So what exactly is Satipaṭṭhāna?
Let us look at the meaning of the word first. We can resolve this compound word into sati and paṭṭhāna. The word sati is usually translated as mindfulness, and quite often as awareness too. But here, by awareness we do not mean an ordinary and superficial kind of awareness of the object, which is actually consciousness (citta or viññāṇa). Actually mindfulness (i.e. fullness of mind) is a better translation for sati since it denotes a more thorough kind of awareness. Sati is a deep and thorough kind of awareness which can lead to the arising of wisdom when properly developed. It is not a superficial kind of awareness. So we will stick to mindfulness as a translation of sati.
The commentaries explain the characteristic of mindfulness as not-floating. This means that mindfulness does not float about superficially on the surface of an object like a bottle-gourd on the surface of the water. Rather, it sinks and penetrates right into the object as a stone thrown into the water would sink and penetrate right to the bottom. It is explained in the commentaries that mindfulness occurs by descending into the object, plunging into and spreading over it. In another words mindfulness is a deep and thorough kind of awareness that goes right into the object and spreads thoroughly over it.
The function of mindfulness is non-forgetfulness. Mindfulness does not forget the object. It always remembers the object and never misses it. It keeps track of the object, keeps a close watch over it so as not to lose sight of it. This function of non-forgetfulness contributes to the thoroughness and depth of mindfulness.
The manifestation of mindfulness (i.e. how mindfulness appears to one who observes it) is the confrontation or coming face to face with the object. Mindfulness faces the object squarely. It does not shrink away from the object. The moment the object arises mindfulness is there to confront it, to plunge and sink into it. In this way it has a thorough and clear view of the object. Another way that mindfulness manifests or appears is as guarding of the mind. When mindfulness, which is a wholesome and pure state, is present in the mind it guards the mind against the intrusion of any unwholesome mental defilement such as greed, hatred, etc.
The proximate cause of mindfulness is a firm or continuous perception of the object. A superficial and sporadic perception of the object cannot give rise to mindfulness. Only when the perception is firm and continuous can mindfulness arise.
From the foregoing discussion on the characteristic, function, manifestation, and proximate cause of mindfulness we can see that mindfulness is not an ordinary or superficial kind of awareness. Rather, it is a deep and thorough kind of awareness that arises out of a firm and continuous perception of the object, that does not shrink away from the object but confronts it squarely and keeps a close watch over it, that descends and plunges into the object, spreading over it and have a thorough and clear view of it, while at the same time guarding the mind from any intrusion of mental defilement. Such kind of awareness can hardly be called superficial.
It is important to know this because Satipaṭṭhāna Vipassanā meditation is often simply called mindfulness meditation which is explained as being simply aware of whatever is happening in the present moment. While this explanation is not wrong there is a possibility that, without further explanation, one can misconstrue this to mean that as long as one is being aware of what is happening, regardless of the intensity and depth of the awareness, one is practicing correctly.
Perhaps it was to emphasize this point that the Buddha did not merely speak of mindfulness or sati, but of mindfulness that is firmly established or Satipaṭṭhāna. The word paṭṭhāna has the meaning of establishing firmly. To put in another way, the Buddha is not talking about an ordinary awareness but about an extraordinary mindfulness. So the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna can be understood to mean the practice for the firm establishment of mindfulness.
But even with this definition it is still not clear what exactly Satipaṭṭhāna is all about. How do we arouse this mindfulness and how do we practice so that it is firmly established in the mind? To answer these two questions, and also to have a more thorough understanding of the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna we have to take a look at the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta because it is there that the Buddha describes how to practice Satipaṭṭhāna and the direction that the practice must take.
The instruction for the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna as given by the Buddha is as follows:
“Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu dwells contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, overcoming covetousness and grief with regards to the world.
“He dwells contemplating feeling in feelings …He dwells contemplating consciousness in consciousness …He dwells contemplating dhamma in dhammas, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, overcoming covetousness and grief with regards to the world.”
~ Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta 10)
The first object is body or, in Pāḷi, kāya. The word kāya in Pāḷi and its English equivalent, body, both has the meaning of collection. For example when we say a body of water it refers to a collection of water e.g. lakes, oceans, seas, etc. In the context of Satipaṭṭhāna, kāya or body refers to a collection of physical materialities. And this does not necessarily refer to the entire physical body. For example when one is using the breath (āṇāpāṇa) as an object of meditation then body refers to the breath-body, the collection of materialities that arise in connection with the in and out breathe. When contemplating the rising and falling of the abdomen it refers to the collection of materialities that arise in connection with the rising and falling movement. While observing the rising and falling movement one may notice stiffness, tension or movement, which are the manifestation of wind-element. Sometimes one may also notice hardness or softness (the earth-element), or heat and cold (the fire-element), etc. So there is this collection of physical materialities connected with the rising and falling movement. When one contemplates these physical materialities present in the process of rising and falling of the abdomen one is said to be contemplating the body or kāya.
