- By Vipassana Research Institute
The practice of the fourfold satipatṭhāna, the establishing of awareness, has been highly praised by the Buddha in the suttas. Mentioning its importance in the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, the Buddha called it 'ekayāno maggo', the only way for the purification of beings, for overcoming sorrow, for extinguishing suffering, for walking on the path of truth and for realising nibbāna (liberation).1
In the sutta, the Buddha presented a practical method for developing self-knowledge by means of kāyānupassanā (observation of the body), vedanānupassanā (observation of sensations), cittānupassanā (observation of the mind), and dhammānupassanā (observation of the contents of the mind).2
To explore the truth about ourselves, we must examine what we are: body and mind. We must learn to observe these directly within ourselves. Accordingly, we must keep three points in mind: 1) The reality of the body may be imagined by contemplation, but to experience it directly, one must work with vedanā (body sensations) arising within it. 2) Similarly, the actual experience of the mind is attained by working with the contents of the mind. Therefore, in the same way as the body and sensations cannot be experienced separately, the mind cannot be observed apart from the contents of the mind. 3) Mind and matter are so closely interrelated that the contents of the mind always manifest themselves as sensations in the body. For this reason the Buddha said:
Vedanā-samosaraṇā sabbe dhammā.3
Everything that arises in the mind is accompanied by sensations.
Therefore, observation of sensation offers a means—indeed the only means—to examine the totality of our being, physical as well as mental.
There are four dimensions to our nature: the body and its sensations, and the mind and its contents. These provide four avenues for the establishing of awareness in satipaṭṭhāna. In order that the observation be complete, we must experience every facet, which we can do only by means of vedanā. This exploration of truth will remove the delusions we have about ourselves.
In the same way, to come out of the delusion about the world outside, we must explore how the outside world interacts with our own mind-and-matter phenomenon, our own self. The outside world comes in contact with the individual only at the six sense doors: the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. Since all these sense doors are contained in the body, every contact with the outside world is at the body level.
According to the law of nature, with every contact there is bound to be sensation. Every time there is a contact with any of the six sense objects, a sensation will arise on the body. Therefore, just as the understanding of vedanā is absolutely essential to understand the interaction between mind and matter within ourselves, the same understanding of vedanā is essential to understand the interaction of the outside world with the individual.
If this exploration of truth were to be attempted by contemplation or intellectualisation, we could easily ignore the importance of vedanā. However, the crux of Buddha's teaching is the necessity of understanding the truth not merely at the intellectual level, but by direct experience. For this reason, vedanā is defined as follows:
Vedayatī ti vedanā. Sā vedayita lakkhaṇā, anubhavanarasā… 4
That which feels the object is feeling (vedanā); its characteristic is to experience, its function is to realise the object….
However, merely to feel the sensations within is not enough to remove our delusions. Instead, it is essential to understand the ti-lakkhaṇā (three characteristics) of all phenomena. We must directly experience anicca (impermanence), dukkha (suffering), and anattā (not-self/substancelessness) within ourselves. Of these three, the Buddha always stressed the importance of anicca because the realisation of the other two will easily follow when we deeply experience the characteristic of impermanence. In the Meghiya Sutta of the Udāna, he said:
Aniccasaññino hi, meghiya, anattasaññā saṇṭhāti, anattasaññī asmimānasamugghātaṃ pāpuṇāti diṭṭheva dhamme nibbānanti. 5
In one who perceives impermanence, Meghiya, the perception of not-self is established. One who perceives not-self wins the uprooting of the pride of egotism in this very life and thus realises nibbāna.
Therefore, in the practice of satipatṭṭhā, the experience of anicca, arising and passing away, plays a crucial role. This experience of anicca as it manifests in the mind and body is also called vipassanā. The practice of Vipassana is the same as the practice of satipaṭṭhāna.
The Mahasatipaṭṭhāna Sutta begins with the observation of the body. Here several different starting points are explained: observing respiration, giving attention to bodily movements, etc. It is from these points that we can progressively develop vedanānupassanā, cittānupassanā and dhammānupassanā. However, no matter from which point the journey starts, everyone must pass through certain stations on the way to the final goal. These are described in important sentences repeated not only at the end of each section of kāyānupassanā but also at the end of vedanānupassanā, cittānupassanā and each section of dhammānupassanā. They are:
- Samudaya-dhammānupassī vā viharati.
- 2. Vaya-dhammānupassī vā viharati.
- 3. Samudaya-vaya-dhammānupassī vā viharati.6
- One dwells observing the phenomenon of arising.
- One dwells observing the phenomenon of passing away.
- One dwells observing the phenomenon of arising and passing away.
These sentences reveal the essence of the practice of satipatṭhāna. Unless these three levels of anicca are practised, one will not develop paññā (wisdom)—the equanimity based on the experience of impermanence—which leads to detachment and liberation. Therefore, in order to practise any of the fourfold satipaṭṭhānā, we have to develop the constant thorough understanding of impermanence, which in Pali is known as sampajañña.
To remain sampajano (the adjective form of sampajañña), one must meditate on the arising and passing away of phenomena (anicca-bodha), objectively observing mind and matter without reaction. The understanding of samudaya-vaya-dhammā (the nature of arising and passing away) cannot be by contemplation, which is merely a process of thinking, or by imagination or even by believing; it must be performed with paccanubhoti (direct experience). 7 Here the observation of vedanā plays its vital role, because with vedanā a meditator very clearly and tangibly experiences samudaya-vaya (arising and passing away). Sampajañña, in fact, is directly knowing the arising and passing away of vedanā, wherein all four facets of our being are included.
It is for this reason that the three essential qualities—ātāpī (ardent), sampajāno, and satimā (aware)—are invariably repeated for each of the four satipatṭṭhānas. And as the Buddha explained, sampajañña is observing the arising and passing away of vedanā.8 Hence, the part played by vedanā in the practice of satipaṭṭhāna should not be ignored, or this practice of satipaṭṭhāna will not be complete. In the words of the Buddha:
Tisso imā, bhikkhave, vedanā. Katamā tisso? Sukhā vedanā, dukkhā vedanā, adukkhamasukhā vedanā – imā kho, bhikkhave, tisso vedanā. Imāsaṃ kho, bhikkhave, tissannaṃ vedanānaṃ pariññāya cattāro satipaṭṭhānā bhāvetabbā.9
Meditators, there are three types of body sensations. What are the three? Pleasant sensations, unpleasant sensations and neutral sensations. Practice, meditators, the fourfold satipatṭhāna for the complete understanding of these sensations.
The practice of satipaṭṭhāna, which is the practice of Vipassana, is complete only when one directly experiences impermanence. Sensations provide the nexus where the entire mind and body are tangibly revealed as impermanent phenomena leading to liberation.
Notes: (All references are to the VRI edition.)
- Dīgha Nikāya 2.373 Mahasatipatṭṭhāna Suttaṃ
2. Loc. Cit.
3. Anguttara Nikāya 3.8.83 Mūlakasuttaṃ
4. Dhammasangani Aṭṭhakathā 1. Kāmāvacarakusalapadabhājanīya Dhammuddesavāro Phassapañcamakarāsivaṇṇanā
5. Udāna 31 Meghiyasuttaṃ
6. Dīgha Nikāya 2.374 Mahasatipatṭṭhāna Suttaṃ
7. MajjimaNikāya I 455 Mahāvedallasuttaṃ
8. Saṃyutta Nikāya 3.5. 401 Satipaṭṭhānasaṃyuttaṃ Satisuttaṃ
9. Ibid. 3.5.415, Vedanāsuttaṃ