Mahākappinasutta

Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā mahākappino bhagavato avidūre nisinno hoti pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. Addasā kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ mahākappinaṁ avidūre nisinnaṁ pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. Disvāna bhikkhū āmantesi:

At Sāvatthī. Now at that time Venerable Mahākappina was sitting not far from the Buddha, cross-legged, his body set straight, and mindfulness brought to the present. The Buddha saw him, and addressed the mendicants:

“Passatha no tumhe, bhikkhave, etassa bhikkhuno kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā phanditattaṁ vā”ti? “Yadāpi mayaṁ, bhante, taṁ āyasmantaṁ passāma saṅghamajjhe vā nisinnaṁ ekaṁ vā raho nisinnaṁ, tadāpi mayaṁ tassa āyasmato na passāma kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā phanditattaṁ vā”ti.

“Mendicants, do you see any perturbation or trembling in that mendicant’s body?” “Sir, whenever we see that mendicant meditating—whether in the middle of the Saṅgha or alone in private—we never see any perturbation or trembling in his body.”

“Yassa, bhikkhave, samādhissa bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā neva kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, na cittassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, tassa so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu samādhissa nikāmalābhī akicchalābhī akasiralābhī. Katamassa ca, bhikkhave, samādhissa bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā neva kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, na cittassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā?

“Mendicants, when an immersion has been developed and cultivated there’s no perturbation or trembling of the body or mind. That mendicant gets such immersion when he wants, without trouble or difficulty. And what is that immersion?

Ānāpānassatisamādhissa, bhikkhave, bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā neva kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, na cittassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā. Kathaṁ bhāvite ca, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhimhi kathaṁ bahulīkate neva kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, na cittassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā?

When immersion due to mindfulness of breathing has been developed and cultivated there’s no perturbation or trembling of the body or mind. And how is immersion due to mindfulness of breathing developed and cultivated in such a way?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. So satova assasati, satova passasati …pe… ‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati. Evaṁ bhāvite ca kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhimhi evaṁ bahulīkate neva kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, na cittassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā”ti. Sattamaṁ.

It’s when a mendicant—gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut—sits down cross-legged, sets their body straight, and brings mindfulness to the present. Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out. … They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’ That’s how immersion due to mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated so that there’s no perturbation or trembling of the body or mind.”