Here's the sutta I promised.
The First Six Recollections
§ 12. I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying
among
the Sakyans at Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Park. Now at that time
Mah›n›ma…
went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down, sat to
one side. As
he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: “I have heard that
many monks
are at work making robes for the Blessed One, (thinking,) ‘When the
robes are
finished, at the end of the three months, the Blessed One will set
out wandering.’
For those of us living by means of various dwelling places [for the
mind], by
means of which dwelling place should we live?”
“Excellent, Mah›n›ma, excellent! It is fitting for clansmen like
you to
approach the Tath›gata and ask, ‘For those of us living by means of
various
dwelling places [for the mind], by means of which dwelling place
should we
live?’
“One who is aroused to practice is one of conviction, not
without
conviction… is one with persistence aroused, not lazy… is one of
established
mindfulness, not muddled mindfulness… is centered in concentration,
not
uncentered. One aroused to practice is discerning, not
undiscerning.
“Established in these five qualities, you should further develop
six qualities:
[1] “There is the case where you recollect the Tath›gata: ‘Indeed,
the Blessed
One is pure and rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge
& conduct,
well-gone, an expert with regard to the world, unexcelled as a
trainer for those
people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of divine & human beings,
awakened,
blessed.’ At any time when a disciple of the noble ones is
recollecting the
Tath›gata, his mind is not overcome with passion, not overcome with
aversion,
not overcome with delusion. His mind heads straight, based on the
Tath›gata.
And when the mind is headed straight, the disciple of the noble
ones gains a
sense of the goal, gains a sense of the Dhamma, gains joy connected
with the
Dhamma. In one who is joyful, rapture arises. In one who is
rapturous, the body
grows calm. One whose body is calmed senses pleasure. In one
sensing pleasure,
the mind becomes concentrated.
“Mah›n›ma, you should develop this recollection of the Buddha while
you
are walking, while you are standing, while you are sitting, while
you are lying
down, while you are busy at work, while you are resting in your
home crowded
with children.
[2] “Furthermore, there is the case where you recollect the Dhamma:
‘The
Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One, to be seen here &
now, timeless,
inviting verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for
themselves.’ At any
time when a disciple of the noble ones is recollecting the Dhamma,
his mind is
not overcome with passion, not overcome with aversion, not overcome
with
delusion. His mind heads straight, based on the Dhamma. And when
the mind is
headed straight, the disciple of the noble ones gains a sense of
the goal, gains a
sense of the Dhamma, gains joy connected with the Dhamma. In one
who is
joyful, rapture arises. In one who is rapturous, the body grows
calm. One whose
body is calmed senses pleasure. In one sensing pleasure, the mind
becomes
concentrated.
“Mah›n›ma, you should develop this recollection of the Dhamma while
you
are walking, while you are standing, while you are sitting, while
you are lying
down, while you are busy at work, while you are resting in your
home crowded
with children.
[3] “Furthermore, there is the case where you recollect the Sangha:
‘The
Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples who have practiced well… who
have
practiced straight-forwardly… who have practiced methodically… who
have
practiced masterfully—in other words, the four types of noble
disciples when
taken as pairs, the eight when taken as individual types—they are
the Sangha of
the Blessed One’s disciples: worthy of gifts, worthy of
hospitality, worthy of
offerings, worthy of respect, the incomparable field of merit for
the world.’ At
any time when a disciple of the noble ones is recollecting the
Sangha, his mind is
not overcome with passion, not overcome with aversion, not overcome
with
delusion. His mind heads straight, based on the Sangha. And when
the mind is
headed straight, the disciple of the noble ones gains a sense of
the goal, gains a
sense of the Dhamma, gains joy connected with the Dhamma. In one
who is
joyful, rapture arises. In one who is rapturous, the body grows
calm. One whose
body is calmed senses pleasure. In one sensing pleasure, the mind
becomes
concentrated.
“Mah›n›ma, you should develop this recollection of the Sangha while
you
are walking, while you are standing, while you are sitting, while
you are lying
down, while you are busy at work, while you are resting in your
home crowded
with children.
[4] “Furthermore, there is the case where you recollect your own
virtues:
‘(They are) untorn, unbroken, unspotted, unsplattered, liberating,
praised by the
wise, untarnished, conducive to concentration.’ At any time when a
disciple of
the noble ones is recollecting virtue, his mind is not overcome
with passion, not
overcome with aversion, not overcome with delusion. His mind heads
straight,
based on virtue. And when the mind is headed straight, the disciple
of the noble
ones gains a sense of the goal, gains a sense of the Dhamma, gains
joy connected
with the Dhamma. In one who is joyful, rapture arises. In one who
is rapturous,
the body grows calm. One whose body is calmed senses pleasure. In
one sensing
pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated.
