7.
The First Discourse on Sickness
255.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Vesālī in the Great Wood in the Pinnacled Hall.
Then the Blessed One, in the evening, having emerged from seclusion, went to the sick hall;
having approached, he sat down on the prepared seat.
Having sat down, the Blessed One addressed the monks:
"Monks, a monk should await his time mindful and fully aware. This is our instruction to you.
"And how, monks, is a monk mindful? Here, monks, a monk dwells observing the body in the body, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure regarding the world; he dwells observing feelings in feelings... etc. he dwells observing mind in mind... etc. He dwells observing mental phenomena in mental phenomena, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure regarding the world. Thus, monks, a monk is mindful.
"And how, monks, is a monk fully aware? Here, monks, a monk acts with full awareness when going forward and returning, acts with full awareness when looking ahead and looking aside, acts with full awareness when bending and stretching, acts with full awareness when wearing the double robe, bowl and robes, acts with full awareness when eating, drinking, chewing and tasting, acts with full awareness when defecating and urinating, acts with full awareness when walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking and remaining silent. Thus, monks, a monk acts with full awareness. Monks, a monk should await his time mindful and fully aware. This is our instruction to you.
"If, monks, for that monk thus dwelling mindful, fully aware, diligent, ardent, and resolute, a pleasant feeling arises, he thus understands: 'This pleasant feeling has arisen in me. And that is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on this very body. But this body is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen. A pleasant feeling arisen dependent on a body that is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, how could it be permanent!' He dwells observing impermanence in the body and in pleasant feeling, dwells observing passing away, dwells observing dispassion, dwells observing cessation, dwells observing relinquishment. For him dwelling observing impermanence in the body and in pleasant feeling, dwelling observing passing away, dwelling observing dispassion, dwelling observing cessation, dwelling observing relinquishment, whatever underlying tendency to lust regarding the body and pleasant feeling, that is abandoned.
"If, monks, for that monk thus dwelling mindful, fully aware, diligent, ardent, and resolute, an unpleasant feeling arises. He thus understands: 'This unpleasant feeling has arisen in me. And that is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on this very body. But this body is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen. An unpleasant feeling arisen dependent on a body that is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, how could it be permanent!' He dwells observing impermanence in the body and in unpleasant feeling, dwells observing passing away, dwells observing dispassion, dwells observing cessation, dwells observing relinquishment. For him dwelling observing impermanence in the body and in unpleasant feeling... etc. dwelling observing relinquishment, whatever underlying tendency to aversion regarding the body and unpleasant feeling, that is abandoned.
"If, monks, for that monk dwelling thus mindful, fully aware, heedful, ardent, and resolute, a neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling arises, he thus understands - 'This neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling has arisen in me. And that is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on this very body. But this body is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen. A neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling arisen dependent on an impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen body, how could it be permanent!' He dwells observing impermanence in the body and in the neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling, dwells observing passing away, dwells observing dispassion, dwells observing cessation, dwells observing relinquishment. For him dwelling observing impermanence in the body and in the neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling, etc. dwelling observing relinquishment, whatever underlying tendency to ignorance regarding the body and the neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling, that is abandoned.
"If he feels a pleasant feeling, he understands that it is impermanent, he understands that it is not clung to, he understands that it is not delighted in. If he feels an unpleasant feeling, he understands that it is impermanent, he understands that it is not clung to, he understands that it is not delighted in. If he feels a neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling, he understands that it is impermanent, he understands that it is not clung to, he understands that it is not delighted in. If he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it unbound. If he feels an unpleasant feeling, he feels it unbound. If he feels a neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling, he feels it unbound. Feeling a feeling bounded by the body, he understands: 'I feel a feeling bounded by the body'; feeling a feeling bounded by life, he understands: 'I feel a feeling bounded by life.' He understands: 'Upon the body's collapse, beyond the exhaustion of life, right here all that is felt, not delighted in, will become cool.'
"Just as, monks, an oil lamp would burn dependent on oil and dependent on a wick, through the exhaustion of that very oil and wick, being without nutriment, it would be extinguished; so too, monks, a monk feeling a feeling bounded by the body understands: 'I feel a feeling bounded by the body.' Feeling a feeling bounded by life, he understands: 'I feel a feeling bounded by life.' He understands: 'Upon the body's collapse, beyond the exhaustion of life, right here all that is felt, not delighted in, will become cool.'" The seventh.