Mahasatipatthana Sutta
In this sutta, the Buddha identifies four references for establishing mindfulness (satipatthana): body sensation, discrimination, mind (as consciousness) and the mental contents of Consciousness.
Body (Kāyā) Contact/ Sensations
Breathing (also see the Anapanasati Sutta)
Postures (Walking, Standing, Sitting, Lying Down)
Reflections on Repulsiveness of the Body
Reflections on Material Elements
Cemetery Contemplations
Discrimination /Emotions (Vedanā)
pleasant or unpleasant or neither-pleasant-nor-unpleasant (neutral) discriminations
worldly or spiritual discriminations
Mind/Consciousness (Cittā)
lust (sarāgaṃ) or without lust (vītarāgaṃ)
hate (sadosaṃ) or without hate (vītadosaṃ)
delusion (samohaṃ) or without delusion (vītamohaṃ)
contracted (saṅkhittaṃ) or scattered (vikkhittaṃ)
lofty (mahaggataṃ) or not lofty (amahaggataṃ)[12]
surpassable (sa-uttaraṃ) or unsurpassed (anuttaraṃ)[13]
quieted (samāhitaṃ) or not quieted (asamāhitaṃ)
released (vimuttaṃ) or not released (avimuttaṃ)
Mental Contents (Dhammā)
The Hindrances
The Aggregates of Clinging
The Sense-Bases and their Fetters
The Factors of Enlightenment
The Four Noble Truths
The Foundations of Mindfulness (Mahasatipatthana Sutta)
1. Thus have I heard. Once the Lord was staying among the Kurus.
There is a market-town of theirs called Kammasadhamma.
And there the Lord addressed the monks : "Monks !"
"Lord", they replied, and the Lord said :
"There is, monks, this one way
for the purification of beings,
for the overcoming of sorrow and distress,
for the disappearance of pain and sadness,
for the gaining of the right path,
for the realisation of Nibanna.
That is to say the four foundations of mindfulness.
What are the four ?
Here, monks, a monk abides contemplating body as body, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.
He abides contemplating feelings as feelings, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.
He abides contemplating mind as mind, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.
He abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.
Contemplation of the Body
(a. Mindfulness of Breathing)
2. "And how, monks, does a monk abide contemplating the body as body ?
Here a monk,
having gone into the forest, or
to the root of a tree, or
to an empty place,
sits down cross-legged,
holding his body erect,
having established mindfulness before him.
Mindfully he breathes in,
Mindfully he breathes out.
Breathing in a long breath,
he knows that he breathes in long breath, and
Breathing out a long breath,
he knows that he breathes out long breath
Breathing in a short breath,
he knows that he breathes in short breath.
Breathing out a short breath,
he knows that he breathes out short breath.
He trains himself, thinking :
"I will breathe in, conscious of the whole body."
He trains himself, thinking :
"I will breathe out, conscious of the whole body."
He trains himself, thinking :
"I will breathe in, calming the whole bodily process."
He trains himself, thinking :
"I will breathe out, calming the whole bodily process."
Just as a skill turner, or his assistant,
in making a long turn, knows that he is making a long turn,
or in making a short turn, knows that he is making a short turn.
so too a monk,
in breathing in a long breath, knows that he breathes in a long breath
or in breathing out short breath, knows he breathes out short breath.
so trains himself, thinking
"I will breathe out, calming the whole bodily process."
(Insight)
"So he abides contemplating body as body internally,
contemplating body as body externally,
contemplating body as body both internally and externally.
He abides contemplating arising phenomena in the body,
He abides contemplating vanishing phenomena in the body
He abides contemplating both arising and vanishing phenomena in the body
Or else, mindfulness that "there is a body" is present to him
just to the extent necessary for the knowledge and awareness.
And he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
And that, monks, is how a monk abides contemplating body as body."
(b. The Four Postures)
3. "Again, a monk,
when walking, he knows that he is walking,
when standing, he knows that he is standing,
when sitting, he knows that he is sitting,
when lying down, he knows that he is lying down.
In whatever way his body is disposed, he knows that that is how it is.
(Insight)
"So he abides contemplating body as body internally,
contemplating body as body externally,
contemplating body as body both internally and externally.
He abides contemplating arising phenomena in the body,
He abides contemplating vanishing phenomena in the body
He abides contemplating both arising and vanishing phenomena in the body
Or else, mindfulness that "there is a body" is present to him
just to the extent necessary for the knowledge and awareness.
And he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
And that, monks, is how a monk abides contemplating body as body."
(c. Clear Awareness)
4. "Again, a monk,
when going forward or backwards,
he is clearly aware of what he is doing,
in looking forward or backwards,
he is clearly aware of what he is doing,
in bending or stretching,
he is clearly aware of what he is doing,
in carrying his inner and outer robe and his bowl,
he is clearly aware of what he is doing,
in eating, drinking, chewing and savouring ,
he is clearly aware of what he is doing,
in passing excrement or urine,
he is clearly aware of what he is doing,
in walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep and waking up, in speaking or in staying silent,
he is clearly aware of what he is doing.
(Insight)
"So he abides contemplating body as body internally,
contemplating body as body externally,
contemplating body as body both internally and externally.
