Kāyagatāsatisuttaṁ
The Discourse about Mindfulness related to the Body

The Setting

Evaṁ me Evamme, sandhi form. sutaṁ:
Thus I heard:

ekaṁ samayaṁ Bhagavā Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati,
at one time the Fortunate One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,

Jetavane Anāthapiṇḍikassa PTS: Anāṭha-, possibly a printer’s error. ārāme.
in Jeta’s Wood, at Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Atha kho sambahulānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ,
Then amongst many monks,

pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ,
after returning from the alms-round after the meal,

upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ,
assembling together, and sitting in the attendance hall,

ayam-antarākathā udapādi:
this conversation arose:

“Acchariyaṁ āvuso, abbhutaṁ Thai: abbhūtaṁ, and below, as though we were dealing with an etymology: a + bhūtaṁ, but with unexplained gemination. āvuso,
“Wonderful, friend, marvellous, friend,

yāvañ-cidaṁ tena Bhagavatā jānatā passatā Arahatā Sammāsambuddhena
* that this was said by the Fortunate One, who knows, who sees, the Worthy One, the Perfect Sambuddha:

‘Kāyagatāsati bhāvitā bahulīkatā mahapphalā vuttā mahānisaṁsā’ ” ti,
‘Mindfulness related to the body, when it has been developed and made much of yields great fruit and brings great advantages’ ”,

ayaṁ ca Thai: kho. hidaṁ tesaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ antarākathā vippakatā hoti.
but this conversation amongst those monks was left unfinished.

Atha kho Bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ PTS, Thai: sāyaṇha-, -n- and -ṇ- are regularly confused in the texts, possible as a result of unclear articulation. paṭisallānā PTS: paṭisallāṇā, probably a printer’s error, as -ṇ- doesn't normally appear in this word. vuṭṭhito,
Then the Fortunate One, having risen from seclusion in the evening time,

yenupaṭṭhānasālā ChS, Thai: yena upaṭṭhānasālā, parsed form of word in the text. tenupasaṅkami,
went to the assembly hall,

upasaṅkamitvā, paññatte āsane nisīdi.
and after going, he sat down on the prepared seat.

Nisajja kho Bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
Having sat down the Fortunate One addressed the monks, (saying):

“Kāyanuttha bhikkhave etarahi kathāya sannisinnā, PTS adds sannipatitā.
“What is the talk about, monks, amongst those who are sitting here at present,

kā ca pana vo antarākathā vippakatā?” ti.
and what is the conversation that you left unfinished?”

“Idha bhante amhākaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ,
“Here, reverend Sir, after returning from the alms-round after the meal,

upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ,
assembling together, and sitting in the attendance hall,

ayam-antarākathā udapādi:
this conversation arose:

‘Acchariyaṁ āvuso, abbhutaṁ āvuso,
‘Wonderful, friend, marvellous, friend,

yāvañ-cidaṁ tena Bhagavatā jānatā passatā Arahatā Sammāsambuddhena
* that this was said by the Fortunate One, who knows, who sees, the Worthy One, the Perfect Sambuddha:

“Kāyagatāsati bhāvitā bahulīkatā mahapphalā vuttā mahānisaṁsā” ’ ti,
“Mindfulness related to the body, when it has been developed and made much of yields great fruit and brings great advantages” ’,

ayaṁ no ChS: ayaṁ kho no. bhante antarākathā vippakatā, atha Bhagavā anuppatto” ti.
this conversation amongst us was left unfinished, then the Fortunate One arrived.”

“Kathaṁ bhāvitā ca bhikkhave kāyagatāsati kathaṁ bahulīkatā
“And how, monks, does mindfulness related to the body when it has been developed and made much of

mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā?
yield great fruit and bring great advantages? The sequence of meditation exercises that follow are exactly the same as appear in the Kāyānupassanā section of Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta elsewhere on this website. For notes to the first section see the translation of The Discourse about Mindfulness while Breathing; and for the notes to the others see The Ways of Attending to Mindfulness.

last updated: November 2008