TheSatipaṭṭhāna Sutta[1][note 1] (Majjhima Nikaya 10:The Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness), and the subsequently createdMahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta[2] (Dīgha Nikāya 22:The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness), are two of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in thePāli Canon ofTheravada Buddhism, acting as the foundation for contemporaryvipassana meditation practice. The Pāli texts of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta and the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta are largely similar in content; the main difference being a section about theFour Noble Truths (Catu Ariya Sacca) in the Observation of Phenomena (Dhammānupassana), which is greatly expanded in the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta.[3][4] Thesesuttas (discourses) stress the practice ofsati (mindfulness) "for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the extinguishing of suffering and grief, for walking on the path of truth, for the realization ofnibbāna."[note 2]
While elements of the Satipathana sutta can be found in the Saṃyutta Nikāya and the Saṃyukta Āgama,[citation needed] which belong to the oldest strata of the Buddhist suttas, the elaborate Maha Satipatthana Sutta exists only in the Theravada Digha Nikaya.Bhante Sujato postulates that the sutta was compiled from elements from other suttas as late as 20 BCE.[6]
satipaṭṭhāna is a compound ofsati, mindfulness; and eitherpaṭṭhāna, "foundation," orupaṭṭhāna, "presence." The compound term can be interpreted assati-paṭṭhāna ("foundation of mindfulness") orsati-upaṭṭhāna, "presence of mindfulness".[7][8][9] According to Anālayo, the analysis of the term assati-upaṭṭhāna, "presence of mindfulness," is a more etymologically correct derivation asupaṭṭhāna appears both throughout thePali Canon and in the Sanskrit translation of this sutta; whereas thepaṭṭhāna is only found in theAbhidhamma and post-nikayaPali commentary.[7]
English translations of the title, "Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta," include:
"The Arousing of Mindfulness Discourse"(Soma, 1999)
In regard to the prefix "Maha-" in the Pāli title of DN 22, this simply means "great," or "larger" and likely refers to DN 22's expanded section on mindfulness of the Four Noble Truths.
In the Pali Canon, theSatipaṭṭhāna Sutta is the tenth discourse in theMajjhima Nikaya (MN 10). In thePali Text Society (PTS) edition of the Canon, this text begins on the 55th page of the first volume of its three-volume Majjhima Nikaya (M i 55).
As for theMahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, this is the 22nd discourse in theDigha Nikaya (DN 22). In the PTS edition of the Canon, theMahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta begins on the 289th page of the second volume of the PTS' three-volume Digha Nikaya (D ii 289).
In the Chinese Canon, theNian Chu Jing (念處經, Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra), based on aSarvastivadin source, is found on page 582 of the Taisho Tripitaka Vol. 1, MadhyamaĀgama No. 26.[10] Another similar sutra is in theEkottara Agama (EA 12.1) and it is called theEkayāna sutra,Direct Path sūtra.[11]
An early Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra version also survives inside some of the largePrajñāpāramitā sutras (Tibetan and Chinese), one of which has been translated into English byEdward Conze. These passages on mindfulness are treated as the first element in the37 wings to awakening.[12] According to Bhante Sujato, "This version of the satipaṭṭhāna material displays a refreshing simplicity that may indicate that it lies close to the early sources."[13]
There does exist in Tibetan translation a "Saddharma Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra" (dam pa'i chos dran pa nye bar bzhag pa'i mdo//dampé chödren panyé barzhak pé do) but this is a very large early Mahayana sutra and is an entirely different text.[14] Bhante Sujato completed an extensive comparative survey of the various recensions of Sutta, entitledA History of Mindfulness.[15]
In post-canonicalPali commentaries, the classiccommentary on theSatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (as well as for the entire Majjhima Nikaya) is found inBuddhaghosa's Papañcasudani (Bullitt, 2002; Soma, 2003).
In the Satipatthana Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya 10, the Buddha identifies four "foundations of mindfulness"[17] or "frames of reference,"[18] on which he contemplates[17] or focusses[18] after leaving behind the worldly life:kāyā (body),vedanā (sensations/feelings aroused by perception),cittā (mind/consciousness), anddhammas (elements of the Buddhist teachings). The sutta then gives an overview of Buddhist practices, under these four headings:
Kāyā (body):
mindfulness of breathing, calming the bodily formations (see also theAnapanasati Sutta);
in these ways, remaining focussed on the body itself; orclear comprehension ofarising and vanishing with regard to the body; or sustained mindfulness of the presence of the body.
