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The Discourse on Foundations of Mindfulness: Body, Feeling, Mind and Phenomena in Seven Ways
Practice

The Discourse on Foundations of Mindfulness: Body, Feeling, Mind and Phenomena in Seven Ways

สติปฏฺฐานกถา

The Paṭisambhidāmagga explains the four foundations of mindfulness as contemplating body, feeling, mind and phenomena as impermanent, suffering and not-self, until one becomes disenchanted, dispassionate, brings to cessation and relinquishes. It distinguishes what is observed, which is not mindfulness, from mindfulness, which is both what is established and mindfulness itself.

8 points

The Discourse on Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhānakathā) in the Chapter on Wisdom of the Paṭisambhidāmagga, Khuddaka Nikāya, opens with the Buddha's words on the four foundations of mindfulness: a monk dwells contemplating the body in the body, feelings in feelings, mind in mind and phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure for the world.

The Paṭisambhidāmagga is a text of the Khuddaka Nikāya that explains topics of the Dhamma systematically. By tradition it is attributed to Venerable Sāriputta, while most scholars consider it a later compilation.

Rather than setting out many different exercises as in the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, this discourse uses one pattern for all four foundations: contemplation in seven ways. It says what mistaken perception each way abandons, and then gives four meanings of the word "development" (bhāvanā).

  1. 1

    The four foundations of mindfulness in the Buddha's words กาเย กายานุปสฺสี วิหรติ อาตาปี สมฺปชาโน สติมา

    A monk dwells contemplating the body in the body, feelings in feelings, mind in mind and phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure for the world.

    Applying it in daily life

    During the day, ask briefly: "How is my body right now? How are my feelings? How is my mind? And what am I thinking about?"

  2. 2

    Seeing the body as heaps ปฐวีกายํ อนิจฺจโต อนุปสฺสติ

    Some monk contemplates the earth-body as impermanent, and in the same way the water-body, fire-body and air-body, and the heaps of head hair, body hair, outer skin, hide, flesh, sinew, bone and bone marrow.

    Applying it in daily life

    When showering or getting a haircut, try seeing hair and skin as parts that are always changing. It can ease worry about your looks.

  3. 3

    Contemplating in seven ways อิเมหิ สตฺตหากาเรหิ กายํ อนุปสฺสติ

    One contemplates it as impermanent, not as permanent; as suffering, not as happiness; as not-self, not as self. One becomes disenchanted, not delighting; dispassionate, not lusting; one brings it to cessation, not originating it; one relinquishes, not grasping.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you are strongly attached to something, start with the first three questions: Is it permanent? Does it give true happiness? Is it really mine?

  4. 4

    What each way abandons อนิจฺจโต อนุปสฺสนฺโต นิจฺจสญฺญํ ปชหติ

    Contemplating it as impermanent, one abandons the perception of permanence; as suffering, the perception of happiness; as not-self, the perception of self. Being disenchanted, one abandons delight; being dispassionate, lust; bringing to cessation, origination; relinquishing, grasping.

    Applying it in daily life

    If you notice yourself expecting something to last forever, that is the point to train in seeing impermanence before anything else.

  5. 5

    The body appears, but is not mindfulness กาโย อุปฏฺฐานํ โน สติ

    The body is what appears, but it is not mindfulness. Mindfulness is both what appears and mindfulness itself. The monk contemplates that body with that mindfulness and that knowledge, so it is called the development of the foundation of mindfulness as contemplation of the body in the body. Feeling, mind and phenomena are explained in the same way.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you have a headache or feel stressed, try saying inwardly "pain is being known" instead of "I'm in pain". You'll see there is a knowing that isn't drowned in the pain.

  6. 6

    Watching every kind of feeling สุขํ เวทนํ อนิจฺจโต อนุปสฺสติ

    Some monk contemplates pleasant feeling, painful feeling, neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, and feeling born of contact through the eye, ear, nose and so on, in the same seven ways as the body.

    Applying it in daily life

    Pleasure needs watching just as pain does. When eating something delicious, notice how the flavour fades over the following mouthfuls.

  7. 7

    Watching mind and phenomena สราคํ จิตฺตํ อนิจฺจโต อนุปสฺสติ

    Some monk contemplates a mind with lust, a mind without lust, a mind with hatred, a mind with delusion, a contracted mind, a distracted mind, a concentrated mind, a liberated mind, and eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-, body- and mind-consciousness, in the seven ways. For phenomena, leaving aside body, feeling and mind, one contemplates the remaining phenomena in the same seven ways.

    Applying it in daily life

    When angry, know "the mind has hatred now", then see that it doesn't stay that way. In a little while it changes.

  8. 8

    Four meanings of development อินฺทฺริยานํ เอกรสฏฺเฐน ภาวนา

    The word development (bhāvanā) has four meanings: the states arising in it do not exceed one another; the faculties have a single function; it carries the energy suited to those two; and it is repeatedly practised.

    Applying it in daily life

    Good meditation isn't pushing one quality hard, but letting faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom move together, and repeating it steadily every day, even for just a few minutes.

Try it in daily life

The principle you can use every day is separating "what is observed" from "what observes". Pain, irritation or scattered thoughts are things that appear for mindfulness to notice, not the whole of who we are. Seeing it this way makes room in the mind.

You don't need to go through all seven ways at once. Simply starting by seeing that this feeling is impermanent and keeps changing already helps loosen the grip a great deal.

Contemplating the body as heaps of elements, hair and bones is meant to reduce clinging, not to make you dislike your own body. If the contemplation leaves you feeling more depressed, return first to the breath or to a pleasant sense of ease in the body.

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