156 (1) [Establishments of Mindfulness]610
“Bhikkhus, there are these three ways of practice. What three? The coarse way of practice, the blistering way of practice, and the middle way of practice.611
(1) “And what, bhikkhus, is the coarse way of practice? Here, someone holds such a doctrine and view as this: ‘There is no fault in sensual pleasures,’ and then indulges in sensual pleasures. This is called the coarse way of practice.
(2) “And what is the blistering way of practice?612 Here, someone goes naked, rejecting conventions, licking his hands, not coming when asked, not stopping when asked; he does not accept food brought or food specially made or an invitation to a meal; he receives nothing from a pot, from a bowl, across a threshold, across a stick, across a pestle, from two eating together, from a pregnant woman, from a woman nursing a child, from a woman being kept by a man, from where food is advertised to be distributed, from where a dog is waiting, from where flies are buzzing; he accepts no fish or meat; he drinks no liquor, wine, or fermented brew.
“He keeps to one house [on alms round], to one morsel of food; he keeps to two houses, to two morsels … he keeps to seven houses, to seven morsels. He lives on one saucer a day, on two saucers a day … on seven saucers a day. He takes food once a day, once every two days … once every seven days; thus even up to once every fortnight, he dwells pursuing the practice of taking food at stated intervals.
“He is an eater of greens or millet or forest rice or hide-parings or moss or rice bran or rice scum or sesame flour or grass or cow dung. He subsists on forest roots and fruits; he feeds on fallen fruits.
“He wears hemp robes, robes of hemp-mixed cloth, shroud robes, rag-robes; robes made from tree bark, antelope hides, strips of antelope hide; robes of kusa grass, bark fabric, or wood-shavings fabric; a mantle made of head hair [296] or of animal wool; a covering made of owls’ wings.
“He is one who pulls out hair and beard, pursuing the practice of pulling out hair and beard. He is one who stands continuously, rejecting seats. He is one who squats continuously, devoted to maintaining the squatting position. He is one who uses a mattress of thorns; he makes a mattress of thorns his bed. He dwells pursuing the practice of bathing in water three times daily including the evening. Thus in such a variety of ways he dwells pursuing the practice of tormenting and mortifying the body. This is called the blistering way of practice.
(3) “And what is the middle way of practice? Here, a bhikkhu dwells contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed longing and dejection in regard to the world. He dwells contemplating feelings in feelings … mind in mind … phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed longing and dejection in regard to the world. This is called the middle way of practice.
“These, bhikkhus, are the three ways of practice.”
157 (2)–162 (7) [Right Strivings, Etc.]613
(157) “Bhikkhus, there are these three ways of practice. What three? The coarse way of practice, the blistering way of practice, and the middle way of practice.
(1) “And what, bhikkhus, is the coarse way of practice? … [as in 3:156] … This is called the coarse way of practice.
(2) “And what is the blistering way of practice? … [as in 3:156] … This is called the blistering way of practice.
(3) “And what is the middle way of practice? Here, a bhikkhu generates desire for the non-arising of unarisen bad unwholesome states; he makes an effort, arouses energy, applies his mind, and strives. He generates desire for the abandoning of arisen bad unwholesome states … for the arising of unarisen wholesome states … for the maintenance of arisen wholesome states, for their non-decline, increase, expansion, and fulfillment by development; [297] he makes an effort, arouses energy, applies his mind, and strives….”
(158) “… he develops the basis for psychic potency that possesses concentration due to desire and activities of striving. He develops the basis for psychic potency that possesses concentration due to energy and activities of striving … that possesses concentration due to mind and activities of striving … that possesses concentration due to investigation and activities of striving….”
(159) “… he develops the faculty of faith, the faculty of energy, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, the faculty of wisdom….”
(160) “… he develops the power of faith, the power of energy, the power of mindfulness, the power of concentration, the power of wisdom….”
(161) “… he develops the enlightenment factor of mindfulness, the enlightenment factor of discrimination of phenomena, the enlightenment factor of energy, the enlightenment factor of rapture, the enlightenment factor of tranquility, the enlightenment factor of concentration, the enlightenment factor of equanimity….”
(162) “… he develops right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This is called the middle way of practice.
“These, bhikkhus, are the three ways of practice.”
609 Ee does not number this as a separate vagga but titles it Acelakavagga. Ce counts it as the sixth vagga in the third Fifty, called Paṭipadāvagga. Be also counts it as the sixth vagga (sixteenth in its total for the Threes), called Acelakavagga, “Chapter on the Naked Ascetic.”
610 I base this title on the uddāna verse of Be. Neither Ce nor Be assigns a title to this sutta; neither Ce nor Ee has an uddāna verse.
611 The coarse way of practice (āgāḷhā paṭipadā) corresponds to the extreme of indulgence in sensual pleasure; the blistering way of practice (nijjhāmā paṭipadā), to the extreme of self-mortification. Those are the two extremes that the Buddha rejected in his first discourse (SN 56:11, V 421,4–9).
612 The following list of ascetic practices is also at DN I 166–67; MN I 77–78, 307–8, 342–43.
613 Ee compresses all these into a single sutta numbered 152. I follow Ce and Be in counting each as a distinct sutta.