Aging
§93. [Sister Sona:]
Ten children I bore
from this physical heap.
Then weak from that, aged,
I went to a nun.
She taught me the Dhamma:
aggregates, sense spheres, & elements.
Hearing the Dhamma,
I cut off my hair and ordained.
Having purified the divine eye
while still a probationer,
I know my previous lives,
where I lived in the past.
I develop the theme-less meditation,
well-focused singleness.
I gain the liberation of immediacy --
from lack of clinging, unbound.
The five aggregates, comprehended,
stand like a tree with its root cut through.
I spit on old age.
There is now no further becoming.

[Thig V.8]

§94. Then Ven. Maha Kassapa went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there the Blessed One said to him, "You are now old, Kassapa. Your robes made of cast-off hemp rags are heavy for you. So wear robes donated by householders, eat invitational meals, and live close by me."
"Lord, for a long time I have lived in the wilderness and have extolled living in the wilderness. I have been an almsgoer and have extolled being an almsgoer. I have worn cast off rags and have extolled wearing cast off rags. I have worn only one set of the triple robe and have extolled wearing only one set of the triple robe. I have been modest and have extolled being modest. I have been content and have extolled being content. I have been reclusive and have extolled being reclusive. I have been unentangled and have extolled being unentangled. I have kept my persistence aroused and have extolled having persistence aroused."

"But, Kassapa, what compelling reason do you see that you for a long time have lived in the wilderness and have extolled living in the wilderness ... that you have kept your persistence aroused and have extolled having persistence aroused?"

"Lord, I see two compelling reasons that for a long time I have lived in the wilderness and have extolled living in the wilderness ... that I have kept my persistence aroused and have extolled having persistence aroused: seeing a pleasant abiding for myself in the here & now, and feeling sympathy for later generations: 'Perhaps later generations will take it as an example: "It seems that the disciples of the Awakened One and those who awakened after him lived for a long time in the wilderness and extolled living in the wilderness; were almsgoers and extolled being almsgoers; wore cast off rags and extolled wearing cast off rags; wore only one set of the triple robe and extolled wearing only one set of the triple robe; were modest and extolled being modest; were content and extolled being content; were reclusive and extolled being reclusive; were unentangled and extolled being unentangled; kept their persistence aroused and extolled having persistence aroused."'"

"Good, Kassapa. Very good. It seems that you are one who practices for the happiness of many, out of compassion for the world, for the welfare, benefit, & happiness of beings human & divine. So continue wearing your robes of cast off hemp cloth, go for alms, and live in the wilderness."

[SN XVI.5]

§95. Then, when the Blessed One had entered the Rains Retreat, there arose a severe illness within him. Sharp & deadly were the pains, but he bore them mindfully, alert, & unperturbed. The thought occurred to him, "It would not be proper for me to enter total Unbinding without addressing my attendants & without taking leave of the community of monks. Why don't I, suppressing this illness with persistence, remain resolved on the fabrication of life?" So he suppressed the illness with persistence & remained resolved on the fabrication of life. His illness abated.
Then he recovered from the illness. Soon after his recovery he came out of his dwelling & sat down in the shade of the building, on a seat prepared for him. Then Ven. Ananda approached him and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat down to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One, "What a happy sight to see the Blessed One in comfort! What a happy sight to see the Blessed One at ease! Because of the Blessed One's sickness my own body felt as if it were drugged. I lost my bearings. Things were unclear to me. Yet I still took a measure of comfort in the thought that the Blessed One would not enter total Unbinding as long as he hadn't given at least some pronouncement concerning the community of monks."

"What more does the community of monks want from me, Ananda? I have taught the Dhamma without an inner or an outer version. The Tathagata has no closed fist with regard to teachings. Whoever has the thought, 'I will rule the community of monks,' or 'The community of monks is dedicated to me,' he should give some pronouncement concerning the community of monks. But the Tathagata has no such thoughts. So why should he give some pronouncement concerning the community of monks?

"I am old now, Ananda, & aged. My years have turned eighty. Just as an old cart is kept going with the help of bamboo strips, it seems to me as if the Tathagata's body is kept going with the help of bamboo strips. The only time the Tathagata's body feels at ease is when, not attending to any theme at all, and with the cessation of certain feelings, he enters & remains in the theme-less concentration of awareness. Therefore each of you should remain with your self as an island, your self as your refuge, without anything else as a refuge. Remain with the Dhamma as an island, the Dhamma as your refuge, without anything else as a refuge. And how does a monk remain with his self as an island, his self as his refuge, without anything else as a refuge? How does he remain with the Dhamma as an island, the Dhamma as his refuge, without anything else as a refuge? There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself -- ardent, alert, & mindful -- putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings...mind...mental qualities in & of themselves -- ardent, alert, & mindful -- putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. This is how a monk remains with his self as an island, his self as his refuge, without anything else as a refuge, with the Dhamma as an island, the Dhamma as his refuge, without anything else as a refuge. For those who -- now or after I am gone -- remain with their self as an island...the Dhamma as their refuge, without anything else as a refuge, they will be the highest of the monks who desire training."