Vedanā (sensations/feelings aroused by perception):
understanding feelings as pleasant, unpleasant, or neither-pleasant-nor-unpleasant (neutral) feelings;
in this way, remaining focussed on feelings in themselves; orclear comprehension ofarising and vanishing with regard to feelings; or sustained mindfulness of the presence of feelings.
Cittā (mind/consciousness),[note 3] awareness of the presence and absence of the unwholesome states of thethree poisons (lust, hate, delusion); and the presence or absence of the wholesome states related todhyana:
Three poisons:
lust (sarāgaṃ) or without lust (vītarāgaṃ)
hate (sadosaṃ) or without hate (vītadosaṃ)
delusion (samohaṃ) or without delusion (vītamohaṃ)
Dhyana-related factors:
contracted (saṅkhittaṃ) or scattered (vikkhittaṃ)
lofty (mahaggataṃ) or not lofty (amahaggataṃ)[note 4]
surpassable (sa-uttaraṃ) or unsurpassed (anuttaraṃ)[note 5]
quieted (samāhitaṃ) or not quieted (asamāhitaṃ)
released (vimuttaṃ) or not released (avimuttaṃ)
In this way, remaining focussed on the mind itself; orclear comprehension ofarising and vanishing with regard to mind; or sustained mindfulness of the presence of mind
thefive hindrances: awareness of the presence or absence, arising andabandoning, and no future arising, of sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and uncertainty;
thefive skandhas, the aggregates ofclinging: the discernment of the existence, the origination, and the disappearance, of form, feeling, perception,formations (mental dispositions), and consciousness;
thesix sense-bases, and thefetters that arise in dependence on them: discerning the internal sense-media (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, intellect), the external sense-media (forms, sounds, odours, tangibles), the arising of fetters in dependence on the six-sense bases, the abandonment of the arisen fetters, and the future non-arising of these fetters;
theSeven factors of awakening: awareness of the presence or absence, the arising, and the culmination, ofsati'(mindfulness),dhamma vicaya (investigation ofdhammas),viriya (energy, effort, persistence, determination),pīti (rapture),passaddhi (tranquility, relaxation (of body and mind)),samadhi (clear awareness, concentration),upekkha (equanimity);
The SarvāstivādaSmṛtyupasthāna Sūtra differs in some ways from the Theravada version, including postures as the first contemplation instead of breathing for example. According to Bhante Sujato, it seems to emphasizesamatha or calm abiding, while the Theravadin version emphasizesVipassana or insight.[22] The text also often refers to 'bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs' instead of just male bhikkhus.
A section onSmṛtyupasthāna is found in various Tibetan and Chinese recensions of largePrajñāpāramitā sutras, such as the 25,000 line version translated byEdward Conze. This skeletal version of the Smṛtyupasthāna is incorporated into the larger sutra and thus appears as part of the Buddha's discourse to Subhuti. It only outlines specific practices for the contemplation of the body, the other three satipatthanas are simply enumerated.[13]
Various scholars have attempted to use the numerous early sources to trace an "ur-text" i.e. the original satipaṭṭhāna formula or the earliest sutta. Bronkhorst (1985) argues that the earliest form of the satipaṭṭhāna sutta only contained the observation of the impure body parts under mindfulness of the body, and that mindfulness of dhammas was originally just the observation of the seven awakening factors.[23][note 8] Sujato's reconstruction similarly only retains the contemplation of the impure under mindfulness of the body, while including only the five hindrances and the seven awakening factors under mindfulness of dhammas.[24][note 9] According to Analayo, mindfulness of breathing was probably absent from the original scheme, noting that one can easily contemplate the body's decay taking an external object, that is, someone else's body, but not be externally mindfull of the breath, that is, someone else's breath.[25]
According toRupert Gethin, "[t]he sutta is often read today as describing a pure form of insight (vipassanā) meditation that bypasses calm (samatha) meditation and the four absorptions (jhāna)." Yet, in the older Buddhist tradition, mindfulness aided in abandoning thefive hindrances, which then leads into the firstjhana.[26][note 10] According to Gethin, the early Buddhist texts have "a broadly consistent vision" regarding meditation practice. Various practices lead to the development of thefactors of awakening, which are not only the means to, but also the constituents of awakening.[27]
Gethin, followed by Polak and Arbel, notes that there is a "definite affinity" between thebojjhaṅgā, the seven factors of awakening, and the fourjhanas, which actualize the Buddhist practices aiming at calming the mind.[28][29][30][31] According to Gethin,satipatthana andanapanasati are related to a formula that summarizes the Buddhist path to awakening as "abandoning the hindrances, establishing [...] mindfulness, and developing the seven factors of awakening."[32] This results in a "heightened awareness," "overcoming distracting and disturbing emotions,"[33] which are not particular elements of the path to awakening, but rather common disturbing and distracting emotions.[34]
