SN36.7 — The First Discourse on Illness
At one time, the Blessed One was staying in Vesālī, in the Great Wood, at the Hall with the Peaked Roof. Then, in the evening, the Blessed One emerged from seclusion and went to the sick ward. Having arrived, he sat down on a prepared seat. Seated, the Blessed One addressed the disciples:
Disciples, a disciple should live mindfully and with clear knowing. This is our instruction to you. And how is a disciple mindful?
Here a disciple dwells contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly knowing, and mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. He dwells contemplating feelings in feelings... He dwells contemplating mind in mind... He dwells contemplating phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly knowing, and mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. This is how a disciple is mindful.
And how does a disciple have clear knowing? Here a disciple acts with clear knowing when going forward and returning; he acts with clear knowing when looking ahead and looking away; he acts with clear knowing when flexing and extending his limbs; he acts with clear knowing when wearing his robes and carrying his outer robe and bowl; he acts with clear knowing when eating, drinking, chewing, and savoring; he acts with clear knowing when defecating and urinating; he acts with clear knowing when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, and remaining silent. This is how a disciple has clear knowing.
Disciples, a disciple should live mindfully and with clear knowing. This is our instruction to you.
If a disciple lives mindfully and with clear knowing, diligent, ardent, and resolute, and pleasant feelings arise in him, he understands thus: This pleasant feeling has arisen in me. It is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on this very body.
But this body is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen. How could a pleasant feeling that has arisen dependent on a body that is impermanent, conditioned, and dependently arisen be permanent?
He dwells contemplating impermanence in the body and in the pleasant feeling, contemplating fading away, contemplating cessation, contemplating relinquishment.
As he dwells contemplating impermanence, fading away, cessation, and relinquishment in the body and in the pleasant feeling, the underlying tendency to lust in regard to the body and the pleasant feeling is abandoned.
If a disciple lives mindfully and with clear knowing, diligent, ardent, and resolute, and painful feelings arise in him, he understands thus: This painful feeling has arisen in me. It is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on this very body. But this body is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen.
How could a painful feeling that has arisen dependent on a body that is impermanent, conditioned, and dependently arisen be permanent?
He dwells contemplating impermanence in the body and in the painful feeling, contemplating fading away, contemplating cessation, contemplating relinquishment.
As he dwells contemplating impermanence, fading away, cessation, and relinquishment in the body and in the painful feeling, the underlying tendency to aversion in regard to the body and the painful feeling is abandoned.
If a disciple lives mindfully and with clear knowing, diligent, ardent, and resolute, and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feelings arise in him, he understands thus: This neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling has arisen in me. It is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on this very body.
But this body is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen. How could a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling that has arisen dependent on a body that is impermanent, conditioned, and dependently arisen be permanent?
He dwells contemplating impermanence in the body and in the neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, contemplating fading away, contemplating cessation, contemplating relinquishment.
As he dwells contemplating impermanence, fading away, cessation, and relinquishment in the body and in the neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to the body and the neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling is abandoned.
Whether he feels a pleasant feeling, he understands it as impermanent, not clinging to it, not delighting in it; whether he feels a painful feeling... whether he feels a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he understands it as impermanent, not clinging to it, not delighting in it.
Whether he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it detached; whether he feels a painful feeling, he feels it detached; whether he feels a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he feels it detached. He understands that feeling is limited to the body, and...
He understands, I experience a feeling that is limited to the body. He understands, I experience a feeling that is limited to life.
He understands, After the breaking up of the body, beyond the end of life, all experiences here will become cool, not being delighted in.
Just as an oil lamp burns dependent on oil and a wick, with the exhaustion of that oil and wick, it would go out due to lack of fuel; in the same way a disciple experiencing a feeling that is limited to the body understands, I experience a feeling that is limited to the body. Experiencing a feeling that is limited to life, he understands, I experience a feeling that is limited to life.
He understands, After the breaking up of the body, beyond the end of life, all experiences here will become cool, not being delighted in.