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Mindfulness, Concentration, Insight
The Satipatthana Sutta teaches about the four domains of mindfulness: body, feelings, mind, and objects of mind, but the Discourse on Mindfulness of the Body focuses only on mindfulness of the body, because the body contains feelings, mind, and objects of mind. When the knight Rohitaṣa asked whether moving as fast as light could transcend birth and death, the Buddha affirmed that it could not, and emphasized that the path of liberation from suffering lies right within this seven-foot body; looking deeply into the body, we can see its true nature and attain liberation. Therefore, the Discourse on Mindfulness of the Body is also the Four Establishments of Mindfulness.
When practicing mindfulness of feelings, we must be aware of the four kinds of feelings:
- suffering
- happiness
- neutral
-
joy
observing their arising, duration, cessation, manifestation, concealment, and transformation. In the third establishment, the mind consists of 51 mental formations, with mental factors such as universal, particular, wholesome, unwholesome, indeterminate, and the ground of mind (store consciousness). Objects of mind are the objects of each mental formation, with 51 corresponding dharmas. Each cell in the body contains the whole, so contemplating the body is also contemplating feelings; contemplating the true nature of the body is contemplating the Buddha as extinct and serene. In the Anapanasati Sutta, there are sixteen exercises on mindfulness of breathing, of which four relate to mindfulness of the body, feelings, mental formations, and objects of mind, helping us to practice the Four Establishments of Mindfulness thoroughly and easily.
The Discourse on the Snake Catcher teaches that living alone does not mean being lonely, but rather not being bound by thoughts of the past or future, dwelling solidly in the present moment. When combined with the Satipatthana Sutta and the Anapanasati Sutta, these teachings lead us into wakefulness and peace. Every daily activity—brushing teeth, bathing, cooking—is an opportunity to practice true Buddhist work, creating happiness in every moment of daily life.