Satipatthana Sutta
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The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta
Sources
Dating
While elements of the Satipathana sutta can be found in the Samyutta Nikaya and the Samyukta Nigama,[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]
English translations of the title, "Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta," include:
- "The Arousing of Mindfulness Discourse" (Soma, 1999)
- "The Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse" (Nyanasatta, 1994)
- "The Establishing of Mindfulness Discourse" (Thanissaro, 1995)
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 Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta is the tenth discourse in the
As for the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, this is the 22nd discourse in the
In the Chinese Canon, the Nian Chu Jing (念處經, Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra), based on a
An early Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra version also survives inside some of the large
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, entitled A History of Mindfulness.[15]
Later sources
The Satipaṭṭhāna material, including the various meditation objects and practices, is treated in various later
In post-canonical Pali commentaries, the classic commentary on the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (as well as for the entire Majjhima Nikaya) is found in Buddhaghosa's Papañcasudani (Bullitt, 2002; Soma, 2003).
Later works, such as the
Contents
Contents of the Pali version
In the Satipatthana Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya 10, the Buddha identifies four "foundations of mindfulness"
- Kāyā (body):
- mindfulness of breathing, calming the bodily formations (see also the Anapanasati Sutta);
- clear comprehensionof 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 vanishingwith regard to the body; or sustained mindfulness of the presence of the body.
- mindfulness of breathing, calming the bodily formations (see also the
- 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 vanishingwith regard to feelings; or sustained mindfulness of the presence of feelings.
- dhyana:
- Three poisons:
- lust (sarāgaṃ) or without lust (vītarāgaṃ)
- hate (sadosaṃ) or without hate (vītadosaṃ)
- delusion (samohaṃ) or without delusion (vītamohaṃ)
- Dhyana-related factors:
- In this way, remaining focussed on the mind itself; or clear comprehension of arising and vanishingwith regard to mind; or sustained mindfulness of the presence of mind
- Three poisons:
- Dhammā (elements of the Buddhist teachings):[note 7]
- the abandoning, and no future arising, of sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and uncertainty;
- the formations(mental dispositions), and consciousness;
- the six sense-bases, and the fettersthat 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 upekkha(equanimity);
- the Four Noble Truths.
- the
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
A section on Smṛtyupasthāna is found in various Tibetan and Chinese recensions of large
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]
Reconstruction | Theravāda Vibhanga
|
Sarvāstivāda Dharma-skandha | Śāriputr-ābhidharma | Theravāda Mahā-satipatṭhāna Sutta | Sarvāstivāda Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra | Ekāyana Sūtra | Long Prajñā-pāramitā Sūtra | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Body (kaya) | Impure body parts | Parts of the body | Parts of the body, 6 elements | 4 postures, Death contemplation
|
Death contemplation
|
4 postures, Death contemplation
|
Parts of the body, 4 elements, Oozing orifices, Death contemplation
|
4 Postures, Comprehension, Death contemplation
|
Feelings ( vedana )
|
Happy/pain/neutral, Carnal/spiritual | Happy/pain/neutral, Bodily/Mental, Carnal/spiritual, Sensual/Non–sensual | Happy/pain/neutral, Carnal/spiritual | Happy/pain/neutral, Carnal/spiritual | Happy/pain/neutral, Bodily/Mental, Carnal/spiritual, Sensual/Non–sensual | Happy/pain/neutral, Carnal/spiritual, No mixed feelings | N/A (the source only mentions that one practices mindfulness of feelings without elaborating) | |
Mind ( Cittā )
|
Greedy (or not), Angry, Deluded, Contracted, Exalted, Surpassed, Samādhi , Released
|
Greedy, Angry, Deluded, Contracted, Slothful, Small, Distracted, Quiet, Samādhi , Developed, Released
|
Greedy, Angry, Deluded, Contracted, Exalted, Surpassed, Samādhi, Released | Greedy, Angry, Deluded, Contracted, Exalted, Surpassed, Samādhi, Released | Greedy, Angry, Deluded, Defiled, Contracted, Small, Lower, Developed, Samādhi, Released | Greedy, Angry, Deluded, Affection, Attained, Confused, Contracted, Universal, Exalted, Surpassed, Samādhi, Released | N/A | |
Dhammā
|
Factors of Enlightenment
|
Factors of Enlightenment
|
Factors of Enlightenment
|
Factors of Enlightenment, Four Noble Truths
|
Factors of Enlightenment, Four Noble Truths
|
Factors of Enlightenment
|
jhānas
|
N/A |
Interpretation and practice
Stage of practice leading to jhana
According to
Gethin, followed by Polak and Arbel, notes that there is a "definite affinity" between the
According to Sujato, samatha and vipassana 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 first dhyana is described as a quite natural process, due to the preceding efforts to restrain the senses and the
- the six sense-baseswhich 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 dhammānupassanā).
