[386]
"He in whom mindfulness of breathing (ānāpānasati)
is fulfilled and well developed,
consolidated in gradual succession,
as taught by the Buddha —
he illuminates this world,
like the moon freed from a cloud."
"Āna" is the in-breath (assāsa), not the out-breath; "apāna" is the out-breath (passāsa), not the in-breath. Mindfulness (sati) as establishment (upaṭṭhāna) by way of in-breaths and out-breaths: it is established for one who breathes in; it is established for one who breathes out.
"Fulfilled" (paripuṇṇā): fulfilled in the sense of taking hold all round, fulfilled in the sense of furnishing, fulfilled in the sense of perfecting.
"Well developed" (subhāvitā): there are four developments (bhāvanā): development in the sense that the dhammas arisen therein do not exceed one another; development in the sense that the faculties (indriya) have a single function; development in the sense of carrying the energy appropriate thereto; development in the sense of repeated practice. For him these four meanings of development are made a vehicle, made a ground, attended, consolidated, well and evenly undertaken.
"Made a vehicle" (yānīkatā): wherever he wishes, there he has attained mastery, attained power, attained assurance; those dhammas of his are bound up with his adverting, bound up with his wishing, bound up with his attention, bound up with the arising of mind (citta); therefore it is said, "made a vehicle."
"Made a ground" (vatthukatā): upon whatever ground the mind is well resolved, upon that ground mindfulness is well established; or else, upon whatever ground mindfulness is well established, upon that ground the mind is well resolved; therefore it is said, "made a ground."
"Attended" (anuṭṭhitā): whithersoever the mind is directed, thither mindfulness turns in accord; or else, whithersoever mindfulness turns, thither the mind is directed; therefore it is said, "attended."
"Consolidated" (paricitā): consolidated in the sense of taking hold all round, consolidated in the sense of furnishing, consolidated in the sense of perfecting. Taking hold with mindfulness, he conquers evil, unwholesome dhammas; therefore it is said, "consolidated."
"Well and evenly undertaken" (susamāraddhā): there are four things well and evenly undertaken: well and evenly undertaken in the sense that the dhammas arisen therein do not exceed one another; well and evenly undertaken in the sense that the faculties have a single function; well and evenly undertaken in the sense of carrying the energy appropriate thereto; well and evenly undertaken because of the complete eradication of the defilements opposed thereto.
"Fully even" (susamaṃ): there is the even (sama) and there is the fully even (susama). What is the even? The blameless, wholesome dhammas partaking of awakening that are arisen therein — this is the even. What is the fully even? The object of those dhammas: cessation, Nibbāna — this is the fully even. Thus this even and this fully even is known, seen, found, realized, contacted with wisdom; energy is aroused, unflagging; mindfulness is established, unforgetful; the body is tranquil, unagitated; the mind is concentrated, unified. Therefore it is said, "well and evenly undertaken."
"Consolidated in gradual succession" (anupubbaṃ paricitā): by way of long in-breaths each earlier one is consolidated and each later one consolidated in succession; by way of long out-breaths each earlier one is consolidated and each later one consolidated in succession; by way of short in-breaths each earlier one is consolidated and each later one consolidated in succession; by way of short out-breaths each earlier one is consolidated and each later one consolidated in succession … contemplating relinquishment, by way of in-breaths each earlier one is consolidated and each later one consolidated in succession; contemplating relinquishment, by way of out-breaths each earlier one is consolidated and each later one consolidated in succession. All the [modes of] mindfulness of breathing with their sixteen grounds are both consolidated one upon another and consolidated in succession; therefore it is said, "consolidated in gradual succession."
"As" (yathā): there are ten "as"-meanings: the meaning of taming oneself is an "as"-meaning; the meaning of calming oneself is an "as"-meaning; the meaning of bringing oneself to final quenching is an "as"-meaning; the meaning of direct knowledge is an "as"-meaning; the meaning of full understanding is an "as"-meaning; the meaning of abandoning is an "as"-meaning; the meaning of development is an "as"-meaning; the meaning of realization is an "as"-meaning; the meaning of the convergent penetration of the truths is an "as"-meaning; the meaning of establishing in cessation (nirodha) is an "as"-meaning.
"Buddha": that Blessed One, self-become (sayambhū), without a teacher, who fully awakened by himself to the truths in dhammas unheard before, attained omniscience therein and mastery in the powers.
"Buddha": in what sense is he Buddha? He is the awakener to the truths, thus he is Buddha; he is the awakener of the generation, thus he is Buddha; he is Buddha through omniscience; Buddha through seeing all; Buddha through not being led by another; Buddha through his blossoming forth (visavitā); Buddha as one reckoned to have destroyed the taints (āsava); Buddha as one reckoned to be without secondary defilements; "absolutely rid of lust," thus he is Buddha; "absolutely rid of hatred," thus he is Buddha; "absolutely rid of delusion," thus he is Buddha; "absolutely without defilement," thus he is Buddha; "he has gone by the path that goes one way only," thus he is Buddha; "alone he fully awakened to the unsurpassed perfect awakening," thus he is Buddha; because of the demolition of non-understanding and the obtaining of understanding, he is Buddha.
"Buddha": this name is not made by a mother, not made by a father, not made by a sister, not made by friends and companions, not made by kinsmen and blood relations, not made by ascetics and brahmins, not made by deities. This [name] pertains to the culmination of liberation (vimokkhantika); it is a designation grounded in realization (sacchikā paññatti) belonging to the Blessed Buddhas, [arising] at the foot of the Bodhi tree together with the obtaining of the knowledge (ñāṇa) of omniscience — that is, "Buddha."
"Taught": the "as"-meaning of taming oneself is as taught by the Buddha; the "as"-meaning of calming oneself is as taught by the Buddha; the "as"-meaning of bringing oneself to final quenching is as taught by the Buddha; … the "as"-meaning of establishing in cessation is as taught by the Buddha — whether he be a householder or one gone forth.
"The world": the world of aggregates (khandha), the world of elements (dhātu), the world of sense bases (āyatana); the world of unfortunate existence, the world of the origin of misfortune, the world of fortunate existence, the world of the origin of fortune. One world: all beings subsist by nutriment … eighteen worlds: the eighteen elements.
"He illuminates": because he has fully awakened to the "as"-meaning of taming oneself, he lights up and illuminates this world; because he has fully awakened to the "as"-meaning of calming oneself, he lights up and illuminates this world; because he has fully awakened to the "as"-meaning of bringing oneself to final quenching, he lights up this world … because he has fully awakened to the "as"-meaning of establishing in cessation, he lights up and illuminates this world.
"Like the moon freed from a cloud": as the cloud, so the defilements; as the moon, so noble knowledge; as Candimā the son of the gods, so the bhikkhu. Just as the moon, freed from cloud, freed from mist, freed from smoke and dust, released from the grasp of Rāhu, shines and glows and radiates, even so the bhikkhu, liberated from all defilements, shines and glows and radiates. Therefore it is said, "like the moon freed from a cloud."
These are the thirteen knowledges in purification (vodāna).
[End of] the recitation section (bhāṇavāra).
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.