Gravely Ill

SN 52.10 · Bāḷhagilānasutta

Sunlit grass seed heads beside a quiet woodland path.

At one time Venerable Anuruddha was staying near Sāvatthī in the Dark Forest. And he was sick, suffering, gravely ill. Then several mendicants went up to Venerable Anuruddha, and said to him:

“What meditation does Venerable Anuruddha practice so that physical pain doesn’t occupy his mind?”

“Reverends, I meditate with my mind firmly established in the four kinds of mindfulness meditation so that physical pain doesn’t occupy my mind. What four? I meditate observing an aspect of the body … feelings … mind … principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. I meditate with my mind firmly established in these four kinds of mindfulness meditation so that physical pain doesn’t occupy my mind.”

Connections

Collection & context

Saṃyutta NikāyaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

Books

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta NikāyaBhikkhu Bodhi; Bhikkhu Bodhi (translator) · Complete collection edition

About this edition

Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.