The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (
Majjhima Nikaya 10: ''The Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness''), and the subsequently created Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (
Dīgha Nikāya 22: ''The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness''), are two of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the
Pāli Canon of
Theravada
''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school ...
Buddhism, acting as the foundation for contemporary ''
vipassana
''Samatha'' ( Pāli; sa, शमथ ''śamatha''; ), "calm," "serenity," "tranquillity of awareness," and ''vipassanā'' ( Pāli; Sanskrit ''vipaśyanā''), literally "special, super (''vi-''), seeing (''-passanā'')", are two qualities of ...
'' meditational practice. The Pāli texts of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta and the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta are largely similar in content; the main difference being a section about the
Four Noble Truths (Catu Ariya Sacca) in the Observation of Phenomena (Dhammānupassana), which is greatly expanded in the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta. These ''
sutta''s (discourses) stress the practice of
sati (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 of ''
nibbāna''."
Sources
Dating
While elements of the Satipathana sutta can be found in the Samyutta Nikaya and the Samyukta Nigama, 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.
Title translation and related literature
''
'' is a compound of ''
sati'', mindfulness; and either ', "foundation," or ', "presence." The compound term can be interpreted as ' ("foundation of mindfulness") or ', "presence of mindfulness". According to Anālayo, the analysis of the term as ', "presence of mindfulness," is a more etymologically correct derivation as ' appears both throughout the
Pali Canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school.
During ...
and in the Sanskrit translation of this sutta; whereas the ' is only found in the
Abhidhamma and post-nikaya
Pali commentary.
English translations of the title, "," include:
*"The Arousing of Mindfulness Discourse
(Soma, 1999)*"The Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse"
*"The Establishing of Mindfulness Discourse
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.
Various recensions and canonical placement
In the Pali Canon, the ' is the tenth discourse in the
Majjhima Nikaya (MN 10). In the
Pali 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 the ', this is the 22nd discourse in the
Digha Nikaya
Digha is a seaside resort town in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in Purba Medinipur district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It has a low gradient with a shallow sand beach. It is a popular sea resort in West Bengal.
Hi ...
(DN 22). In the PTS edition of the Canon, the ''Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta'' begins on the 289th page of the second volume of the PTS' three-volume Digha Nikaya (D ii 289).
In the Chinese Canon, the ''Nian Chu Jing'' (念處經, Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra), based on a
Sarvastivadin source, is found on page 582 of the Taisho Tripitaka Vol. 1, Madhyama
gama No. 26. Another similar sutra is in the
Ekottara Agama (EA 12.1) and it is called the
Ekayāna sutra, ''Direct Path sūtra''.
An early Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra version also survives inside some of the large
Prajñāpāramitā sutras (Tibetan and Chinese), one of which has been translated into English by
Edward Conze
Edward Conze, born Eberhard Julius Dietrich Conze (1904–1979) was a scholar of Marxism and Buddhism, known primarily for his commentaries and translations of the Prajñāpāramitā literature.
Biography
Conze's parents, Dr. Ernst Conze (1872� ...
. These passages on mindfulness are treated as the first element in the
37 wings to awakening. 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."
Sujato. A History of Mindfulness: How Insight Worsted Tranquillity in the Satipatthana Sutta
'', page 273.
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. Bhante Sujato completed an extensive comparative survey of the various recensions of Sutta, entitled ''A History of Mindfulness''.
Later sources
The Satipaṭṭhāna material, including the various meditation objects and practices, is treated in various later
Abhidharma works such as the
Theravada
''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school ...
Vibhanga and
Paṭisambhidāmagga, the
Sarvastivada Dharmaskandha, the
Jñānapraṣṭhāna, the ''
Śāriputrābhidharma The ''Śāriputrābhidharma-śāstra'' (Ch. ''Shèlìfú Āpítán Lùn'', 舍利弗阿毘曇論, Taisho: 28, No. 1548, pp. 525c-719a) is a Buddhist Abhidharma text of the Sthāvirāḥ Dharmaguptaka school, the only surviving Abhidharma from that ...