The second object is feeling. Feeling does not refer to emotions. For example the emotion of anger (I feel angry), or sadness (I feel sad), these are not the feeling that is meant in the context of Satipaṭṭhāna. Feeling refers to a mental state that experiences (or feels) the quality of the object as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Agreeable objects tend to give rise to pleasant feeling, disagreeable objects to unpleasant feeling, while objects that are neither agreeable nor disagreeable to neither pleasant nor unpleasant feeling, or neutral feeling. When we contemplate these experiences of pleasant, unpleasant or neutral feeling we are said to be contemplating feeling.
The third object is consciousness. Consciousness (citta) refers to that which is aware of the object. But the awareness here is not the same as the deep and thorough kind of awareness that is mindfulness. Consciousness refers to the mere awareness of the object. In practice when one notes the quality of knowing of the object then one can be said to be contemplating consciousness. For example at the moment of seeing a visible object with the eye if one note “seeing, seeing” one is noting or contemplating the seeing-consciousness, the knowing of the visible-object. Similarly at the moment of experiencing an object at the other sense doors, if one were to note, “hearing, hearing”, “smelling, smelling”, etc. one is contemplating consciousness, the awareness of the object.
However, for one who is just beginning to meditate, when the mindfulness and concentration is not well developed yet, when one note “seeing, seeing”, “hearing, hearing”, etc., usually it is not the consciousness that is noted but the object itself. This is because consciousness is a very subtle object and when mindfulness and concentration is still weak it is very difficult to pick up this subtle object from among the many phenomena present in one’s experience of the object. Usually it is the grosser physical phenomena that appear more clearly and the subtle knowing or consciousness is not so conspicuous. For this reason it is not advisable to begin one’s practice by emphasizing the contemplation of consciousness. One rule of thumb in the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna Vipassanā meditation is to begin by contemplating objects that are easily perceivable and conspicuous like the gross physical sensation of the body. Because the undeveloped mind can easily latch on to such gross physical objects they accord the mind an opportunity to develop the yet undeveloped mindfulness and concentration. Only after one’s mindfulness and concentration has been well developed can one see subtle objects like consciousness clearly. If one tries to emphasize the contemplation of subtle objects like consciousness when the mindfulness and concentration is not yet strong and developed, the mind will continuously fall away from the object since it is unable to hold on to them. In this way one cannot develop one’s practice and make progress. In fact, one would be wasting a lot of time and, possibly, also fall away from the practice.
Also, when yogis say that they observe the mind it is usually not the consciousness that they are observing but the mental-states (cetasika) associated with the consciousness such as greed, anger, restlessness, worry, jealousy, etc. It is easier to observe mental-states than consciousness. This is because consciousness plays a passive role in the process of knowing the object. It is the mental-states that actively work on the object in order that the mind as a whole can come to know the object. Consciousness can be compared to a reclusive king that rules a country, and mental-states to the ministers that perform various function to help the king to rule the country. Although we say that the king rule the country it is actually the ministers that are actually doing all the work. Similarly it is the mental-states that actively work on the object which enables consciousness to come to know the object. Because the mental-states are more active compare to consciousness they are more conspicuous compare to consciousness and therefore easier to observe.
Consciousness which is the mere awareness of the object can also be compare to pure, transparent water whereas mental-states are like dye added to the water. Consciousness and its associated mental-states are inseparable just as water and the dye added to it are inseparable. But between these two it is the mental-states that is more easily seen when we look at the mind just as when we look at a glass of dyed water it is the colour of the dye that appears more conspicuously first and not the water. Only on a closer look will we notice the water. Similarly if we observe the mental-states carefully we will eventually be able to see the subtle consciousness associated with them. And we usually call the water by the name of the dye: red-water, blue-water, green-water, etc. So similarly when speaking of the contemplation of consciousness in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta the Buddha speaks of consciousness in relation to the mental-states that it is associated with: consciousness with lust, consciousness with hate, consciousness with delusion, etc.
The fourth and the last object is dhamma. Here dhamma does not refer to the Buddha’s teaching but to a range of objects: the five hindrances, the five aggregates subject to clinging, the six internal and six external sense-bases, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Four Noble Truths. Since it covers such a wide range of objects with different nature it is rather difficult to translate this word dhamma into English.
