Mindfulness of Breathing (sutra)

Wisdom Quarterly translation, Dhammawheel.com

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was living in Savatthi, in Migara Mother's Palace, in the Eastern Park together with many very great elder male disciples: Ven. Sariputta, Maha Moggallana, Maha Kassapa, Maha Kaccayana, Maha Kotthita, Maha Kappina, Maha Cunda, Anuruddha, Revata, and Ananda.

These elders were teaching and instructing the new monastics who were thereby reaching successively higher levels of discernment and distinction in meditation. Some elders were teaching and instructing ten monks, some 20, some 30, some 40. The new monks, being taught and instructed by the elder monks, were progressing well.

Now on that occasion -- the lunar observance (uposattha) day of the 15th, the full-moon night of the Pavarana ceremony -- the Buddha was seated in the open air surrounded by the community. The Buddha, surveying this silent congregation of the monastic community, addressed them:

"Monastics, I am content at heart with this progress. Monastics, I am content at heart with this development. Strive on even more persistently [balancing effort and calm] to attain what has not yet been attained, to achieve what has not yet been achieved, to realize what has not yet been realized. I will stay...

Anapanasati Sutta. Majjhima Nikaya 118 Full text & explanation here: I will remain here in Savatthi [for another month] through the White Waterlily month, the fourth month of the rains retreat."

The monastics in the countryside heard, "The Blessed One, they say, will remain in Savatthi through the fourth month of the rains." So they left for Savatthi to see the Buddha. Then the elders taught and instructed the new monks even more intensely. Some elders were teaching and instructing ten, 20, 30...40.

The new monks, being taught and instructed by the elders, were thereby reaching successively higher levels of discernment and distinction in meditation. "Monks, this assembly is free of idle chit chat, devoid of idle talk, and is established like pure heartwood. Such is this [noble, attained] community, such is this assembly.

"This sort of assembly is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respect. An incomparable field of merit for the world, such is this community of monks, such is this assembly. This sort of assembly is one, which when a small gift is given, becomes great, and a great gift given becomes greater. Such is this community, such is this assembly.

"This sort of assembly is rare to see in the world. Such is this community, such is this assembly -- the sort of assembly that would be worth traveling leagues for, taking along provisions, in order to see.

"In this community there are those who are arhats, whose defilements (fetters) are ended, who have reached fulfillment, completed the task, laid down the burden, attained the final goal, laid to waste the fetter of becoming, and who are released through wisdom. Such are those in this community.

"In this community there are those who, with the uprooting of the five lower fetters, are due to be reborn [in the Pure Abodes], there to reach final liberation [nirvana], destined never again to return from that world [to this one]. Such are those in this community.

"In this community there are those who, with the uprooting of [the first] three fetters and with the weakening of lust, aversion, and delusion, are once-returners. On returning only once more to this world, they will make a final end of suffering. Such are those in this community.

"In this community there are those who, with the uprooting of [the first] three fetters, are stream-enterers, steadfast, never again destined for states of woe [any rebirth below the human plane of existence] but destined for enlightenment [within seven rebirths]. Such are those in this community.

"In this community there are those who remain devoted to the development of [the Thirty-Seven Requisites of Enlightenment, namely]

1. the Four Foundations of Mindfulness...
   
2. the Four Right Efforts...
   
3. the Four Bases of Power...
   
4. the Five Spiritual Faculties...
   
5. the Five Powers...
   
6. the Seven Factors for Enlightenment...
   
7. the Noble Eightfold Path

"Such are those in this community. In this community there are those who remain devoted to the development of loving-kindness... compassion... appreciative joy (happiness at the success of others)... equanimity (impartiality)... [the perception of the] foulness [of the body]... the perception of impermanence. Such are those in this community.

"In this community there are those who remain devoted to mindfulness of in-and-out breathing.

"Mindfulness of in-and-out breathing, when developed and pursued, is of great fruit, of great benefit. Mindfulness of in-and-out breathing, when developed and pursued, brings the Four Foundations of Mindfulness to their culmination.

The Four Foundations of Reference, when developed and pursued, bring the Seven Factors of Enlightenment to their culmination. The Seven Factors of Enlightenment, when developed and pursued, bring about knowing and seeing and therefore release to their culmination. More

• What is required for enlightenment (bodhipakkhiya dharma)?
  

The Cow Sutra! (AN 9.35)

"The Cow," Gavi Sutta (AN 9.35), derivative translation by Seven (Wisdom Quarterly)

[The Buddha:] "Suppose there were a mountain cow -- foolish, inexperienced, unfamiliar with its field, unskilled in roaming on rugged mountains -- and it were to think, 'What if I were to go in a direction I have never gone before, eat grass I have never eaten before, drink water I never drank before?'