Various practices
There are a variety of ways that one could use the methods described in the Satipaṭṭhāna 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 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
English commentaries
- ISBN 978-1899579549
- ISBN 978-1909314030
- ISBN 978-1911407102
- ISBN 978-1938754906
- ISBN 978-1622036059
- ISBN 978-1614290384
- ISBN 978-1888375626
- ISBN 978-1578635580
- ISBN 978-0861713288
- ISBN 978-9552402562
- ISBN 978-1478373063, p. 59-123
See also
- Sutta Piṭaka
- Satipatthana (Four Foundations of Mindfulness)
- Mahasati Meditation
- Kāyagatāsati Sutta
- Related practices:
- Anussati
- Bhāvanā
- Sampajanna
- Patikulamanasikara
Notes
- ^ Sanskrit: Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra स्मृत्युपस्थान सूत्र, Chinese: 念處經
- ^ 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 of nibbāna."[5]
- viññāṇais "consciousness of" (Hamilton, 2001, pp. 105-114).
- kāma), while mahaggata refers to the higher planes of forms (rūpāvacara) and formlessness (arūpāvacara) (Soma, 2003, p. 115).
- ^ The commentarial treatment of anuttara ("unsurpassed") and sa-uttara ("surpassable") is similar to its analysis of mahaggata ("become great") and amahaggata ("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 translating dhamma as "mental object" (or anything similar, such as "mental contents") is problematic for multiple reasons, including that the three prior satipatthāna (body, sensations, mind) can become mental objects in themselves, and that those objects (such as the hindrances, aggregates and sense bases) identified under this satipatthāna (dhamma) are far from an exhaustive list of all possible mental objects. Thus, Anālayo more closely identifies this sutta's dhamma 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 these dhamma "are specifically intended to invest the mind with a soteriological orientation," and Gombrich (1996, p. 36) as writing that contemplating these dhamma teaches one "to see the world through Buddhist spectacles." According to Sharf, in the Satipațțhāna-sutta the term sati 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
- jhāna), as outlined in the description of the Buddhist path found, for example, in the Sāmaññaphala-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 the five 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 single satipaṭṭhāna directly to realization. Similarly, the commentaries assign to each single satipaṭṭhāna 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 of satipaṭṭhāna, and thus be sufficient to gain realization.
- Thus any single meditation practice from the satipaṭṭhāna scheme is capable of leading to deep insight.... Nonetheless, an attempt to cover all four satipaṭṭhānas in one's practice ... ensures speedy progress and a balanced and comprehensive development.
- fetters(which are referenced in the Satipaṭṭhāna 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, but MN 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.
- vipassanaas part of formal breath meditation.
- Subnotes
- Majjhima Nikaya 12, Ñanamoli & Bodhi, 1994, where ekāyano describes a "one way only" path), its absence from other suttas, implications of speedy realization within the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta itself, and commentarial elaboration. The Pali 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 from http://dsalsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.0:1:2056.pali.895215).
References
- ^ M.i.56ff.
- ^ D.ii.290ff
- ISBN 9781500407636.
- ISBN 9781546562481.
- ^ Vipassana Research Institute, 1996, pp. 2, 3.
- ^ Sujato 2012, p. 304.
- ^ a b Anālayo 2006, pp. 29–30.
- ^ Thanissaro 2000.
- ^ Thera 1996, pp. 9–10.
- ^ The full text of this sutra in Chinese is at http://w3.cbeta.org/cgi-bin/goto.pl?linehead=T01n0026_p0582b07. An English translation (Nhat Hanh & Laity, 1990) is at http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/ebsut039.htm.
- ^ The full text of this sutra in Chinese is at https://suttacentral.net/lzh/ea12.1. An English translation (Nhat Hanh & Laity, 1990) is at https://suttacentral.net/en/ea12.1.
- Bhikkhu Sujato, p. 164
- ^ a b Sujato. A History of Mindfulness: How Insight Worsted Tranquillity in the Satipatthana Sutta Archived 2008-04-20 at the Wayback Machine, page 273.
