The Buddha uses a simile of a man carrying a full bowl of oil past a great distraction, followed by an executioner ready to strike if he spills a drop, illustrating the life-or-death urgency one ought to bring forth in cultivating and frequently practicing in mindfulness directed to the body.
Evaṁ me sutaṁ—ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sumbhesu viharati sedakaṁ nāma sumbhānaṁ nigamo. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti.
At one time, the Blessed One was staying among the |Sumbhans::name of the people of Sumbha [sumbha]|, in a town of the Sumbhans named |Sedaka::name of a town in Sumbha [sedaka]|. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus.”
“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
“Venerable sir,” those bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:
“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, ‘janapadakalyāṇī, janapadakalyāṇī’ti kho, bhikkhave, mahājanakāyo sannipateyya. ‘Sā kho panassa janapadakalyāṇī paramapāsāvinī nacce, paramapāsāvinī gīte. Janapadakalyāṇī naccati gāyatī’ti kho, bhikkhave, bhiyyoso mattāya mahājanakāyo sannipateyya.
“Suppose, bhikkhus, on hearing, ‘beauty queen, beauty queen,’ a great crowd of people would gather together. Now that beauty queen would deliver the most excellent dance, deliver the most excellent song. On hearing, ‘The beauty queen is dancing! The beauty queen is singing!’ an even larger crowd of people would gather together.
Atha puriso āgaccheyya jīvitukāmo amaritukāmo sukhakāmo dukkhappaṭikūlo. Tamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ayaṁ te, ambho purisa, samatittiko telapatto antarena ca mahāsamajjaṁ antarena ca janapadakalyāṇiyā pariharitabbo. Puriso ca te ukkhittāsiko piṭṭhito piṭṭhito anubandhissati. Yattheva naṁ thokampi chaḍḍessati tattheva te siro pātessatī’ti.
Then a man would come along, wishing to live, not wishing to die, desiring happiness, averse to suffering. Someone would say to him: ‘Good man, you must carry around this bowl of oil filled to the brim between the crowd and the beauty queen. A man with a raised sword will follow right behind you, and wherever you spill even a drop, right there he will cut off your head.’
Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, api nu so puriso amuṁ telapattaṁ amanasikaritvā bahiddhā pamādaṁ āhareyyā”ti?
What do you think, bhikkhus, would that man stop paying attention to the bowl of oil and let his mind wander outside out of |negligence::carelessness, heedlessness [pamāda]|?”
“No hetaṁ, bhante”.
“No, venerable sir.”
“Upamā kho myāyaṁ, bhikkhave, katā atthassa viññāpanāya. Ayaṁ cevettha attho—samatittiko telapattoti kho, bhikkhave, kāyagatāya etaṁ satiyā adhivacanaṁ.
“I have given this simile, bhikkhus, to convey a meaning. And this is the meaning—the bowl of oil filled to the brim, bhikkhus, is a designation for |mindfulness directed to the body::mindfulness that is focused within [kāyagata + sati]|.
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘kāyagatā sati no bhāvitā bhavissati bahulīkatā yānīkatā vatthukatā anuṭṭhitā paricitā susamāraddhā’ti. Evañhi kho, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.
Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘Mindfulness directed to the body will be developed, practiced often, made a vehicle, made a basis, firmly established, nurtured, and |resolutely undertaken::fully engaged with, energetically taken up [susamāraddha]| by us.’ Thus, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves.”
At one time, the Blessed One was staying among the |Sumbhans::name of the people of Sumbha [sumbha]|, in a town of the Sumbhans named |Sedaka::name of a town in Sumbha [sedaka]|. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus.”
“Venerable sir,” those bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:
“Suppose, bhikkhus, on hearing, ‘beauty queen, beauty queen,’ a great crowd of people would gather together. Now that beauty queen would deliver the most excellent dance, deliver the most excellent song. On hearing, ‘The beauty queen is dancing! The beauty queen is singing!’ an even larger crowd of people would gather together.
Then a man would come along, wishing to live, not wishing to die, desiring happiness, averse to suffering. Someone would say to him: ‘Good man, you must carry around this bowl of oil filled to the brim between the crowd and the beauty queen. A man with a raised sword will follow right behind you, and wherever you spill even a drop, right there he will cut off your head.’
What do you think, bhikkhus, would that man stop paying attention to the bowl of oil and let his mind wander outside out of |negligence::carelessness, heedlessness [pamāda]|?”
“No, venerable sir.”
“I have given this simile, bhikkhus, to convey a meaning. And this is the meaning—the bowl of oil filled to the brim, bhikkhus, is a designation for |mindfulness directed to the body::mindfulness that is focused within [kāyagata + sati]|.
Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘Mindfulness directed to the body will be developed, practiced often, made a vehicle, made a basis, firmly established, nurtured, and |resolutely undertaken::fully engaged with, energetically taken up [susamāraddha]| by us.’ Thus, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves.”
Evaṁ me sutaṁ—ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sumbhesu viharati sedakaṁ nāma sumbhānaṁ nigamo. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti.
“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, ‘janapadakalyāṇī, janapadakalyāṇī’ti kho, bhikkhave, mahājanakāyo sannipateyya. ‘Sā kho panassa janapadakalyāṇī paramapāsāvinī nacce, paramapāsāvinī gīte. Janapadakalyāṇī naccati gāyatī’ti kho, bhikkhave, bhiyyoso mattāya mahājanakāyo sannipateyya.
Atha puriso āgaccheyya jīvitukāmo amaritukāmo sukhakāmo dukkhappaṭikūlo. Tamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ayaṁ te, ambho purisa, samatittiko telapatto antarena ca mahāsamajjaṁ antarena ca janapadakalyāṇiyā pariharitabbo. Puriso ca te ukkhittāsiko piṭṭhito piṭṭhito anubandhissati. Yattheva naṁ thokampi chaḍḍessati tattheva te siro pātessatī’ti.
Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, api nu so puriso amuṁ telapattaṁ amanasikaritvā bahiddhā pamādaṁ āhareyyā”ti?
“No hetaṁ, bhante”.
“Upamā kho myāyaṁ, bhikkhave, katā atthassa viññāpanāya. Ayaṁ cevettha attho—samatittiko telapattoti kho, bhikkhave, kāyagatāya etaṁ satiyā adhivacanaṁ.
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘kāyagatā sati no bhāvitā bhavissati bahulīkatā yānīkatā vatthukatā anuṭṭhitā paricitā susamāraddhā’ti. Evañhi kho, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.