Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta

English Translation Thus have I heard: Once the Blessed One was living among the Kurus, at a market town called Kammāsadhamma. There the Blessed One addressed the monks: "Monks!" — "Venerable Sir," they replied. The Blessed One said: "This is the direct path, monks, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of physical pain and mental sorrow, for the attainment of the true method, for the realization of Nibbāna — namely, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Cattāro Satipaṭṭhānā). What are the four? Here, monks, a monk: 1. Dwells contemplating the body in the body, ardent (ātāpī), clearly comprehending (sampajāno), mindful (satimā), having put away covetousness and grief regarding the world; 2. Dwells contemplating feelings in feelings, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief regarding the world; 3. Dwells contemplating mind in the mind, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief regarding the world; 4. Dwells contemplating mental phenomena in mental phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief regarding the world."

English Translation And how, monks, does a monk dwell contemplating the body in the body? Here, a monk, gone to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an empty hut, sits down cross-legged, holding his body erect, and setting mindfulness before him. Mindfully he breathes in, mindfully he breathes out: Breathing in long, he discerns: "I breathe in long"; breathing out long, he discerns: "I breathe out long"; Breathing in short, he discerns: "I breathe in short"; breathing out short, he discerns: "I breathe out short"; He trains: "Experiencing the whole body of breath, I will breathe in"; he trains: "Experiencing the whole body of breath, I will breathe out"; He trains: "Calming bodily formation, I will breathe in"; he trains: "Calming bodily formation, I will breathe out". In this way he dwells contemplating the body in the body internally, or externally, or both internally and externally. He contemplates origination-factors in the body, or dissolution-factors, or both origination and dissolution. Or mindfulness that "there is a body" is simply established in him to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and awareness. And he dwells independent, clinging to nothing in the world.

English Translation Again, monks, when walking, a monk understands: "I am walking"; when standing, he understands: "I am standing"; when sitting, he understands: "I am sitting"; when lying down, he understands: "I am lying down"; or in whatever position his body is placed, he understands it accordingly. Again, monks, a monk acts with clear comprehension (sampajañña): when walking forward and stepping backward; when looking straight ahead and looking away; when bending and stretching his limbs; when wearing robes and carrying the alms-bowl; when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting; when defecating and urinating; when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, speaking, and remaining silent.

English Translation Again, monks, a monk reflects on this very body, from the soles of the feet up and from the hair of the head down, enclosed by skin, full of manifold impurities: "In this body there are: head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin; flesh, sinews, bones, bone-marrow, kidneys; heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs; large intestine, small intestine, contents of stomach, feces, brain; bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat; tears, grease, saliva, mucus, fluid of the joints, urine." Again, monks, a monk reflects on this very body according to elements: "In this body there is the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the air element." Again, monks, just as if he were to see a corpse cast away in a charnel ground, one day dead, two days dead, or three days dead, swollen, blue-black, and festering... he applies this perception to his own body: "This body too is of such a nature, will become like that, and cannot escape it."

English Translation And how, monks, does a monk dwell contemplating feelings in feelings? Here, when feeling a pleasant feeling, a monk understands: "I feel a pleasant feeling"; when feeling a painful feeling, he understands: "I feel a painful feeling"; when feeling a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he understands: "I feel a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling". When feeling a worldly pleasant feeling, he understands: "I feel a worldly pleasant feeling"; when feeling an unworldly pleasant feeling, he understands: "I feel an unworldly pleasant feeling"; similarly with painful feelings and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feelings, whether worldly or unworldly. In this way he dwells contemplating feelings in feelings internally, externally, or both. Mindfulness that "there is feeling" is established in him simply for bare knowledge and awareness. He lives detached, clinging to nothing in the world.

English Translation And how, monks, does a monk dwell contemplating mind in the mind? Here, a monk understands: Mind with lust as "mind with lust", and mind without lust as "mind without lust"; Mind with anger as "mind with anger", and mind without anger as "mind without anger"; Mind with delusion as "mind with delusion", and mind without delusion as "mind without delusion"; Contracted (sluggish) mind as "contracted mind", and distracted mind as "distracted mind"; Exalted mind as "exalted mind", and unexalted mind as "unexalted mind"; Surpassed mind as "surpassed mind", and unsurpassed mind as "unsurpassed mind"; Concentrated mind as "concentrated mind", and unconcentrated mind as "unconcentrated mind"; Liberated mind as "liberated mind", and unliberated mind as "unliberated mind". In this way he dwells contemplating mind in the mind internally, externally, or both. Mindfulness that "there is a mind" is established in him simply for bare knowledge and awareness. He dwells independent, clinging to nothing in the world.

English Translation And how, monks, does a monk dwell contemplating mental phenomena in mental phenomena? Here, a monk contemplates mental phenomena in terms of the Five Hindrances (Nīvaraṇa): When sensual desire (kāmacchanda) is present within him, he understands: "There is sensual desire in me"; when it is absent, he understands: "There is no sensual desire in me"; he understands how unarisen sensual desire arises, how arisen sensual desire is abandoned, and how abandoned sensual desire does not arise again. He understands ill will (byāpāda), sluggishness and drowsiness (thīnamiddha), restlessness and remorse (uddhaccakukkucca), and doubt (vicikicchā) in the same way. Again, monks, a monk contemplates mental phenomena in terms of the Five Aggregates of Clinging (Upādānakkhandha): "Such is form (matter), such its arising, such its disappearance; such is feeling... such is perception... such are mental formations... such is consciousness, such its arising, such its disappearance."

English Translation Again, monks, a monk contemplates mental phenomena in terms of the Six Internal and External Sense Bases (Āyatana): He understands the eye, he understands visible forms, and he understands the fetter (saṃyojana) that arises dependent on both; similarly he understands the ear and sounds, the nose and odors, the tongue and flavors, the body and tactile objects, the mind and mental objects, and the fetters arising from them. Again, monks, a monk contemplates mental phenomena in terms of the Seven Factors of Awakening (Bojjhaṅga): When the mindfulness factor of awakening is present in him, he understands: "There is the mindfulness factor of awakening in me"; similarly with investigation-of-states (dhammavicaya), energy (vīriya), joy (pīti), tranquility (passaddhi), concentration (samādhi), and equanimity (upekkhā).

English Translation Again, monks, a monk contemplates mental phenomena in terms of the Four Noble Truths: Here, a monk understands as it really is: "This is suffering"; he understands as it really is: "This is the origin of suffering"; he understands as it really is: "This is the cessation of suffering"; he understands as it really is: "This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering". And what is the Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering? It is simply this Noble Eightfold Path, namely: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

English Translation "Monks, whoever develops these Four Foundations of Mindfulness in this way for seven years may expect one of two fruits: either highest gnosis (Arahantship) here and now, or, if there is a trace of clinging left, the state of a Non-returner (Anāgāmī). Let alone seven years... six years... five... four... three... two... one year... seven months... or even just seven days! Whoever develops these Four Foundations of Mindfulness in this way for just seven days may expect one of two fruits: either highest gnosis here and now, or the state of a Non-returner. It was with reference to this that it was said: 'This is the direct path, monks, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and grief, for the attainment of the true method, for the realization of Nibbāna — namely, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.'" Thus spoke the Blessed One. Delighted, the monks rejoiced in the Blessed One's words.