"It would lift its hind hoof without having firmly placed its front hoof and [as a result] would not go in a direction it had never gone before, eat grass it had never eaten before, or drink water it never drank before.



"And as for the place where it was standing when the thought occurred, 'What if I were to...' it would not return there safely.



"Why? It is because it is a foolish, inexperienced mountain cow, unfamiliar with its field, unskilled in roaming on rugged mountains.



"In the same way, there are cases where a meditator -- foolish, inexperienced, unfamiliar with his or her field, unskilled in withdrawing from sensuality, withdrawing from unskillful states, and entering and remaining in the first absorption, which is characterized by rapture and happiness born of withdrawal, accompanied by applied and sustained attention -- does not stick with a meditation object, does not develop it, pursue it, or become firmly established in it [i.e., does not learn and practice the mastery of each absorption].



"The thought occurs to that meditator, 'What if I, with the stilling of applied and sustained attention, were to enter and remain in the second absorption, which is characterized by rapture and happiness born of concentration, intensification of awareness free from applied and sustained attention.'



"That meditator is not able... to enter and remain in the second absorption... The thought occurs, 'What if I... were to enter and remain in the first absorption... [but] is not [even] able... to enter and remain in the first absorption.



"This is called a meditator who has slipped and fallen on both sides, like the mountain cow, foolish, inexperienced, unfamiliar with its field, unskilled in roaming on rugged mountains.







SMART COW

"But suppose there were a mountain cow -- wise, experienced, familiar with its field, skilled in roaming on rugged mountains -- and it were to think, 'What if I were to go in a direction I have never gone before, eat grass I have never eaten before, drink water I never drank before!'



"It would lift its hind hoof only after having firmly placed its front hoof and [as a result] would go in a direction it had never gone before... drink water it never drank before. And as for the place where it was standing when the thought occurred, 'What if I were...,' it would return there safely.



"Why? It is because it is a wise, experienced mountain cow, familiar with its field, skilled in roaming on rugged mountains.



FOUR MATERIAL JHANAS

"In just the same way, there are cases where a meditator -- wise, experienced, familiar with the field, skilled in withdrawing from sensuality, withdrawing from unskillful states, entering and remaining in the first absorption, which is characterized by rapture and happiness born of withdrawal, accompanied by applied and sustained attention -- stays with a meditation object, develops it, pursues it, and becomes firmly established in it.



"The thought occurs, 'What if, with the stilling of applied and sustained attention, I were to enter and remain in the second absorption, which is characterized by rapture and happiness born of concentration, intensification of awareness, free from applied and sustained attention?'



"Without yet ascending to the second absorption -- but with the stilling of applied and sustained attention -- that meditator enters and remains in the second absorption, which is characterized by rapture and happiness born of concentration, intensification of awareness, free of applied and sustained attention.



"One stays with that meditation object, develops it, pursues it, and becomes firmly established in it.



"The thought occurs, 'What if, with the fading of rapture, I... were to enter and remain in the third absorption...' Without yet ascending to the third absorption, but with the fading of rapture, one remains equanimous, mindful, and alert, and experiences pleasure with the body. One enters and remains in the third absorption, of which the Noble Ones say, 'Equanimous and mindful, one abides joyfully.'



"One maintains that meditation object, develops it, pursues it, and becomes firmly established in it.



"The thought occurs, 'What if I... were to enter and remain in the fourth absorption...' Without yet ascending to the fourth absorption, but with the abandoning of both rapture and happiness -- and the earlier fading away of both pleasure and pain -- one enters and remains in the fourth absorption, which is characterized by equanimity [impartiality] and mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain.



"One keeps that meditation object, develops it, pursues it, and becomes firmly established in it.



FOUR IMMATERIAL JHANAS

"The thought occurs, 'What if I... were to enter and remain in the dimension of boundless space.' Without yet ascending to the dimension of boundless space, but with the complete transcending of perceptions of [physical] form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not heeding perceptions of diversity [mental proliferation], [perceiving,] 'Space is boundless,' one enters and remains in the dimension of boundless space.



"One maintains that meditation object, develops it, pursues it, and becomes firmly established in it.



"The thought occurs, 'What if I... were to enter and remain in the dimension of boundless consciousness.' Without yet ascending to it, but with the complete transcending of the dimension of boundless space, [perceiving,] 'Consciousness is boundless,' one enters and remains in the dimension of boundless consciousness.



"One maintains that meditation object, develops it, pursues it, and becomes firmly established in it.



