Satipatthana Sutta

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The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta and the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta are two of the most popular works in the Pali canon, embraced by both Theravada and Mahayana practitioners (see, e.g., Nhat Hanh, 2005). The Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta is identical to the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta except that the former expands the latter's section regarding mindfulness of the Four Noble Truths; thus, the former is larger (Pali, maha).

These suttas provide a means for practicing mindfulness in a variety of contexts and potentially continuously. Famously, the Buddha declares at the beginning of this sutta:

"This is the one and only way [Pāli: ekāyano ... maggo], monks, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the existinguishing of suffering and grief, for walking on the path of truth, for the realisation of nibbāna...." [Boldface added.] (Vipassana Research Institute, 1996, pp. 2, 3.)

1 The Text
2 Commentaries
3 References

[edit] The Text

[edit] Origins

In the Buddhist Tipitaka, the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta is the tenth sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya (and is thus often represented as MN 10).

The Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta is the twenty-second sutta of the Digha Nikaya (and is thus often represented as DN 22).

[edit] Title Translation

English translations of the title, "Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta," include:

"The Arousing of Mindfulness Discourse" [1]
"The Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse" [2]
"The Frames of Reference Discourse"[3]

According to Thanissaro (2000) and Nyanaponika (1996, pp. 9-10), part of the reason for the variety in this title's translation has to do with how the compound Pāli word "satipaṭṭhāna" is analyzed. It can be interpreted as "sati-paṭṭhāna" (roughly, "mindfulness-foundation") or "sati-upaṭṭhāna" (roughly, "mindfulness-establishment").

In regards to the prefix "Maha-" in the Pāli title of DN 22, this simply means "great" and likely refers to DN 22's expanded section on mindfulness of the Fourth Noble Truths.

[edit] Contents

In this sutta, the Buddha identifies four references for establishing mindfulness: body, sensations (or feelings), mind (or consciousness) and mental contents. These are then further broken down into the following sections and subsections:

Body (Kāyā)
1. Breathing (also see the Anapanasati Sutta)
2. Postures
3. Clear Comprehending
4. Reflections on Repulsiveness of the Body
5. Reflections on Material Elements
6. Cemetery Contemplations
Sensations (Vedanā)
Mind (Cittā)
Mental Contents (Dhammā)
1. The Hindrances
2. The Aggregates
3. The Sense-Bases
4. The Factors of Enlightenment
5. The Four Noble Truths

[edit] Commentaries

In the Pali literature, 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).

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] Bibliography

Bullitt, John (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.
Nhat Hanh, Thich (trans. Annabel Laity) (2005). Transformation and Healing : Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness . Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press. ISBN 0-938077-34-1.
Nyanaponika Thera (1996). The Heart of Buddhist Meditation: A Handbook of Mental Training based on the Buddha's Way of Mindfulness. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-073-8.
Nyanasatta Thera (trans.) (1994). The Foundations of Mindfulness. Available on-line at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.nysa.html.
Soma Thera (trans.) (1999). The Discourse on the Arousing of Mindfulness. Available on-line at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.soma.html.
Soma Thera (trans.) (2003). The Way of Mindfulness. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. ISBN 955-24-0256-5. Also available on-line in a 1998 version at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/soma/wayof.html.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1995). The Frames of Reference. Available on-line at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.than.html.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2000). Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference. Available on-line at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.than.html.
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.