"And how is a monk alert? When going forward & returning, he makes himself fully alert; when looking toward & looking away ... when bending & extending his limbs ... when carrying his outer cloak, his upper robe & his bowl ... when eating, drinking, chewing, & savoring ... when urinating & defecating... when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, & remaining silent, he makes himself fully alert. This is how a monk is alert.

"So a monk should approach the time of death mindful & alert. This is our instruction to you all.

"As a monk is dwelling thus mindful & alert -- heedful, ardent, & resolute -- a feeling of pleasure arises in him. He discerns that 'A feeling of pleasure has arisen in me. It is dependent on a requisite condition, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on this body. Now, this body is inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen. Being dependent on a body that is inconstant, fabricated, & dependently co-arisen, how can this feeling of pleasure that has arisen be constant?' He remains focused on inconstancy with regard to the body & to the feeling of pleasure. He remains focused on dissolution ... dispassion ... cessation ... relinquishment with regard to the body & to the feeling of pleasure. As he remains focused on inconstancy ... dissolution ... dispassion ... cessation ... relinquishment with regard to the body & to the feeling of pleasure, he abandons any latent tendency to passion with regard to the body & the feeling of pleasure.

"As he is dwelling thus mindful & alert -- heedful, ardent, & resolute -- a feeling of pain arises in him. He discerns that 'A feeling of pain has arisen in me. It is dependent on a requisite condition, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on this body. Now, this body is inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen. Being dependent on a body that is inconstant, fabricated, & dependently co-arisen, how can this feeling of pain that has arisen be constant?' He remains focused on inconstancy with regard to the body & to the feeling of pain. He remains focused on dissolution ... dispassion ... cessation ... relinquishment with regard to the body & to the feeling of pain. As he remains focused on inconstancy ... dissolution ... dispassion ... cessation ... relinquishment with regard to the body & to the feeling of pain, he abandons any latent tendency to resistance with regard to the body & the feeling of pain.

"As he is dwelling thus mindful & alert -- heedful, ardent, & resolute -- a feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain arises in him. He discerns that 'A feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain has arisen in me. It is dependent on a requisite condition, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on this body. Now, this body is inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen. Being dependent on a body that is inconstant, fabricated, & dependently co-arisen, how can this feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain that has arisen be constant?' He remains focused on inconstancy with regard to the body & to the feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain. He remains focused on dissolution ... dispassion ... cessation ... relinquishment with regard to the body & to the feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain. As he remains focused on inconstancy ... dissolution ... dispassion ... cessation ... relinquishment with regard to the body & to the feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain, he abandons any latent tendency to ignorance with regard to the body & the feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain.

"Sensing a feeling of pleasure, he discerns that it is inconstant, not grasped at, not relished. Sensing a feeling of pain .... Sensing a feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain, he discerns that it is inconstant, not grasped at, not relished. Sensing a feeling of pleasure, he senses it disjoined from it. Sensing a feeling of pain .... Sensing 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, all 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 -- and from not being provided any other sustenance -- 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, all that is sensed, not being relished, will grow cold right here.'"

[SN XXXVI.7]

§85. Then, early in the morning, Upacala the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall from solitude, approached her & said, "Where do you want to reappear [be reborn], nun?"

"I don't want to reappear anywhere, my friend."

[Mara:]

"The devas of the Thirty-three,
the Hours, the Contented,
those who delight in creation,
& those in control:
direct your mind there
and it will enjoy
delight."
[Sister Upacala:]

"The devas of the Thirty-three,
the Hours, the Contented,
those who delight in creation,
& those in control:
they are bound
with the bonds of sensuality;
they come again
under Mara's sway.
The whole world is burning.
The whole world is aflame.
The whole world is blazing.
The whole world is provoked.

The Unprovoked, Unblazing
-- that people run-of-the-mill
don't partake,
where Mara's
never been --
that's where my heart
truly delights."

Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "Upacala the nun knows me" -- vanished right there.

[SN V.7]

§86. Then Ven. Sariputta...went to the residence of the householder Anathapindika with Ven. Ananda as his attendant. On arrival, he sat down on a prepared seat and said to the householder Anathapindika: "I hope you are getting better, householder. I hope you are comfortable. I hope that your pains are lessening and not increasing. I hope that there are signs of their lessening, and not of their increasing."
[Anathapindika:] "I am not getting better, venerable sir. I am not comfortable. My extreme pains are increasing, not lessening. There are signs of their increasing, and not of their lessening. Extreme forces slice through my head, just as if a strong man were slicing my head open with a sharp sword .... Extreme pains have arisen in my head, just as if a strong man were tightening a turban made of tough leather straps around my head .... Extreme forces carve up my stomach cavity, just as if a butcher or his apprentice were to carve up the stomach cavity of an ox .... There is an extreme burning in my body, just as if two strong men, grabbing a weaker man by the arms, were to roast and broil him over a pit of hot embers. I am not getting better, venerable sir. I am not comfortable. My extreme pains are increasing, not lessening. There are signs of their increasing, and not of their lessening."

