73(3)Mindfulness of Death(1)
An expanded parallel of 6:19.The additional sections are on living for half a day and for the time needed to eat half a meal.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Nadika in the brick hall.
There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus:
[317]"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.
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.I could then accomplish much!'
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 half 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."
(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 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!'
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,[318]Bhante,I think:
'May I live just the time it takes to eat half an alms meal 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 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!'
It is in this way that I develop mindfulness of death."
(7)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 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."
(8)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 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:[319]
'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 half a day 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 eat a single alms meal so that I may attend to the Blessed One's teaching.I could then accomplish much!';
and (5)the one who develops mindfulness of death thus:
May I live just the length of time it takes to eat half an alms meal sothat 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 chew and swallow four or five mouthfuls of food so that I may attend to the Blessed One's teaching.I could then accomplishmuch!':these are called bhikkhus who dwell heedlessly.They develop mindfulness of death sluggishly for the destruction of the taints.
"But(7)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 theBlessed One's teaching.I could then accomplish much!';
and (8)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."[320]