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Satipatthana

Satipatthana, meaning “establishment of mindfulness,” is a central framework for Buddhist meditation described in early scriptures, most notably in the Satipatthana Sutta. It serves as a practical guide to cultivating clear awareness and understanding of present experience, with the aim of insight into the nature of reality and the cessation of suffering. The framework is foundational in the Theravada tradition and has influenced practice across Buddhist schools.

The practice rests on four foundations. Mindfulness of the body (kaya) involves observing bodily phenomena, including

Practitioners cultivate sustained, nonjudgmental attention to these foundations, aiming to see directly the impermanent, unsatisfactory, and

In modern times, Satipatthana has influenced secular mindfulness programs and contemporary meditation communities worldwide, while retaining

breathing,
posture,
and
physical
actions,
with
attention
to
impermanence
and
conditioning.
Mindfulness
of
feelings
(vedana)
focuses
on
the
hedonic
tones
of
experience—pleasant,
unpleasant,
and
neutral—recognizing
their
arising
and
passing.
Mindfulness
of
the
mind
(citta)
entails
noting
the
state
of
the
mind,
such
as
whether
it
is
concentrated,
distracted,
exalted,
or
depressed.
Mindfulness
of
mental
phenomena
(dhammas)
involves
observing
categories
of
experience,
including
sensations,
perceptions,
volitional
formations,
and
consciousness,
and
how
they
arise
in
dependence
on
conditions.
non-self
aspects
of
experience.
Through
this
insight,
one
pursues
liberation
(nibbana)
and
a
balanced,
ethical
way
of
living.
The
Satipatthana
framework
is
taught
as
both
formal
meditation
and
mindful
engagement
in
daily
activities,
providing
a
versatile
basis
for
vipassana
(insight)
practice.
its
traditional
aims
of
experiential
understanding
and
liberation.