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Descriptions1. Department of
Buddhist Studies-1.1
Foundation Curriculum-
Analytical Meditation I- Mind and its World I: Valid Cognition -
SN 54.8
PTS: S v 316
CDB ii 1770
Dipa Sutta: The Lamp
translated from the Pali
by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
“Monks, concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out
breathing, when developed & pursued, is of great fruit, of great benefit.
And how is concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing
developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, of 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 setting mindfulness to the
fore.[1]
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.’[2]
He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.’ [4] He
trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.’[3]
He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming the 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.’[4]
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 gladdening the mind.’ He trains himself, ‘I
will breathe out gladdening 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.’[5]
“[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.’[6]
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,
of great benefit.
“I, too, monks, before my awakening, when I was an
unawakened bodhisatta, frequently remained with this abiding. When I frequently
remained with this abiding, neither my body was fatigued nor were my eyes, and
my mind, through lack of clinging/sustenance, was released from fermentations.
“So if a monk should wish: ‘May neither my body be fatigued
nor my eyes, and may my mind, through lack of clinging/sustenance, be released
from fermentations,’ then he should attend carefully to this same concentration
through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish: ‘May my memories & resolves
related to the household life be abandoned,’ then he should attend carefully to
this same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish: ‘May I remain percipient of
loathsomeness in the presence of what is not loathsome,’ then he should attend
carefully to this same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out
breathing.
”If a monk should wish: ‘May I remain percipient of
unloathsomeness in the presence of what is loathsome,’ then he should attend
carefully to this same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out
breathing.
”If a monk should wish: ‘May I remain percipient of
loathsomeness in the presence of what is not loathsome & what is,’ then he
should attend carefully to this same concentration through mindfulness of
in-&-out breathing.
”If a monk should wish: ‘May I remain percipient of
unloathsomeness in the presence of what is loathsome & what is not,’ then
he should attend carefully to this same concentration through mindfulness of
in-&-out breathing.
”If a monk should wish: ‘May I β in the presence of
what is loathsome & what is not β cutting myself off from both β remain
equanimous, mindful, & alert,’ then he should attend carefully to this same
concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish: ‘May I β quite secluded from
sensuality, secluded from unskillful qualities β enter & remain in the
first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from seclusion, accompanied by
directed thought & evaluation,’ then he should attend carefully to this
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 jhana:
rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free
from directed thought & evaluation β internal assurance,’ then he should
attend carefully to this same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out
breathing.
“If a monk should wish: ‘May I, with the fading of rapture,
remain equnimous, mindful, & alert, sense pleasure with the body, and enter
& remain in the third jhana, of which the noble ones declare,
“Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding,”‘ then he
should attend carefully to this same concentration through mindfulness of
in-&-out breathing.
“If a monk should wish: ‘May I, with the abandoning of
pleasure & stress β as with the earlier disappearance of joys &
distresses β enter & remain in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity &
mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain,’ then he should attend carefully to
this 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 heeding perceptions of diversity,
(perceiving,) ‘Infinite space,’ enter & remain in the dimension of the
infinitude of space,’ then he should attend carefully to this 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 carefully to this 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 carefully to this 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
carefully to this 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 carefully to this same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out
breathing.
“When concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out
breathing is thus developed, thus pursued, then if he senses a feeling of
pleasure, he discerns that it is inconstant, not grasped at, not relished. If
he senses a feeling of pain, he discerns that it is inconstant, not grasped at,
not relished. If he senses a feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain, he discerns
that it is inconstant, not grasped at, not relished. If he senses a feeling of
pleasure, he senses it disjoined from it. If he senses a feeling of pain, he
senses it disjoined from it. If he senses a feeling of
neither-pleasure-nor-pain, he senses it disjoined from it. When sensing a feeling
limited to the body, he discerns that ‘I am sensing a feeling limited to the
body.’ When sensing a feeling limited to life, he discerns that ‘I am sensing a
feeling limited to life.’ He discerns that ‘With the break-up of the body,
after the termination of life, everything that is experienced, not being
relished, will grow cold right here.’
“Just as an oil lamp burns in
dependence on oil & wick; and from the termination of the oil & wick β
and from not being provided any other sustenance β it goes out unnourished; in
the same way, when sensing a feeling limited to the body, he discerns that ‘I
am sensing a feeling limited to the body.’ When sensing a feeling limited to
life, he discerns that ‘I am sensing a feeling limited to life.’ He discerns
that ‘With the break-up of the body, after the termination of life, everything
that is sensed, not being relished, will grow cold right here.’”
1.
To the fore (parimukham):
The Abhidhamma takes an etymological approach to this term, defining it as
around (pari-) the mouth (mukham). In the Vinaya, however, it is
used in a context (Cv.V.27.4) where it undoubtedly means the front of the
chest. There is also the possibility that the term could be used idiomatically
as “to the front,” which is how I have translated it here.
2.
The commentaries insist that
“body” here means the breath, but this is unlikely in this context,
for the next step β without further explanation β refers to the breath as
“bodily fabrication.” If the Buddha were using two different terms to
refer to the breath in such close proximity, he would have been careful to
signal that he was redefining his terms (as he does below, when explaining that
the first four steps in breath meditation correspond to the practice of
focusing on the body in and of itself as a frame of reference). The step of
breathing in and out sensitive to the entire body relates to the many similes
in the suttas depicting jhana as a state of whole-body awareness (see MN 119).
3.
“In-&-out breaths are
bodily; these are things tied up with the body. That’s why in-&-out breaths
are bodily fabrications.” β MN 44.
4.
“Perceptions & feelings
are mental; these are things tied up with the mind. That’s why perceptions
& feelings are mental fabrications.” β MN 44.
5.
AN
9.34 shows how the mind, step by step, is temporarily released from
burdensome mental states of greater and greater refinement as it advances
through the stages of jhana.
6.
Lit., “fading.”
Course Descriptions
1. Department of
Buddhist Studies
1.1 Foundation Curriculum
DOB 500 Analytical Meditation I
Delivery Mode: Residential
Course Description:
This course is a systematic training in the progressive stages
of analytical vipashyanΔ, or
insight meditation. We will begin with the yoga focusing on
non-conceptual images,
followed by gradual guided instructions on the yoga focusing on
conceptual images which
transform the conceptual mind and apply them in our personal
practice. This course is
taken with each Foundation course and included in the credit
hours of those courses. It is
cross-listed with BUD 600 and BUD 680.
1.1.1 Foundation Curriculum: The Core
BUD 501 Mind and its World I: Valid Cognition - 2 credits
Delivery Mode: Residential & Online
Course Description:
This course explores the criteria of a valid cognition and its
various classifications, based
on the teachings of the PramΔna tradition, or Buddhist
epistemology. We will analyze our
consciousness and determine to what degree it is in agreement
with its observed object
or not; when our mind is direct or not; what the difference is
between non-mistaken, nondeceiving,
conceptual and non-conceptual types of awareness.