Commentary on the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (Second Edition) (Newly Revised)
Chapter 2: Contemplating Mindfulness of the Body
Section 1: Contemplating the Breath
Original text: 然。诸比丘。比丘如何于身观身而住耶。诸比丘。于此。比丘往森林。往树下。往空闲处。而结跏趺坐。身正直。思念现前。
Explanation: The World-Honored One said: Then, bhikṣus, since cultivating the contemplation of the four foundations of mindfulness can extinguish suffering and sorrow and can bring about coolness and peace, how should a bhikṣu dwell contemplating the body in the body? Bhikṣus, in cultivating the contemplation of the four foundations of mindfulness, first you should choose places where no one will disturb you, such as a forest, beneath a tree, or an empty quiet place, and sit in the full-lotus posture, with the body upright and straight, not bent, and then begin contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) through deliberation.
The World-Honored One began to explain in detail the method of dwelling contemplating the body: how to contemplate the body, and how the mind should abide on the material body in contemplative practice. In the past, when the World-Honored One taught the Dharma, many disciples came to listen. After the Dharma assembly ended, the disciples would each find a quiet place to sit in meditation and engage in deliberation and contemplative practice. The weather in India was very hot, so a bhikṣu could casually find a place—either in a forest under a tree, or in a graveyard, or in a stone cave—any place free from disturbance would do. He would spread a thin cushion on the ground, then sit cross-legged, sitting upright with body erect. One person, one place; they did not have two or three people practicing together, because each person deliberated alone, without needing to discuss or research together, thus avoiding mutual interference. This way of practice cultivated both meditative concentration and wisdom. Contemplative practice itself is an act of wisdom; deep deliberation contains meditative concentration within it—this is the simultaneous cultivation of concentration and wisdom.
Why sit in the full-lotus posture? Sitting in the full-lotus posture means crossing the legs. Once the legs are crossed properly, the vital energy and blood do not run chaotically, the body easily settles into stillness, the flow of energy channels becomes orderly and powerful, and the material body feels rather comfortable. In this way the mind can also settle into calm, and thoughts do not become jumbled—such is the benefit of crossing the legs. When the body is upright, the circulation of energy and blood flows smoothly, and the mind is not jumbled. If the body is crooked and slack, the internal organs are misaligned, the energy and blood do not flow smoothly, the mind becomes jumbled and lax, and one easily becomes drowsy. When the body is upright, the mind immediately becomes focused—this is the principle behind sitting erect with proper intention.
After that, what should the mind deliberate upon? It should deliberate upon the Dharma taught by the World-Honored One. Each time the World-Honored One finished teaching, the disciples would each find a place to deliberate upon and digest the Dharma he had taught. If, like us, after listening to the Dharma we go home and never recall it or reflect on it again, considering the matter finished once we have heard it—even if we do reflect a little, we do not earnestly and carefully practice it—then we cannot obtain real benefit from the Dharma we have heard.
After listening to the Dharma, one should strike while the iron is hot: upon returning, recall and deliberate, contemplating one principle of meaning at a time, verifying each one. Once one principle has been thoroughly contemplated and understood, then contemplate the next one, verifying whether what the World-Honored One taught accords with reality. The bhikṣus of the past practiced in exactly this way. While deliberating, there is also meditative concentration; deliberating within concentration is called Chan contemplation—this is precisely the meaning of Hīnayāna Chan meditation. This is not the Chan investigation of the Mahāyāna Dharma, not the Chan method of investigating that leads to realizing the eighth consciousness; it is a Hīnayāna meditation method. But the method of applying effort and the mental focus are quite similar—both have concentration and wisdom, contemplating and investigating the meaning of the Buddha-Dharma taught by the World-Honored One within meditative concentration.