'' and the
Arthaviniscaya Sutra
The ''Arthaviniścaya Sūtra'' ("Gathering the Meanings" or "Analysis of the topics") is a Buddhist Abhidharma type work which shows Sautrāntika/Sarvāstivāda affiliation. It mostly consists of matrices or lists of key early Buddhist teachings ...
.
In post-canonical
Pali commentaries, the classic
commentary on the (as well as for the entire Majjhima Nikaya) is found in
Buddhaghosa's Papañcasudani (Bullitt, 2002; Soma, 2003).
Later works, such as the
Abhidharmakośakārikā of
Vasubandhu, and
Asanga's
Yogacarabhumi and
Abhidharma-samuccaya, also comment on the four satipatthanas.
Contents
Contents of the Pali version
In the Satipatthana Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya 10, the Buddha identifies four "foundations of mindfulness"
[''Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta: The Foundations of Mindfulness''](_blank)
translation by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi or "frames of reference,"
translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu on which he contemplates
or focusses
after leaving behind the worldly life: ''kāyā'' (body), ''
vedanā'' (sensations/feelings aroused by perception), ''
cittā'' (mind/consciousness), and ''dhammas'' (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 the
Anapanasati Sutta);
#*
clear comprehension of all postures and actions;
#*
reflections on the repulsiveness of the body-parts;
#*reflections on the
elements which are in the body: earth, water, fire, and air;
#*
charnel ground contemplations;
#*in these ways, remaining focussed on the body itself; or
clear comprehension of
arising 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; or
clear comprehension of
arising and vanishing with regard to feelings; or sustained mindfulness of the presence of feelings.
#''
Cittā'' (mind/consciousness), awareness of the presence and absence of the unwholesome states of the
three poisons (lust, hate, delusion); and the presence or absence of the wholesome states related to ''
dhyana'':
#* Three poisons:
#** lust (''sarāga'') or without lust (''vītarāga'')
#** hate (''sadosa'') or without hate (''vītadosa'')
#** delusion (''samoha'') or without delusion (''vītamoha'')
#* ''Dhyana''-related factors:
#** contracted (''sakhitta'') or scattered (''vikkhitta'')
#** lofty (''mahaggata'') or not lofty (''amahaggata'')
#** surpassable (''sa-uttara'') or unsurpassed (''anuttara'')
#** quieted (''samāhita'') or not quieted (''asamāhita'')
#** released (''vimutta'') or not released (''avimutta'')
#* In this way, remaining focussed on the mind itself; or
clear comprehension of
arising and vanishing with regard to mind; or sustained mindfulness of the presence of mind
#''
Dhammā'' (elements of the Buddhist teachings):
#*the
five hindrances
In the Buddhist tradition, the five hindrances ( Sinhala: ''පඤ්ච නීවරණ pañca nīvaraṇa''; Pali: ') are identified as mental factors that hinder progress in meditation and in our daily lives. In the Theravada tradition, the ...
: awareness of the presence or absence, arising and
abandoning, and no future arising, of sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and uncertainty;
#*the
five skandhas, the aggregates of
clinging: the discernment of the existence, the origination, and the disappearance, of form, feeling, perception,
formations (mental dispositions), and consciousness;
#*the
six sense-bases, and the
fetters 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;
#*the
Seven factors of awakening
In Buddhism, the Seven Factors of Awakening (Pali: ''satta bojjhagā'' or ''satta sambojjhagā''; Skt.: ''sapta bodhyanga'') are:
* Mindfulness ('' sati'', Sanskrit ''smrti''). To maintain awareness of reality, in particular the teachings (''d ...
: awareness of the presence or absence, the arising, and the culmination, of ''
sati'(mindfulness), ''
dhamma vicaya'' (investigation of ''dhammas''), ''
viriya'' (energy, effort, persistence, determination), ''
pīti
''Pīti'' in Pali (Sanskrit: ''Prīti'') is a mental factor (Pali:''cetasika'', Sanskrit: ''caitasika'') associated with the development of '' jhāna'' (Sanskrit: ''dhyāna'') in Buddhist meditation. According to Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, ''piti'' i ...
