Saṃyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
54. Ānāpāna Saṃyutta
2. Ānanda or Dutiya Vagga
The Aspiration Collection
Sutta 19
Knowing the stretch
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time Bhagava, Sāvatthi-town revisiting.
There then Bhagava said this:
"Recollecting-aspiration-serenity, beggars,
developed and made much of,
evolves into encompassing knowledge of the stretch.[1]
And how developed, beggars,
does recollecting-aspiration-serenity,
when made much of,
evolve into encompassing knowledge of the stretch?
Here beggars, a beggar
having gotten himself off to the forest
or to the root of some tree,
or to some empty hut,
and having taken up his seat there sitting down,
setting the body upright,
legs bent-across-lapwise,
remembering, he attends to the face,
just so he recollects inspiration,
just so he recollects expiration.
If he inspires deeply, he knows:
'I am inspiring deeply.'
If he breaths out deeply, he knows:
'I am expiring deeply.'
If he inspires shallowly, he knows:
'I am inspiring shallowly.'
If he expires shallowly, he knows:
'I am expiring shallowly.'
'Reflecting on the totality of bodily experience,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the totality of bodily experience,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying own-body-making,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying own-body-making,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Observing enthusiasm,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on enthusiasm,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Observing pleasure,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Observing pleasure,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the own-making of thoughts,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the own-making of thoughts,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying the own-making of thoughts,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying the own-making of thoughts,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Abundantly content in heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Abundantly content in heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Composing the heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Composing the heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Liberating the heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Liberating the heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for inconsistency,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for inconsistency,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for the end of lust,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for the end of lust,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for ending,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for ending,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for opportunities to let go,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for opportunities to let go,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
This is how, beggars, recollecting-aspiration-serenity,
when developed and made much of,
evolves into encompassing knowledge of the stretch."
[1] Addhāna-pariññā. Lifespan-, time-, encompassing-knowledge. The ability to know the duration or 'stretch' of life. It could also be the knowledge of the course, direction or outcome of a life. I have not seen this described. It would fit with a number of episodes where a bhikkhu announces that he is about to die. It would also fit the case where a bhikkhu is to know when his life-resources are exhausted.
