Aṅguttara Nikāya
Chakka-Nipāta
II: Sārāṇīya-Vagga

The Book of the Sixes

Chapter II: Be Considerate

Sutta 19

Paṭhama Maraṇa-Sati Suttaṃ

Mindfulness of Death (a)¹

 

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[217]

Thus have I heard:

Once, when the Exalted One was staying in the Brick Hall at Nadika,²
he addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

'Lord,'they replied;
and the Exalted One said:

"Monks, mindfulness of death,
when made become,
made [218] to increase,
is very fruitful,
great in weal,
merging in the deathless,
having the deathless as consummation.³

Monks, make mindfulness of death become more!'

 

§

 

And when he had spoken thus, a monk said to him:

'I, lord, make mindfulness of death become.'

'How so, monk?'

'Herein, lord, such is my thought:

"Were I day and night
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me" -

thus, lord, I make mindfulness of death become.'

■

And another said:

'I too, lord, make mindfulness become.'

'How so, monk?'

'Herein, lord, such is my thought:

"Were I day-long
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me" -

thus, lord, I make mindfulness of death become.'

■

And another said:

'I too, lord, make mindfulness become.'

'How so, monk?'

'Such is my thought:

"Were I for just so long as I eat an alms-meal
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me" -

thus, lord, I make mindfulness of death become.'

■

And another said:

'I too, lord, make mindfulness become.'

'How so, monk?'

'Such is my thought:

"Were I as I munch and swallow four or five morsels
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me" -

thus, lord, I make mindfulness of death become.'

■

And another said:

'I too, lord, make mindfulness become.'

'How so, monk?'

'Such is my thought:

"Were I as I munch and swallow only one morsel
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me" -

thus, lord, I make mindfulness of death become.'

■

And another said:

'I too, lord, make mindfulness become.'

'How so, monk?'

'Such is my thought:

"Were I for just so long as I breathe in and out or breathe out and in,
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me" -

thus, lord, I make mindfulness of death become.'

 

§

 

And when he had thus spoken, the Exalted One said to the monks:

Monks, the monk who makes mindfulness of death become thus:

"Were I day and night
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me"

■

or he who thinks thus:

"Were I day-long
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me"

or he who thinks thus:

■

"Were I for just so long as I eat an alms-meal
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me" -

■

or he who thinks thus:

"Were I as I munch and swallow four or five morsels
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me" -

those monks are said live indolently;
slackly they make mindfulness of death become
for the destruction of the cankers.

■

[219] But the monk who makes mindfulness of death become thus:

"Were I as I munch and swallow only one morsel
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me" -

■

and he who thinks thus:

"Were I for just so long as I breathe in and out
or breathe out and in,
to abide mindful of the Exalted One's word,
much would be done by me" -

those monks are said to live earnestly;
keenly they make mindfulness of death become
for the destruction of the cankers.

Wherefore, monks, train yourselves thus:

We will live earnestly;⁴ keenly will we make mindfulness of death become for the destruction of the cankers.

Train yourselves thus, monks.'

 

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¹ Cf. A. iv, 316.

² So our text, S.e. and Comy.; see K.S. ii, 51 for variants; Watters' Chwang, ii, 86, 'Nataka' on the Ganges between Vesālī and Patna; possibly, therefore, the name is connected with nadī.

³ Pariyosānā.

⁴ Cf. the dying instruction: 'Earnestly achieve.' See above, p. 92.