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Majjhima Nikāya 119

Kāyagatāsatisutta

Mindfulness of the Body · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Atha kho sambahulānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi:
“acchariyaṁ, āvuso, abbhutaṁ, āvuso.
Yāvañcidaṁ tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena kāyagatāsati bhāvitā bahulīkatā mahapphalā vuttā mahānisaṁsā”ti.
Ayañca hidaṁ tesaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ antarākathā vippakatā hoti, atha kho bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena upaṭṭhānasālā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi.
Nisajja kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
“kāya nuttha, bhikkhave, etarahi kathāya sannisinnā, kā ca pana vo antarākathā vippakatā”ti?
“Idha, bhante, amhākaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi:
‘acchariyaṁ, āvuso, abbhutaṁ, āvuso.
Yāvañcidaṁ tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena kāyagatāsati bhāvitā bahulīkatā mahapphalā vuttā mahānisaṁsā’ti.

Then after the meal, on return from almsround, several mendicants sat together in the assembly hall and this discussion came up among them. “It’s incredible, reverends, it’s amazing, how the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha has said that mindfulness of the body, when developed and cultivated, is very fruitful and beneficial.” But their conversation was left unfinished. Then the Buddha came out of retreat and went to the assembly hall. He sat down on the seat spread out and addressed the mendicants: “Mendicants, what were you sitting talking about just now? What conversation was left unfinished?” So the mendicants told him what they had been talking about. The Buddha said:

Ayaṁ kho no, bhante, antarākathā vippakatā, atha bhagavā anuppatto”ti.

This, venerable sir, was our interim talk left unfinished when the Blessed One arrived.

“Kathaṁ bhāvitā ca, bhikkhave, kāyagatāsati kathaṁ bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā?

“And how, mendicants, is mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated to be very fruitful and beneficial?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā.
So satova assasati satova passasati;
dīghaṁ vā assasanto ‘dīghaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, dīghaṁ vā passasanto ‘dīghaṁ passasāmī’ti pajānāti;
rassaṁ vā assasanto ‘rassaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, rassaṁ vā passasanto ‘rassaṁ passasāmī’ti pajānāti;
‘sabbakāyapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘sabbakāyapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati;
‘passambhayaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘passambhayaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati.
Tassa evaṁ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato ye gehasitā sarasaṅkappā te pahīyanti.
Tesaṁ pahānā ajjhattameva cittaṁ santiṭṭhati sannisīdati ekodi hoti samādhiyati.
Evaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāyagatāsatiṁ bhāveti.

It’s when a mendicant—gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut—sits down cross-legged, sets their body straight, and brings mindfulness to the present. Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out. Breathing in heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing in heavily.’ Breathing out heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing out heavily.’ Breathing in lightly they know: ‘I’m breathing in lightly.’ Breathing out lightly they know: ‘I’m breathing out lightly.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in experiencing the whole body.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out experiencing the whole body.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in stilling the physical process.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out stilling the physical process.’ As they meditate like this—diligent, keen, and resolute—memories and thoughts tied to domestic life are given up. Their mind becomes stilled internally; it settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samādhi. That’s how a mendicant develops mindfulness of the body.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu gacchanto vā ‘gacchāmī’ti pajānāti, ṭhito vā ‘ṭhitomhī’ti pajānāti, nisinno vā ‘nisinnomhī’ti pajānāti, sayāno vā ‘sayānomhī’ti pajānāti.
Yathā yathā vā panassa kāyo paṇihito hoti tathā tathā naṁ pajānāti.
Tassa evaṁ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato ye gehasitā sarasaṅkappā te pahīyanti.
Tesaṁ pahānā ajjhattameva cittaṁ santiṭṭhati sannisīdati ekodi hoti samādhiyati.
Evampi, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāyagatāsatiṁ bhāveti.

Furthermore, when a mendicant is walking they know: ‘I am walking.’ When standing they know: ‘I am standing.’ When sitting they know: ‘I am sitting.’ And when lying down they know: ‘I am lying down.’ Whatever posture their body is in, they know it. As they meditate like this—diligent, keen, and resolute—memories and thoughts tied to domestic life are given up. Their mind becomes stilled internally; it settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samādhi. That too is how a mendicant develops mindfulness of the body.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu abhikkante paṭikkante sampajānakārī hoti, ālokite vilokite sampajānakārī hoti, samiñjite pasārite sampajānakārī hoti, saṅghāṭipattacīvaradhāraṇe sampajānakārī hoti, asite pīte khāyite sāyite sampajānakārī hoti, uccārapassāvakamme sampajānakārī hoti, gate ṭhite nisinne sutte jāgarite bhāsite tuṇhībhāve sampajānakārī hoti.
Tassa evaṁ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato ye gehasitā sarasaṅkappā te pahīyanti.
Tesaṁ pahānā ajjhattameva cittaṁ santiṭṭhati sannisīdati ekodi hoti samādhiyati.
Evampi, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāyagatāsatiṁ bhāveti.

Furthermore, a mendicant acts with situational awareness when going out and coming back; when looking ahead and aside; when bending and extending the limbs; when bearing the outer robe, bowl and robes; when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting; when urinating and defecating; when walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking, and keeping silent. As they meditate like this—diligent, keen, and resolute—memories and thoughts tied to domestic life are given up. Their mind becomes stilled internally; it settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samādhi. That too is how a mendicant develops mindfulness of the body.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu imameva kāyaṁ uddhaṁ pādatalā adho kesamatthakā tacapariyantaṁ pūraṁ nānappakārassa asucino paccavekkhati:
‘atthi imasmiṁ kāye kesā lomā nakhā dantā taco maṁsaṁ nhāru aṭṭhi aṭṭhimiñjaṁ vakkaṁ hadayaṁ yakanaṁ kilomakaṁ pihakaṁ papphāsaṁ antaṁ antaguṇaṁ udariyaṁ karīsaṁ pittaṁ semhaṁ pubbo lohitaṁ sedo medo assu vasā kheḷo siṅghāṇikā lasikā muttan’ti.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, ubhatomukhā putoḷi pūrā nānāvihitassa dhaññassa, seyyathidaṁ—
sālīnaṁ vīhīnaṁ muggānaṁ māsānaṁ tilānaṁ taṇḍulānaṁ,
tamenaṁ cakkhumā puriso muñcitvā paccavekkheyya:
‘ime sālī ime vīhī ime muggā ime māsā ime tilā ime taṇḍulā’ti;
evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu imameva kāyaṁ uddhaṁ pādatalā adho kesamatthakā tacapariyantaṁ pūraṁ nānappakārassa asucino paccavekkhati:

Furthermore, a mendicant examines their own body, up from the soles of the feet and down from the tips of the hairs, wrapped in skin and full of many kinds of filth. ‘In this body there is head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, undigested food, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, snot, synovial fluid, urine.’ It’s as if there were a bag with openings at both ends, filled with various kinds of grains, such as fine rice, wheat, mung beans, peas, sesame, and ordinary rice. And a person with clear eyes were to open it and examine the contents: ‘These grains are fine rice, these are wheat, these are mung beans, these are peas, these are sesame, and these are ordinary rice.’ In the same way, a mendicant examines their own body, up from the soles of the feet and down from the tips of the hairs, wrapped in skin and full of many kinds of filth. …

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