Original text: 彼正念而入息，正念而出息。
Explanation: What is right mindfulness? It is when the mind has no scattered thoughts, when the mind is focused on the Dharma principle being contemplated right now, without thinking of other miscellaneous matters—that is right mindfulness. Dwelling in contemplation of the body should begin with contemplating the breath: observing one's own breathing, paying attention to one's own breath. For example, right now as we inhale, the air enters through the nostrils, reaches the windpipe, then travels little by little down along the windpipe, and then reaches the five viscera and six bowels. The route this breath travels, and which positions it reaches, should all be perceptible. Finally, when the breath reaches the dantian in the abdomen, one should know it; if one does not know, that is not right mindfulness—the mind has scattered and drifted. Why would one not know one's own breathing? Because the mind has engaged in discursive thought, thinking about other things; when the mind is scattered and attention is unfocused, one does not know. Therefore we must continuously observe the breath, binding the mind entirely to this matter. Without discursive thoughts, meditative concentration comes quickly, the body changes quickly, and deliberation is also very keen. After contemplating and practicing in this way, one can eradicate the view of the body and eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi).
First, one must observe one's own breathing with right mindfulness: knowing everything about the in-breath. After the in-breath, then breathe out with right mindfulness. Observe yourself exhaling outward: from the position of the dantian, the breath travels upward the whole way; one should know the route it passes through, and then the breath is gently released from the mouth. The entire process should be clearly known, the mind not scattered, and the person not drowsy. If one becomes drowsy, the condition of the breath can no longer be perceived.
Original text: 或长入息。而知我在长入息。又长出息者。知我在长出息。
Explanation: When the breath becomes long, entering a long in-breath, the mind knows "I am in a long in-breath"; afterwards, when there is a long out-breath, one knows "I am in a long out-breath."
Once breathing in with right mindfulness and breathing out with right mindfulness have been well trained, one proceeds to the next step. After the mind has settled, both the in-breath and out-breath become longer. Why do they become longer? Because after the mind has settled, the channels of breathing all open up; with no obstructions in between, the breath descends all the way to the dantian, so the in-breath lasts longer, and the body also becomes healthier, because the movement of the energy channels in between expels the diseased energy from the body. If the body is unhealthy, the breath cannot pass beyond the chest and is exhaled out, only reaching halfway, never arriving at the dantian; in more serious cases, the breath is exhaled right at the throat—such people are physically quite weak.
During a long in-breath, with right knowledge and right mindfulness, one knows that one's present in-breath is very long and very slow; one inhalation might take half a minute, or even reach a minute. If the power of concentration gradually deepens, at the stage of the fourth dhyāna even the breath stops, indicating that meditative concentration is extremely deep. The better the concentration, the slower, softer, and gentler the breathing; if concentration is poor, the sound of breathing is heavy and loud, audible to others. Being able to hear the sound of panting indicates that the body's channels are obstructed and the body is unhealthy.
After one knows the long in-breath, one also knows the long out-breath, knowing that one's exhalation lasts a long time, very slow and very light. This practice proceeds step by step, deeper and deeper: first do the first step well, then do the next step. When the earlier foundation is laid firmly and solidly, the next step goes smoothly, and meditative concentration can be cultivated well. In this way train your own mind, train your own power of concentration and power of wisdom.
Original text: 又短入息时。知我在短入息。又短出息者。知我在短出息。
Explanation: If the in-breath is short, one should also know "I am in a short in-breath"; if the out-breath is short, one should also know "I am in a short out-breath."
Once you can know both the long in-breath and long out-breath, sometimes the breath becomes relatively short for various reasons; at such times you must also know that your present in-breath is relatively short, filling up in a very short time, with the inhalation unable to continue traveling. The exhalation is also very short, expelled in an instant—you must know this too, which is also due to various conditions of the body. In this way train your mind to reach unity and single-pointedness, settled on the breath contemplation being performed right now. This is called concentration (samādhi)—the mind resting in one place.
Knowing both the short in-breath and short out-breath yourself, having trained to this point, continue practicing further. The length of training time differs for each person, depending on each person's physical condition and psychological quality; each person's foundation in the Buddha-Dharma also differs, the power of the mind differs, and physical health differs, so the length of practice time differs. Some people practice for half an hour, some need to practice for several days, some may need half a month, and some may need a whole month before the mind settles and the mind can be focused on the breath—the length of time is not fixed. If this foundation is not laid firmly, do not proceed further; as long as one step is not done well, the subsequent practice will become chaotic and cannot continue. When both the long and short of the breath are known, then proceed further.