He abides contemplating arising phenomena in the body,
He abides contemplating vanishing phenomena in the body
He abides contemplating both arising and vanishing phenomena in the body
Or else, mindfulness that "there is a body" is present to him
just to the extent necessary for the knowledge and awareness.
And he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
And that, monks, is how a monk abides contemplating body as body."
(d. Reflection on the Repulsive : Parts of the Body)
5. "Again, a monk reviews this very body
from the soles of the feet upwards and from the scalp downwards,
enclosed by the skin and full of manifold impurities:
"In this body, there are head-hair, body-hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone-marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, mesentery, bowels, stomach, excrement, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fats, tears, tallow, saliva, snot, synovic fluid, urine."
Just as if there were a bag, open at both ends, full of various kinds of grain such as hill-rice, paddy, green gram, kidney-beans, sesame, husked rice and a man with good eyesight were to open the bag and examine them, saying :
"This is hill-rice, this is paddy, this is green gram,
these are kidney-beans, this is sesame, this is husked rice."
So too a monk reviews this very body :
"In this body, there are head-hair, body-hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone-marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, mesentery, bowels, stomach, excrement, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fats, tears, tallow, saliva, snot, synovic fluid, urine."
(Insight)
"So he abides contemplating body as body internally,
contemplating body as body externally,
contemplating body as body both internally and externally.
He abides contemplating arising phenomena in the body,
He abides contemplating vanishing phenomena in the body
He abides contemplating both arising and vanishing phenomena in the body
Or else, mindfulness that "there is a body" is present to him
just to the extent necessary for the knowledge and awareness.
And he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
And that, monks, is how a monk abides contemplating body as body."
(e. The Four Elements)
6. "Again, a monk reviews this body, however it may be placed or disposed, in terms of the elements:
"There are in this body
the earth-element
the water-element
the fire-element
the air-element
Just as if a skilled butcher or his assistant, having slaughtered a cow, were to sit at a cross roads with the carcass divided into portions, so a monk reviews this very body, however it may be placed or disposed, in terms of the elements :
"There are in this body
the earth-element
the water-element
the fire-element
the air-element
(Insight)
"So he abides contemplating body as body internally,
contemplating body as body externally,
contemplating body as body both internally and externally.
He abides contemplating arising phenomena in the body,
He abides contemplating vanishing phenomena in the body
He abides contemplating both arising and vanishing phenomena in the body
Or else, mindfulness that "there is a body" is present to him
just to the extent necessary for the knowledge and awareness.
And he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
And that, monks, is how a monk abides contemplating body as body."
(f. The Nine Charnel-Ground Contemplations)
7. "Again, a monk, as if were to see a corpse thrown in a charnel-ground,
one, two or three days dead, bloated, discoloured, festering,
compares this body with that, thinking ;
"This body is of the same nature, it will become like that,
it is not exempt from the fate."
(Insight)
"So he abides contemplating body as body internally,
contemplating body as body externally,
contemplating body as body both internally and externally.
He abides contemplating arising phenomena in the body,
He abides contemplating vanishing phenomena in the body
He abides contemplating both arising and vanishing phenomena in the body
Or else, mindfulness that "there is a body" is present to him
just to the extent necessary for the knowledge and awareness.
And he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
And that, monks, is how a monk abides contemplating body as body."
8. "Again, a monk, as if he were to see a corpse in a charnel-ground, thrown aside, eaten by crows, hawks or vultures, by dogs or jackals, or various other creatures,
compares this body with that, thinking :
"This body is of the same nature, it will become like that,
it is not exempt from that fate."
9. "Again, a monk, as if he were to see a corpse in a charnel-ground, thrown aside,
a skeleton with the flesh and blood, connected by sinews
compares this body with that, thinking :
"This body is of the same nature, it will become like that,
it is not exempt from that fate."
a fleshless skeleton smeared with blood, connected by sinews,
compares this body with that, thinking :
"This body is of the same nature, it will become like that,
it is not exempt from that fate."
skeleton detached from flesh and blood, connected by sinews,
compares this body with that, thinking :
"This body is of the same nature, it will become like that,
it is not exempt from that fate."
randomly connected bones, scattered in all directions, a hand-bone here,
a foot-bone there, a shin-bone here, a thigh-bone there, a hip-bone-bone here,
a spine there, a skull there, compares this body with that, thinking :
"This body is of the same nature, it will become like that,
it is not exempt from that fate."
10. "Again, a monk, as if he were to see a corpse in a charnel-ground, thrown aside, the bones whitened, looking like shells,
compares this body with that, thinking :
"This body is of the same nature, it will become like that,
it is not exempt from that fate."
the bones piled up, a year old, compares this body with that, thinking :
"This body is of the same nature, it will become like that,
it is not exempt from that fate."
the bones rotted away to a powder, compares this body with that, thinking :
"This body is of the same nature, it will become like that,
it is not exempt from that fate."
(Insight)
"So he abides contemplating body as body internally,
contemplating body as body externally,
contemplating body as body both internally and externally.
He abides contemplating arising phenomena in the body,
He abides contemplating vanishing phenomena in the body
He abides contemplating both arising and vanishing phenomena in the body
Or else, mindfulness that "there is a body" is present to him
just to the extent necessary for the knowledge and awareness.
And he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
And that, monks, is how a monk abides contemplating body as body."