{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an8.73/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an8.73","id":"suttacentral_an8.73","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an8.73/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"At one time the Buddha was staying at \u00d1\u0101tika in the brick house. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, \u201cMendicants!\u201d \u201cVenerable sir,\u201d they replied. The Buddha said this: \u201cMendicants, when mindfulness of death is developed and cultivated it\u2019s very fruitful and beneficial. It has freedom from death as its objective and culmination. But do you develop mindfulness of death?\u201d When he said this, one of the mendicants said to the Buddha, \u201cSir, I develop mindfulness of death.\u201d \u201cBut mendicant, how do you develop it?\u201d \u201cIn this case, sir, I think: \u2018Oh, if I\u2019d only live for another day and night, I\u2019d focus on the Buddha\u2019s instructions and I could really achieve a lot.\u2019 That\u2019s how I develop mindfulness of death.\u201d Another mendicant said to the Buddha, \u201cSir, I too develop mindfulness of death.\u201d \u201cBut mendicant, how do you develop it?\u201d \u201cIn this case, sir, I think: \u2018Oh, if I\u2019d only live for another day, I\u2019d focus on the Buddha\u2019s instructions and I could really achieve a lot.\u2019 That\u2019s how I develop mindfulness of death.\u201d Another mendicant said to the Buddha, \u201cSir, I too develop mindfulness of death.\u201d \u201cBut mendicant, how do you develop it?\u201d \u201cIn this case, sir, I think: \u2018Oh, if I\u2019d only live for half a day, I\u2019d focus on the Buddha\u2019s instructions and I could really achieve a lot.\u2019 That\u2019s how I develop mindfulness of death.\u201d Another mendicant said to the Buddha, \u201cSir, I too develop mindfulness of death.\u201d \u201cBut mendicant, how do you develop it?\u201d \u201cIn this case, sir, I think: \u2018Oh, if I\u2019d only live as long as it takes to eat a single almsmeal, I\u2019d focus on the Buddha\u2019s instructions and I could really achieve a lot.\u2019 That\u2019s how I develop mindfulness of death.\u201d Another mendicant said to the Buddha, \u201cSir, I too develop mindfulness of death.\u201d \u201cBut mendicant, how do you develop it?\u201d \u201cIn this case, sir, I think: \u2018Oh, if I\u2019d only live as long as it takes to eat half an almsmeal, I\u2019d focus on the Buddha\u2019s instructions and I could really achieve a lot.\u2019 That\u2019s how I develop mindfulness of death.\u201d Another mendicant said to the Buddha, \u201cSir, I too develop mindfulness of death.\u201d \u201cBut mendicant, how do you develop it?\u201d \u201cIn this case, sir, I think: \u2018Oh, if I\u2019d only live as long as it takes to chew and swallow four or five mouthfuls, I\u2019d focus on the Buddha\u2019s instructions and I could really achieve a lot.\u2019 That\u2019s how I develop mindfulness of death.\u201d Another mendicant said to the Buddha, \u201cSir, I too develop mindfulness of death.\u201d \u201cBut mendicant, how do you develop it?\u201d \u201cIn this case, sir, I think: \u2018Oh, if I\u2019d only live as long as it takes to chew and swallow a single mouthful, I\u2019d focus on the Buddha\u2019s instructions and I could really achieve a lot.\u2019 That\u2019s how I develop mindfulness of death.\u201d Another mendicant said to the Buddha, \u201cSir, I too develop mindfulness of death.\u201d \u201cBut mendicant, how do you develop it?\u201d \u201cIn this case, sir, I think: \u2018Oh, if I\u2019d only live as long as it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out, I\u2019d focus on the Buddha\u2019s instructions and I could really achieve a lot.\u2019 That\u2019s how I develop mindfulness of death.\u201d When this was said, the Buddha said to those mendicants: \u201cThe mendicants who develop mindfulness of death by wishing to live for a day and night \u2026 or to live for a day \u2026 or to live for half a day \u2026 or to live as long as it takes to eat a meal of almsfood \u2026 or to live as long as it takes to eat half a meal of almsfood \u2026 or to live as long as it takes to chew and swallow four or five mouthfuls \u2026 These are called mendicants who live negligently. They slackly develop mindfulness of death for the ending of defilements. But the mendicants who develop mindfulness of death by wishing to live as long as it takes to chew and swallow a single mouthful \u2026 or to live as long as it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out \u2026 These are called mendicants who live diligently. They keenly develop mindfulness of death for the ending of defilements. So you should train like this: \u2018We will live diligently. We will keenly develop mindfulness of death for the ending of defilements.\u2019 That\u2019s how you should train.\u201d","title":"Mindfulness of Death (1st)","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":747}