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.
[1] Attadīpā, bhikkhave, viharatha attasaraṇā, anaññasaraṇā, dhammadīpā, dhammasaraṇā, anaññasaraṇā.
[2] Kāye kāyānupassī: Anupassī as simply “resting the mind” on either one of the four foundations of presence (Satipaṭṭhāna). Simply being aware, without being involved in the process. Not thinking: “This is my body”, but simply knowing: “this is body”. Instantly relaxing any tension that might pull one away from this passive awareness.
[3] Vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ.