26 THE B UDDHI S T T RA D I T I ON

this day, and are part of "Right Mindfulness," the seventh stage of the Noble Eightfold Path. The translation is considerably abridged.

T h e Lord was staying a t SavatthI a t the monastery of A nathapindaka in the Grove of Jeta. O ne m orning he drewed, took his robe and bowl, and w ent in to Savattnl for alms, w ith th e Reverend Rahula^ following close behind him . As they walked the Lord, . . . w ithout looking round, spoke to h im thus:

“All m aterial forms, past, present, or future, w ithin or w ithout, gross or subtly, base or fine, far or near, all should be viewed w ith full understanding— w ith the thought ‘This is n o t m ine, this is n o t I, th is is no t my soul.’ ” ®

“ O nly m aterial forms. Lord?’’“N o, no t only m aterial forms, R ahula, b u t also sensation,

perception, the psychic constructions, and consciousness.” ® “ \ ^ o would go to the village to collect alms today, wheii

h e has been exhorted by th e Lord him self?” said Rahula. A nd he tu rned back and sat cross-legged, w ith body erect, col­lected in thought.

T h en th e V enerable Sariputta,^ seeing h im thus, said to h im : “Develop concentration on inhalation and exhalation, for w hen this is developed and increased it is very productive and helpful.”

Towards evening Rahula rose and w ent to the Lord, an d asked h im how he could develop concentration on inhalation and exhalation. A nd the Lord said:

“R ahula, w hatever is hard and solid in an individual, such as hair, nails, tee th , skin, flesh, and so on, is called th e per­sonal elem ent o f earth . ’The personal elem ent of w ater is com posed of bile, phlegm , pus, blood, sweat, and so on. T h e personal elem ent of fire is th a t which warms and con­sumes or burns up, and produces m etabolism of food an d drink in digestion. 'The personal elem ent o f air is th e w ind in the body which moves upwards or downwards, th e w inds

* 'The Buddha’s son, who, after his father’s enlightenment, became a monk.* Or “self’ (atta).* The five components of individuality.* One of the Buddha’s chief disciples.