(4) Girimananda Sutta

The Girimananda-sutta^[1] is the 60th discourse in the Tens of the Anguttara Nikaya. But in the commentary to that Nikaya we could find nothing about this discourse beyond some brief notes on one or two of the diseases mentioned in the forth contemplation. The subjects dealt within the discourse are, in fact, all explained either in the visuddhimagga (the keystone of the commentarial system) or else were in the main Nikaya commentaries.

However, from a very early period the sutta has been popular as a “paritta” (protection) discourse for recitation and it was included in an ancient anthology of such discourses called the catubhanavara.

Once upon a time the Blessed one was living at Savatthi, in Jeta’s grove, Anatha pindika’s park.

But on that occasion the venerable Girimananda was afflicted, suffering and was gravely ill. Then the venerable Ananda went to the Blessed one and after paying homage to him, sat down at one side. When he had done so, the venerable Ananda said to the Blessed one.

That venerable Girimananda is very ill and afflicted and suffering. Then the Blessed one told about the ten contemplations by which venerable Girimananda’s affliction would be cured.

(i) These ten contemplations are viz.

The contemplation of impermanence, contemplation of no-self, contemplation of foulness, contemplation of danger, contemplation of abandoning contemplation of fading away, contemplation of cessation contemplation of disenchantment with the whole world; contemplation of impermanence in all formations, mindfulness of in-anout- breathing.

A detailed imformation of these contemplations as follows who had contemplation of impermanence.

The Lord Buddha addressed to Ananda that a bhikkhu, gone to the forest or to the foot of a tree, or to an empty place, considers thus; impermanent feeling is impermanent, perception is impermanent, formations are impermanent, consciousness is impermanent. Thus he dwelt contemplating impermanence in these five aggregates as objects of clinging. This Ananda, is called contemplation of impermanence.

(ii) A contemplation of no-self: Ananda, a bhikkhu who had gone to the forest or to the root of a tree, or to an empty place, considers thus the eye is not-self, visible objects are not self; the ear is not self, sound are self; the nose is not self, odours are not self, the tongue is not self, flavor are not self; the body is not self, tangible objects are not self, the mind is not self mental objects are not self. Thus he dwells contemplating no-self in these internal and external bases. This Ananda is called contemplation of no-self.

(iii) Thirdly contemplation of foulness Ananda, a bhikkhu reviews this body, up from the soles of the feet and down from the top of the hair and contained in the skin, as full of many kinds of filth: In this body there are head-hairs, body hairs, nail, teeth, skin, flesh, sineus, bones, bone-marrow, kidneys, heart. liver, midriff, spleen, lungs, bowel, entrails, dung, bile, plegm, pus, blood sweat, fat, terars, grease, spittle, snot, oil-of-th-join’s and urine. Thus he dwells contemplating foulness in this body. This Ananda, is called contemplation of foulness.

(iv) Fourthy Ananda deals with the contemplation of danger, Ananda, a bhikkhu, went to the forest, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty place, considers thus: This body is the source of much pain and many dangers; for all sorts of afflictions arise in this body disease, headache, mumps, mouth disease that is to say, eye disease, ear-disease, nose-disease, tongue disease, body tooth-ache, coughs, asthma, colds, heart-burn, fever stomach-ache, coughs, asthma, colds, heart-burn, fever, stomach-ache, fainting bloody-flux, gripes, cholera, leprosy, boils plague, consumption, falling,-sickness, itch, ringworm, small pox, scab, pustule, jaundice, diabetes, piles, cancer, fistula and afflictions due to phlegm, due to wind, consisting in conflict of the humours, produced by change of climate, unaccustomed activity, by violence, by kamma result; and cold, heat, hunger, thirst, excrement, and urine. Thus he dwells contemplating danger in this body. This, Ananda, is called contemplation of danger.

(v) Ananda, fifthly deals with the contemplation of abandoning, He as a bhikkhu does not tolerate a thought of lust when it arise, he abandons it, dispels it, makes an end of it, annihilates it. He does not tolerate a thought of ill will when it arises he abandons it, dispels it, makes an end of it, annihilates it. He does not tolerate a thought cruelty when it arise, he abandons it, dispels it, makes an end of it, annihilates it. He does not tolerate evil, unprofitable states when they arise, He abandons them, disples them, makes an end of them, annihilates them. This Ananda, is called contemplation of abandoning.

(vi) Ananda, sixthly deals with the contemplation of fading away, he as a bhikkhu, gone to the forest, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty place, considers thus: This is peaceful, this is sublime, that is to say the stilling of all formations, the relinquishing of every substratum of becoming, the distruction of carving fading way Nibbana. This, Ananda, is called contemplation of fading away.

