..續本文上一頁s is mentioned, they are virtually mentioned, i.e., although mindfulness alone is mentioned here, we should understand that all the other seven factors that are concomitant with the Noble Path are also implied.

　　The other question raised by people, especially of the West, is "Why did Buddha say, "This is the only way"

　　 Aren”t there other ways to the purification of beings

　　 They argue that there are different roads to reach a city and just as there are different roads to a city there must be different ways to reach purification of beings or to reach Nibbāna. Some people do not like this or they thought the Buddha would not have said this, "The only way". Some times analogies are not really correct. It is true that there are different roads to reach this town. (I am not familiar with this country so I do not know which roads reach this town.) But they are roads, they are not marshes or forests. And so the road is the only way to reach this town. There may be different roads but they are roads. In the same way, there may be different ways of practicing mindfulness but they must be mindfulness. Only mindfulness can lead us to the attainment of Nibbāna. Also, if we say physical exercise is the only way to build big muscles, I think no one would object to that. If you want to build big muscles you have to do physical exercise. Without physical exercise, you cannot hope to build muscles. But, physical exercise can take different forms such as weight lifting or using machines and so on. In the same way, mindfulness is the only way to reach Nibbāna, but mindfulness may take different forms. Even in this discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness, mindfulness practice is taught in twenty-one ways. There are twenty-one different kinds of mindfulness practice to choose from. Therefore, I think it is correct to say that this is the only way. So mindfulness is the only way.

　　People may argue here because the word used here is "ekāyano", one way. But in another place

　　in the Dhammapada

　　Buddha said clearly, "This alone is the way and there is no other way for the purity of wisdom." So we cannot argue that Buddha said there is any other way. He expressly said that this alone is the way and there is no other way. So I think we must accept that this is the only way for the purification of beings. If we consider it with reference to the practice it becomes clear.

　　I have said that mindfulness is like a guard, and once the guard is removed anything can come in. So as long as mindfulness is at the sense doors, our minds are pure. No unwholesome mental states can come into our minds, because mindfulness is there guarding the sense doors. Once mindfulness is removed, or once we lose mindfulness, all these mental defilements come in. So mindfulness is the only way to keep the mind pure. Please note here also that mindfulness is one of the eight Factors of the Path described in the Dhammapada, and if the Eightfold Path is the "only way", then mindfulness surely is the only way too.

　　Again, mindfulness may take different forms, such as mindfulness of the body, mindfulness of feeling, mindfulness of consciousness, mindfulness of dhamma objects or mindfulness of parts of the body and so on. So, if it is mindfulness it is the only way for the purification of beings. For the purification of beings means for the purification of the minds of beings. Because Buddha is more concerned about the purification of mind than the purification of the physical body

　　although it does not mean that we do not take care of the cleanliness of the physical body

　　 what is more important for us is the cleanliness of our minds. So, the purification of beings here means purification of minds of beings.

　　In the Commentaries, it is said that personal cleanliness or cleanliness of the b…

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