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Buddhism

SN 47:38 · Comprehension (Pariññā Sutta)

Thai temple painting: Prince Vessantara gives away the white elephant
Vessantara Jātaka, Chapter 2 (Himavanta Forest) · Thai, Rattanakosin, c. 1850–1870 · Walters Art Museum

“Monks, there are these four establishings of mindfulness. Which four?

“There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on the body in & of itself, the body is comprehended. From the comprehension of the body, the deathless is realized.

“He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on feelings in & of themselves, feelings are comprehended. From the comprehension of feelings, the deathless is realized.

“He remains focused on the mind in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on the mind in & of itself, the mind is comprehended. From the comprehension of the mind, the deathless is realized.

“He remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on mental qualities in & of themselves, mental qualities are comprehended. From the comprehension of mental qualities, the deathless is realized.”

See also: SN 22:23


Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. © 2014 / rev. 2017 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu — released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 licence, for free distribution only. Source: dhammatalks.org (Metta Forest Monastery).

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