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T HE B U D D H I S T T R A D I T I O N

in which the monk goes to the forest, or to the root of a tree

or to an em pty house, and sits cross-legged with body erect,
collected in thought. Fully m indful-he inhales and exhales.
W hen he inhales or exhales a long breath he knows precisely
th at he is doing so, and similarly when inhaling or exhaling
a short breath. W hile inhaling or exhaling he trains himself
to be conscious of the whole of his body . . . to be fully
conscious of th e com ponents of his m ind, . . . to realize
the impermanence of all things . . . or to dwell on passion
lessness . . . or renunciation. T hus the state of ordered
breathing, when developed and increased, is very productive
and helpful. And when the m ind is thus developed a man
breathes his last breath in full consciousness, and not uncon
sciously. T
[From Majjbiwa Nikiya, 1.420 flF.]
T h e Last Instructions o f the Buddha
The following passage occurs in the Discourse of the Great Passingaway (MahaparinibbSna Sutta) which describes the last days and
death of the Buddha. The Master, an old and ailing man, is on the
way to the hills where he was bom, and where soon he is to die.
These are among his last recorded instructions to his disciples. Un
fortunately we cannot be sure of their authenticity; the fine phrases
concerning the closed Sst of the teacher are particularly suspect,
for they are just the sort of interpolation which an earnest Therav3da monk would be likely to mire, in order to discredit the doc
trines of schismatics of a MahSySnist type, who claimed to possess
the esoteric teachings of the Master. But, whether authentically the
Buddhas words or not, the following passage perhaps gives the
quintessence of TheravSda Buddhism, with its call for self-reliant
striving against all that seems base and evil.
Soon after this th e Lord began to recover, and when he was
quite free from sickness he came out of his lodging and sat
in its shadow on a seat spread out for him . T h e Venerable
The state of mind in the last moments before death was consid
ered extremely important in its effect on the next birth. Some of
the Chinese and Japanese Buddhist sects perform rites at the death
bed similar to the Roman Catholic extreme unction.