The other day, as I was getting ready for the fifth session of a six-week Meditation and Buddhism class at Aryaloka, my local dharma center, I reflected on the Buddha’s Eightfold Path. Particularly, I was drawn to the seventh aspect, mindfulness, and the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (cattāro satipaṭṭhāna), which define “Right Mindfulness.”
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness are essential in Buddhist teachings. They define Right Mindfulness, appear in notable scriptures like the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN 10) and Mahā-Satipatthana Sutta (DN 22), and are central to the Ānāpānasati Sutta. Additionally, the Saṃyutta Nikāya dedicates a whole section to them, with 104 discourses. Many teachers frequently reference these foundations, and entire books are dedicated to them, underlining their importance as a direct path to Nibbāna.
Despite their significance, the four satipaṭṭhānas aren’t clearly and consistently understood. Kāya (body), vedanā (feelings), cittā (mind), and dhammā (mental phenomena) often have varied interpretations. For example, Bhikkhu Bodhi and Sangharakshita offer subtly different explanations. Generally, kāya is universally understood as ‘the body,’ while vedanā is better described as ‘feeling’ rather than ‘sensation’ or ‘feelings and emotions.’ The term cittā means ‘mind,’ encompassing both thoughts and emotions. The most confusion arises with the term dhammā, which can mean reality, mental phenomena, or be left untranslated.
To understand the four foundations collectively, let’s consider their purpose. Various interpretations suggest they guide meditators on where to focus attention and aid in the development of mindfulness and insight. They help break down our experiences comprehensively so we can develop mindfulness across different aspects of our lives. However, I think they go beyond just being a comprehensive way to observe experiences—they are a method to understand the process of action.
Here’s a detailed look at each satipaṭṭhāna:
1. Body (kāya): Focusing on the body involves observing breathing, posture, movements, anatomical parts, and the body’s elements and impermanence. This also includes the internal and external sense organs.
2. Feelings (vedanā): This includes painful, neutral, and pleasant feelings from physical senses and gut feelings. Vedanā isn’t about the basic sensory experiences but the pleasantness or unpleasantness they invoke.
3. Mind (cittā): When observing cittā, a practitioner recognizes the presence or absence of mental states such as passion, aversion, or delusion, and qualities like concentration and expansiveness.
4. Mental Phenomena (dhammā): This involves observing mental states and processes like the five hindrances and factors of awakening, along with their role in leading us to or away from suffering.
The teaching of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness can be likened to observing a psychological process. For the body, feelings arise through sense contact; feelings then influence our mental states. Observing this allows us to see the flow from physical sensations to emotional and cognitive responses. The fourth foundation, dhammā, involves understanding how these mental states impact our suffering and how they contribute to our path to enlightenment.
This dynamic understanding helps us recognize our actions and their motivations, providing profound insight into how we can transform our experiences more skillfully. It’s about observing the arising and passing of sensations, feelings, and mental states, seeing how they drive our actions, and determining whether they align with the path to Nibbāna.
In summary, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness aren’t just about examining the body, feelings, mind, and phenomena as separate categories. They help us observe and understand the dynamic processes within us, guiding us toward a mindful and liberated way of living.