Cakkavatti Sutta

(Heart of the Dhamma Excerpt)

 

[Oneself as Shelter]

 

Thus have I heard,

 

One time, the Awakened One was residing in Mātulā

among the Magadhans.

There, the Awakened One addressed the Bhikkhus saying:

 

“Bhikkhus”

“Yes, Bhadante” The bhikkhus replied.

 

The Awakened One said this:

“Live as islands onto yourselves bhikkhus,

as shelters onto yourselves,

            with no other shelter.

 

Live with the Dhamma as your island,

the Dhamma as your shelter,

            with no other shelter.[1]

 

 

And how does a monk

Live as an island onto himself,

As a shelter onto yourself,

     With no other shelter.

with the Dhamma as his island,

the Dhamma as his shelter,

     with no other shelter.

 

 

Here monks,

One meditates,

Aware of body as body[2]

Intent, fully aware and present,

Letting go of wanting and not wanting[3].

 

He meditates,

Aware of feeling as feeling,

Intent, fully aware and present,

Letting go of wanting and not wanting.

 

He meditates,

Aware of mind as mind,

Intent, fully aware and present,

Letting go of wanting and not wanting.

 

He meditates,

Aware of mental states as mental states,

Intent, fully aware and present,

Letting go of wanting and not wanting.

 

This is how a monk lives

as an island onto oneself

as a shelter onto oneself,

     with no other shelter.

 

with the Dhamma as his island,

with the Dhamma as his shelter,

     with no other shelter.

 

☙

 

 

[A Monk’s Possessions]

 

Stay in your own fields bhikkhus,

Stay on familiar grounds.

Abiding in your own fields,

Abiding on familiar grounds:

You will grow in vitality,

You will grow in beauty,

You will grow in happiness,

You will grow in wealth

And you will grow in power.

 

[Vitality]

 

And what is vitality for a monk?

Here, a bhikkhu

Develops stillness of mind

By way of desire

Which is obtained by willful striving;

He develops stillness of mind

By way of enthusiasm

Which is obtained by willful striving;

He develops stillness of mind

By way of mental [development]

Which is obtained by willful striving;

He develops stillness of mind

By way of exploration

Which is obtained by willful striving.

 

By developing and increasing these four bases of power,

A monk may resolve on living for an Aeon

Or for the remaining of an Aeon.

This is vitality for a monk.

 

[Beauty]

 

And what is beauty for a monk?

Here,

a monk is virtuous,

Living in self-mastery,

he abides by the pātimokkha,

Endowed with skillful behavior,

Seeing with fright the slightest fault,

He undertakes the practice of the training rules.

This is beauty for a monk.

 

[Happiness]

 

And what is happiness for a monk?

 

Here,

Disengaged from the outward desire,

and detached from unwholesome mental states,

Attended by thinking and imagining,

With the blissful happiness born of mental detachment

Understands and abides in the first level of meditation

 

With the calming of thinking and imagining,

With inner tranquilization,

His mind becoming unified,

Without thinking and imagining

With joy and happiness born of mental stillness

Understands and dwells in the second level of meditation. 

 

With the stilling of bliss,

One abides in mental steadiness,

Present and fully aware,

Experiencing happiness within his body

That, which the righteous ones describe as such:

“Steadiness and presence of mind: This is a pleasant abiding.”

Understands and abides in the third level of meditation.

 

Leaving behind the notions of happiness and unhappiness.

With the earlier settling of mental gladness and affliction,

With neither pain nor pleasure,

Purified by unmoving presence,

Understands and abides in the fourth level of meditation.

 

This is happiness for a monk.

 

[Wealth]

 

And what is wealth for a monk?

 

[Love]

Here,

A monk meditates

With a mind filled with Love;

Pervading one direction.

Likewise, a second.

Likewise, a third.

Likewise, a fourth.

So above and below,

Around and everywhere,

To all living beings,

In the boundless universe.

He meditates

With a mind filled with Love,

Vast, expansive and unbounded.

Without a trace of hatred nor spite.

[Compassion]

A monk meditates

With a mind filled with Compassion,

Pervading one direction.

Likewise, a second.

Likewise, a third.

Likewise, a fourth.

So above and below,

Around and everywhere,

To all living beings,

In the boundless universe.

He meditates

With a mind filled with Compassion,

Vast, expansive and unbounded.

Without a trace of hatred nor spite.

[Joy]

A monk meditates

With a mind filled with Joy,

Pervading one direction.

Likewise, a second.

Likewise, a third.

Likewise, a fourth.

So above and below,

Around and everywhere,

To all living beings,

In the boundless universe.

He meditates

With a mind filled with Joy,

Vast, expansive and unbounded.

Without a trace of hatred nor spite.

[Calm]

A monk meditates,

With a mind filled with boundless calm

Pervading one direction.

Likewise, a second.

Likewise, a third.

Likewise, a fourth.

So above and below,

Around and everywhere,

To all living beings,

In the boundless universe.

He meditates

With a mind filled with Poise,

Vast, expansive and unbounded.

Without a trace of hatred nor spite.

This is wealth for a monk.

 

[Power]

 

And what is power for a monk?

Here,

From the withering away of the [mental] streams

A monk is without mental movements;

Unbinded in mind

Unbinded by discernment.

He understands and abides        

Having seen the Dhamma by himself

Through direct experience of personal realization.

This is power for a monk.

Monks,

I do not see a single other power

So hard to overcome

As the power of Māra.

 

Monks,

The accumulation of wholesome states

is the cause for goodness to grow.

 

Thus spoke the Awakened One.

Uplifted, the bhikkhus delighted in the Awakened One’s speech.