Saṁyutta Nikāya,
V: Mahā-Vagga
47. Satipaṭṭhana Saṁyutta
3. Sīlaṭṭhiti-Vagga

The Great Chapter,
47: Kindred Sayings on the Stations of Mindfulness
Chapter III: Habit and Permanence

Sutta 28

Loka Suttaṁ

The Universe

 

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THUS have I heard:

On a certain occasion
the venerable Sāriputta
and the venerable Moggallāna the Great
and the venerable Anuruddha
were staying at Sāketa in Cactus Grove.

Now the venerable Sāriputta,
together with Moggallāna the Great,
rising from their solitude at eventide,
went to visit the venerable Anuruddha,
and on coming to him
greeted him courteously,
and, after the exchange of greetings and courtesies,
sat down at one side.

So seated
the venerable Sāriputta said this
to the venerable Anuruddha:

"By cultivating and making much
of how many conditions
has the venerable Anuruddha
come to great super-knowledge?"¹

"Friend, it is by cultivating and making much
of four stations of mindfulness
that I have come to great super-knowledge.

What four?

Herein, friend, a monk abides in body contemplating body
(as transient),
ardent,
composed
and mindful,
having restrained the dejection in the world
arising from coveting.

He dwells as regards feelings contemplating feelings
(as transient),
ardent,
composed
and mindful,
having restrained the dejection in the world
arising from coveting.

He dwells as regards mind contemplating mind
(as transient),
ardent,
composed
and mindful,
having restrained the dejection in the world
arising from coveting.

He dwells as regards mind-states contemplating mind-states
(as transient),
ardent,
composed
and mindful,
having restrained the dejection in the world
arising from coveting.

Moreover, friend, it is by cultivating,
by making much
of these four stations of mindfulness
that I have come to understand the universe
with its thousand worlds."²

 

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¹ Cf. K.S. iv, 263, [?] of the six abhiññā.

² Sahssa-loka. Comy. 'The elder used to rise early, and after ablutions sat in his lodging, calling up a thousand kalpas of past and future. Likewise as to present time he contemplated the thousandfold cakkavāḷa, and his path therein displayed itself in due order. Thus with clairvoyant eye he knew fully the thousandfold universe. This was his abode (satta-vihāra) in the world of sentient beings.