"The thought occurs, 'What if I... were to enter and remain in the dimension of nothingness [no-thing-ness, one of the 31 Planes of Existence, also called the sphere of the void].'



"Without yet ascending to the dimension of nothingness, but with the complete transcending of the dimension of boundless consciousness, [perceiving,] 'There is no-thing,' one enters and remains in the dimension of nothingness.



"One maintains that meditation object, develops it, pursues it, and becomes firmly established in it.



"The thought occurs, 'What if I... were to enter and remain in the dimension of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.' Without yet ascending to it, but with the complete transcending of the dimension of nothingness, one enters and remains in the dimension of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.



One maintains that meditation object, develops it, pursues it, and becomes firmly established in it.



ATTAINMENT OF CESSATION

"The thought occurs, 'What if I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, were to [emerge from the absorptions and, if one is at least a non-returner, were to] enter and remain in the cessation of perception and feeling.'



"Without yet going to the cessation of perception and feeling, but with the complete transcending of the [highest and subtlest absorption (jhana) known as the] dimension of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, one enters and rests in the cessation of perception and feeling.



"When a meditator [frequently a monastic] enters and emerges from that very attainment, the mind is pliant and malleable. With this pliant, malleable mind, limitless concentration is available.



"With this limitless concentration, whichever of the six higher knowledges one turns one's mind to know and see, one can witness it whenever there is an opening.



MAGICAL POWERS

"Moreover, if one wishes, one wields manifold supernormal powers: Having been one, the adept meditator becomes many; having been many, the adept becomes one.



One appears, disappears, goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, and mountains as if through space; dives in and out of the ground as if it were water; walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land; sitting crosslegged flies through the air like a winged bird; extending a hand, touches and strokes even the Sun and Moon, so mighty and powerful; goes physically exercises influence over this body even as far as the brahma worlds [supreme divine planes of existence].



"All of this is possible whenever there is an opening.



"If one wishes, one hears -- by means of the divine ear, purified and surpassing the human -- both kinds of sounds, divine and human, whether near or far. One knows and [hears] this whenever there is an opening.



"If one wishes, one knows the mind of other beings, other individuals, having encompassed them with one's own mind. One knows a mind beset by passion as a mind beset by passion, and a mind free of passion as a mind free of passion... a mind beset by aversion... a mind beset by delusion... a contracted mind as a contracted mind, and a scattered mind as a scattered mind.... an expanded mind as an expanded mind, and a shrunken mind as a shrunken mind..... an excelled [surpassable] mind as an excelled mind, and an unexcelled mind as an unexcelled mind.... a concentrated mind as a concentrated mind, and an unconcentrated mind as an unconcentrated mind.... a released mind as a released mind, and an unreleased mind as an unreleased mind.



"One knows and sees this whenever there is an opening.



"If one wishes, one recollects manifold past lives (lit. previous abodes of existence), that is, one birth, two births, three births, four, five, ten, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, 1000, 100000, many aeons of cosmic contraction, many aeons of cosmic expansion, many aeons of cosmic contraction and expansion, [recollecting]:



"'There I had such a name, belonged to such an extended family, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I was reborn [lit. reappeared] there. There, too, I had such a name, belonged to such an extended family, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I was reborn here.'



"Thus one recalls manifold past lives in general and in detail. One knows and sees this for oneself whenever there is an opening.



"If one wishes, one sees -- by means of the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human -- beings passing away and reappearing [being reborn], and discerns how they are inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate in accordance with their karma:



"'These beings -- who were endowed with unwholesome conduct of body, speech, and mind, who reviled [insulted, disregarded] the Noble Ones [ariya, i.e., anyone who has attained any of the stages of enlightenment], held wrong views, and who undertook actions under the influence of wrong views -- with the breakup of the body, after death, such beings have reappeared on a plane of deprivation, in an unfortunate destination, the lower realms, even the hells.



"But these [other] beings -- who were endowed with wholesome (kusala) conduct of body, speech, and mind, who did not revile [but who listened and regarded] the Noble Ones, who held right views, and who undertook actions under the influence of right views -- with the breakup of the body, after death, such beings have reappeared in fortunate destinations [human plane and higher], even in heavenly worlds.'



"Thus -- by means of the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human -- one sees beings passing away and reappearing, and discerns how they are inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate in accordance with their karma.



"One knows and see all this for oneself whenever there is an opening.



"Then if one wishes, through the stilling of mental proliferation, one remains in the unsurpassed freedom of mind, freedom of heart, freedom through wisdom, full liberation here and now.







"One knows and sees all this for oneself whenever there is an opening."