Original text: 修习我觉知全身而入息。修习我觉知全身而出息。
Explanation: When practice has progressed to the point where the power of the mind has strengthened, the scope of contemplative practice should gradually expand—from perceiving one particular part of the body, finally extending to the whole body. During the in-breath, one must not only perceive the channels through which the breath passes, but also perceive the condition of the whole body; the state of the entire body must all be known. That is to say, now as the breath begins entering through the nostrils, what is the condition of each part of the body, which parts of the body has the breath reached—one must know all of this, grasp it clearly, with the mind not muddled. Know the condition of your stomach and intestines, the condition of your heart, the condition of your abdomen, the condition of your head, the condition of your waist and legs, the condition of your hands and feet, the condition of the whole body—you must know all of it yourself.
Perceiving the condition of the whole body is achieved bit by bit, because the condition of the whole body is rather complex, requiring a certain power of concentration and corresponding power of wisdom and mental strength to accomplish. Once the earlier foundation is well laid, even the complex later stages can be contemplated. Reaching this stage of contemplative practice indicates that the power of concentration is already very good; when concentration is good, one can know many things—not just the condition of the breath alone, but knowing the condition of the whole body while simultaneously knowing the condition of the breath. Where is comfortable, where is blocked, where is full, where is empty, where is painful—you know it all yourself. If, because the mind is unfocused and the energy does not return to its source, the body begins to sway, the mind must also know this. When the mind settles, the energy channels flow smoothly, and the body becomes peaceful and at ease, one must know this too; ultimately, all the various states that appear in the body must be known, because the mental power is sufficient. This method is perceiving the whole body while breathing in; both concentration and wisdom are strengthened.
When breathing outward, one must also know the condition of one's entire body, all of it clearly. At this time the mind is neither scattered nor drowsy, with right knowledge and right mindfulness; if one does not know or is unclear, the mind has scattered away. One knows the pain and comfort of the legs, knows the numbness, knows whether the energy and blood have passed through or not. One also knows the condition of the hands, the condition of the shoulders, the condition of the head, the condition of the face, the condition of the five viscera and six bowels, and the condition of the waist and back. At this time attention must be completely focused, the power of the mind must rest on the entire body, and only then can the mind know the condition of every part of the body; the power of wisdom expands, and both the power of concentration and the power of wisdom advance simultaneously. This is the practice method of perceiving the whole body while breathing out.
Original text: 修习我止身行而入息。修习我止身行而出息。
Explanation: "Stopping" (止) means to cease. What are bodily formations (身行)? Bodily formations are all the movements, swaying, and shaking of the body—unquiet activities and fabrications. The subtle internal operations of the body cannot be stopped unless life ends. When sitting quietly contemplating the breath, at the beginning the body has movements and has not attained stillness. Because the mind has not settled into stillness, the energy channels are obstructed, and the flow of energy and blood is not smooth, there appear the swaying of the head, the shaking of the body, changes in bodily posture, the blinking of the eyes, and so on. After practicing for a period of time, the mind gradually becomes tranquil, the energy channels run smoothly, the energy and blood flow freely, and one feels the body is very comfortable and at ease, with the mind peaceful and calm. In this way the bodily formations gradually cease: the head does not move, the body does not sway, the waist does not bend, and the whole body becomes still.
During the practice, all these conditions must be known within the mind, all clearly, with concentration and wisdom advancing together, mutually supporting and assisting each other. In this way one gains experiential understanding of cultivating concentration and wisdom, knowing that the body's swaying was originally due to obstructed energy and blood and an unsettled mind. Now the energy channels run very smoothly, the body does not sway, everything has become completely still, the whole body feels smooth and unobstructed, and the mind is joyful. While breathing in, one must know the condition of each part of the body; after the entire body has become completely still—the legs no longer moving, the body no longer swaying, the two hands no longer moving, the nerves no longer twitching, the eyes no longer moving, the head no longer moving—all bodily formations have become completely still. All these conditions must be known while breathing in; the mind always has a "knowing" within it—this is wisdom, and it requires a rather strong power of wisdom. In this way our concentration and wisdom can gradually advance and reach perfection; this is an excellent method for us to cultivate concentration and wisdom.