(vii) The contemplation of cessation is the seventh contemplation dealt by Ananda, a bhikkhu, gone to the forest, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty place, considers thus; This is peaceful, this sublime, that is to say the stilling of all formations, the relinquishing of every substratum existence, the destruction of carving cessation, Nibbana, this Ananda, is called contemplation of cessation.

(viii) The contemplation of disenchantment with the whole world is the eighth contemplation dealt by Ananda. He by abandoning any concern and clinging, any mental prejudices and beliefs, any inherent tendencies, regarding the world, by not clinging, he becomes disenchanted. This Ananda, is called contemplation of disenchantment with the whole world.

(ix) In the ninth contemplation Ananda deals with contemplation of impermanence in all formations. Here Ananda, a bhikkhu is horrified, humiliated and disgusted by all formations. This Ananda is called contemplation of impermanence in all formations.

(x) In the tenth contemplation Ananda deals with the mindfulness of in and out breathing. Ananda, a bhikkhu, who had gone to the forest, or to the root of a tree, or to an emply place, sits down, having folded his legs cross wise, sets his body erect, establishes mindfulness in front of him, just mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out.

Breathing in long, he knows, or breathing out long, he knows.

Breathing is short, he knows, he breathe in short breathing out short, he knows Experiencing the whole body, he shall breathe in, he trains himself; experiencing the whole body, I shall breathe out; he trains himself; experiencing the whole body, he shall breathe out as he trains himself.^[2]

Calming the bodily formation, he shall breathe in, he trains himself; calming the bodily formation, he shall breathe out; he trains himself. Experiencing rapture, I shall breathe in, he trains himself; experiencing rapture, I shall breathe out; he trains himself.

Experiencing the mental formation, he shall breathe in; he trains himself; experiencing the mental formation, he shall breathe out, he trains himself.

Calming the mental formation, he shall breathe in, he trains himself; calming the mental formation, he shall breathe out he trains himself. Experiencing the mind, I shall breathe in, he trains himself, experiencing the mind. He shall breathe out, he trains himself.

Gladdening the mind, I shall breathe in, he trains himself, gladdening the mind, I shall breathe out, he trains himself Concentrating the mind, I shall breathe in; he trains himself; concentrating the mind, I shall breathe out; he trains himself.

Liberating the mind, I shall breathe in; he trains himself, liberating the mind, he shall breathe out; he trains himself.

Contemplating impermanence, I shall breathe in, he trains himself; contemplating impermanence, he shall breathe out, he trains himself. Contemplating fading away, he shall breathe in; he trains himself’; contemplating fading away, I shall breathe out, he trains himself.

Contemplating cessation, he shall breathe in, he trains himself; contemplating cessation, he shall breathe out, he trains himself.

Contemplating relinquishment. He shall breathe in, he trains himself; contemplating relinguishment, he shall breathe out, he trains himself.

This, Ananda, is called mindfulness of breathing. If Ananda, you go to the bhikkhu Girimananda and tell him these ten contemplations, it is possible that the bhikkhu Girimananda’s affliction may be immediately cured on hearing them.

Then when the venerable Ananda had learnt these ten contemplation form the Blessed one, he went to the venerable Girimananda and told them to him. Then, when the venerable Girimananda had heard these ten contemplations, his affliction was immediately cured. The venerable Girimananda rose from that affliction and that is how his affliction was cured.

Contemplation of impermanence (perception) in the five aggregates, which grasps rise and fall and alternation in them. Rise is their characteristic of being produced, fall is their characteristic of changing, alteration is ageing. For the characteristic of impermanence is seen by grasping rise and fall and alteration, and the five aggregates are called impermanent because of their arising and falling and altering. Again the characteristic of impermanence is that, owing to the presence of which in the five aggregates, they are called impermanent; for it is owing to it that they are characterized as impermanent. And the characteristic of impermanence fails to be apparent because it is concealed by continuity owing to rise and fall not being kept in mind. But when continuity is disrupted by grasping rise and fall, then the characteristic of impermanence becames apparent in its true nature. For when one is correctly observing rise and fall, and continuity has been exposed by observing the separateness of states, which occur in succession, then the characteristic of impermanence does not become apparent to him through the connectedness of states, but rather it became fully evident fully evident through their disconnectedness as though they were iron darts.