[DN 16]

* * *

Illness
§96. [Ven. Cakkhupala:]
I'm blind,
my eyes are destroyed.
I've stumbled
on a wilderness track.
Even
if I must crawl,
I'll go on,
but not with an evil companion.

[Thag I.95]

§97. I have heard that on one occasion Ven. Anuruddha was staying near Savatthi in the Dark Forest -- diseased, in pain, severely ill. Then a large number of monks went to Ven. Anuruddha and on arrival said to him, "What (mental) dwelling are you dwelling in so that the pains that have arisen in the body do not invade or remain in the mind?"
"When I dwell with my mind well-established in the four frames of reference, the pains that have arisen in the body do not invade or remain in the mind. Which four? There is the case where I remain focused on the body in & of itself -- ardent, alert, & mindful -- putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. I remain focused on feelings in & of themselves ... mind in & of itself ... mental qualities in & of themselves -- ardent, alert, & mindful -- putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. When I dwell with my mind well-established in these four frames of reference, the pains that have arisen in the body do not invade or remain in the mind."

[SN LII.10]

§98. [Note: Cullavagga VII tells of how Devadatta, the Buddha's cousin, tried unsuccessfully in various ways to wrest leadership of the Sangha from the Buddha. In Cv VII.3.9, he tries to kill the Buddha by hurling a rock down a mountainside. The rock is diverted and shattered, but a splinter of the rock pierces the Buddha's foot, drawing blood. According to the Commentary, the following two passages describe the Buddha's reaction to this attempt on his life.]
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Rajagaha at the Maddakucchi Deer Reserve. Now at that time his foot had been pierced by a stone sliver. Excruciating were the bodily feelings that developed within him -- painful, fierce, sharp, wracking, repellent, disagreeable -- but he endured them mindful, alert, & unperturbed. Having had his outer robe folded in four and laid out, he lay down on his right side in the lion's posture, with one foot placed on top of the other, mindful & alert.

Then 700 devatas from the Satullapa retinue, in the far extreme of the night, their extreme radiance lighting up the entirety of Maddakucchi, went to the Blessed One. On arrival, having bowed down to him, they stood to one side.

As she was standing there, one of the devatas exclaimed in the Blessed One's presence: "What a naga is Gotama the contemplative! And like a naga, when bodily feelings have arisen -- painful, fierce, sharp, wracking, repellent, disagreeable -- he endures them mindful, alert, & unperturbed!"

Then another devata exclaimed in the Blessed One's presence: "What a lion is Gotama the contemplative! And like a lion, when bodily feelings have arisen -- painful, fierce, sharp, wracking, repellent, disagreeable -- he endures them mindful, alert, & unperturbed!"

Then another devata exclaimed in the Blessed One's presence: "What a thoroughbred is Gotama the contemplative! And like a thoroughbred, when bodily feelings have arisen -- painful, fierce, sharp, wracking, repellent, disagreeable -- he endures them mindful, alert, & unperturbed!"

Then another devata exclaimed in the Blessed One's presence: "What a chief bull of the herd is Gotama the contemplative! And like a chief bull of the herd, when bodily feelings have arisen -- painful, fierce, sharp, wracking, repellent, disagreeable -- he endures them mindful, alert, & unperturbed!"

Then another devata exclaimed in the Blessed One's presence: "What a strong burden-carrier is Gotama the contemplative! And like a strong burden-carrier, when bodily feelings have arisen -- painful, fierce, sharp, wracking, repellent, disagreeable -- he endures them mindful, alert, & unperturbed!"

Then another devata exclaimed in the Blessed One's presence: "What a tamed one is Gotama the contemplative! And like a tamed one, when bodily feelings have arisen -- painful, fierce, sharp, wracking, repellent, disagreeable -- he endures them mindful, alert, & unperturbed!"

Then another devata exclaimed in the Blessed One's presence: "See a concentration well-developed, a mind well-released -- neither pressed down nor forced back, nor with mental fabrication kept blocked or suppressed. Whoever would think that such a naga of a man, lion of a man, thoroughbred of a man, chief bull of a man, strong burden-carrier of a man, such a tamed man should be violated: what else is that if not blindness?"

Five-Veda Brahmans,
living austerely
for 100 years:
Their minds
are not rightly released.
Lowly by nature,
they've not gone beyond.
Overpowered by craving,
bound up in precepts & practices,
performing wretched austerities
for 100 years:
Their minds
are not rightly released.
Lowly by nature,
they've not gone beyond.

