he addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus.”

“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Blessed One said this:

Nya 2 “Bhikkhus, this path, namely the four foundations of mindfulness, is a path that goes in one way only: to the purification of beings, to the surmounting of sorrow and lamentation, to the disappearance of pain and grief, to the attainment of the true way, to the realization of Nibbana.

Nya 3 “What are the four? Here a bhikkhu abides contemplating a body as a body fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating feelings as feelings, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating mind as mind, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world.

Contemplation Of The Body

I. Mindfulness of Breathing

Nya 4 “And how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating the body as a body? Here 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 on the breath in front of him, always mindful he breaths 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 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’.

Insight

Nya 5 “In this way he abides contemplating the body as a body in himself, or he abides contemplating the body as a body externally, or he abides contemplating the body in himself and externally.

“Or else he abides contemplating in the body its arising factors, or he abides contemplating in the body its vanishing factors, or he abides contemplating in the body its arising and vanishing factors.

“Or else mindfulness that ‘there is a body’ is simply established in him to the extent of bare knowledge and remembrance of it , while he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.

“That is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.

II. The Four Postures

Nya 6 “Again, 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.

Nya 7 ‘… contemplating… in himself… externally… in himself and externally.

“… contemplating… arising factors… vanishing factors… arising and vanishing factors.

“… mindfulness that ‘there is a body’… not clinging to anything in the world.

“That also is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.

III. Full Awareness

Nya 8 “Again, 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, chewing 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.

Nya 9 “… contemplating… in himself… externally… in himself and externally… contemplating… arising factors… vanishing factors… arising and vanishing factors… mindfulness that ‘there is a body’… not clinging to anything in the world.

“That also is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.

IV. Foulness—The Bodily Parts

Nya 10 “Again, 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.

Nya 11 “… contemplating… in himself… externally… in himself and externally… contemplatng… arising factors… vanishing factors… arising and vanishing factors… mindfulness that ‘there is a body’… not clinging to anything in the world.

V. Elements

Nya 12 “Again, however it is placed, however disposed, a bhikkhu reviews this same body 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 a killed 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.

Nya 13 “… contemplating… in himself… externally… in himself and externally… contemplating… arising factors… arising and vanishing factors… mindfulness that ‘there is a body’… not clinging to anything in the world.

VI—XIV. The Nine Charnel Grounds

Nya 14 “Again, a bhikkhu judges this same body as though he 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.’

Nya 15 “… contemplating… in himself… not clinging to anything in the world.

Nya 16 “Again, 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, itis not exempt from that.’

Nya 17 “… contemplating… in himself… not clinging to anything in the world.

Nya 18 “Again, 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… ’

Nya 19 “… contemplating… in himself… not clinging to anything in the world.

Nya 20 “Again, 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,…

Nya 21 “… contemplating… in himself… not clinging to anything in the world.

Nya 22 “Again, 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.

Nya 23 “… contemplating… in himself… not clinging to anything in the world.

Nya 24 “Again, 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 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 neckbone, there a jaw-bone, there a tooth-bone, there the skull…

Nya 25 “… contemplating… in himself… not clinging to anything in the world.

Nya 26 “Again, 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…

Nya 27 “… contemplating… in himself… not clinging to anything in the world.

Nya 28 “Again, 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…

Nya 29 “… contemplating… in himself… not clinging to anything in the world.

Nya 30 “Again, 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.’

Insight

Nya 31 “In this way he abides contemplating the body as a body in himself, or he abides contemplating the body as a body externally, or he abides contemplating the body as a body in himself and externally.

“Or else he abides contemplating in the body its arising factors, or he abides contemplating in the body its vanishing factors, or he abides contemplating in the body its arising and vanishing factors.

“Or else mindfulness that ‘there is a body’ is simply established in him to the extent of bare knowledge and remembrance of it , while he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.

“That also is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body.

Contemplation Of Feeling

Nya 32 “And how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating feelings as feelings? Here, when feeling a pleasant feeling, a bhikkhu undertsands: ‘I feel a pleasant feeling’; when feeling a painful feeling, he understands: ‘I feel a painful feeling’; when feeling a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he understands: ‘I feel a neither-painful-nor-pleasant-feeling’.

