Aṇguttara Nikāya
Chakka-Nipāta
II: Sārāṇīya-Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Sixes
Chapter II: Be Considerate
Sutta 19
Paṭhama Maraṇa-Sati Suttaṃ
Mindfulness of Death (a)[1]
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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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.'
§
Aad 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.'
[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.
