There are several technical terms in Pāli which are of significance both in the field of pariyatti (theory) and paṭipatti (practice). One such word is sampajañña.
This term often occurs along with sati in expressions such as sati sampajaññaṃ, or sato ca sampajāno, or sato sampajāno. As a result, it has been widely interpreted as an exhortation to be mindful and has been defined as being nearly synonymous with sato1 (awareness), merely indicating a greater intensity of awareness. However, the texts of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka suggest a different rendering of this word. In the Dhammasaṅgaṇī, Vibhaṅga and Dhātukhathā we find the following definition of sampajāno:
Sampajāno ti tattha katamaṃ sampajaññaṃ? Yā paññā pajānanā vicayo pavicayo dhammavicayo sallakkhaṇā upalakkhaṇā paccupalakkhaṇā paṇḍiccaṃ kosallaṃ nepuññaṃ vebhabyā cintā upaparikkhā bhūrī medhā pariṇāyikā vipassanā sampajaññaṃ... sammādiṭṭhi – idaṃ vuccati sampajaññaṃ. 2
What is sampajañña? That which is wisdom, understanding, investigation, deep investigation, truth investigation, discernment, discrimination, differentiation, erudition, proficiency, skill, analysis, consideration, close examination, breadth, sagacity, guidance, insight, thorough understanding of impermanence, ... and right view—this is called sampajañña.
This plethora of nouns and metaphors clearly conveys that sampajañña is not awareness but wisdom. This definition is confirmed by the etymology of the word, formed by the addition of the prefix 'saṃ'3 to 'pajānanā',4 'knowing with wisdom'. Rather, it refers to an intensified kind of understanding: knowing correctly with wisdom or knowing in totality with thorough understanding. The exhortation of the Buddha is to develop not simply awareness but also wisdom. That is why the text states: sampajaññaṃ ti paññā. Sampajañña is wisdom.
The commentaries explain more precisely what sampajañña consists of:
Sammā pakārehi aniccādini jānātī ti sampajaññaṃ.5
One who knows impermanence in the right way (as well as suffering and egolessness) has wisdom, sampajañña.
Samantato pakārehi pakaṭṭhaṃ vā savisesaṃ jānātī ti sampajāno. 6
One who understands the totality clearly with wisdom from all angles (of whatever is happening moment to moment), or who knows distinctly, has sampajañña.
The Buddha always taught that wisdom (paññā) is knowing things from different angles in the correct way. He used these descriptions: 'sammā pakārehi jānānaṃ' (seeing from different perspectives, in totality); 'samantato pakārehi jānānaṃ' (having a complete and correct picture, so that nothing is left unseen and unknown):
Sammā, samantato, sāmañca pajānanto sampajāno.7
One who knows in a right way in totality through one's own wisdom is sampajāno.
In particular, as meditators we must see not only the superficial, external appearances of things, that is, the apparent truth (sammuti sacca), but also the ultimate (paramattha sacca) or subtle understanding of reality. The apparent truth about the world and ourselves is that we exist as individual separate entities, but the ultimate truth is that every moment, everything, both the world as well as ourselves, is in constant flux. This fact of impermanence has to be realised on the basis of experience, not merely at the intellectual level. It is only when we experience this reality of arising and passing away that we emerge from suffering (dukkha) and egotism (attā). This is what sampajañña enables us to do.
Therefore, for a meditator, sampajañña is complete understanding. It is insight into all aspects of the human phenomenon, mental as well as physical. One must understand that whenever the mind encounters an object, it perceives and evaluates it in a distorted way through the coloured lens of past conditioning; it therefore reacts with ignorance, craving or aversion. This is the process that produces suffering because wisdom is lacking.
The mind is reflected in the body, and it is through its physical manifestation that we can clearly grasp its nature of arising and passing away. This is why we find in the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta that the paragraph on sampajañña is contained in the section on the observation of body (kāyānupassanā). To realise the fact of impermanence of our bodily activities, we must experience them at the level of sensations (vedanā) felt within the body. At a deep intuitive level these enable us to recognise our ephemeral nature.
Thus, sampajañña is the realisation of our own ephemeral nature at the deepest level. Far from being the equivalent of sati, it is the complement of sati.
The uniting of these two faculties is satipaṭṭhāna, the establishing of awareness, by means of which we can reach the goal of freedom from suffering.
Notes: (All references are to the VRI edition.)
- For examples, see Pāli-English Dictionary, ed. T. W. Rhys Davids, Pāli Text Society London, 1925, entries for sampajañña and sampajāno.
- Dhammasaṅgaṇī, 1359; Vibhaṅga 360; Puggalapaññatti, 80
- See A Dictionary of the Pāli Language, ed. R. C. Childers, Kegan Paul Ltd, London, 1909, p. 423, under entry for 'sam'.
- pa + jānana = pajānana – know with wisdom
- Dhammasaṅgaṇī Aṭṭhakathā, 16,
Kāmāvacarakusalabhājamiyaṃ; Paṭisambhidamagga Aṭṭhakathā, 1.1.108 - 9
- Dīgha Nikāya Ṭikā 2.373
- Saṃyutta Nikāya Ṭikā, 3. 5. 367