"Mindfulness of Death" (sutra)

Dhr. Seven, Amber Dorrian, Wisdom Quarterly translation (Maranassati Sutra, AN 6.19-20)

Mara as Chinese dragon, devil, alien, and monster (ntattoodesigns.com)

 

The Buddha takes a stand (sdhammika)

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying at Nadika in the Brick Hall, when he addressed the Sangha: "Recluses!" "Yes, venerable sir," they replied.
 
The Buddha continued: "Mindfulness of death, developed and regularly practiced, is of great fruit and benefit. It leads to the Deathless (nirvana) and has the Deathless as its destination. Therefore, develop this mindfulness of death."
 
A certain recluse then addressed the Buddha: "I already develop mindfulness of death."
 
The Buddha asked: "How do you develop mindfulness of death?"
 
"I think, 'O, if I might live for a day and a night attending to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal.' This is how I develop mindfulness of death."
 
Then another: "I, too, already develop mindfulness of death!"
 
"How do you develop mindfulness of death?"
 
"I think, 'O, if I might live for a day attending to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal.'..."
 

Music festival (englishrussia.com)

Then another: "I, too, already develop mindfulness of death...." "I think, 'O, if I might live for the interval that it takes to consume a meal attending to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal.' ..."

Then another, "I, too, develop mindfulness of death." ... "I think, 'O, if I might live for the interval it takes to swallow four morsels of food, attending to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal.' ..."
 
Then another: "I, too, develop mindfulness of death." ... "I think, 'O, if I might live for the interval it takes to swallow a single morsel of food, attending to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal.' ..."
 

Sitting in Sweden (yogameditation.com)

Then another: "I, too, develop mindfulness of death." ... "I think, 'O, if I might live for the interval it takes to breathe out after breathing in or to breathe in after breathing out, attending to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal.' This is how I develop mindfulness of death."

When this was said, the Buddha addressed them:
 
"Whoever develops mindfulness of death by thinking, 'O, if I might live for a day and night... for a day... for the interval it takes to eat a meal... for the interval it takes to swallow a morsel of food, attending to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal' -- such practitioners can be said to abide heedless.
  
"They develop mindfulness of death slowly for the sake of abandoning the defilements of mind/heart.
 
"But whoever develops mindfulness of death by thinking, 'O, if I might live for the interval that it takes to swallow a morsel of food... for the interval that it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out, attending to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal' -- such practitioners can be said to abide heedful (appamada).
 
"They develop mindfulness of death well for the sake of swiftly abandoning the defilements of heart/mind.
 
"Therefore, train yourselves: 'We will abide heedful. We will develop mindfulness of death well for the sake of swiftly abandoning the defilements.' This is how to train yourselves."
 
This is what the Buddha said and, delighted, the recluses were satisfied.

How to be Mindful of Death 

Maranassati Sutra II (AN 6.20)

Gold and gold leaf gilded Buddhas, Thailand (AK-47/flickr.com)

 
"Reflect as day ends and night returns: 'There are many causes of death. A snake might get me, a scorpion sting me, a centipede bite me. That is how my death might come about, and it would be an obstacle for me.

"'I might stumble and fall; poorly digested food might disagree with me; bile might be provoked, phlegm might be provoked... piercing corporeal minds might be provoked. That is how my death might come about, and it would be an obstacle for me.'

Mara as a Japanese devil (tattoospot.com)

"Then investigate: 'Are there any unwholesome and unskillful qualities as yet unabandoned by me that would be an obstacle if I were to die tonight?' If upon reflection one realizes that there are, put forward the diligent effort, zeal, endeavor, mindfulness and clear comprehension for their abandoning.

"Just as a person whose turban or head is on fire would put forward diligent effort... to put it out, in the same way, put forward diligent effort to abandon unwholesome and unskillful qualities.

"If on reflection one discerns no unwholesome and unskillful qualities as yet unabandoned that would be an obstacle if one were to die tonight, abide in joy and rapture [jhana], training by day and night in further skillful qualities.
 
"Reflect as night ends and day returns: 'There are many causes of death. A snake might get me... That is how my death might come about, and it would be an obstacle for me.'

"Then investigate: 'Are there any unwholesome and unskillful qualities as yet unabandoned by me that would be an obstacle for me if I were to die today?' If upon reflection one realizes that there are, put forward diligent effort... mindfulness and clear comprehension to abandon them.

"Just as a person whose turban or head is on fire would put forward diligent effort... to put it out, put forward diligent effort...

"If on reflection, one discerns no unwholesome and unskillful qualities as yet unabandoned that would be an obstacle if one were to die today, abide in joy and rapture, training by day and night in further skillful qualities."