- ^ The "dhyāna" chapter of the "Bodhisattvapiṭaka-sūtra" dissertation by Kusumita Priscilla Pedersen. Columbia University 1976 pg 64
- ^ A History of Mindfulness: How Insight Worsted Tranquillity in the Satipatthana Sutta Archived 2008-04-20 at the Wayback Machine by Bhante Sujato
- ^ Sujato. A History of Mindfulness: How Insight Worsted Tranquillity in the Satipatthana Sutta Archived 2008-04-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta: The Foundations of Mindfulness, translation by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi
- ^ a b Satipatthana Sutta: Frames of Reference, translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
- ^ Sharf 2014, p. 942.
- ^ Williams & Tribe 2000, p. 46.
- ^ Vetter 1988.
- ^ Sujato, A History of Mindfulness, 2005.
- ^ Kuan 2008, p. 107.
- ^ Kuan 2008, p. 108.
- ^ Anālayo 2013, p. 48-49.
- ^ a b Gethin 2008, p. 142.
- ^ Gethin 2004, p. 217-218.
- ^ Gethin 1992, p. 162-182.
- ^ Gethin 2004, p. 217, note 26.
- ^ Polak 2011, p. 25.
- ^ Arbel 2017.
- ^ Gethin 2004, p. 203-204.
- ^ Gethin 2004, p. 204.
- ^ Gethin 2004, p. 208.
- ^ Sujato 2012, p. 375.
- ^ Sujato 2012, p. 393.
- ^ Polak 2011.
- ^ Vetter 1988, p. XXV.
- ^ Polak 2011, p. 153-156, 196-197.
- Anapanasati Sutta.
- ^ 2006, pp. 24–25
- ^ 2003, pp. xxii - xxiv
Sources
- Arbel, Keren (2017), Early Buddhist Meditation: The Four Jhanas as the Actualization of Insight, Routledge, ISBN 9781317383994
- ISBN 1-899579-54-0
- 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.
- Gethin, Rupert (1992), The Buddhist Path to Awakening, OneWorld Publications
- Gethin, Rupert (2004), "On the Practice of Buddhist Meditation According to the Pali Nikayas and Exegetical Sources", Buddhismus in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 9: 201–21
- Gethin, Rupert (2008), Sayings of the Buddha: New Translations from the Pali Nikayas, Oxford World's Classics
- ISBN 0-87773-226-4
- ISBN 0-415-37123-6
- 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.
- ISBN 955-24-0035-X
- Hamilton, Sue (1996; reprinted 2001). Identity and Experience: The Constitution of the Human Being according to Early Buddhism. Oxford: Luzac Oriental. ISBN 1-898942-23-4.
- Kuan, Tse-fu (2008), Mindfulness in Early Buddhism: New Approaches through Psychology and Textual Analysis of Pāli, Chinese and Sanskrit Sources, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-43737-0
- Thera, Ñanamoli; Bodhi, Bhikkhu (1994), Maha-sihanada Sutta: The Great Discourse on the Lion's Roar (MN 12)
- ISBN 0-938077-34-1
- ISBN 0-87728-073-8
- Nyanasatta Thera (trans.) (1994). The Foundations of Mindfulness (MN 10). Available on-line at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.nysa.html.
- Polak, Grzegorz (2011), Reexamining Jhana: Towards a Critical Reconstruction of Early Buddhist Soteriology, UMCS
- 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/.
- Sharf, Robert (October 2014), "Mindfulness and Mindlessness in Early Chan" (PDF), Philosophy East and West, 64 (4): 933–964, S2CID 144208166
- ISBN 9781921842092
- Thera, Soma (1999), The Discourse on the Arousing of Mindfulness (MN 10)
- ISBN 955-24-0256-5
- Thanissaro, Bhikkhu (1995), Satipatthana Sutta: The Frames of Reference (MN 10)
- Thanissaro, Bhikkhu (2000), Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference (DN 22)
- Vetter, Tilmann (1988), The Ideas and Meditative Practices of Early Buddhism, BRILL
- Vipassana Research Institute (trans.) (1996). Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta: The Great Discourse on Establishing Mindfulness. Seattle, WA: Vipassana Research Publications of America. ISBN 0-9649484-0-0.
- Williams, Paul; Tribe, Anthony (2000), Buddhist Thought, Routledge
External links
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- Pali text (Satipatthana Sutta)
- Satipatthana Sutta in the original Pali SuttaCentral
- Translations (Satipatthana Sutta)
- 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
- Maha-satipatthana Sutta, translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
- Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference, translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
- Recitation (Satipatthana Sutta)