Contemplation of suffering is implied, too, because the various aspects of the foul (No. 3) come under the characteristic of suffering, because the various aspects of danger (No. 4) are a cause of suffering, and because of the words, “what is impermanent is painful (Sutta Nipata35:4). So the aspect of perpetual oppression is the characteristic of suffering. The fact that formations are unceasingly oppressed and afflicted by the rise and fall already grasped is called “Oppression”. And the characteristic of suffering fails to be apparent because it is concealed by the succession of postures owing to perpetual oppression not being kept in mind. But when the hiddenness of the suffering encountered in the posture is exposed by becoming a ware of perpetual oppression, then the characteristic of suffering becomes apparent in its true nature. And it is owing to not keeping perpetual oppression in mind that the postures are able to cancel it. For when pain arises in one posture, the next posture adopted shifts the pain, concealing it, as it were. And so from one posture to another. But once it is correctly known how the pain in each posture is shifted by changing the posture for another, then their concealment of the pain is exposed, because it has become evident that formations are all the time being overwhelmed by suffering that is why suffering becomes apparent in its true nature, once the ability, encountered in the postures to conceal pain destroyed by one’s becoming aware of preputual oppression.

(ii) Contemplation of no-self is the contemplation (perception) of no-self, which grasps the characteristic of no-self, called insusceptibility of mastery, in the five aggregates. These are shown in the form of the bases, and they are suffering in the sense of oppression. But the characteristic of no-self fails to be apparent because it is concealed by compactness owing to resolution of compactness not being kept in mind. But the resolution of compactness is effected by resolving it into its various elements and distinguishing each one thus: the earth (solidity) element is one, the wafer (cohesion) element is another, and so on; and by recognizing that there is compactness as a mass, compactness as a function, and compactness as an object. When this has been done, the characteristic of no-self becomes apparent in its truenature. But when material and immaterial states (states of mind and matter) have arisen mutually supporting each other, their compactness as a mass is assumed through failure to subject formations to compression owing to belief in their unity. And like wise compactness of function is assumed when although differences in the functions of such states exist. They are taken as one. And like wise compactness of object is assumed when although differences in the ways in which states that have objects make them their objects exits, they are taken as one. But when these compactness have been resolved by means of knowledge into their elements, they are seen to disintegrate, like foam subjected to pressure by the hand. There are more phenomena that occur due to conditions, or void. Thus it is that the characteristic of no-self becomes fully evident. (vism p.640 and para attha manjusa).

Conclusion of Girimananda sutta:

We only know of Girimananda, Thera-gatha and their commentaries. In this sutta the section on the perception of danger [adinava, sanna], provides one of the earliest historical references to ancient Indian medicine. According to Kenneth zysk, early Buddhism was a key factor in the rise of Indian medicine and a close study of Indian sources form the 9th century A.D to the beginning of the common Era, shows that medical practitioners were degenerated by the amanic br hierarchy and excluded from orthodox rituals cults because of their pollution from contact with impure people. Finding acceptance among the communities of heterodox ascetic renunciants and medicants who did not censure their philosophies, practices and associations, these practices and associations, these healers, like the knowledge–seeking ascetics wandered the country-side performing cures and acquiring new medicines, treatments, and medical information, and eventually became distinguishable form of the ascetics with whom they were in close contact.

Fitting into Buddha’s key teaching of the Middle way between extremes of world indulgence and self-denial, healing became a part of Buddhism by providing the means to maintain a healthy bodily state characterized by an equilibrium both within the organism and its environment. Portions of the repository of medical lore were codified in the early monastic rules, thereby giving rise to a Buddhist monastic medical tradition. The symbolic relationship between Buddhism and medicine facilitate the spread of Buddhism in India, lead to the teaching of medicine in the large Indian conglomerate monasteries and assisted the acceptance of Buddhism in other parts of Asia.

Medicine in the Buddhist monastery receives special attention because, like the Christian monasteries and nunneries of the European Middle Ages, communities the Buddhist monks and nuns played-a significant role in the institutionalization of medicine. Indeed and understanding of the social history of Buddhism is incomplete without a full elucidation of Buddhism’s involvement in the healing arts. The condification of medical practices within the monastic rules accomplished perhaps the first systematization of Indian medical knowledge and probably provided the model for later hand books of medical practice’ the monk-healer’s extension of medical care of the popular and the appearance of specialized monastic structures serving as hopices and infirmaries increased the popularity of Buddhism and ensured on growing support of the monasteries by the laity and the integration of medicine into the curricula of major monastic universities made it a scholastic discipline.

The causes of how one feels [such as pain and sickness] are also briefly mentioned in the Sivaka sutta, which states that kamma in only one of the causes.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

A.v. 108.

[2]:

Sabba-kaya, Literally, the whole (breath) body. “According to the VisuddhiMagga, “kaya” here does not mean the physical body, but the whole mass of in “breathing and out-breathing.”