[Ven. Sariputta:] "Then, householder, you should train yourself in this way: 'I won't cling to the eye; my consciousness will not be dependent on the eye.' Thus you should train yourself. 'I won't cling to the ear ... nose ... tongue ... body; my consciousness will not be dependent on the body' ... 'I won't cling to the intellect; my consciousness will not be dependent on the intellect' ...

"'I won't cling to forms ... sounds ... smells ... tastes ... tactile sensations; my consciousness will not be dependent on tactile sensations' ... 'I won't cling to ideas; my consciousness will not be dependent on ideas' ...

"'I won't cling to eye-consciousness ... ear-consciousness ... nose-consciousness ... tongue-consciousness ... body-consciousness; my consciousness will not be dependent on body-consciousness' ... 'I won't cling to intellect-consciousness; my consciousness will not be dependent on intellect-consciousness' ...

"'I won't cling to contact at the eye ... contact at the ear ... contact at the nose ... contact at the tongue... contact at the body; my consciousness will not be dependent on contact at the body' ... 'I won't cling to contact at the intellect; my consciousness will not be dependent on contact at the intellect' ...

"'I won't cling to feeling born of contact at the eye ... feeling born of contact at the ear ... feeling born of contact at the nose ... feeling born of contact at the tongue... feeling born of contact at the body; my consciousness will not be dependent on feeling born of contact at the body' ... 'I won't cling to feeling born of contact at the intellect; my consciousness will not be dependent on feeling born of contact at the intellect' ...

"'I won't cling to the earth property ... liquid property ... fire property ... wind property... space property; my consciousness will not be dependent on the space property' ... 'I won't cling to the consciousness property; my consciousness will not be dependent on the consciousness property' ...

"'I won't cling to form ... feeling ... perception ... thought-fabrications; my consciousness will not be dependent on thought-fabrications' ... 'I won't cling to consciousness; my consciousness will not be dependent on consciousness' ...

"'I won't cling to the sphere of the infinitude of space ... the sphere of the infinitude of consciousness ... the sphere of nothingness; my consciousness will not be dependent on the sphere of nothingness' ... 'I won't cling to the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception; my consciousness will not be dependent on the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception' ...

"'I won't cling to this world; my consciousness will not be dependent on this world ... I won't cling to the world beyond; my consciousness will not be dependent on the world beyond' ...

"'I won't cling to what is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, pondered by the intellect; my consciousness will not be dependent on that.' Thus you should train yourself."

When this was said, the householder Anathapindika wept and shed tears. Ven. Ananda said to him, "Are you sinking, householder? Are you foundering?"

"No, venerable sir. I'm not sinking, nor am I foundering. It's just that for a long time I have attended to the Teacher, and to the monks who inspire my heart, but never before have I heard this sort of talk on the Dhamma."

"This sort of talk on the Dhamma, householder, is not given to lay people clad in white. This sort of talk on the Dhamma is given to those gone forth."

"In that case, Ven. Sariputta, please let this sort of talk on the Dhamma be given to lay people clad in white. There are clansmen with little dust in their eyes who are wasting away through not hearing [this] Dhamma. There will be those who will understand it."

Then Ven. Sariputta and Ven. Ananda, having given this instruction to the householder Anathapindika, got up from their seats and left. Then, not long after they left, the householder Anathapindika died and reappeared in the Tusita heaven.

[MN 143]

§87. [Mogharaja:]

How does one view the world
so as not to be seen
by Death's king?
[The Buddha:]

View the world, Mogharaja,
as void --
always mindful
to have removed any view
about self.
This way one is above & beyond death.
This is how one views the world
so as not to be seen
by Death's king.

[Sn V.15]

* * *

Separation
§88. [Note: This discourse gives the Buddha's recommendations for how to deal with grief. The passage discussing eulogies, chants, etc., is a reference to funeral customs designed to channel the feelings of the bereaved in a productive direction. As the Buddha notes, as long as these seem to be serving a purpose, engage in them. Once they no longer seem to be serving a purpose, and one finds that one is indulging in grief, one should return to the important duties of one's life.]
Once the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Then King Pasenadi the Kosalan went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down, sat to one side. Now, at that time Queen Mallika died. Then a certain man went to the king and whispered in his ear: "Your majesty, Queen Mallika has died." When this was said, King Pasenadi the Kosalan sat there miserable, sick at heart, his shoulders drooping, his face down, brooding, at a loss for words. Then the Blessed One saw the king sitting there miserable, sick at heart ... at a loss for words, and so said to him, "There are these five things, great king, that cannot be gotten by a contemplative, a priest, a deva, a Mara, a Brahma, or anyone at all in the world. Which five?