For one fond of conceit,
there's no taming;
for one uncentered,
no sagacity.
Though alone in the wilderness,
if one lives heedlessly,
one won't cross over, beyond Mara's sway.

But having abandoned conceit,
well-centered within,
with right awareness
everywhere
fully released,
alone in the wilderness,
heedfully living,
one will cross over, beyond Mara's sway.

[SN I.38]

§99. I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Rajagaha at the Maddakucchi Deer Reserve. Now at that time his foot had been pierced by a stone sliver. Excruciating were the bodily feelings that developed within him -- painful, fierce, sharp, wracking, repellent, disagreeable -- but he endured them mindful, alert, & unperturbed. Having had his outer robe folded in four and laid out, he lay down on his right side in the lion's posture, with one foot placed on top of the other, mindful & alert.
Then Mara the Evil One went to the Blessed One and recited this verse in his presence:

"Are you lying there moping,
or is it drunk on poetry?
Are your goals so very few?
All alone in a secluded lodging,
what is this dreamer, this sleepy-face?"
[The Buddha:]

"I lie here,
not moping,
nor drunk on poetry.
Goal-attained am I,
my sorrow all gone.
All alone in a secluded lodging,
I lie down with compassion
for all beings.
Even those pierced in the chest
with an arrow,
their hearts throbbing
in short, short beats:
even they with their arrows
are able to sleep.
So why shouldn't I sleep
with my arrow removed?

I'm not awake with worry,
nor afraid to sleep.
Days & nights
don't oppress me.
I see no threat of decline
from anywherever in the world.
That's why I sleep
with compassion
for all beings."

Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "The Blessed One knows me; the One Well-Gone knows me" -- vanished right there.

[SN IV.13]

* * *

Death
§100. On that occasion Citta the householder was diseased, in pain, severely ill. Then a large number of garden deities, forest deities, tree deities, and deities inhabiting herbs, grasses, & forest giants assembled and said to him: "Make a wish, householder: 'In the future, may I become a king, a wheel-turning monarch!'"
When this was said, Citta the householder said to the garden deities, forest deities, tree deities, and deities inhabiting herbs, grasses, & forest giants: "Even that is inconstant; even that is impermanent; one must abandon even that when one passes on."

When this was said, Citta the householder's friends & companions, relatives and kinsmen, said to him: "Steady your mindfulness, master. Don't ramble."

"What did I say that you say to me: 'Steady your mindfulness, master. Don't ramble'?"

"You said: 'Even that is inconstant; even that is impermanent; one must abandon even that when one passes on.'"

"That was because garden deities, forest deities, tree deities, and deities inhabiting herbs, grasses, & forest giants have assembled and said to me: 'Make a wish, householder: "In the future, may I become a king, a wheel-turning monarch!"' And I said to them: 'Even that is inconstant; even that is impermanent; one must abandon even that when one passes on.'"

"But what compelling reason do those garden deities, forest deities, tree deities, and deities inhabiting herbs, grasses, & forest giants see, master, that they say to you, 'Make a wish, householder: "In the future, may I become a king, a wheel-turning monarch!"'?"

"It occurs to them: 'This Citta the householder is virtuous, of admirable character. If he should wish: "In the future, may I become a king, a wheel-turning monarch!" -- then, as he is virtuous, this wish of his would succeed because of the purity of his virtue. A righteous one, he will wield righteous power.' [1] Seeing this compelling reason, they assembled and said: 'Make a wish, householder: "In the future, may I become a king, a wheel-turning monarch!"' And I said to them: 'Even that is inconstant; even that is impermanent; one must abandon even that when one passes on.'"

"Then, master, instruct us, too."

"Then you should train yourselves: 'We will be endowed with unwavering confidence in the Buddha: "Indeed, the Blessed One [the Buddha] is pure & rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge & conduct, well-gone, an expert with regard to the cosmos, unexcelled as a trainer for those people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of divine & human beings, awakened, blessed."

"'We will be endowed with unwavering confidence in the Dhamma: "The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One, to be seen here & now, timeless, inviting verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for themselves."

"'We will be possessed of unwavering confidence in the Sangha: "The Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples who have practiced well...who have practiced straight-forwardly...who have practiced methodically...who have practiced masterfully -- in other words, the four types [of noble disciples] when taken as pairs, the eight when taken as individual types -- they are the Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples: worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respect, the incomparable field of merit for the world."

"'Whatever there may be in our family that can be given away, all that will be shared unstintingly with virtuous ones who are of admirable character.' That's how you should train yourselves."

Then, having enjoined his friends & colleagues, his relatives & kinsmen, to place confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha; having exhorted them to undertake generosity, Citta the householder passed away.

[SN XLI.10]