19(9)Mindfulness of Death(1)
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Nadika in the brick hall.
There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus:
[304]"Bhikkhus!"
"Venerable sir!"those bhikkhus replied.
The Blessed One said this:
"Bhikkhus,mindfulness of death,when developed and cultivated,is of great fruit and benefit,culminating in the deathless,having the deathless as its consummation.
It is interesting to note that mindfulness of death culminates in the deathless.But do you,bhikkhus,develop mindfulness of death?"
(1)When this was said,one bhikkhu said to the Blessed One:
"Bhante,I develop mindfulness of death."
"But how,bhikkhu,do you develop mindfulness of death?"
"Here,Bhante,I think thus:
'May I live just a night and a day so that I may attend to the Blessed One's teaching. Mp explains the opening exclamation,aho vata,as an indeclinable expressive of longing(patthanatthe nipato).Brahmali rejects Mp's interpretation and regards the sentence as an emphatic statement of fact,which he renders:"Indeed,I may live just a night and a day;I should attend to the Blessed One's teaching."The Chinese parallel,EA 40.8(TI741c26-742b₂),is in substantial agreement with Mp.Thus the first monk to speak(at TI742a2-3)says:"When I contemplate death,I wish to go on living for seven days [and]contemplate the seven factors of enlightenment.This would be very beneficial[to me]in regard to the Tathagata's teaching[and] after death I will have no regrets"(思惟死想時。意欲存七日。思惟七觉意。於如來法中多所饒益。死後無恨).
I could then accomplish much!'Bahum vata me katam assa. Mp: "I could accomplish much in my task with respect to the teaching'" (sasane mama kiccam bahu katam assa). Mp-t: "I would accomplish much in my task as a monk, which would be beneficial to me"
It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death."
(2)Another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One:
"I too,Bhante,develop mindfulness of death."
"But how,bhikkhu,do you develop mindfulness of death?"
"Here,Bhante,I think:
'May I live just a day so that I may attend to the Blessed One's teaching.I could then accomplish much!'
It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death."
(3)Still another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One:
"I too,Bhante,develop mindfulness of death."
"But how,bhikkhu,do you develop mindfulness of death?"
"Here,Bhante,I think:
'May I live just the length of time it takes to eat a single alms meal
Mp-t: "A single alms meah a single alms meal able to sustain him for a single day." The point of the Pali locution tadantaram . .. yadantaram is not that he wants to live long enough to eat a single meal, but that, aware of the uncertainty of death's arrival, he Wants to live for the length of time it takes to eat a single meal so that he can practice the Dhamma. In other words, if it takes twenty minutes to silently eat a meal, this is the length of time he hopes to live.so that I may attend to the Blessed One's teaching.I could then accomplish much!'It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death."
(4)Still another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One:
"I too,Bhante,develop mindfulness of death."
"But how,bhikkhu,do you develop mindfulness of death?"
"Here,Bhante,I think:
'May I live just the length of time it takes to chew and swallow four or five mouthfuls of food so that I may attend to the Blessed One's teaching.[305]I couldthen accomplish much!'
It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death."
(5)Still another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One:
"I too,Bhante,develop mindfulness of death."
"But how,bhikkhu,do you 'develop mindfulness of death?"
"Here,Bhante,I think:
'May I live just the length of time it takes to chew and swallow a single mouthful of food so that I may attend to the Blessed One's teaching.I could then accomplish much!'
It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death,"
(6)Still another bhikkhu said to the Blessed One:
"I too,Bhante,develop mindfulness of death."
"But how,bhikkhu,do you develop mindfulness of death?"
"Here,Bhante,I think:
'May I live just the length of time it takes to breathe out after breathing in,or to breathe in after breathing out,so that I may attend to the Blessed One's teaching.I could then accomplish much!'
It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death."
When this was said,the Blessed One said to those bhikkhus:
"Bhikkhus,(1)the bhikkhu who develops mindfulness of death
thus:
'May I live just a night and a day so that I may attend to
the Blessed One's teaching.I could then accomplish much!';
and
(2)the one who develops mindfulness of death thus:
'May I live
just a day so that I may attend to the Blessed One's teaching.I
could then accomplish much!';
and (3)the one who develops
mindfulness of death thus:
May I live just the length of time
it takes to eat a single alms meal so that I may attend to the
Blessed One's teaching.I could then accomplish much!';
and
(4)the one who develops mindfulness of death thus:
'May I
live just the length of time it takes to chew and swallow four or
five mouthfuls of food so that I may attend to the Blessed One's
teaching.I could then accomplish much!':
[306]these are called
bhikkhus who dwell heedlessly.They develop mindfulness of
death sluggishly for the destruction of the taints.
"But(5)the bhikkhu who develops mindfulness of death
thus:
'May I live just the length of time it takes to chew and
swallow a single mouthful of food so that I may attend to the
Blessed One's teaching.I could then accomplish much!';
and (6)
the one who develops mindfulness of death thus:
'May I live
just the length of time it takes to breathe out after breathing in,
or to breathe in after breathing out,so that I may attend to the
Blessed One's teaching.I could then accomplish much!':
these
are called bhikkhus who dwell heedfully.They develop mindfulness of death keenly for the destruction of the taints.
"Therefore,bhikkhus,you should train yourselves thus:
'We will dwell heedfully.We will develop mindfulness of death keenly for the destruction of the taints.'
Thus should you train yourselves."