The Lamp
Dīpa Sutta (SN 54:8)
“Monks, concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing, when developed & pursued, is of great fruit, great benefit. And how is concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, great benefit?
“There is the case where a monk, having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building, sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect, and establishing mindfulness to the fore. Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes out.
“[1] Breathing in long, he discerns, ‘I am breathing in long’; or breathing out long, he discerns, ‘I am breathing out long.’ [2] Or breathing in short, he discerns, ‘I am breathing in short’; or breathing out short, he discerns, ‘I am breathing out short.’ [3] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.’ [4] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.’
“[5] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to rapture.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to rapture.’ [6] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to pleasure.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to pleasure.’ [7] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to mental fabrication.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to mental fabrication.’ [8] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming mental fabrication.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming mental fabrication.’
“[9] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to the mind.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to the mind.’ [10] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in satisfying the mind.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out satisfying the mind.’ [11] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in steadying the mind.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out steadying the mind. [12] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in releasing the mind.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out releasing the mind.’
“[13] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in focusing on inconstancy.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out focusing on inconstancy.’ [14] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in focusing on dispassion [lit: fading].’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out focusing on dispassion.’ [15] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in focusing on cessation.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out focusing on cessation.’ [16] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in focusing on relinquishment.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out focusing on relinquishment.’
“This is how concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing is developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, great benefit.
“I myself, monks, before my awakening, when I was still an unawakened bodhisatta, often dwelt in this (meditative) dwelling. While I was dwelling in this (meditative) dwelling, neither my body nor my eyes were fatigued, and the mind—through lack of clinging/sustenance—was released from effluents.
“Thus, monks, if a monk should wish, ‘May neither my body nor my eyes be fatigued, and may my mind—through lack of clinging/sustenance—be released from effluents,’ then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May memories & resolves connected to the household life be abandoned within me,’ he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May I be percipient of loathsomeness in the presence of what is not loathsome,’ he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May I be percipient of unloathsomeness in the presence of what is loathsome… May I be percipient of loathesomeness in the presence of what is loathsome & what is not… May I be percipient of unloathsomeness in the presence of what is loathsome & what is not… May I—in the presence of what is loathsome & what is not—cutting myself off from both, remain equanimous, alert, & mindful,’ then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May I—quite secluded from sensuality, secluded from unskillful qualities—enter & remain in the first jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation,’ then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May I, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, enter & remain in the second jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation—internal assurance, then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May I, with the fading of rapture, remain equanimous, mindful, & alert, sense pleasure with the body, and enter & remain in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare, “Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding,”’ then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May I, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain—as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress—enter & remain in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain,’ then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May I, with the complete transcending of perceptions of (physical) form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not attending to perceptions of multiplicity, (perceiving,) ‘Infinite space,’ enter & remain in the dimension of the infinitude of space,’ then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of space, (perceiving,) ‘Infinite consciousness,’ enter & remain in the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness,’ then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, (perceiving,) ‘There is nothing,’ enter & remain in the dimension of nothingness,’ then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of nothingness, enter & remain in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception,’ then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish, ‘May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, enter & remain in the cessation of perception & feeling,’ then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“When concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing has been thus developed, thus pursued, one senses a feeling of pleasure. One discerns it as ‘inconstant.’ One discerns it as ‘not grasped at.’ One discerns it as ‘not relished.’ One senses a feeling of pain. One discerns it as ‘inconstant.’ One discerns it as ‘not grasped at.’ One discerns it as ‘not relished.’ One senses a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain. One discerns it as ‘inconstant.’ One discerns it as ‘not grasped at.’ One discerns it as ‘not relished.’
“If sensing a feeling of pleasure, one senses it disjoined from it. If sensing a feeling of pain, one senses it disjoined from it. If sensing a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain, one senses it disjoined from it. When sensing a feeling limited to the body, one discerns, ‘I am sensing a feeling limited to the body.’ When sensing a feeling limited to life, one discerns, ‘I am sensing a feeling limited to life.’ One discerns, ‘With the break-up of the body, after the termination of life, all that is experienced, not being relished, will grow cold right here.’
“Just as an oil lamp would burn in dependence on oil & wick and, from the termination of the oil & wick, it would go out unnourished; in the same way, when sensing a feeling limited to the body, one discerns that ‘I am sensing a feeling limited to the body.’ When sensing a feeling limited to life, one discerns that ‘I am sensing a feeling limited to life.’ One discerns, ‘With the break-up of the body, after the termination of life, all that is sensed, not being relished, will grow cold right here.’”