'' (rapture), ''
passaddhi'' (tranquility, relaxation (of body and mind)), ''
samadhi'' (clear awareness, concentration), ''
upekkha'' (equanimity);
#*the
Four Noble Truths.
Comparison of the content in other sources
The Sarvāstivāda ''Smṛtyupasthāna 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 emphasize
samatha or calm abiding, while the Theravadin version emphasizes
Vipassana
''Samatha'' ( Pāli; sa, शमथ ''śamatha''; ), "calm," "serenity," "tranquillity of awareness," and ''vipassanā'' ( Pāli; Sanskrit ''vipaśyanā''), literally "special, super (''vi-''), seeing (''-passanā'')", are two qualities of ...
or insight. The text also often refers to 'bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs' instead of just male bhikkhus.
A section on ''Smṛtyupasthāna'' is found in various Tibetan and Chinese recensions of large
Prajñāpāramitā sutras, such as the 25,000 line version translated by
Edward Conze
Edward Conze, born Eberhard Julius Dietrich Conze (1904–1979) was a scholar of Marxism and Buddhism, known primarily for his commentaries and translations of the Prajñāpāramitā literature.
Biography
Conze's parents, Dr. Ernst Conze (1872� ...
. 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.
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. 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. 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, thst is, someone else's breath.
Interpretation and practice
Stage of practice leading to ''jhana''
According to
Rupert Gethin, "
e 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 the
five hindrances
In the Buddhist tradition, the five hindrances ( Sinhala: ''පඤ්ච නීවරණ pañca nīvaraṇa''; Pali: ') are identified as mental factors that hinder progress in meditation and in our daily lives. In the Theravada tradition, the ...
, which then leads into the first ''jhana''. According to Gethin, the early Buddhist texts have "a broadly consistent vision" regarding meditation practice. Various practices lead to the development of the
factors of awakening, which are not only the means to, but also the constituents of awakening.
Gethin, followed by Polak and Arbel, notes that there is a "definite affinity" between the ''
bojjhaṅgā'', the seven factors of awakening, and the four ''jhanas'', which actualize the Buddhist practices aiming at calming the mind. According to Gethin, ''satipatthana'' and ''anapanasati'' 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." This results in a "heightened awareness," "overcoming distracting and disturbing emotions," which are not particular elements of the path to awakening, but rather common disturbing and distracting emotions.
According to Sujato, ''samatha'' and ''vipassana'' are complementary elements of the Buddhist path. ''Satipatthana'' explicates mindfulness, the seventh limb of the eightfold path, and is to be understood as an integral part of this path.
Polak, elaborating on Vetter, notes that the onset of the first ''dhyana'' is described as a quite natural process, due to the preceding efforts to restrain the senses and the
nurturing of wholesome states. According to Grzegorz Polak, the four ''upassanā'' do not refer to four different foundations of which one should be aware, but are an alternate description of the ''
jhanas'', describing how the ''
samskharas'' are tranquilized:
* the
six sense-bases which one needs to be aware of (''kāyānupassanā'');
* contemplation on
vedanās, which arise with the contact between the senses and their objects (''
vedanānupassanā'');
* the altered states of mind to which this practice leads (''
cittānupassanā'');
* the development from the
five hindrances
In the Buddhist tradition, the five hindrances ( Sinhala: ''පඤ්ච නීවරණ pañca nīvaraṇa''; Pali: ') are identified as mental factors that hinder progress in meditation and in our daily lives. In the Theravada tradition, the ...
to the
seven factors of enlightenment (''
dhammānupassanā'').