When exhaling, one must know the condition of one's entire body, knowing that all the movements of one's body have ceased: the eyes do not move, the head does not move, the body does not sway, the legs do not move, the waist does not twist, even the stomach and intestines have no great peristalsis or sounds, the breathing is no longer heavy, and all the obvious activities on the surface of the body have ceased. After the mind settles in practice, the energy channels gradually become unobstructed and run very subtly, because there are no obstructions in the body anymore; some of the karmic-obstruction diseased energy has also been expelled, the body feels comfortable and does not want to move, as if there were some force enveloping the body, holding the body, and the body naturally does not move. This stage of practice is stopping bodily formations while breathing out.
The practice method of contemplating the breath: the first step is to contemplate one's own breathing, knowing both the in-breath and out-breath; the second step is knowing the long and short of the breaths; the third step is that during the in-breath and out-breath, one knows the condition of the whole body; the fourth step is that during the in-breath and out-breath, the bodily formations have all become tranquil, and one knows this. How long it takes to reach this stage is uncertain: some people can do it in half a day, some need a month, some need half a year, and some need even longer—the more scattered and drowsy the mind, the longer it takes. So if one has very many scattered thoughts and one's physical condition is not very good, one will practice more slowly than others; but if one is someone whose mind is already rather calm, half a day may suffice.
Each person's foundation of practice, physical condition, and psychological quality are all different, so the progress of practice differs; with different worldviews and different minds of renunciation, the time and results of practice vary enormously. The most crucial key point in this practice method is: there is always a "knowing" within the mind—this is extremely important. This "knowing" is wisdom that does not depart from concentration. In the future, when studying the Mahāyāna Dharma and investigating Chan, one can replace this "knowing" with a huatou (critical phrase) and directly investigate Chan, thereby seeing the mind (明心).
Original text: 诸比丘。恰如熟练之辘驴匠或辘驴之弟子。或长转（辘驴）者。知我在长转。或短者。知我在短转。
Explanation: The Buddha said: Bhikṣus, when you practice these dharmas, it is just like a skilled well-pulley operator or the well-pulley operator's apprentice. When they let the rope out long, they know "I am letting the rope out long"; or when they draw the rope in short, they know "I am drawing the rope in short."
In ancient times there was no running water; drinking water had to be drawn up from very deep wells dug into the ground. On the well there was a rope-winding device: a bucket was hung on one end of the rope, and the rope was wound down to scoop water up from the well; this rope-winding device was called a well-pulley (辘驴). The person responsible for drawing water was called the well-pulley operator. When drawing water, if his mind was calm, he would clearly know that he had let out a very long rope to the bottom of the well, because the well water was very deep. If there was plenty of water in the well and the water was close to the ground surface, the rope he let down was short, and he clearly knew this too; or when he wanted to pull the bucket up, he had to draw the rope in short, and he clearly knew this as well—he knew the length of the rope he was winding.
When we cultivate concentration by contemplating the breath, we should also be like the well-pulley operator: whatever we are currently doing, the mind must clearly know it—knowing the condition of the in-breath and out-breath, knowing the long and short of the breath, knowing the condition of the whole body, and knowing when the bodily formations have ceased. This is the same as the well-pulley operator's single-minded focus when drawing water. This is the Buddha's simile for the method of contemplating bodily formations.
Original text: 诸比丘。比丘如是在长入息者。知我在长入息。或长出息者。知我在长出息。短入息者。知我在短入息。短出息者。知我在短出息。
Explanation: The Buddha said: Bhikṣus, when a bhikṣu, single-mindedly as described above, is in a long in-breath, he knows "I am in a long in-breath"; or when single-mindedly in a long out-breath, he knows "I am in a long out-breath." And when the in-breath is short, he knows "I am in a short in-breath"; when the out-breath is short, he knows "I am in a short out-breath."
