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SN 54.9PTS SN 5.3202 min read

At Vesālī

Vesālīsutta

The Buddha taught the meditation on the ugliness of the body, then left to go on retreat. However, many monks, misconstruing the teachings, ending up killing themselves. The Buddha taught breath meditation as a peaceful and pleasant abiding.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 54.9Linked Discourses 54.9
  • 0.21. Ekadhammavagga1. One Thing

0.3VesālīsuttaAt Vesālī

1.1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—So I have heard.1.2ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā vesāliyaṁ viharati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ.At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof.11.3Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā bhikkhūnaṁ anekapariyāyena asubhakathaṁ katheti, asubhāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati, asubhabhāvanāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati.Now at that time the Buddha spoke in many ways to the mendicants about the meditation on ugliness. He praised the meditation on ugliness and its development.2

2.1Atha kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:Then the Buddha said to the mendicants,2.2“icchāmahaṁ, bhikkhave, aḍḍhamāsaṁ paṭisallīyituṁ.“Mendicants, I wish to go on retreat for a fortnight.32.3Nāmhi kenaci upasaṅkamitabbo, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakenā”ti.No-one should approach me, except the one who brings my almsfood.”

2.4“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paṭissutvā nāssudha koci bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamati, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakena.“Yes, sir,” replied those mendicants. And no-one approached him, except the one who brought the almsfood.

3.1Atha kho te bhikkhū:Then those mendicants thought,3.2“bhagavā anekapariyāyena asubhakathaṁ katheti, asubhāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati, asubhabhāvanāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsatī”ti anekākāravokāraṁ asubhabhāvanānuyogamanuyuttā viharanti.“The Buddha spoke in many ways about the meditation on ugliness. He praised the meditation on ugliness and its development.” They committed themselves to developing the many different facets of the meditation on ugliness.3.3Te iminā kāyena aṭṭīyamānā harāyamānā jigucchamānā satthahārakaṁ pariyesanti.Becoming horrified, repelled, and disgusted with this body, they looked for a suicide weapon.43.4Dasapi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti, vīsampi …pe… tiṁsampi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti.Each day ten, twenty, or thirty mendicants committed suicide.5

4.1PTS 5.321Atha kho bhagavā tassa aḍḍhamāsassa accayena paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ āmantesi:Then after a fortnight had passed, the Buddha came out of retreat and addressed Ānanda,4.2“kiṁ nu kho, ānanda, tanubhūto viya bhikkhusaṅgho”ti?“Ānanda, why does the mendicant Saṅgha seem so diminished?”

4.3“Tathā hi pana, bhante, ‘bhagavā bhikkhūnaṁ anekapariyāyena asubhakathaṁ katheti, asubhāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati, asubhabhāvanāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsatī’ti anekākāravokāraṁ asubhabhāvanānuyogamanuyuttā viharanti.Ānanda told the Buddha all that had happened, and said,4.4Te iminā kāyena aṭṭīyamānā harāyamānā jigucchamānā satthahārakaṁ pariyesanti.4.5Dasapi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti, vīsampi bhikkhū … tiṁsampi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti.4.6Sādhu, bhante, bhagavā aññaṁ pariyāyaṁ ācikkhatu yathāyaṁ bhikkhusaṅgho aññāya saṇṭhaheyyā”ti.“Sir, please explain another way the mendicant Saṅgha might be settled in enlightenment.”

5.1“Tenahānanda, yāvatikā bhikkhū vesāliṁ upanissāya viharanti te sabbe upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ sannipātehī”ti.“Well then, Ānanda, gather all the mendicants staying in the vicinity of Vesālī together in the assembly hall.”

5.2“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho āyasmā ānando bhagavato paṭissutvā yāvatikā bhikkhū vesāliṁ upanissāya viharanti te sabbe upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ sannipātetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:“Yes, sir,” replied Ānanda. He did what the Buddha asked, went up to him, and said,5.3“sannipatito, bhante, bhikkhusaṅgho.“Sir, the mendicant Saṅgha has assembled.5.4Yassadāni, bhante, bhagavā kālaṁ maññatī”ti.Please, sir, come at your convenience.”

6.1Atha kho bhagavā yena upaṭṭhānasālā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi.Then the Buddha went to the assembly hall, sat down on the seat spread out,6.2Nisajja kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:and addressed the mendicants:

6.3“ayampi kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti.“Mendicants, when this immersion due to mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated it’s peaceful and sublime, a delectable and blissful meditation. And it disperses and settles unskillful qualities on the spot whenever they arise.

7.1PTS 5.322Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gimhānaṁ pacchime māse ūhataṁ rajojallaṁ, tamenaṁ mahāakālamegho ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti;In the last month of summer, when the dust and dirt is stirred up, a large storm out of season disperses and settles it on the spot.

7.2evameva kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti.In the same way, when this immersion due to mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated it’s peaceful and sublime, a delectable and blissful meditation. And it disperses and settles unskillful qualities on the spot whenever they arise.7.3Kathaṁ bhāvito ca, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi kathaṁ bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti?And how is it so developed and cultivated?

8.1Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā.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.

8.2So satova assasati, satova passasati …pe…Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out. …

8.3‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati.They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’

8.4Evaṁ bhāvito kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi evaṁ bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasametī”ti.That’s how this immersion due to mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated so that it’s peaceful and sublime, a delectable and blissful meditation. And it disperses and settles unskillful qualities on the spot whenever they arise.”

8.5Navamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. This episode is told in full as the origin story for the Vinaya rule prohibiting murder (Bu Pj 3), and it is referenced at MN 145:5.32 and SN 35.88:16.2. As a narrative, it is unusual and puzzling in many respects, but the overall message is clear: mindfulness of breathing is a peaceful and wholesome meditation.

    ↩ sn54.9:1.2
  2. That is, the contemplation of the parts of the body, or the corpse meditations.

    ↩ sn54.9:1.3
  3. See note on SN 45.11:1.2.

    ↩ sn54.9:2.2
  4. For satthahāraka, see note on SN 35.88:16.2.

    ↩ sn54.9:3.3
  5. In the Vinaya version, they took their own lives, killed each other, and got the sham monk Migalaṇḍika to kill them.

    ↩ sn54.9:3.4