I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī at Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery. And on that occasion Ven. Cūḷa Panthaka was sitting not far from the Blessed One, his legs crossed, his body held erect, with mindfulness established to the fore. The Blessed One saw Ven. Cūḷa Panthaka sitting not far away, his legs crossed, his body held erect, with mindfulness established to the fore.

Then, on realizing the significance of that, the Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed:

With steady body, steady awareness, — whether standing, sitting, or lying down[1] — a monk determined on mindfulness gains one distinction after another. Having gained one distinction after another, he goes where the King of Death can't see.

Note

1.: There's a slight paradox in this verse in that the word for "steady" (ṭhita) can also mean "standing." Thus when the body is steady and unmoving, it is "standing" regardless of its posture.

Copyright © 2012 Thanissaro Bhikkhu. The text of this page (“Panthaka Sutta: Cūḷa Panthaka”, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. From Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 30 November 2013.