• The field of work (kamatthana) for serenity meditation
• Buddha or Arahant - Don't take the finger for the Moon
• Magic cow gone wrong: reptilian hybrid in Cambodia
  
  

For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted, reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish, however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and other derivative works be clearly marked as such.

83 Problems: A Buddhist Sutra/Parable

Wisdom Quarterly as recounted by Dharma Bum Frank ATS

A sutra is a thread -- stringing together ideas with an overarching message. It's the Dharma all stitched up, suture-style. There is no need of new sutras unless they encapsulate old messages in novel ways. Frank remembers hearing a spellbinding albeit apocryphal discourse. We had heard it put so eloquently:

THUS HAVE I NOT HEARD. Once while the Buddha was staying near the fields, a farmer came to him, paid his respects, sat to one side, and said:

"O, great teacher, I am but a simple farmer. I love farming. But sometimes there is drought, at other times flooding. I am a husband. I love being married. But sometimes my spouse is indifferent, at other times smothering. I am a father. I love being a parent. But sometimes my children are dull [incorrigible], at other times unruly. What am I to do?

The Buddha looked at the farmer with great compassion, extended both hands, and said: "Sorry, I can't help you with those kinds of worldly problems."

The farmer was dumbstruck for a moment. When he regained his composure, he argued: "Wait a minute. People speak in praise of you from all quarters. They come to you seeking advice for all things. And they go away enlightened. You're famous!"

"Sorry," the Buddha repeated, "there's nothing I can do to help you. Every person has 83 problems. And I can't help them with that."

"Well, tell me," the farmer asked calmly hoping to make the best of his visit, "what can you help me with?"

"I can help you with the 84th problem."

"O, and what's that?" the farmer leaned in.

"The 84th problem is the desire not to have any problems.

The farmer was overjoyed. And the Buddha taught him how to overcome suffering.



Wisdom Quarterly
(COMMENTARY)
The Dharma never ceases to amaze. Sitting at a Buddhist 12-step recovery meeting in Los Angeles (Shambhala's "Heart of Recovery" utilizing Kevin Griffin's One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps (Rodale Press 2004), I heard an amazing insight on problems:

• This is happening to me.
• That is happening to me.
• And I don't [expletive] want it!

The world has no problems. Nothing is wrong. It is the way it is. Why? According to Robert Fripp (quoting Joanna Walton*): It is that way, because that is the way it is.

"Problems" are created the instant we say, "And I don't want it to be that way!"

Let the world be just as it is. Turn around and look within, where the problem gets created. This is the great liberating insight of modern New Age masters like Byron Katie and Eckhart Tolle. The problem is nonacceptance of what is. Imagine being at war with what is. It's miserable.

Acceptance does not mean leaving it that way. Why in the world does Wisdom Quarterly talk so much about social justice, our n'er-do-well civil-rights-opposing shadowy government, and geopolitics instead of just telling nice "Buddhist" stories? We aren't ignoring the world or ignorant of what is afoot. And yet we have no problem.

Many of us are engaged Buddhists. We're passionate about causes, contemplative about issues, and convinced the world can be a better place if we save it. But we have no problem. And we don't stop smiling -- no matter what seems to be happening. That's because there's no problem. "Let it be, let it be," the Beatle said, repeating Kwan Yin/Mother Mary.

*Why, why, why?
"That is the way it is because it is that way. It is that way in that it is the way it is. In the way that it is that way that is the way it is. In the way that that is the way that is the way it is that is it is the way. Or that it is that way is the way it is..." (Joanna Walton).

It's like a kōan. So long as one thinks and rationalizes, bent on hammering out a solution by mere reasoning, there is no solution. The answer is already clear to the right brain and its consciousness, while the left hemisphere worries and throbs and aches.



The Parable of the 83 Problems
Patricia C. Smith (facebook.com)
A rich farmer at wit’s end seeks relief.

“Oh Buddha, the drought drags into a seventh year! My beans become dust. Again. And my wife’s cooking is scarcely fit for consumption, yet she waxes horribly stout. Huge! And my six stocky children -- lazy, every one. Rats pilfer my eggs, termites chew my timbers, and thieves and mendicants swarm my town....”

The Buddha says, “I cannot help you.”

The farmer’s eyes pop -- all this way he came! For nothing!

The Buddha says, “Everyone has 83 problems. If you work out one problem, another will surely take its place. And some problems, like death, have no solution.”

The farmer splutters.

The Buddha says, “It may be I can assist with your 84th problem?”

“What…?”

“Your desire to have no problems.”

• 83 Problems
• Mucho problemado
  
• All Humans Have 83 Problems