According to Sujato,samatha andvipassana are complementary elements of the Buddhist path.[35]Satipatthana explicates mindfulness, the seventh limb of the eightfold path, and is to be understood as an integral part of this path.[36]
Polak, elaborating on Vetter, notes that the onset of the firstdhyana is described as a quite natural process, due to the preceding efforts to restrain the senses and thenurturing of wholesome states.[37][38] According to Grzegorz Polak, the fourupassanā do not refer to four different foundations of which one should be aware, but are an alternate description of thejhanas, describing how thesamskharas are tranquilized:[39]
thesix sense-bases which one needs to be aware of (kāyānupassanā);
contemplation onvedanās, which arise with the contact between the senses and their objects (vedanānupassanā);
the altered states of mind to which this practice leads (cittānupassanā);
There are a variety of ways that one could use the methods described in theSatipaṭṭhāna Sutta including:
Focus on a single method.[note 11] The method most written about in the English language is that of mindfulness of breath.[40]
Practice the various methods individually in succession.
Maintain breath mindfulness as a primary object while using other methods to address non-breath stimuli.[note 12]
Practice multiple methods either in tandem or in a context-driven manner.[note 13]
experiential orientation (character)
affective (extrovert)
cognitive (introvert)
reactivity / temperament
slow
body
mind
quick
sensations
mental contents
According to Analāyo[41] and Soma,[42] writing from a traditional point of view, the Papañcasudani recommends a differentsatipaṭṭhāna depending on whether a person:
tends more toward affective craving or intellectual speculation; and,
is more measured in their responses or quick reacting.
Based on these two dimensions the commentary's recommended personality-basedsatipaṭṭhāna is reflected in the grid shown at right.
Soma (2003, p. xxiv) adds thatall practitioners (regardless of their character and temperament) should also practice mindfulness of Postures (moving, standing, sitting, lying down) andClear Understanding, about which he writes: "The whole practice of mindfulness depends on the correct grasp of the exercises included in the two parts referred to here."
^Famously, the Buddha declares at the beginning of this discourse: "This is the direct way [Pāli:ekāyano [...] maggo],[subnote 1] monks, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the extinguishing of suffering and grief, for walking on the path of truth, for the realization ofnibbāna."[5]
^Regarding English translations ofcitta, Thanissaro (2000) and VRI (1996) translate it as "mind" while Nyanasatta (1994) and Soma (1999; 2003) translate it as "consciousness." Partly based on material from this discourse, Oxford-trained Dr. Sue Hamilton argues thatcitta is best translated as "state of mind" whileviññāṇa is "consciousness of" (Hamilton, 2001, pp. 105-114).
^Mahaggata is literally "become great." According to the Pali commentary,amahaggata (not become-great) refers to the "conscious state of the plane of existence of sense experience" (kāma), whilemahaggata refers to the higher planes of forms (rūpāvacara) and formlessness (arūpāvacara) (Soma, 2003, p. 115).
^The commentarial treatment ofanuttara ("unsurpassed") andsa-uttara ("surpassable") is similar to its analysis ofmahaggata ("become great") andamahaggata ("not become great") above (Soma, 2003, p. 115).
^Frauwallner, E. (1973),History of Indian Philosophy, trans. V.M. Bedekar, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. Two volumes., pp.150 ff
^"Dhammas" is often translated as "mental objects." Anālayo (2006), pp. 182-86, points out that translatingdhamma as "mental object" (or anything similar, such as "mental contents") is problematic for multiple reasons, including that the three priorsatipatthāna (body, sensations, mind) can become mental objects in themselves, and that those objects (such as the hindrances, aggregates and sense bases) identified under thissatipatthāna (dhamma) are far from an exhaustive list of all possible mental objects. Thus, Anālayo more closely identifies this sutta'sdhamma as "mental factors and categories," "classificatory schemes," and "frameworks or points of reference to be applied during contemplation" (p. 183). Anālayo (p. 183,nn. 2, 3) quotes Gyori (1996, p. 24) as stating that contemplation of thesedhamma "are specifically intended to invest the mind with a soteriological orientation," and Gombrich (1996, p. 36) as writing that contemplating thesedhamma teaches one "to see the world through Buddhist spectacles." According to Sharf, in theSatipațțhāna-sutta the termsati means to remember the dharmas, whereby the true nature of phenomena can be seen.[19] According to Paul Williams, referring to Erich Frauwallner, mindfulness provided the way to liberation, "constantly watching sensory experience in order to prevent the arising of cravings which would power future experience into rebirths."[20][note 6] According to Vetter,dhyana may have been the original core practice of the Buddha, which aided the maintenance of mindfulness.[21]
^Kuan refers to Bronkhorst (1985),Dharma and Abhidharma, p.312-314.
