SUTRA: Advice to the Buddha's son (excerpt)

Ellie Askew, Dhr. Seven (eds.), excerpt from the "Greater Teaching to Rahula" (Maha Rahulovada Sutra) based on Ven. Thanissaro translation (accesstoinsight.org), Wisdom Quarterly

"Rahula, develop earth meditation (pathavi bhavana). For when that is done, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not hold sway over the mind.

"Just as when people throw what is clean and unclean upon the earth — feces, urine, saliva, pus, or blood — the earth is not horrified, humiliated, or disgusted by it, in the same way when developing earth meditation, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not hold sway over the mind.

"Develop water meditation. For when that is done, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not hold sway over the mind.

"Just as when people wash what is clean and unclean in water — feces, urine, saliva, pus, or blood — the water is not horrified, humiliated, or disgusted by it, in the same way when developing water meditation, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not hold sway over the mind.

"Develop fire meditation. For when that is done, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not hold sway over the mind.

"Just as when fire burns what is clean and unclean — feces, urine, saliva, pus, or blood — it is not horrified, humiliated, or disgusted by it, in the same way when developing water meditation, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not hold sway over the mind.

"Develop wind meditation. For when that is done, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not hold sway over the mind.

"Just as when wind blows what is clean and unclean — feces, urine, saliva, pus, or blood — it is not horrified, humiliated, or disgusted by it, in the same way when developing wind meditation, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not hold sway over the mind.

"Develop space meditation. For when that is done, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not hold sway over the mind.

"Just as space is not established anywhere, in the same way when developing space meditation, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not hold sway over the mind.

"Develop loving kindness (good will) meditation. For when that is done, ill will will be abandoned.

"Develop compassion meditation. For when that is done, cruelty will be abandoned.

"Develop appreciation meditation. For when that is done, resentment will be abandoned.

"Develop equanimity meditation. For when that is done, irritation will be abandoned.

"Develop foulness meditation. For when that is done, lust will be abandoned.

"Develop impermanence meditation. For when that is done, the conceit 'I am' will be abandoned.

"Develop mindfulness of in-and-out breathing meditation. Mindfulness of in-and-out breathing, when pursued and developed, is of great fruit, great benefit.

"Rahula, how is mindfulness of in-and-out breathing pursued and developed so as to be of great fruit and benefit?

"A meditator, resorting to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty place, sits down folding legs crosswise, holding body erect, and setting mindfulness to the fore [Note 4].

"Ever mindful, one breathes in, and mindful one breathes out.

[1] "Breathing in long, one is aware, 'I am breathing in long.' Breathing out long, one is aware, 'I am breathing out long.'

[2] "Breathing in short, one is aware, 'I am breathing in short.' Breathing out short, one is aware, 'I am breathing out short.'

[3] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in aware of the entire body.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out aware of the entire body.'

[4] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily formations.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out calming bodily formations.'

[5] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in aware of rapture.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out aware of rapture.'

[6] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in aware of pleasure.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out aware of pleasure.'

[7] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in aware of mental formations.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out aware of mental formations.'

[8] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in calming mental formations.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out calming mental formations.'

[9] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in aware of the mind.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out aware of the mind.'

[10] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in satisfying the mind.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out satisfying the mind.'

[11] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in steadying the mind.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out steadying the mind.'

[12] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in releasing the mind.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out releasing the mind.'

[13] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in focusing on impermanence.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out focusing on impermanence.'

[14] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in focusing on dispassion' [Note 5]. One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out focusing on dispassion.'

[15] "One trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on cessation.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out focusing on cessation.'

[16] "One trains oneself, 'I will breathe in focusing on relinquishment.' One trains oneself, 'I will breathe out focusing on relinquishment.'

"Rahula, this is how mindfulness of in-and-out breathing is developed and pursued so as to be of great fruit, great benefit.

"When mindfulness of in-and-out breathing is pursued and developed in this way, even one's final in-breaths and out-breaths are known as they cease, not unknown" [Note 6].

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Ven. Rahula delighted in the Blessed One's words.