This practice method means that when the breath is relatively long, one knows one is in a long in-breath; while drawing in this breath, very slowly, very subtly, over a long time—reaching ten seconds to half a minute or even a minute—the entire process is clearly known to oneself. This length of inhalation time can be achieved through training in practice; ultimately one can even stop the breath—that is the state of the fourth dhyāna. Then, during the long out-breath, one knows one is exhaling long and slow; while breathing out this breath, extremely slowly and gently. A person with a solid foundation makes no breathing sound audible to others at all when breathing. A person without a foundation has very loud breathing, with heavy panting, indicating he has no foundation in meditative concentration, his mind is not calm, and there are some obstructions in his material body. When the in-breath is short, one should very clearly know one is in a short in-breath; when the out-breath is short, one should also clearly know one is in a short out-breath.
Original text: 修习我觉知全身而入息。修习我觉知全身而出息。修习我止身行而入息。修习我止身行而出息。
Explanation: Practicing further: while I am breathing in, I can perceive the state of the whole body; practicing further, while I am breathing out, I can perceive the state of the whole body. Then practicing further: while I am breathing in, I can stop all bodily formations; practicing further, while I am breathing out, I can stop all bodily formations, remaining still and unmoving.
Practicing perceiving the whole body while breathing in: while inhaling, one must clearly know the operational condition of the whole body, from head to toe, from inside to outside, knowing it all. When the power of concentration is strong, the mind rests on a vast and deep-subtle object, the scope of knowing is vast, and the things and principles known are deep and subtle. If while inhaling one cannot perceive the whole body, it indicates that one's power of concentration is still insufficient and the power of wisdom is also inadequate, causing the mind to be unfocused, the mental power weak, and the mind's object not vast enough. This single-pointedness and vastness seem contradictory, but in fact they are not: at this time the whole body is taken as a single object of focus, so of course both the concentration and wisdom required must be strong; otherwise this cannot be accomplished. This is gradually strengthening concentration and wisdom bit by bit, making the mental power powerful and the capacity for discernment strong.
Then practice perceiving the whole body while breathing out: while exhaling, the mind must also clearly know the condition of the whole body. From head to toe, from inside to outside, one must know all the conditions of the material body, all clearly. If one is not clear, it indicates that one's mindfulness is still not concentrated enough, the mental power is weak, and concentration and wisdom have not yet been well trained. If during breathing the condition of the whole body can all be clearly known, and this skill does not scatter away but is rather firm, then one can continue practicing.
Then practice further, stopping bodily formations while breathing in: while inhaling, one can clearly know that one's body has become still—from head to toe, from inside to outside, the entire body has become tranquil: the body no longer sways, the eyes no longer blink, the head no longer moves, the arms and legs no longer move, the breathing has become subtle, and the energy channels run subtly—all these conditions must be clearly known in the mind. This comes from applied effort: with the power of mindfulness concentrated and the mind not scattered, the bodily formations gradually become subtle, and the coarse random movements disappear. Subtle bodily formations still exist, because a living being's activity must have these subtle bodily formations; if they did not exist, one would have entered the fourth dhyāna—otherwise one would be a dead person. Once the skill is firm, continue the practice.
Then continue practicing, stopping bodily formations while breathing out: when exhaling, one must clearly know the condition of the whole body having almost completely become still, with the mind neither muddled nor scattered. If one cannot know it, or the knowing is incomplete, it indicates insufficient concentration and wisdom, the mind still somewhat scattered—either drowsy or engaged in discursive thought. Once this step is well practiced and the skill is firm, then practice further; otherwise do not proceed, until this step is practiced to complete success.
Original text: 如是。或于内身观身而住。又于外身观身而住。或于内外身观身而住。
Explanation: After practicing in this way, the mind either dwells on the contemplation of the internal material body, then dwells on the contemplation of the external body, or dwells on the simultaneous contemplation of both the internal body and the external body.
Having contemplated to this stage, continue contemplating the internal body according to the above methods. What is the internal body? Some say it is the inside of the body, as opposed to the body's surface. In fact, the entire material body belongs to the internal body, as opposed to the living environment outside the body, as opposed to the external universe, the vessel-world (器世间). The internal body refers to the entire material body, including the skin on the body's surface, down to the muscles, bones, five viscera and six bowels, blood, bone marrow, brain matter, and internal organs within the body. From head to toe, from inside to outside, all belong to the internal body.