“Mah›n›ma, you should develop this recollection of virtue while you
are
walking, while you are standing, while you are sitting, while you
are lying down,
while you are busy at work, while you are resting in your home
crowded with
children.
[5] “Furthermore, there is the case where you recollect your own
generosity:
‘It is a gain, a great gain for me, that—among people overcome with
the stain of
possessiveness—I live at home, my awareness cleansed of the stain
of
possessiveness, freely generous, openhanded, delighting in being
magnanimous,
responsive to requests, delighting in the distribution of alms.’ At
any time when
a disciple of the noble ones is recollecting generosity, his mind
is not overcome
with passion, not overcome with aversion, not overcome with
delusion. His
mind heads straight, based on generosity. And when the mind is
headed
straight, the disciple of the noble ones gains a sense of the goal,
gains a sense of
the Dhamma, gains joy connected with the Dhamma. In one who is
joyful,
rapture arises. In one who is rapturous, the body grows calm. One
whose body
is calmed senses pleasure. In one sensing pleasure, the mind
becomes
concentrated.
“Mah›n›ma, you should develop this recollection of generosity while
you are
walking, while you are standing, while you are sitting, while you
are lying down,
while you are busy at work, while you are resting in your home
crowded with
children.
[6] “Furthermore, you should recollect the devas: ‘There are the
devas of the
Four Great Kings, the devas of the Thirty-three, the devas of the
Hours, the
Contented Devas, the devas who delight in creation, the devas who
have power
over the creations of others, the devas of Brahma’s retinue, the
devas beyond
them. Whatever conviction they were endowed with that—when falling
away
from this life—they re-arose there, the same sort of conviction is
present in me
as well. Whatever virtue they were endowed with that—when falling
away from
this life—they re-arose there, the same sort of virtue is present
in me as well.
Whatever learning they were endowed with that—when falling away
from this
life—they re-arose there, the same sort of learning is present in
me as well.
Whatever generosity they were endowed with that—when falling away
from this
life—they re-arose there, the same sort of generosity is present in
me as well.
Whatever discernment they were endowed with that—when falling away
from
this life—they re-arose there, the same sort of discernment is
present in me as
well.’ At any time when a disciple of the noble ones is
recollecting the conviction,
virtue, learning, generosity, and discernment found both in himself
and the
devas, his mind is not overcome with passion, not overcome with
aversion, not
overcome with delusion. His mind heads straight, based on the
(qualities of the)
devas. And when the mind is headed straight, the disciple of the
noble ones gains
a sense of the goal, gains a sense of the Dhamma, gains joy
connected with the
Dhamma. In one who is joyful, rapture arises. In one who is
rapturous, the body
grows calm. One whose body is calmed senses pleasure. In one
sensing pleasure,
the mind becomes concentrated.
“Mah›n›ma, you should develop this recollection of the devas while
you are
walking, while you are standing, while you are sitting, while you
are lying down,
while you are busy at work, while you are resting in your home
crowded with
children.”
AN 11:13
The Ten Recollections
§ 1. “One thing—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct
knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding. Which one thing? Recollection of the
Buddha. This is
one thing that—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to
dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct knowledge, to
self-awakening, to
Unbinding.”
§ 2. “One thing—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct
knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding. Which one thing? Recollection of the
Dhamma….”
§ 3. “One thing—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct
knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding. Which one thing? Recollection of the
Sangha….”
§ 4. “One thing—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct
knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding. Which one thing? Recollection of
virtue….”
§ 5. “One thing—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct
knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding. Which one thing? Recollection of
generosity….”
§ 6. “One thing—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct
knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding. Which one thing? Recollection of the
devas….”
§ 7. “One thing—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct
knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding. Which one thing? Mindfulness of
in-&-out
breathing….”
§ 8. “One thing—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct
knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding. Which one thing? Mindfulness of
death….”
§ 9. “One thing—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct
knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding. Which one thing? Mindfulness immersed
in the
body….”
§ 10. “One thing—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct
knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding. Which one thing? Recollection of
stilling. This is one
thing that—when developed & pursued—leads solely to
disenchantment, to
dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct knowledge, to
self-awakening, to
Unbinding.”