“When feeling a materialistic pleasant feeling he understands: ‘I feel a materialistic pleasant feeling’; when feeling an unmaterialistic pleasant feeling, he understands: ‘I feel an unmaterialistic pleasant feeling’; when feeling a materialistic painful feeling, he understands: ‘I feel a materialistic painful feeling’; when feeling an unmaterialistic painful feeling, he understands: ‘I feel an unmaterialistic painful feeling’; when feeling a materialistic neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he understands: ‘I feel a materialistic neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling’; when feeling an unmaterialistic neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he understands: ‘I feel an unmaterialistic neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling’.

Insight

Nya 33 “In this way he abides contemplating feelings as feelings in himself, or he abides contemplating feelings as feelings externally, or he abides contemplating feelings as feelings in himself and externally.

“Or else he abides contemplating in feeling its arising factors, or he abides contemplating in feeling its vanishing factors, or he abides contemplating in feeling its arising and vanishing factors.

“Or else mindfulness that ‘there is feeling’ is simply established in him to the extent of bare knowledge and remembrance of it , while he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.

“That is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating feelings as feelings.

Contemplation Of Mind

Nya 34 “And how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating mind as mind? Here a bhikkhu understands mind affected by lust as affected by lust, and mind unaffected by lust as unaffected by lust. He understands mind affected by hate as affected by hate, and mind unaffected by hate as unaffected by hate.

He understands mind affected by delusion as affected by delusion, and mind unaffected by delusion as unaffected by delusion. He understands contracted mind as contracted, and distracted mind as distracted. He understands exalted mind as exalted, and unexalted mind as unexalted.

He understands surpassed mind as surpassed, and unsurpassed mind as unsurpassed. He understands concentrated mind as concentrated, and unconcentrated mind as un-concentrated. He understands liberated mind as liberated and unliberated mind as unliberated.

Insight

Nya 35 “In this way he abides contemplating mind as mind in himself, or he abides contemplating mind as mind externally, or he abides contemplating mind as mind in himself and externally. Or else he abides contemplating in the mind its arising factors, or he abides contemplating in the mind its vanishing factors, or he abides contemplating in the mind its arising and vanishing factors.

“Or else mindfulness that ‘there is a mind’ is simply established in him to the extent of bare knowledge and remembrance of it , while he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating the mind as mind.

Contemplation Of Dhammas

Nya 36 “And how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating dhammas as dhammas?

I. The Five Hindrances

“Here a bhikkhu abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the five hindrances.

“How does a bhikkhu abide contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the five hindrances?

“Here, there being desire for sensual pleasures in him, a bhikkhu understands: ‘There is desire for sensual pleasure in me’, or there being no desire for sensual pleasures in him, he understands: ‘There is no desire for sensual pleasures in me’, and also he understands how there comes to be the arising of unarisen desire for sensual pleasures, and he understands how there comes to be the abandoning of arisen desire for sensual pleasures, and he understands how there comes to be the future non-arising of abandoned desire for sensual pleasures.

“There being ill-will in him…

“There being lethargy-and-drowsiness in him…

“There being agitation-and-worry in him…

“There being uncertainty in him… the future non-arising of abandoned uncertainty.

Insight

Nya 37 “In this way he abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas in himself, or he abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas externally, or he abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas in himself and externally.

“Or else he abides contemplating in dhammas their arising factors, or he abides contemplating in dhammas their vanishing factors, or he abides contemplating in dhammas their arising and vanishing factors. Or else mindfulness that ‘there are dhammas’ is simply established in him to the extent of bare knowledge and remembrance of it , while he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.

“That is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the five hindrances.

II. The Five Aggregates

Nya 38 “Again, a bhikkhu abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the five aggregates affected by clinging.

“And how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the five aggregates affected by clinging?

“Here a bhikkhu knows : ‘Such is form, such its origin, such its disappearance; such is feeling, such its origin, such its disappearance; such is perception, such its origin, such its disappearance; such are formations, such their origin, such their disappearance; such is consciousness, such its origin, such its disappearance’.

Nya 39 “… contemplating… in himself… externally… in himself and externally… contemplating… arising factors… vanishing factors… arising and vanishing factors… mindfulness that ‘there are dhammas’… not clinging to anything in the world.

III. The Six Bases

Nya 40 “Again, a bhikkhu abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the six in-oneself/external bases.

“And how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the six in-oneself/external bases?

