Satipatthana: the Direct Path to Realization Is a Gem. Ven. Analayo Has Done a Superb Job of Elucidating This Core Teaching of the Buddha
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Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization is a gem. Ven. Analayo has done a superb job of elucidating this core teaching of the Buddha. His clarity of style, nuanced observations, and depth of analysis opens many new doors of understanding. I learned a lot from this wonderful book and highly recommend it to both experienced meditators and those just beginning to explore the path. Joseph Goldstein, author of ‘One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism’ ‘This book helps to fill what has long been a glaring gap in the scholarship on Early Buddhism, offering us a detailed textual study of the Satipaììhãna Sutta, the founda- tional Buddhist discourse on meditation practice. With painstaking thoroughness, Ven. Anãlayo marshals the suttas of the Pãli canon, works of modern scholarship, and the teachings of present-day meditation masters to make the rich implications of this text, so concise in the original, clear to contemporary students of the Dharma. Unlike more popular books on the subject, he is not out to establish the exclusive validity of one particular system of meditation as against others; his aim, rather, is to explore the sutta as a wide-ranging and multi-faceted source of guidance which allows for alter- native interpretations and approaches to practice. His analysis combines the detached objectivity of the academic scholar with the engaged concern of the practi- tioner for whom meditation is a way of life rather than just a subject of study. The book should prove to be of value both to scholars of Early Buddhism and to serious meditators alike. Ideally, it will encourage in both types of reader the same whole- some synthesis of scholarship and practice that underlies the author’s own treatment of his subject.’ Bhikkhu Bodhi, scholar and translator ‘This book explains in detail the full meaning of the entire body of teaching given in this discourse. I believe this commentary by Anãlayo on this root text surpasses all previous commentaries in the Theravãda tradition over the past 2,000 years. Anãlayo has written an indispensable guide to enable students of the Buddha’s teachings to understand this celebrated talk. His book reads like a practice manual for meditators in daily life. ‘It is surely destined to become the classic commentary on the Satipaììhãna. It will also inspire readers interested in the Buddhist tradition to develop such down-to- earth practices for their own realization.’ Christopher Titmuss, writer and co-founder of Gaia House meditation centre ‘Ven. Anãlayo has produced a very thorough and comprehensive study of the Buddha’s discourse on satipaììhãna. It is to be recommended not only for the way in which it examines these instructions in meditation in the context of the early dis- courses and in relation to the traditional interpretations of the Pãli commentaries, but also for the way in which it encompasses the observations and interpretations of both modern scholars of Buddhism and teachers of meditation. For anyone interested in the theory and practice of satipaììhãna meditation this is a most valuable guide.’ Rupert Gethin, Senior Lecturer on Indian Religions at the University of Bristol 1 C:\Books\ANALAYO\analayo5.vp 16 February 2006 13:40:41 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen 2 C:\Books\ANALAYO\analayo5.vp 16 February 2006 13:40:41 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen satipaììhãna 3 C:\Books\ANALAYO\analayo5.vp 16 February 2006 13:40:41 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen 4 C:\Books\ANALAYO\analayo5.vp 16 February 2006 13:40:41 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Anãlayo satipaììhãna The Direct Path to Realization windhorse publications 5 C:\Books\ANALAYO\analayo5.vp 16 February 2006 13:40:41 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Published by Windhorse Publications 11 Park Road Birmingham B13 8AB © Anãlayo 2003 reprinted 2004, 2006 with minor corrections Cover photo Theodor Franz Steffens Cover design Marlene Eltschig Printed by Cromwell Press Ltd, Trowbridge, England British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library isbn-10: 1 899579 54 0 isbn-13: 978 1 899579 54 9 The right of Anãlayo to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 As an act of Dhammadãna, Anãlayo has waived royalty payments from this book. 6 C:\Books\ANALAYO\analayo5.vp 16 February 2006 13:40:42 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES x INTRODUCTION 1 TRANSLATION OF THE SATIPAÌÌHÃNA SUTTA 3 Chapter I GENERAL ASPECTS OF THE DIRECT PATH 15 1 OVERVIEW OF THE SATIPAÌÌHÃNA SUTTA 15 2 A SURVEY OF THE FOUR SATIPAÌÌHÃNAS 19 3 THE RELEVANCE OF EACH SATIPAÌÌHÃNA FOR REALIZATION 21 4 THE CHARACTER OF EACH SATIPAÌÌHÃNA 24 5 THE EXPRESSION “DIRECT PATH” 27 6 THE TERM SATIPAÌÌHÃNA 29 Chapter II THE “DEFINITION” PART OF THE SATIPAÌÌHÃNA SUTTA 31 1 