However, this internal body, if further subdivided, can be divided into the internal objective realm (内相分) within the supreme faculties and the external objective realm outside the supreme faculties. The internal and external objective realms of the material body both include form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma: form is the flesh body seen by the eye consciousness; sound is the various sounds emitted by the body; smell is the scent-objects emitted by the body; taste is the body's odor; touch is the touch-objects of the body itself, such as hunger, thirst, fullness, comfort, tranquility (轻安), fatigue, soreness, and so on; dharma is the subtle dharma-objects on the five sense-objects of the material body. The external body is all the six sense-object realms outside the material body, including the external form, sound, smell, taste, and touch, not belonging to within the body.
The body has a definition, called the eighteen realms (dhātus); the eighteen realms all belong to our own five-aggregate body. What do the eighteen realms include? The six faculties: the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, body faculty, and manas. The first five faculties we can all locate; the manas is a mental dharma. The eighteen realms also include the six sense-objects: form-object, sound-object, smell-object, taste-object, touch-object, and dharma-object. And there are the six consciousnesses: eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness.
What is the form-object? One's own body is a form-object, belonging to the internal body. Outside the body, everything the eyes can see is also a form-object, composed of the four great elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, belonging to the external body. The form-object includes all the material things before our eyes and around us, all the way to the entire room, the streets beyond the room, the entire city beyond the streets, the entire province beyond the city, the entire country beyond the province, the entire earth beyond the country, and even the entire universe beyond the earth. One trichiliocosm (三千大千世界) is a galaxy; countless trichiliocosms, or the lands of the Buddhas of the ten directions, all belong to the form-object, that is, the external form-object, also called the external body. Although the vast majority of form-objects we cannot yet see or come into contact with, they still belong to the dharmas within the eighteen realms, all belonging to the form-object, corresponding with our eye faculty; therefore our external body is extremely vast.
What is the sound-object? There are many sounds within our bodies, such as the rumbling of the intestines and stomach, the sounds of gas movement and digestion within the body; there are also sounds emitted from the body, such as the sound of burping, the sound of panting, the sound of tinnitus, the sound of sneezing, the sound of speaking, and so on—these belong to the internal body. Outside the body there are also various sounds: the sounds of the body colliding with, contacting, and rubbing against various materials; sounds made by other sentient beings; sounds made by various objects, such as the ticking of clocks, the sound of moving air, sounds outside the room, sounds on the street, the sounds of the entire city, the sounds in the entire void, the sounds emitted by the entire universe vessel-world, and so on. These are all sound-objects, and moreover external sound-objects, not within the body, belonging to the external body. Both internal and external sound-objects belong within our eighteen realms; it can be seen that our external body is extremely vast, although the vast majority of sounds we temporarily cannot hear.
There is also the smell-object\: the various odors emitted by our own body are the internal smell-object, belonging to the internal body. The odors in the surrounding environment are the external smell-object, including odors emitted by other sentient beings, odors in the room, odors outside the room, the odors of mountains, rivers, and the great earth, the odors of the entire universe and void—all belong to the external smell-object, also within our eighteen realms, belonging to our own external body.
Taste-objects have internal and external taste-objects. When there is no food in the mouth, the flavors perceived by the tongue faculty, and the taste-objects emanating from the stomach, are the internal taste-object, belonging to the internal body. When there is food, the flavors perceived—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, bland, and so on—are the external taste-object, facing the tongue faculty, belonging to the dharmas within the eighteen realms, belonging to the external body.
Touch-objects include internal touch-objects and external touch-objects. Internal touch-objects are the touches within our body, such as hunger and thirst, cold and heat, warmth and fullness, fatigue, comfort, ease, and so on, belonging to the internal body. External touch-objects are the touch-objects produced by the contact of external materials with the material body—for example, the touch on the body from the sun at the summit of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven shining upon it; the touch on the body from the moon at the halfway point of Mount Sumeru, in the Heaven of the Four Great Kings; the touch on the body from cold and hot air coming from the void; the contact and impact of various materials on the body—gentle touches such as those of breezes and clothing, violent touches such as stones and heavy objects. These are all external touch-objects, belonging to the external body. So the range of our external touch-objects is also extremely vast, but the minds of most of us now cannot yet contemplate such a vast range.
