satipatthanan

The Satipatthana Sutta is a discourse of the Buddha found in the Majjhima Nikaya of the Pali Canon, considered a foundational text in Buddhist meditation practice. The term "Satipatthana" translates to "foundations of mindfulness" or "establishments of mindfulness." The sutta outlines four primary areas of observation for cultivating mindfulness: the body (kaya), feelings (vedana), mind (citta), and mental qualities/dhammas (dhammas).

The practice involves a systematic and non-judgmental awareness of each of these domains as they arise. For the body, this includes awareness of breath, bodily postures, and the physical sensations of the body. For feelings, it encompasses recognizing pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral sensations without attachment or aversion. Mindfulness of mind involves observing the presence or absence of defilements and distractions. Finally, mindfulness of dhammas extends to observing the five hindrances, the aggregates of experience, the sense bases, the factors of enlightenment, and the Four Noble Truths.

The ultimate aim of Satipatthana practice, as described in the sutta, is the purification of beings, the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, the cessation of pain and distress, the attainment of the right method, and the realization of Nirvana. It is presented as a direct path to liberation. The sutta emphasizes sustained, diligent, and present-moment awareness as the means to achieve these profound states of understanding and freedom.