Praise for A Meditator’s Life of the Buddha In this work, Bhikkhu Anālayo applies his consummate knowledge of the textual collections of Early Buddhism to the task of constructing a biography of the Buddha that focuses on his life as a meditator. The book not only paints a very human picture of the Buddha’s life, but through the exercises attached to each chapter it enables the reader to join the Buddha on his quest for enlightenment and beyond, into his mission as a teacher and through to his parinirvāṇa or passing away. While offering a scholarly portrait of the Buddha, this book is also a testament to the overarching unity of the various early Buddhist schools in their conception of the Buddha’s life, a unity that coexists along with a rich diversity in their detailed narrations about particular events in that life. Bhikkhu Bodhi, scholar and translator A Meditator’s Life of the Buddha explores the remarkable inner journey that transformed Siddhartha Gotama into a fully awakened Buddha. It traces the unfolding of the Buddha’s path from his going forth and discovery of the path, to the triumphant night of his full awakening, four and a half decades of compassionate teaching, and concludes with his final meditation. This book is simultaneously a biography of a great man, an insightful study of Early Buddhism, and a practical guidebook for serious meditators. Each chapter offers readers a rare, and often surprisingly intimate, account of how the Buddha met real-life situations. We learn how he faced difficulties and overcame fears, struggled to abandon defilements, prioritized his commitments, mastered concentration states, recognized the significance of insights, and experienced the great peace that finally characterized his life as an awakened one. It is an inspiring guide that will accelerate the reader’s own journey of awakening. Highly recommended, and sure to inspire dedicated meditators! Shaila Catherine, author of Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 1 24/11/2017 14:48 The Buddha’s life story provides an implicit support for one of the most important of early Buddhist meditation practices, the contemplation of the Buddha. Anālayo’s highly original approach to the familiar story is to present his material in the form of an explicit guide to this practice, laid out in 24 stages, which follow what we know of the Buddha’s own meditation practice. Anālayo brings his formidable scholarship to elucidating what this consisted in, drawing on discourses preserved in Pāli and Chinese that have a reliably early provenance. The extremely useful exercises with which each chapter concludes ground the scholarship in a fervent awareness of the goal, represented by the Buddha, which we should always have in mind in our own practice. Jinananda, author of Warrior of Peace: The Life of the Buddha Anālayo is both an outstanding scholar and a devoted practitioner, and this account of the Buddha’s life through his engagement with meditation may be his ideal subject. We need more accounts of the Buddha’s life that draw out what the early texts say, distinguishing that from the legends that came later. Anālayo’s mastery of both the Pāli and the Chinese sources, as well as the scholarship that surrounds them, makes him an unrivalled authority in this, and an attentive guide to the Buddha’s explorations of the mind and meditative states. In another person’s hands all this knowledge could have made A Meditator’s Life of the Buddha an exercise in scholarship, but Anālayo’s heartfelt engagement with the material and his dedication to meditation practice is evident on every page. Vishvapani, author of Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 2 24/11/2017 14:48 A MEDITATOR’S LIFE OF THE BUDDHA AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 3 24/11/2017 14:48 Also by Anālayo Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization The Genesis of the Bodhisattva Ideal A Comparative Study of the Majjhima-nikāya Excursions into the Thought-world of the Pāli Discourses Madhyama-āgama Studies Perspectives on Satipaṭṭhāna The Dawn of Abhidharma Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation Saṃyukta-āgama Studies Ekottarika-āgama Studies The Foundation History of the Nuns’ Order Mindfully Facing Disease and Death: Compassionate Advice from Early Buddhist Texts Buddhapada and the Bodhisattva Path Early Buddhist Meditation Studies Dīrgha-āgama Studies Vinaya Studies AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 4 24/11/2017 14:48 A MEDITATOR’S LIFE OF THE BUDDHA Based on the Early Discourses Anālayo AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 5 24/11/2017 14:48 Windhorse Publications 169 Mill Road Cambridge CB1 3AN UK [email protected] windhorsepublications.com © Anālayo, 2017 The right of Anālayo to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. As an act of Dhammadāna, Anālayo has waived royalty payments for this book. The index was not compiled by the author. Cover design by Dhammarati Cover image: Sandstone figure of the Buddha, Sarnath, fifth century AD; © The Trustees of the British Museum. Typesetting and layout by Ruth Rudd Printed by Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978-1-909314-99-3 Limit of Liability: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book so as to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered, the advice and practices contained in it may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any damage. AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 6 24/11/2017 14:48 CONTENTS abOUT THE AUTHOR ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENT x PUblISHER’S ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xi MEDITATIVE EXERCISES RECOmmENDED IN EACH CHAPTER xii FOREWORD BY JACK KORNFIELD xv INTRODUCTION 1 Chapter I THE MOTIVATION TO GO FORTH 5 Chapter II MORAL CONDUCT 14 Chapter III OBSTACLES TO CONCENTRATION 23 Chapter IV ABSORPTION 32 Chapter V THE IMMATERIAL ATTAINMENTS 42 Chapter VI FORCEFUL CONTROL OF THE MIND 51 Chapter VII BREATH CONTROL 60 Chapter VIII FASTING 69 Chapter IX FINDING THE PATH 78 Chapter X DETERMINATION 87 Chapter XI RECOLLECTION OF PAST LIVES 96 Chapter XII THE DIVINE EYE 105 Chapter XIII AWAKENING 115 Chapter XIV THE DECISION TO TEACH 125 AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 7 24/11/2017 14:48 VIII / CONTENTS Chapter XV THE TWO EXTREMES 134 Chapter XVI THE FOUR TRUTHS 143 Chapter XVII THE THREE TURNINGS 152 Chapter XVIII HONOURING THE DHARMA 162 Chapter XIX TEACHING 171 Chapter XX SEEING THROUGH VIEWS 180 Chapter XXI DWELLING IN EMPTINESS 189 Chapter XXII DAILY CONDUCT 198 Chapter XXIII OLD AGE, DISEASE, AND DEATH 207 Chapter XXIV THE FINAL MEDITATION 216 CONCLUSION 225 REFERENCES 234 LIST OF abbREVIATIONS 243 SUBJECT INDEX 245 INDEX LOCORUM 255 AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 8 24/11/2017 14:48 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born in 1962 in Germany, Bhikkhu Anālayo was ordained in 1995 in Sri Lanka, and completed a PhD on the Satipaṭṭhāna-sutta at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, in 2000 – published in 2003 by Windhorse Publications under the title Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization. Anālayo is a professor of Buddhist Studies; his main research area is early Buddhism and in particular the topics of the Chinese Āgamas, meditation, and women in Buddhism. Besides his academic pursuits, he spends most of his time in meditation under retreat conditions and regularly teaches meditation. He presently resides at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Massachusetts. AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 9 24/11/2017 14:48 X / A MEDITATOR’S LIFE OF THE BUDDHA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am indebted to Bhikkhu Bodhi, Bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā, Ann Dillon, Linda Grace, Michael Running, Syinchen Shi, and Matt Weingast for commenting on a draft version of this book. AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 10 24/11/2017 14:48 PUBLISHER’S ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS / XI PUBLISHER’S ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Windhorse Publications wishes to gratefully acknowledge grants from the Triratna European Chairs’ Assembly Fund and the Future Dharma Fund towards the production of this book. Windhorse Publications also wishes to gratefully acknow- ledge and thank the individual donors who gave to the book’s production via our “Sponsor- a-book” campaign. AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 11 24/11/2017 14:48 MEDITATIVE EXERCISES RECOMMENDED IN EACH CHAPTER Chapter 1 Reflecting on old age, disease, and death 12 Chapter 2 Recollecting one’s wholesome conduct 21 Chapter 3 Distinguishing between wholesome and unwholesome thoughts 30 Chapter 4 Noting the divine quality of a concentrated mind 40 Chapter 5 Contemplating emptiness 50 Chapter 6 Working with five methods to remove distraction 59 Chapter 7 Mindfulness of breathing in sixteen steps 67 Chapter 8 Cultivating contentment 76 Chapter 9 Rejoicing in wholesome states of mind 85 Chapter 10 Contemplating feelings 94 Chapter 11 Contemplating dharmas 104 Chapter 12 Contemplating consciousness and name-and-form 113 Chapter 13 Cultivating dispassion, cessation, and letting go 123 Chapter 14 Arousing compassion 132 Chapter 15 Balancing the awakening factors 141 Chapter 16 Applying the four truths to daily practice 151 Chapter 17 Inclining the mind towards Nirvāṇa 160 AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 12 24/11/2017 14:48 MEDITATIVE EXERCISES RECOMMENDED IN EACH CHAPTER / XIII Chapter 18 Recollecting the Dharma 169 Chapter 19 Cultivating equanimity 178 Chapter 20 Non-attachment to views 187 Chapter 21 Perception of space as a mode of dwelling in emptiness 196 Chapter 22 Clear comprehension in daily activities 206 Chapter 23 Mindfulness of death 214 Chapter 24 Recollecting the community 224 Conclusion Recollecting the Buddha 231 AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 13 24/11/2017 14:48 XIV / A MEDITATOR’S LIFE OF THE BUDDHA AMLOTB pages 234x156 v5s01.indd 14 24/11/2017 14:48 FOREWORD / XV FOREWORD BY JACK KORNFIELD You hold in your hand a wonderful gift, offered to Western readers from my accomplished and respected friend, Bhikkhu Anālayo.