The dharma-object includes the form included in the dharma realm (法处所摄色) manifested upon the five sense-objects, as well as the solitary realms (独头境界) in which the mind consciousness dwells: the dharma-objects known by the scattered mind, the dharma-objects within meditative states, and the dharma-objects in dreams. The so-called external body is actually the internal six sense-objects, because we fundamentally cannot see the external six sense-objects or come into contact with them; we can only contact and observe the internal six sense-objects manifested by the eighth consciousness based on the external six sense-objects. Therefore the internal six sense-objects are conventionally spoken of as the external body outside the material body.
Within the eighteen realms there are also the six consciousnesses: eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness. The eighteen realms compose this false self, the five aggregates. When we contemplate the five-aggregate body, we should first contemplate the internal body, then the external body, and then contemplate the internal body and external body simultaneously—at that time the power of concentration is very good. If concentration is not good, even contemplating a single dharma is not easy, because a scattered mind cannot simultaneously observe so many objects, cannot observe the whole body from inside to outside, from head to toe, and cannot observe all the dharmas outside the body. Having cultivated to this degree, the concentration and wisdom one possesses are quite excellent, and they can all be stored as seeds in the eighth consciousness, to be received and enjoyed in future lives. For example, being born with the ability to see in all six directions and hear in all eight, being born able to use one mind for many tasks, with extremely abundant energy and extremely vast wisdom, extraordinary and outstanding.
In contemplative practice, first contemplate starting from the internal body: the form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma within the body must all be contemplated, comprehensively and meticulously. Once the skill is firm, then contemplate the external body—contemplate the external form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma, comprehensively and meticulously. Once this step's skill is firm, then simultaneously contemplate the internal body and external body, contemplating inside and outside together, comprehensively and meticulously; all dharmas must be observed, striving to know them all within a single thought-moment. Accomplishing this, concentration and wisdom are superb; the mind has already become very subtle, able even to perceive the thoughts of others, and one can possess the ability of foreknowledge.
Our minds are habitually scattered: either scattered and distracted, or drowsy, reminiscing, or remorseful. Drowsiness is when the brain is groggy with no concepts at all, muddled and unclear—this is also called delusion (愚痴); otherwise the mind is scattered, everywhere grasping at conditions, all sorts of miscellaneous matters churning in the mind—either reminiscing about the past or worrying about the future, never abiding in the present. When our concentration is very good and the mind is focused, we can simultaneously contemplate the various conditions of our body's internal body and external body, and then observe both internal and external bodies simultaneously, all clearly and distinctly observed. Having contemplated to this point, the entire concept of "I" forms in the mind, and the notion of self becomes very firm. When the condition of the body is all clear, there arises in the mind the notion of a self, of a body.
Original text: 或于身观生法而住。又于身观灭法而住。又于身观生灭法而住。
Explanation: The mind either dwells on contemplating the dharmas arising in the material body, or dwells on contemplating the dharmas disappearing and ceasing in the material body, or else the mind dwells on contemplating the dharmas simultaneously arising and ceasing in the material body.
In contemplating the material body, one should observe arising dharmas, knowing the arising dharmas in the mind. Arising dharmas are those that did not exist before but now appear—these are called arising dharmas. After sitting in meditation for a certain time, various phenomena and feelings arise in the body, including feelings of tranquility (轻安) and feelings of pain. Once the energy channels begin to run, the body may feel tranquil and comfortable, or the legs may begin to numb and ache, or the hands may begin to numb and swell, or the internal organs may feel blocked and painful, or unobstructed, or there may be rumbling in the abdomen, or the body may feel taller and larger—all kinds of conditions will appear, and the conditions appearing differ for each person. In contemplative practice, all these conditions must be clearly known in the mind: knowing what new feelings have arisen in the body, what the phenomena are, and what changes have occurred—all must be known clearly, without confusion. This is dwelling contemplating arising dharmas in the body.
