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Discourse on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (1)
The Discourse on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, in Pali called Satipatthana Sutta, is a bedside manual for meditation practitioners, transmitted through three recensions (Pali, Sarvāstivāda, and Mahāsāṅghika) from three schools spanning nearly 2,000 years. This sutra identifies four objects of mindfulness:
- Body
- Feelings
- Mind
- Objects of mind (dhammas)
The practice of mindfulness of the body begins with the breath (in-out, long-short, whole body, calming), followed by the four postures of walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, and all daily activities (walking, standing, lying, sitting; putting on the robe, eating, working). Next is body scanning, recognizing the 32 parts of the body (hair, body hair, nails, etc., urine), the four elements (earth, water, fire, air) or six elements (adding space and consciousness), and the contemplation of nine stages of a decaying corpse—observing the body’s dissolution from a bloated corpse to a pile of bones. Constant contemplation of the arising and passing away of the body is the foundation that leads to diligence, clarity, and liberation from suffering.
The Sutra on the Threefold Wonderful Awareness of the Great Beings