SuttaCentral
Hey friends,
I read a part of a book about Ananda at a Goenka retreat years ago and I remember a Sutta where the Buddha was teaching and then asked Ananda to continue teaching the Dhamma because he needed to stretch himself.
Has anyone come across this or any other Suttas indicating the Buddha had back problems or pains and stretched from time to time?
I will keep looking also.
Hi,
hereās one passage:
āÄnanda, let there occur to you a learnerās course for the Sakyans of Kapilavatthu; my back is aching, I will stretch it.ā āYes, revered sir,ā the venerable Änanda answered the Lord in assent. Then the Lord, having folded his outer robe into four, lay down on his right side in the lion posture, foot resting on foot, mindful, clearly conscious, reflecting on the thought of getting up again.
MN 53
By memory, I feel as though, Iāve come across it a bunch of times. Itās a bit more tricky locating exactly where. As a quick off the cuff thought, building on the sutta tsilva mentioned is a search for the phrase, āPiį¹į¹hi me ÄgilÄyatiā (Results here). Iām sure there are better ways of searching, but I guess itās a start.
Actually, that sounded remarkably like something Iād read lately (and I havenāt read MN lately). I then worked out itās in SN 35, which I was reading through last week, specifically SN 35.243. In this case the Buddha asks Moggallana rather than Ananda to take over (and weāve got the lionās posture thing again):
Yes, venerable sir,ā they replied. Then they rose from their seats and, after paying homage to the Blessed One, keeping him on their right, they departed. Then, not long after the Sakyans of Kapilavatthu had left, the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Mahamoggallana thus: āThe Saį¹ gha of bhikkhus is free from sloth and torpor, Moggallana. Give a Dhamma talk to the bhikkhus. My back is aching, so I will stretch it.ā
āYes, venerable sir,ā the Venerable Mahamoggallana replied.
Then the Blessed One prepared his outer robe folded in four and lay down on his right side in the lionās posture, with one foot overlapping the other, mindful and clearly comprehending, after noting in his mind the idea of rising. Thereupon the Venerable Mahamoggallana addressed the bhikkhus thus: āFriends, bhikkhus!ā
I am reading through A.N. and saw this at least a couple times so far. It sounds like it was something he made no secrets of-- he had back pain and needed to stretch his back from time to time. There is one Sutta where the Buddha asks Ananda to give an explanation to a question asked while he stretches his back and rests. When you think about it that is pretty incredible and meaningful. He knew to take care of himself and ask for otherās help.
DN 16:
I, Änanda, at present, am old, elderly, of great age, far gone, advanced in years, I am eighty years old. It is like, Änanda, an old cart, which only keeps going when shored up with bamboo, just so, Änanda, I think the Realised Oneās body only keeps going when shored up with bamboo.
When the Realised One doesnāt pay attention, Änanda, to any of the signs, when all feelings have ceased, he lives having established the signless mind-concentration, and at that time, Änanda, the Realised Oneās body is most comfortable.
The idea (and I hear this a lot) that pain is to be met with ongoing mindful awareness isā¦ romantic, but not always realistic. Iām reminded of SN 22.87, where a Noble was unable to sustain themselves with ongoing awareness in just such a case of bodily pain.
As a counterpoint, SN 52.10 relates how Anuruddha chose to dwell in the four satipatthana when he was in intense pain:
On one occasion the Venerable Anuruddha was dwelling at Savatthi in the Blind Mensā Grove, sick, afflicted, gravely ill. Then a number of bhikkhus approached the Venerable Anuruddha and said to him:
āIn what dwelling does the Venerable Anuruddha usually dwell so that the arisen bodily painful feelings do not persist obsessing his mind?ā
"It is, friends, because I dwell with a mind well established in the four establishments of mindfulness that the arisen bodily feelings do not persist obsessing my mind. What four? Here, friend, I dwell contemplating the body in the body ā¦ feelings in feelings ā¦ mind in mind ā¦ phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world.
āIt is, friends, because I dwell with a mind well established in the four establishments of mindfulness that the arisen bodily feelings do not persist obsessing my mind.ā
Another example is from SN 1.38, when the Buddhaās foot was badly injured by the stone splinter:
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rajagaha in the Maddakucchi Deer Park. Now on that occasion the Blessed Oneās foot had been cut by a stone splinter. Severe pains assailed the Blessed Oneābodily feelings that were painful, racking, sharp, piercing, harrowing, disagreeable. But the Blessed One endured them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without becoming distressed. Then the Blessed One had his outer robe folded in four, and he lay down on his right side in the lion posture with one leg overlapping the other, mindful and clearly comprehending.
Since both Anuruddha and the Buddha were well-known for their mastery of samadhi, we assume they could easily have escaped the pain into a jhana or formless attainment. But, at least on these occasions, they chose to remain mindful and clearly aware.
I would speculate that their minds remain undisturbed regardless, but, with chronic or long-lasting pain, the constant pinging on the mind may become wearying and the automatic tensing of the muscles around the pain may call for a physical rest every now and then. The deeper states of samadhi would provide rest for both body and mind, allowing one to emerge refreshed and energetic again.
Or, pain-filled mindfulness gets more difficult with age? Maybe the DN cite I gave is later than these other texts?
I donāt think remaining mindful and unruffled by pain would get more difficult with age for a noble one, or even for someone whose insight into anicca/dukkha/anatta has been deep enough. But perhaps the body has more sources of āpingingā on the mind, all clamoring at the same time and resulting in the weariness and need for rest coming sooner. That seems to be the direction my body is heading!
Itās hard to get much later in the Buddhaās life than DN 16, isnāt it? 
But I thought the stone splinter incident occurred near the end of the Buddhaās life too. That chronology may be based on a commentarial explanation, though.
Already mentioned were AN 10.67, AN 10.68, SN 35.243, MN 53. I would add AN 9.4.
And also see SN 48.41
Then the Venerable Ananda approached the Blessed One. Having approached and paid homage, while massaging the Blessed Oneās limbs, he said to him: āIt is wonderful, venerable sir! It is amazing, venerable sir! The Blessed Oneās complexion is no longer pure and bright, his limbs are all flaccid and wrinkled, his body is stooped, and some alteration is seen in his faculties.
Just a minor nit-picking. I think the Pali text says ācertain feelingsā not āall feelingsā. Back to topic.
This does change the tenor, however; maybe it pulls together the idea that mindfulness during pain is both mindfulness of impermanence, and also mindfulness of the emptiness of pain from other āfeelsā?
Pain that prevents samadhi (or even sati?) seems to be the tipping point.
Could you elaborate? To pre-empt any misunderstanding , Iām just harping on my idea (ventilated elsewhere) that DN 16ās animitta is simply another name for the jhanas.
Iām just shooting from the hip, looking to see if mindfulness is in and of itself the method of pain-endurance, or whether mindfulness is emphasized because jhanas are the actual method there.
I think itās probably both. Itās just that with the 1st Jhana, physical pain disappears completely - AN 5.176, AN 9.37 and every vivicceva kaamehi pericope.