SA 615（六一五） 比丘尼

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in the Jeta Grove near Śrāvastī.

At that time, Venerable Ānanda put on his robe in the morning, took his alms bowl, and entered Śrāvastī to beg for food. On the way, he thought, “I should go to the nuns’ temple first.” He then went to the nuns’ temple.

The nuns saw Venerable Ānanda coming from afar, quickly prepared a seat, and invited him to sit.

The nuns bowed at Venerable Ānanda's feet, then sat to one side and said to Venerable Ānanda, "We nuns practice the four establishments of mindfulness, focusing our minds, and know our own progress and decline.

Venerable Ānanda said to the nuns, "Excellent, excellent, sisters! You should learn as you have said. Those who practice the four establishments of mindfulness and focus their minds well should know their progress and decline in this way.

At that time, Venerable Ānanda spoke various teachings to the nuns. Having spoken various teachings, he rose from his seat and left.

At that time, Venerable Ānanda went to Śrāvastī to beg for alms. After returning, he put away his robe and bowl, washed his feet, went to where the World-Honored One was, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, and sat to one side. He told the World-Honored One in detail what the nuns had said.

The Buddha told Ānanda, "Excellent! Excellent! One should learn in this way to dwell with the mind well-restrained on the four foundations of mindfulness, knowing the rise and fall of the mind. Why is that? The mind seeks externally, and then one restrains it to seek its own mind. A distracted mind and an unliberated mind are all known as they are. If a bhikṣu dwells in mindfulness of the body observing the body, having dwelt in mindfulness of the body observing the body, if the body is lazy and the mind is indolent, that bhikṣu should arouse pure faith and take up the pure characteristics, arousing pure faith and mindfulness of the pure characteristics. Then the mind will be delighted, and from delight, joy arises. When the mind is joyful, the body becomes tranquil. When the body is tranquil, one experiences bodily bliss. When one experiences bodily bliss, the mind becomes concentrated. When the mind is concentrated, the noble disciple should train thus: 'I shall restrain the mind that is externally distracted, and not arouse thoughts of perception and contemplation. Without perception and contemplation, I shall dwell in joy with equanimity and mindfulness. Having dwelt in joy, I shall know it as it really is.' The same is said for mindfulness of feeling, mind, and dharmas.

Having spoken this sūtra, the Buddha said to Venerable Ānanda, "Excellent! Excellent!" Ānanda, having heard the Buddha's words, rejoiced and practiced them.