Mahasatipatthana Suttam: The Foundations of Mindfulness

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

"The Foundations of Mindfulness" is the fourth revised edition. It is based on Maha Satipatthana Sutta the Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness which can be regarded as the vital core of the Buddha's teachings.
The Satipatthana Sutta, found both in the Digha Nikaya and Majjhima Nikaya, enunciates a system of meditation-techniques which turns every action into a meditative action providing profound spiritual experience. Meditation practice constitutes the heart of Buddhism. There are two distinct types of Buddhist meditation. One is known as Samatha and the other Vipassana.
Samatha literally means tranquillity. The Samatha meditations are meant to calm down the mind leading to various stages of ecstatic absorption known as Jhanas or Samadhis. By developing these samadhis one can acquire varieties of psychic abilities and supernormal powers which need not be necessarily spiritual.
Vipassana literally means insight which penetrates into the reality of mental and physical phenomena. Vipassana meditations are meant to develop intuitive wisdom leading to transformation of the consciousness from the mundane to the supermundane state and thereby bring about spiritual liberation or enlightenment.
Some Samatha meditations were known before the advent of the Buddha. But Vipassana is the Buddha's specific discovery as part of his Supreme Enlightenment. It is unique to Buddhism.
Each Satipatthana meditative technique, based upon cultivation of mindfulness, meditative concentration and insight, effectively combines both Samatha and Vipassana methods. In other words, Satipatthana methods are practical applications of both Samatha and Vipassana.