Numbered Discourses 11.22–29

The First Fifty

Similarity

“Bhikkhus, a cowherd with eleven factors can’t maintain and expand a herd of cattle. What eleven? It’s when a cowherd doesn’t know form, is unskilled in characteristics, doesn’t pick out flies’ eggs, doesn’t dress wounds, doesn’t smoke out pests, doesn’t know the ford, doesn’t know satisfaction, doesn’t know the trail, is not skilled in pastures, milks dry, and doesn’t show extra respect to the bulls who are fathers and leaders of the herd. A cowherd with these eleven factors can’t maintain and expand a herd of cattle.

In the same way, a bhikkhu with eleven qualities can’t meditate observing impermanence in the eye …

suffering …

not-self …

ending …

vanishing …

fading away …

cessation …

letting go …”

… “… ear … nose … tongue … body … mind …”

… “… sights … sounds … smells … tastes … touches … thoughts …”

… “… eye consciousness … ear consciousness … nose consciousness … tongue consciousness … body consciousness … mind consciousness. …”

… “… eye contact … ear contact … nose contact … tongue contact … body contact … mind contact. …”

… “… feeling born of eye contact … feeling born of ear contact … feeling born of nose contact … feeling born of tongue contact … feeling born of body contact … feeling born of mind contact …

… “… perception of sights … perception of sounds … perception of smells … perception of tastes … perception of touches … perception of thoughts. …”

… “… intention regarding sights … intention regarding sounds … intention regarding smells … intention regarding tastes … intention regarding touches … intention regarding thoughts. …”

… “… Craving for sights … craving for sounds … craving for smells … craving for tastes … craving for touches … craving for thoughts. …”

… “… thoughts about sights … thoughts about sounds … thoughts about smells … thoughts about tastes … thoughts about touches … thoughts about thoughts. …”

… “… considerations regarding sights … considerations regarding sounds … considerations regarding smells … considerations regarding tastes … considerations regarding touches … meditate observing impermanence in considerations about thoughts … meditate observing suffering … meditate observing not-self … meditate observing ending … meditate observing vanishing … meditate observing fading away … meditate observing cessation … meditate observing letting go. …”

“Bhikkhus, a cowherd with eleven factors can maintain and expand a herd of cattle. What eleven? It’s when a cowherd knows form …

In the same way, a bhikkhu with eleven qualities can meditate observing impermanence in the eye … meditate observing letting go. …”