Notice that the previous three objects, body, feeling, and consciousness, are included among these dhamma objects. The difference is that in the practice of the previous three contemplations one focuses mindfulness in a very specific way to either body, feeling, or consciousness. Other objects are not ignored but emphasis is given to the contemplation of either the body, feeling, or consciousness. However, in the practice of contemplation of dhamma no such emphasis is given to any particular object. Rather one contemplates whatever object arises without any differentiation. Whatever dhamma arises within one’s experience in the moment is taken as an object and contemplated.
These are the four foundation of mindfulness, the four objects of contemplation on which one can focus mindfulness on in the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna. They are also called the domain of mindfulness (satigocara). Although there are many objects that are included in these four foundations of mindfulness (e.g. in-out breath, postures of the body, four elements, feelings, consciousness, five hindrance, five-aggregates, etc.) we can simplify them by categorizing all these objects into two broad categories: mind and matter (nāma-rūpa).
And the Buddha said we must contemplate these four objects when we practice Satipaṭṭhāna. To contemplate (anupassana) means to observe the object continuously. Passana means seeing while the prefix anu has the meaning of continuously, repeatedly, again and again. So anupassana or contemplation actually means to see or observe the object with mindfulness continuously, repeatedly, again and again. This means that mindfulness must be continuous. There must be no break in the continuity of mindfulness in the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna. Mindfulness must be directed to the contemplation of the object moment after moment after moment.
This continuity is very important, for without it wisdom or understanding with regards to the nature of the object cannot arise. The late Ven. Mahāsi Sayādaw has compared this continuity to the process of starting a fire in the old days by rubbing two sticks together. One needs to continuously rub the two sticks together and not stop until the heat generated by the friction of the two sticks is intense enough to spark off a fire. Should one take a rest after only a little heat had been generated, the heat will be lost and one will have to begin all over again. Similarly one need to rub mindfulness continuously onto the object and not stop doing so until the heat of concentration and knowledge becomes intense enough to spark off the process of liberation, the realization of Nibbāna. Should one stop half way the momentum of mindfulness is lost, concentration and knowledge will suffer a set back and one will have to begin again.
In the Mahāsi method of Satipaṭṭhāna Vipassanā practice there is the system of noting the primary and secondary objects which ensures this continuity of mindfulness if the yogi follows it carefully. In the absence of any other prominent object the yogi is instructed to note or be mindful of the primary object (e.g. rising and falling movement of the abdomen). But when another object arises which is more prominent than the primary object, then, without a break in the continuity of mindfulness, the yogi must direct his mindfulness to noting this secondary object (e.g. physical sensation, thoughts, emotions, etc.). Once the secondary object disappear or becomes less prominent than the primary object then, without a break in the continuity of mindfulness, the yogi must direct his mindfulness back to the primary object. If the yogi follows this instruction carefully there will be no break in his mindfulness. Mindfulness will be continuously flowing from moment to moment towards some object whether primary or secondary.
Not only must mindfulness be continuous, it must also be precise, accurate and clear. And so the Buddha did not just say to contemplate the body, but to contemplate the body in the body. Similarly he said to contemplate feeling in feelings, consciousness in consciousness, dhamma in dhammas. The Buddha mentioned the object twice because he wants the yogi to contemplate precisely. When contemplating the body one contemplates only the body, the collection of physical materialities, in the body. One does not contemplate feeling, consciousness, or dhammas in the body. Only when the mindfulness is precise and clear can one pick up the object precisely and clearly. Otherwise there will be confusion mistaking feeling, etc. as body.
To contemplate the body in the body also means that when one contemplate the body one sees only the body, the collection of physical materialities, in the body. One does not see anything else apart from the body such as a man, a woman, a person, etc. And similarly for contemplation of feeling in feelings, etc.
Then the Buddha said “ardent.” This refers to ardent energetic effort. In Pāḷi the word used is ātāpī. It is derived from ātāpa which means heat. Ātāpī means one who possesses this heat or ātāpa. The late Sayādaw U Sīlānanda explained this using another related word ātapa which means the heat of the sun. The heat of the sun can be very intense and it can burn. During the hot or summer season in some countries the heat of the sun can become so intense that things begin to burn, e.g. the bushfire in Australia. Ātāpī means one who possesses the ardent energetic effort which is so intense like the heat of the sun that it burns away the mental defilement.
"The bhikkhu who delights in vigilance,
Who sees danger in negligence,
Advances like fire that burns,
All fetters great or small."