“Here a bhikkhu understands the eye, he understands forms, and he understands the fetter that arises dependent on both; he understands how there comes to be the arising of the unarisen fetter, he understands how there comes to be the abandoning of the arisen fetter, and he understands how there comes to be the future non-arising of the abandoned fetter.

“He understands the ear, he understands sounds…

“He understands the nose, he understands odours…

“He understands the tongue, he understands flavours…

“He understands the body, he understands tangibles…

“He understands the mind, he understands dhammas, and he understands the fetter that arises dependent on both, he understands how there comes to be the arising of the unarisen fetter, he understands how there comes to be the abandoning of the arisen fetter, and he understands how there comes to be the future non-arising of the abandoned fetter.

Nya 41 “… contemplating… in himself… externally… in himself and externally… contemplating… arising factors… vanishing factors… arising and vanishing factors… mindfulness that ‘there are dhammas’… not clinging to anything in the world.

IV. The Seven Enlightenment Factors

Nya 42 “Again, a bhikkhu abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the seven enlightenment factors.

“And how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the seven enlightenment factors?

“Here, there being the mindfulness enlightenment factor in him, a bhikkhu understands: ‘There is the mindfulness enlightenment factor in me’, there being no mindfulness enlightenment factor in him, he understands: ‘There is no mindfulness enlightenment factor in me’; and also he understands how there comes to be the arising of the unarisen mindfulness enlightenment factor, and he understands how the arisen mindfulness enlightenment factor comes to be developed and perfected.

“There being the investigation-of-dhammas enlightenment factor in him…

“There being the energy enlightenment factor in him…

“There being the happiness factor in him…

“There being the tranquillity enlightenment factor in him…

“There being the concentration enlightenment factor in him…

“There being the equanimity enlightenment factor in him… he understands: ‘There is the equanimity enlightenment factor in me’, there being no equanimity enlightenment factor in him, he understands: ‘There is no equanimity enlightenment factor in me’, and also he understands how there comes to be the arising of the unarisen equanimity enlightenment factor, and he understands how the arisen equanimity enlightenment factor comes to be developed and perfected.

Nya 43 “… contemplating… in himself… externally… in himself and externally… contemplating… arising factors… vanishing factors… arising and vanishing factors… mindfulness that ‘there are dhammas’… not clinging to anything in the world.

V. The Four Noble Truths

Nya 44 “Again, a bhikkhu abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the Four Noble Truths.

“And how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the Four Noble Truths?

“Here a bhikkhu understands as it actually is that: ‘Such is suffering’; he understands as it actually is: ‘Such is the origin of suffering’; he understands as it actually is: ‘Such is the cessation of suffering’; he understands as it actually is: ‘Such is the way leading to the cessation of suffering’.

Nya 45 “In this way he abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas in himself, or he abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas externally, or he abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas in himself and externally.

“Or else he abides contemplating in dhammas their arising factors, or he abides contemplating in dhammas their vanishing factors or he abides contemplating in dhammas their arising and vanishing factors.

“Or else mindfulness that ‘there are dhammas’ is simply established in him to the extent of bare knowledge and remembrance of it , while he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.

“That is how a bhikkhu abides contemplating dhammas as dhammas in terms of the Four Noble Truths.

Conclusion

Nya 46 “Bhikkhus, were anyone to develop these four foundations of mindfulness for seven years, one of two fruits could be expected for him: either final knowledge here and now, or if there is a trace of clinging left non-return.

“Let alone seven years, were anyone to develop these four foundations for six years…

“Let alone six years… for five years…

“Let alone five years… for four years…

“Let alone four years… for three years…

“Let alone three years… for two years…

“Let alone two years… for one year…

“Let alone one year… for seven months…

“Let alone seven months… for six months…

“Let alone six months… for five months…

“Let alone five months… for four months…

“Let alone four months… for three months…

“Let alone three months… for two months…

“Let alone two months… for one month…

“Let alone one month… for half a month…

“Let alone half a month, were anyone to develop these four foundations of mindfulness for seven days, one of two fruits could be expected for him: either final knowledge here and now, or if there is a trace of clinging left, non-return.

Nya 47 “So it was in reference to this that it was said: ‘Bhikkhus, this path, namely, the four foundations of mindfulness, is a path that goes in one way only: to the purification of beings, to the surmounting of sorrow and lamentation, to the disappearance of pain and grief, to the attainment of the true way, to the realization of Nibbāna.’”

That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied, and 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 .