^Kuan refers to Sujato (2006),A history of mindfulness: how insight worsted tranquility in the Satipatthana Sutta, p.264-273
^Gethin: "The sutta is often read today as describing a pure form of insight (vipassanā) meditation that bypasses calm (samatha) meditation and the four absorptions (jhāna), as outlined in the description of the Buddhist path found, for example, in theSāmaññaphala-sutta [...] The earlier tradition, however, seems not to have always read it this way, associating accomplishment in the exercise of establishing mindfulness with abandoning of thefive hindrances and the first absorption.[26]
^In support of a single-method practice, Analāyo (2006), p. 22, comments:
Several [Pali Canon] discourses relate the practice of a singlesatipaṭṭhāna directly to realization. Similarly, the commentaries assign to each singlesatipaṭṭhāna meditation the capacity to lead to full awakening. This may well be why a high percentage of present-day meditation teachers focus on the use of a single meditation technique, on the ground that a single-minded and thorough perfection of one meditation technique can cover all aspects ofsatipaṭṭhāna, and thus be sufficient to gain realization.
Among those teachers who Analāyo uses to exemplify this teaching method areS. N. Goenka and Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo. While justifying such a practice, Analāyo (2006), p. 23, nonetheless adds this caveat:
Thus any single meditation practice from thesatipaṭṭhāna scheme is capable of leading to deep insight.... Nonetheless, an attempt to cover all foursatipaṭṭhānas in one's practice ... ensures speedy progress and a balanced and comprehensive development.
^This is espoused in various ways – either implicitly or explicitly – by numerous teachers such asGunaratana, 1996;Goldstein, 1987; and,Nhat Hanh, 2005. In such an approach, the central instructions relate to breath meditation but additional instructions are provided for dealing with mindfulness in daily life (Clear Comprehension) and unwholesome mental content such as the Hindrances or thefetters (which are referenced in theSatipaṭṭhāna Sutta in regard to sense-base mindfulness). Typical of such approaches, Thanissaro (2000) writes:
At first glance, the four frames of reference for satipatthana practice sound like four different meditation exercises, butMN 118 makes clear that they can all center on a single practice: keeping the breath in mind. When the mind is with the breath, all four frames of reference are right there. The difference lies simply in the subtlety of one's focus. It's like learning to play the piano. As you get more proficient at playing, you also become sensitive in listening to ever more subtle levels in the music. This allows you to play even more skillfully. In the same way, as a meditator get more skilled in staying with the breath, the practice of satipatthana gives greater sensitivity in peeling away ever more subtle layers of participation in the present moment until nothing is left standing in the way of total release.
^For instance, Analāyo (2006), pp. 21-23, has pointed out that the first three body-centered methods suggest different depths or a progression of practice based on one's activity. For example, one engaged in simply walking or standing (two of the so-called "postures") could be mindful of gross sensory stimulation; then when one is silent and planning to speak, one could first contemplate one's purpose in speaking (indicative of Clear Comprehension); in addition, while one is sitting still with a focus on one's in-breath and out-breath, one is able to pursue a deeper development ofsamatha andvipassana as part of formal breath meditation.
Subnotes
^While recognizing thatekāyano [...] maggo is "more commonly" translated as "the only path," Anālayo (2006, pp. 27-9) argues thatekāyano [...] maggo is best translated as "direct path" based on the contextual meaning ofekāyano in the Mahāsīhanāda Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 12,Ñanamoli & Bodhi, 1994, whereekāyano describes a "one way only" path), its absence from other suttas, implications of speedy realization within the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta itself, and commentarial elaboration. ThePali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary (Rhys Davids & Stede, 1921-25) appears to support Anālayo's assessment in their entry for "Ayana": "ekāyano maggo leading to one goal, a direct way" (retrieved 15 May 2010 fromhttp://dsalsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.0:1:2056.pali.895215).
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