Young grief stricken Singala washed himself in the water among the crowd of yogis making their ablution. Quietly he waited for the dawn with the these Kinsmen of the Sun; and did his best to imitate their asanas. Sobriety and emotions made his body shudder.

“Householder’s son, why are you revering the quarters in this way?”

Singala replied, “Sir, on his deathbed my father said to me: ‘My dear, please revere the quarters.’ Honoring, respecting, and venerating my father’s words, I rose early and left Rajagaha; now with my clothes and hair all wet, I raise my joined palms to revere the various quarters—east, south, west, north, below, and above!”

Suppose, bhikkhus, that a man needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, would take a sharp axe and enter a forest. There he would see the trunk of a large plantain tree, straight, fresh, without a fruit-bud core. He would cut it down at the root, cut off the crown, and unroll the coil. As he unrolls the coil, he would not find even softwood, let alone heartwood. A man with good sight would inspect it, ponder it, and carefully investigate it, and it would appear to him to be void, hollow, insubstantial. For what substance could there be in the trunk of a plantain tree?

The Buddha retreated from the quarreling Sangha deep into the forest. There he lived secluded and well-attended by a noble elephant at the foot of a Sāl-tree. From the treetops a monkey watched as this powerful bull elephant served and protected the recluse; even fetching fresh water and collecting ripe fruit for him!

‘This won’t do!’ thought the monkey, ‘the elephant brings him everything except a reason to smile!’

There are simply some places an elephant is too shy and restrained to stick their nose. To develop the skill to knock loose some honeycomb with a stick, without harming any eggs, larvae, pupae or bees; without earning the retaliation of the hive - it takes the daring-ness of a monkey-king to conquer every impossibility!

You can expect eleven benefits when the loving heart is well-wielded, has been cultivated, developed, and practiced, made a vehicle and a basis, kept up, consolidated, and properly implemented!

You sleep at ease.

You wake happily.

You don’t have bad dreams.

Herein a mendicant cultivates these limbs of wisdom! Mindfulness, Investigation, Energy, Levity, Tranquillity, Immersion, Equanimity; which are based on seclusion, on dispassion, on cessation, and ripens into the surrendering of a self!

Being in the presence of a SKELETON, or thinking seriously about the idea, is very fruitful and bountiful! You can expect one of two results: enlightenment in the present life, or if there’s something left over, non-return! It is conducive to great benefits! — to a great sanctuary from toil! — to great inspiration! — to a great ease of living!

‘Those crossing reedy waters, make bridges over the muddy marshes;

Aloft goers follow after, those who have reached the other shore evidently went!’

‘With tender wings that’ve never failed, And tender legs that’ve never tripped;

Parents both abandon, When the Fire (Jataveda) goes around!’

OLD SICK DEAD; are known as the Messengers that the Buddha encountered that started him on his journey - and he recommended to contemplate them daily!