~ Dhammapada 31
In the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna meditation it is this ardent energetic effort that fuels and drives the process of contemplation with mindfulness. Without it one’s meditation is like a car without fuel. It will not move an inch and one will not be able to reach one’s desired destination which in the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna means the complete cessation of suffering. The importance of making ardent energetic effort in the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna meditation cannot be emphasized enough. We have all been wandering along in this repeated cycle of birth and death or saṃsāra for an unimaginable long period of time. Why is it that after such a long time we are still stuck here? It is because the forces that have kept us bound to saṃsāra, ignorance and craving, are very strong and unyielding. And so far our effort had not been intense enough to burn away ignorance and craving, to shake them away and overcome them. In order to overcome ignorance and craving and all the other mental defilement which also contribute towards lengthening our suffering in saṃsāra, the effort that we bring into the practice of meditation need to be stronger than these mental defilement. It needs to be as intense as the heat of the burning sun so that the defilement can be burnt away. We need to make ardent intense energetic effort to contemplate the nature of the object with mindfulness so as to develop a profound understanding about the true nature of the object. Only with such an understanding or wisdom can ignorance be overcome and with it also craving and all the other mental defilement.
“But what, Master Gotama, is most helpful for the attainment of truth? We ask Master Gotama about the thing that is most helpful for the attainment of truth.”
“Striving, Bhāradvāja, is most helpful for the attainment of truth. One who does not strive does not attain the truth. But because one strives one attains the truth. Therefore striving is most helpful for the attainment of truth.”
~ Canki Sutta, Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta 95
Also the effort is directed towards arousing mindfulness, directing the mindfulness continuously onto the object, and sustaining it there. Effort is not use to force the mind to concentrate on the object in the absence of mindfulness. Mindfulness must be given priority over concentration. This is not to say that concentration is not important, for without concentration wisdom into the nature of things cannot arise. But it is the continuous and sustained mindfulness over a period of time that gives rise to concentration. When effort is made to continuously bring mindfulness onto the object, as mindfulness flows again and again onto the object it builds up momentum such that eventually it becomes fixed and concentrated onto the moment to moment flow of the object. So concentration arises out of making effort in the development of mindfulness. That is why in concentration group of the Noble Eightfold Path right effort comes first follow by right mindfulness and then only right concentration. One makes right effort to arouse right mindfulness which in turns leads to right concentration. And this is a safe approach to the practice. If instead of directing effort to the development of mindfulness, one make effort to concentrate the mind onto the object, bypassing mindfulness, even though concentration may arise but in the absence of mindfulness to guard the mind there is every possibility that mental defilement may arise. For example strong unwholesome desire may arise that cause one to become too obsess with the object; or ill-will may arise towards disturbances from various hindrances. And if the mind becomes concentrated these defilement also becomes concentrated together with it and this may lead to complication in the practice. Therefore it is safer to approach concentration via mindfulness.
After this the Buddha said “clearly comprehending” or sampajāno. Sampajāno means knowing (jāno) thoroughly(saṃ) and clearly (pa). It is actually wisdom or understanding. Clear comprehension does not come at the beginning of the practice. In the beginning of the practice one need to summon up ardent energetic effort to arouse mindfulness and to direct mindfulness continuously and precisely onto the object of Satipaṭṭhāna. One needs to persist on in the practice with energetic effort in order to overcome the hindrances in the practice that prevents wisdom from arising. Once the hindrances are overcome the mind settles down into concentration, and with concentration the nature of the object appears clearly and is comprehended. For example if one is contemplating the rising and falling movement of the abdomen, when concentration arise one will begin to discern the nature of the physical elements involved in the process such as stiffness, tension, movement, vibration, etc. One will also discern the mind that knows these physical qualities. Thus one comes to know the nature of the mental and physical phenomena that are noted. Then one will also come to discern the cause and effect relationship between these phenomena, how phenomena condition other phenomena to arise. One will comprehend clearly how these phenomena arise only in the presence of suitable conditions not in the absence of it. As the practice develops further one will also discern the impermanent, suffering, and non-self nature of these phenomena in various levels of profundity. All these knowledge and understanding that are discerned in the practice constitute clear comprehension.
Then the Buddha said “mindful” or satimā. Mindfulness or sati is the main ingredient of the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna. Without sati we cannot even speak of Satipaṭṭhāna. We have discussed about mindfulness in terms of its characteristic, function, etc. above. So it is already clear what mindfulness is. Here the commentary said:
“Having laid hold of the object with mindfulness this [yogi] contemplates with wisdom; for there is no contemplation on part of one who is without mindfulness. Therefore it is said ‘Mindfulness, bhikkhus, is needed under all circumstances.’ (Saṃyutta Nikāya, Bojjhaṅgasaṃyutta, Sutta 53) ”So whenever we meditate we must always have mindfulness. It is only when there is mindfulness that wisdom can arise, because it is mindfulness that brings about right concentration which enables wisdom or right view to arise. Also, whatever meditation we are practicing it is important to have mindfulness because, as we have discussed above, it is mindfulness that guards the mind from intrusion by any mental defilement. Without mindfulness these mental defilement may arise in the mind and if concentration were to arise under such a circumstances it is these mental defilement that will be concentrated and this will lead to complication in the practice.