"'May what is subject to aging not age.' This is something that cannot be gotten by a contemplative, a priest, a deva, a Mara, a Brahma, or anyone at all in the world.

"'May what is subject to illnes not grow ill.' This is something that cannot be gotten by a contemplative, a priest, a deva, a Mara, a Brahma, or anyone at all in the world.

"'May what is subject to death not die.' This is something that cannot be gotten by a contemplative, a priest, a deva, a Mara, a Brahma, or anyone at all in the world.

"'May what is subject to ending not end.' This is something that cannot be gotten by a contemplative, a priest, a deva, a Mara, a Brahma, or anyone at all in the world.

"'May what is subject to destruction not be destroyed.' This is something that cannot be gotten by a contemplative, a priest, a deva, a Mara, a Brahma, or anyone at all in the world.

"Now, it happens to an uninstructed run-of-the-mill person that something that is subject to aging ages. With the aging of what is subject to aging, he does not reflect: 'It doesn't happen only to me that what is subject to aging will age. To the extent that there are beings -- past & future, passing away & re-arising -- it happens to all of them that what is subject to aging will age. And if, with the aging of what is subject to aging, I were to sorrow, grieve, lament, beat my breast, & become distraught, food would not agree with me, my body would become unattractive, my affairs would go untended, my enemies would be gratified and my friends unhappy.' So, with the aging of what is subject to aging, he sorrows, grieves, laments, beats his breast, & becomes distraught. This is called an uninstructed run-of-the-mill person pierced by the poisoned arrow of sorrow, tormenting himself.

"Furthermore, it happens to an uninstructed run-of-the-mill person that something that is subject to illness grows ill ... that something subject to death dies ... that something subject to ending ends ... that something subject to destruction is destroyed. With the destruction of what is subject to destruction, he does not reflect: 'It doesn't happen only to me that what is subject to destruction will be destroyed. To the extent that there are beings -- past & future, passing away & re-arising -- it happens to all of them that what is subject to destruction will be destroyed. And if, with the destruction of what is subject to destruction, I were to sorrow, grieve, lament, beat my breast, & become distraught, food would not agree with me, my body would become unattractive, my affairs would go untended, my enemies would be gratified and my friends unhappy.' So, with the destruction of what is subject to destruction, he sorrows, grieves, laments, beats his breast, & becomes distraught. This is called an uninstructed run-of-the-mill person pierced by the poisoned arrow of sorrow, tormenting himself.

"Now, it happens to a well-instructed disciple of the noble ones that something that is subject to aging ages. With the aging of what is subject to aging, he reflects: 'It doesn't happen only to me that what is subject to aging will age. To the extent that there are beings -- past & future, passing away & re-arising -- it happens to all of them that what is subject to aging will age. And if, with the aging of what is subject to aging, I were to sorrow, grieve, lament, beat my breast, & become distraught, food would not agree with me, my body would become unattractive, my affairs would go untended, my enemies would be gratified and my friends unhappy.' So, with the aging of what is subject to aging, he does not sorrow, grieve, or lament, does not beat his breast or become distraught. This is called a well-instructed disciple of the noble ones who has pulled out the poisoned arrow of sorrow pierced with which the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person torments himself. Sorrowless, arrowless, the disciple of the noble ones is totally unbound right within himself.

"Furthermore, it happens to a well-instructed disciple of the noble ones that something that is subject to illness grows ill ... that something subject to death dies ... that something subject to ending ends ... that something subject to destruction is destroyed. With the destruction of what is subject to destruction, he reflects: 'It doesn't happen only to me that what is subject to destruction will be destroyed. To the extent that there are beings -- past & future, passing away & re-arising -- it happens to all of them that what is subject to destruction will be destroyed. And if, with the destruction of what is subject to destruction, I were to sorrow, grieve, lament, beat my breast, & become distraught, food would not agree with me, my body would become unattractive, my affairs would go untended, my enemies would be gratified and my friends unhappy.' So, with the destruction of what is subject to destruction, he does not sorrow, grieve, or lament, does not beat his breast or become distraught. This is called a well-instructed disciple of the noble ones who has pulled out the poisoned arrow of sorrow pierced with which the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person torments himself. Sorrowless, arrowless, the disciple of the noble ones is totally unbound right within himself.

"These are the five things, great king, that cannot be gotten by a contemplative, a priest, a deva, a Mara, a Brahma, or anyone at all in the world."