CONTEMPLATION 32 2 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BEING DILIGENT (ÃTÃPÎ)34 3 CLEARLY KNOWING (SAMPAJÃNA)39 4 MINDFULNESS AND CLEAR KNOWLEDGE 41 Chapter III SATI 44 1 THE EARLY BUDDHIST APPROACH TO KNOWLEDGE 44 2 SATI 46 3 THE ROLE AND POSITION OF SATI 49 4 SATI IMAGERY 53 5 CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS OF SATI 57 6 SATI AND CONCENTRATION (SAMÃDHI)61 7 C:\Books\ANALAYO\analayo5.vp 16 February 2006 13:40:42 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Chapter IV THE RELEVANCE OF CONCENTRATION 67 1 FREEDOM FROM DESIRES AND DISCONTENT 67 2 CONCENTRATION, RIGHT CONCENTRATION, AND ABSORPTION 72 3 ABSORPTION AND REALIZATION 79 4 THE CONTRIBUTION OF ABSORPTION TO THE PROGRESS OF INSIGHT 85 5 CALM AND INSIGHT 88 Chapter V THE SATIPAÌÌHÃNA “REFRAIN” 92 1 INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CONTEMPLATION 94 2 ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATIONS OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CONTEMPLATION 99 3 IMPERMANENCE 102 4 DEPENDENT CO-ARISING (PAÌICCA SAMUPPÃDA) 107 5 THE PRINCIPLE OF DEPENDENT CO-ARISING AND ITS PRACTICAL APPLICATION 110 6 MERE AWARENESS AND CLINGING TO NOTHING 112 Chapter VI THE BODY 117 1 THE BODY CONTEMPLATIONS 117 2 PURPOSE AND BENEFITS OF CONTEMPLATION OF THE BODY 121 3 MINDFULNESS OF BREATHING 125 4 THE ÃNÃPÃNASATI SUTTA 133 5 POSTURES AND ACTIVITIES 136 6 ANATOMICAL PARTS AND ELEMENTS 146 7 CORPSE IN DECAY AND MEDITATION ON DEATH 152 Chapter VII FEELINGS 156 1 CONTEMPLATION OF FEELINGS 156 2 FEELINGS AND VIEWS (DIÌÌHI) 161 3 PLEASANT FEELING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF JOY 164 4 UNPLEASANT FEELING 168 5 NEUTRAL FEELING 171 Chapter VIII MIND 173 1 CONTEMPLATION OF THE MIND 173 2 NON-REACTIVE AWARENESS OF ONE’S STATE OF MIND 175 3 FOUR “ORDINARY” STATES OF MIND 177 4 FOUR “HIGHER” STATES OF MIND 179 Chapter IX DHAMMAS: THE HINDRANCES 182 1 CONTEMPLATION OF DHAMMAS 182 2 CONTEMPLATION OF THE FIVE HINDRANCES 186 8 C:\Books\ANALAYO\analayo5.vp 16 February 2006 13:40:42 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen 3 THE IMPORTANCE OF RECOGNIZING THE HINDRANCES 190 4 CONDITIONS FOR PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF A HINDRANCE 192 Chapter X DHAMMAS: THE AGGREGATES 201 1 THE FIVE AGGREGATES 201 2 THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE TEACHING ON ANATTÃ 207 3 EMPIRICAL SELF AND CONTEMPLATION OF THE AGGREGATES 209 4 ARISING AND PASSING AWAY OF THE AGGREGATES 213 Chapter XI DHAMMAS: THE SENSE-SPHERES 216 1 THE SENSE-SPHERES AND THE FETTERS 216 2 THE PERCEPTUAL PROCESS 222 3 COGNITIVE TRAINING 226 4 THE INSTRUCTION TO BÃHIYA 229 Chapter XII DHAMMAS: THE AWAKENING FACTORS 233 1 CONTEMPLATION OF THE AWAKENING FACTORS 233 2 THE CONDITIONAL SEQUENCE OF THE AWAKENING FACTORS 235 3 BENEFITS OF DEVELOPING THE AWAKENING FACTORS 239 Chapter XIII DHAMMAS: THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS 243 1 THE IMPLICATIONS OF DUKKHA 243 2 THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS 245 3 CONTEMPLATION OF THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS 247 Chapter XIV REALIZATION 250 1 GRADUAL AND SUDDEN 251 2 NIBBÃNA AND ITS ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS 257 3 THE EARLY BUDDHIST CONCEPTION OF NIBBÃNA 260 4 NIBBÃNA: NEITHER ALL-EMBRACING UNITY NOR ANNIHILATION 262 Chapter XV CONCLUSION 266 1 KEY ASPECTS OF SATIPAÌÌHÃNA 266 2 THE IMPORTANCE OF SATIPAÌÌHÃNA 271 BIBLIOGRAPHY 279 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 301 GLOSSARY 303 INDEX 309 9 C:\Books\ANALAYO\analayo5.vp 16 February 2006 13:40:42 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen LIST OF FIGURES 1.1 Structure of the Satipaììhãna Sutta 17 1.2 Progression of the satipaììhãna contemplations 19 1.3 Correlations for the four satipaììhãnas 25 2.1 Key characteristics of satipaììhãna 34 3.1 The position of sati among important categories 50 5.1 Key aspects of the satipaììhãna refrain 93 6.1 The body contemplations 118 6.2 Survey of ãnãpãnasati in sixteen steps 135 6.3 Four aspects of “clear knowledge” in the commentaries 143 7.1 Three and six types of feeling 158 8.1 Eight categories for contemplation of the mind 174 9.1 Survey of contemplation of dhammas 185 9.2 Two stages in the contemplation of the five hindrances 192 9.3 Commentarial survey of factors for overcoming or inhibiting the hindrances 200 10.1 Two stages in the contemplation of the five aggregates 202 11.1 Two stages in the contemplation of the six sense-spheres 221 12.1 Two stages in the contemplation of the seven awakening factors 234 12.2 Commentarial survey of supportive conditions for developing the awakening factors 242 13.1 The fourfold structure of ancient Indian medicine and the four noble truths 247 13.2 Two stages in the contemplation of the four noble truths 248 15.1 Central characteristics and aspects of satipaììhãna 268 15.2 Dynamic interrelation of the satipaììhãna contemplations 270 10 C:\Books\ANALAYO\analayo5.vp 16 February 2006 13:40:42 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Ven.