Various practices
There are a variety of ways that one could use the methods described in the including:
# Focus on a single method. The method most written about in the English language is that of mindfulness of breath.
# Practice the various methods individually in succession.
# Maintain breath mindfulness as a primary object while using other methods to address non-breath stimuli.
# Practice multiple methods either in tandem or in a context-driven manner.
According to Analāyo and Soma,
[2003, pp. xxii - xxiv] writing from a traditional point of view, the Papañcasudani recommends a different ''satipaṭṭhāna'' 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-based ''satipaṭṭhāna'' is reflected in the grid shown at right.
Soma (2003, p. xxiv) adds that ''all'' practitioners (regardless of their character and temperament) should also practice mindfulness of Postures (moving, standing, sitting, lying down) and
Clear 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."
English commentaries
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*, p. 59-123
See also
*
Sutta Piṭaka
*
Satipatthana (Four Foundations of Mindfulness)
*
Mahasati Meditation
The venerable pi, label=none, Cittasubho (; lay name: ''Pann Intapew''; 5 September 1911–13 September 1988), popularly known as Luang Por Teean, was a Thai reformist Buddhist monk. Cittasubho was the progenitor of ''mahāsati'' practice of med ...
*''
Kāyagatāsati Sutta
The ''Kāyagatāsati Sutta'' ( Skt. ''Kāyasmṛti''; Mindfulness Immersed in the Body, MN 119) is a Pāḷi Buddhist ''sutta'' which outlines the development of mindfulness through contemplation of the body in order to reach ''jhāna''.
Summa ...
''
* Related practices:
**
Anussati
**
Bhāvanā
''Bhāvanā'' (Pali;Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), p. 503, entry for "Bhāvanā," retrieved 9 December 2008 from "U. Chicago" a Sanskrit: भावना, also ''bhāvanā''Monier-Williams (1899), p. 755, see "Bhāvana" and "Bhāvanā", retriev ...
**
Sampajanna
**
Patikulamanasikara
Paṭik(k)ūlamanasikāra is a Pāli term that is generally translated as "reflections on repulsiveness". It refers to a traditional Buddhist meditation whereby thirty-one parts of the body are contemplated in a variety of ways. In addition t ...
Notes
;Subnotes
References
Sources
*
*
* Bullitt, John T. (2002). ''Beyond the Tipitaka: A Field Guide to Post-canonical Pali Literature''. Available on-line at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bullitt/fieldguide.html#atthakatha.
*
*
*
*
*
* Gyori, Thomas I. (1996). ''The Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipatthāna) as a Microcosm of the Theravāda Buddhist World View'' (M.A. dissertation). Cited in Anālayo (2006). Washington: American University.
*
* Hamilton, Sue (1996; reprinted 2001). ''Identity and Experience: The Constitution of the Human Being according to Early Buddhism.'' Oxford: Luzac Oriental. .
*
*
*
*
* Nyanasatta Thera (trans.) (1994). ''The Foundations of Mindfulness'' (
MN 10). Available on-line at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.nysa.html.
*
*
Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). ''The Pali Text Society's Pali–English Dictionary''. Chipstead:
Pali Text Society. A general on-line search engine for the PED is available at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Vipassana Research Institute (trans.) (1996). '': The Great Discourse on Establishing Mindfulness''. Seattle, WA: Vipassana Research Publications of America. .
*
External links
;Pali text (Satipatthana Sutta)
Satipatthana Sutta in the original PaliSuttaCentral
;Translations (Satipatthana Sutta)
Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta: The Foundations of Mindfulness translation by
Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli
A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics ("nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist c ...
and
Bhikkhu Bodhi
Satipatthana Sutta: Frames of Reference translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Mindfulness Meditation translation by
Bhante Sujato
Satipatthana Sutta. The Discourse on the Arousing of Mindfulness translation by
Soma Thera
;Translation (Maha-Satipatthana Sutta)
The Longer Discourse on Mindfulness Meditation translation by Bhikkhu Sujato
translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
;Recitation (Satipatthana Sutta)
Global Online Satipatthana Recitationby Sally Clough
{{Buddhism topics
Majjhima Nikaya
Theravada Buddhist texts
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