So far in our discussion of the Buddha’s instruction for the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna we can see that even though this practice is called Satipaṭṭhāna, the practice for the firm establishment of mindfulness, sati or mindfulness is not the only thing that is being developed in this practice. Ardent energetic effort, wisdom, and, as we shall see shortly, concentration (and with it all the jhāna factors such as initial and sustained application, etc.) are also being developed hand in hand with mindfulness. So even though Satipaṭṭhāna Vipassanā meditation is sometimes called mindfulness meditation we must understand that just being mindful alone is not enough for the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna. Mindfulness must be accompanied by the other mental qualities just mentioned.
According to the commentary by “ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful” the Buddha is pointing out those states that ensures the success of one’s meditation practice. So to succeed in one’s meditation practice one need to make ardent intense energetic effort to arouse mindfulness and to direct this mindfulness continuously and accurately onto the object of contemplation until the nature of the object being contemplated is clearly comprehended with wisdom. But as we have mentioned above, before wisdom can arise there must be concentration first. Concentration is not mentioned in the Buddha’s instruction in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta. But it is implied by the mention of clear comprehension which is wisdom. For it is from concentration that wisdom that sees things as they really are arise.
“Develop concentration, bhikkhus. A bhikkhu who is concentrated understands things as they really are.”
~ Saṃyutta Nikāya, Saḷāyatanasaṃyutta, Sutta 99
With regards to the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna, it is stated in the Commentary that overcoming (vineyya) of covetousness and grief can be accomplished in two ways, by means of substitution with an opposite factor (tadaṅga-vinaya) or by means of suppression (vikkhambhana-vinaya). Overcoming by means of substitution with an opposite factor means overcoming an unwholesome state such as covetousness and grief by substituting it with a wholesome state such as mindfulness and clear comprehension. The effect of this overcoming is only momentary. Covetousness and grief are overcome only at the moment when mindfulness and clear comprehension are present in the mind. The next moment, if there should occur a lapse in mindfulness, covetousness and grief may return. But with the continuous aiming and directing of mindfulness onto the object the jhāna factors becomes developed and eventually become strong enough to suppress the unwholesome states for a longer period of time such that even if one were to stop meditating for a while the unwholesome states do not return immediately. This is overcoming by means of suppression which is accomplished when the jhāna factors are developed to at least the level of access concentration or momentary concentration, or even the level of absorption concentration (appaṇā-samādhi). But although the effect of overcoming by means of suppression last for a while after one has stopped meditating it is not permanent. It is only a temporary overcoming. The unwholesome state will return eventually if one do not keep up with one’s meditation practice. There is another kind of overcoming, that is by means of cutting off (samuccheda). This is the permanent overcoming of the mental defilement by means of the noble path at the moment of realization of Nibbāna. But the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna which stands in the mundane preliminary stage of the path (pubbabhāga-magga) does not involve this kind of overcoming although it is the practice that leads to it.
So this is the instruction given by the Buddha on how to practice Satipaṭṭhāna meditation. In brief the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna is the practice to establish firmly in the mind a very intense, deep, and thorough kind of awareness called mindfulness. In the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna the yogi first summon up ardent energetic effort to arouse mindfulness. Then, driven by this ardent energetic effort he aim and direct this mindfulness accurately and continuously onto the objects of contemplation i.e. the body, feeling, consciousness and dhamma. By doing so the jhāna factors accompanying mindfulness will eventually developed enough strength to overcome the hindrances to the practice. Concentration will then arise fixing the mind onto the objects of contemplation. And with further ardent, continuous and precise application of concentrated mindfulness onto the objects, the nature of these objects occurs more and more distinctly to the mind and is clearly comprehended.
But up to this point the description of the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna is still not yet complete. Satipaṭṭhāna as we said earlier constitute the factor of right-mindfulness of the Noble Eightfold Path, the path that leads to the cessation of suffering. Since Satipaṭṭhāna is part of this Noble Eightfold Path it follows that it must also contribute to the goal of the path: the cessation of suffering. It does so by directing the mind towards the development of vipassanā wisdom. This will be discussed in the next post.
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