575 (1)
“Bhikkhus, even as one who encompasses with his mind the great ocean includes thereby all the streams that run into the ocean, just so, whoever develops and cultivates mindfulness directed to the body includes all wholesome qualities that pertain to true knowledge.”205
576 (2)–582 (8)
Bhikkhus, one thing, when developed and cultivated, (576) leads to a strong sense of urgency206 … (577) leads to great good … (578) leads to great security from bondage … (579) leads to mindfulness and clear comprehension … (580) leads to the attainment of knowledge and vision … (581) leads to a pleasant dwelling in this very life … (582) leads to realization of the fruit of knowledge and liberation. What is that one thing? Mindfulness directed to the body. This is the one thing that, when developed and cultivated, leads to realization of the fruit of knowledge and liberation.”
583 (9)207
“Bhikkhus, when one thing is developed and cultivated, the body becomes tranquil, the mind becomes tranquil, thought and examination subside, and all wholesome qualities that pertain to true knowledge reach fulfillment by development. What is that one thing? Mindfulness directed to the body. [44] When this one thing is developed and cultivated, the body becomes tranquil … and all wholesome qualities that pertain to true knowledge reach fulfillment by development.”
584 (10)208
“Bhikkhus, when one thing is developed and cultivated, unarisen unwholesome qualities do not arise and arisen unwholesome qualities are abandoned. What is that one thing? Mindfulness directed to the body. When this one thing is developed and cultivated, unarisen unwholesome qualities do not arise and arisen unwholesome qualities are abandoned.”
585 (11)209
“Bhikkhus, when one thing is developed and cultivated, unarisen wholesome qualities arise and arisen wholesome qualities increase and expand. What is that one thing? Mindfulness directed to the body. When this one thing is developed and cultivated, unarisen wholesome qualities arise and arisen wholesome qualities increase and expand.”
586 (12)–590 (16)210
“Bhikkhus, when one thing is developed and cultivated, (586) ignorance is abandoned … (587) true knowledge arises … (588) the conceit ‘I am’ is abandoned … (589) the underlying tendencies are uprooted … (590) the fetters are abandoned. What is that one thing? Mindfulness directed to the body. When this one thing is developed and cultivated, ignorance is abandoned … true knowledge arises … the conceit ‘I am’ is abandoned … the underlying tendencies are uprooted … the fetters are abandoned.”
591 (17)–592 (18)
“Bhikkhus, one thing, when developed and cultivated, (591) leads to differentiation by wisdom … (592) leads to nibbāna through non-clinging.211 What is that one thing? Mindfulness directed to the body. This is the one thing that, when developed and cultivated, leads to differentiation by wisdom … leads to nibbāna through non-clinging.”
593 (19)–595 (21)
“Bhikkhus, when one thing is developed and cultivated, (593) penetration of numerous elements occurs … (594) penetration of the diversity of elements occurs … (595) analytical knowledge of numerous elements occurs.212 What is that one thing? It is mindfulness directed to the body. When this one thing is developed and cultivated, penetration of the various elements occurs … penetration of the diversity of elements occurs … analytical knowledge of the various elements occurs.”
596 (22)–599 (25)
“Bhikkhus, one thing, when developed and cultivated, leads (596) to realization of the fruit of stream-entry … (597) to realization of the fruit of once-returning … (598) to realization of the fruit of non-returning [45] … (599) to realization of the fruit of arahantship. What is that one thing? It is mindfulness directed to the body. This is the one thing that, when developed and cultivated, leads to realization of the fruit of stream-entry … to realization of the fruit of once-returning … to realization of the fruit of non-returning … to realization of the fruit of arahantship.”
600 (26)–615 (41)
“Bhikkhus, one thing, when developed and cultivated, leads (600) to the obtaining of wisdom … (601) to the growth of wisdom … (602) to the expansion of wisdom … (603) to greatness of wisdom … (604) to diversity of wisdom … (605) to vastness of wisdom … (606) to depth of wisdom … (607) to a state of unsurpassed wisdom … (608) to breadth of wisdom … (609) to abundance of wisdom … (610) to rapidity of wisdom … (611) to buoyancy of wisdom … (612) to joyousness of wisdom … (613) to swiftness of wisdom … (614) to keenness of wisdom … (615) to penetrativeness of wisdom.213 What is that one thing? Mindfulness directed to the body. This is the one thing that, when developed and cultivated, leads to penetrativeness of wisdom.”
204 This number agrees with Be. Ee counts this as vagga XXI, Ce as the seventh subchapter of vagga XVI, but separately titled Kāyagatāsativaggo, “The Chapter on Mindfulness Directed to the Body.”
205 In this sutta and those that follow, kāyagatāsati should surely be understood in the broad sense of the Kāyagatāsati Sutta (MN 119), as comprising all meditation exercises based on the body, rather than in the narrow sense of Vism 240, Ppn 8.44, which restricts it to contemplation of the thirty-two bodily parts.
Mp: “Wholesome qualities that pertain to true knowledge (kusalā dhammā ye keci vijjābhāgiyā): There are eight kinds of true knowledge: insight knowledge, the mind-made body, and the six kinds of direct knowledge (see, e.g., 3:101, 6:2). The qualities associated with these eight are the things that pertain to true knowledge. Or, if one of the eight is taken to be true knowledge, the others are ‘qualities that pertain to true knowledge.’” At 2:31, samatha and vipassanā are said to be the two things that pertain to true knowledge.
206 See above, note 187.
207 Ce and Ee count four separate suttas here, each based on one of the benefits that come from developing mindfulness of the body, whereas Be combines them into one. The use of the conjunction pi after each item seems to corroborate Be, which I follow.
208 Ee counts two suttas here, one based on the non-arising of unarisen unwholesome qualities, the other on the abandoning of arisen unwholesome qualities. Ce and Be, which I follow, take this to be one sutta.
209 Again, Ee counts this as two suttas, but I follow Ce and Be in taking it as one.
210 Here I follow Ce and Ee in taking this passage as five suttas, whereas Be treats it as one. On the seven underlying tendencies (anusaya), see 7:11, 7:12; on the ten fetters (saṃyojana), see 10:13.
211 Mp glosses paññāpabhedāya with paññāya pabhedagamanatthaṃ. At Paṭis-a III 644,6–7, paññāpabhedakusalo is glossed “skilled in his own infinite distinctions” (attano anantavikappe … cheko). Its near synonym, pabhinnañāṇo, is explained as “having knowledge that has attained infinite differentiations” (anantappabhedapattañāṇo). Mp glosses anupādāparinibbāna with apaccayaparinibbānassa sacchikiriyatthāya, “for the purpose of realizing the non-conditioned final nibbāna.”
212 Mp explains “penetration of numerous elements” (anekadhātupaṭivedha) as the penetration of the characteristics (lakkhaṇa) of the eighteen elements; “penetration of the diversity of elements” (nānādhātupaṭivedha) as penetration of the characteristics of those eighteen elements by way of their diversity (nānābhāvena); and “analytical knowledge of numerous elements” (anekadhātupaṭisambhidā) as the knowledge that classifies elements thus: “When this element is prominent, that occurs.” MN 115, III 62–63, explains various ways in which a bhikkhu can be called “skilled in elements” (dhātukusala), all of which may be pertinent to the present passage.
213 See SN V 411–12. Mp offers explanations of these terms based on Paṭis II 189–202.