The next step is to practice dwelling contemplating ceasing dharmas in the body. Ceasing dharmas are phenomena that existed before but now no longer exist, have disappeared. For example, after the energy channels run, the heavy breathing is gone and the breathing has become subtle; the energy channels that originally gurgled and moved vigorously now have slowed down and run quietly; where the energy channels originally felt blocked and painful when passing through, now the energy channels pass through and the pain has disappeared; the body that was originally heavy has now become tranquil; or the body that was just tranquil has suddenly become heavy. These are all ceasing dharmas—phenomena that existed before have now disappeared—and these phenomena must all be clearly known. Without the power of concentration, or with insufficient concentration, the mind cannot know these phenomena, nor can it perceive the various feelings.
Many people lack the power of concentration, so their minds are coarse; every day they are unclear about their own physical condition, not even perceiving their own heaviest panting. When the mind-consciousness is chaotic in daily life and discursive thinking is severe, one simply does not know one is having discursive thoughts and cannot introspect one's own mind. Not knowing one is having discursive thoughts is precisely when discursive thoughts are most numerous and chaotic—the mind is too coarse, fundamentally lacking the power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala). If the mind becomes slightly calm, one can introspect oneself, know that one is having discursive thoughts, and also understand whether one's thoughts are wholesome or unwholesome; upon discovering unwholesome thoughts, one reproaches oneself. Before, the mind was coarse, scattered, and drowsy, not knowing one was having discursive thoughts. Now the mind is subtle and has the power of concentration, so one can discover many things one previously did not know, and understands oneself better and better.
Afterwards, practice dwelling contemplating arising-and-ceasing dharmas in the body. Whatever dharmas arise in the body, simultaneously other dharmas cease; all the phenomena of arising and ceasing must be clearly known in the mind—that is, all the various phenomena of arising and ceasing within the body must be clearly known. In this way concentration and wisdom can advance simultaneously. When the phenomena of arising and ceasing within the body can all be known, the mind's notion of "I" is formed.
Original text: 尚又对于智识所成及忆念所成。皆会有身之思念现前。彼当无所依而住。且亦不执着世间之任何物而住。诸比丘。比丘如是。于身观身而住。
Explanation: After all this contemplative practice is complete, one's mind and mental concepts will be entirely filled with one's own body; all one's thoughts are about one's own body, and the mind is constantly mindful of one's own body. The concept of the material body firmly occupies the entire mind. The next step is to use wisdom to contemplate and eradicate all concepts concerning the material body, so that the mind attains purity and non-action (无为), with the mind abiding nowhere.
The mind should no longer abide depending on one's own material body; there should no longer be the concept of the body—one must extinguish this concept, empty out the feelings and cognitions of the material body, empty out the notion of the material body as self; then it becomes possible to eradicate the view of the body. Or one may be able to enter concentration—the desire-realm concentration or form-realm concentration will arise. As long as there is still the thought of a body in the mind, one cannot enter deep concentration. "And not clinging to anything in the world while abiding": not only should there be no concept of the body, there should be no other concepts either. All concepts and thoughts about all things in the world must be excluded, none should remain; the mind must be empty, and empty again—even emptiness itself emptied, not a single dharma remaining, utterly empty and pure, free and unencumbered. Reaching this point is another kind of pastoral landscape; one is not far from eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), and may even directly eradicate it.
Although this method is a Hīnayāna practice, different from Mahāyāna Chan investigation, it is also the foundation for Mahāyāna Chan investigation. We are habitually scattered in daily life, so reaching this state is not easy; but once attained, one will benefit life after life, so one should practice it well. With the same practice, men have relatively fewer scattered thoughts and fewer things weighing on their minds, so cultivating concentration is relatively easy and fast. Women's minds are more severely scattered, with more things they grasp at and worry about, so achieving this is relatively more difficult. One should use wisdom to deliberate, raise right mindfulness, and recognize that the matters weighing on the mind are all meaningless; by achieving inner release, one can shake off the entanglement of some matters, cultivate concentration more quickly, and the mind of wisdom will also arise more easily.
