Mahasatipatthana Sutta: The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Awareness

by Gotama Buddha

This sutta is the primary discourse in which the Buddha describes the practice of meditation in detail. This translation of the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta has Roman-script Pāli with an English translation on facing pages as well as an introductory article and detailed footnotes explaining Pali terms and phrases. This highly significant text will be of interest to any serious student of meditation or of the Buddha's teaching.

Genres: Buddhism, Meditation, Philosophy, Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Humilis Memoriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to this text sideways, through a mindfulness-based stress reduction program that borrowed from it without naming it. That kind of unnamed borrowing — taking the technique while discarding the context — turns out to be a recurring theme in the history of contemplative knowledge, and recognizing it sharpened my respect for the original.

The Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness is the source. Everything in the contemporary mindfulness literature traces back here, whether the authors know it or not. The Buddha gives a systematic method for observing experience in four domains — body, feelings, mind states, and mental objects — each watched with bare attention, without reaction, without judgment, without reaching for what is pleasant or pushing away what is unpleasant.

What makes this a practice text rather than a philosophy text is the word anupassī — "contemplating," literally "watching along with." The method is active. You're not resting in a state; you're following what is present with sustained, clear attention. The distinction matters: a lot of what passes for mindfulness is actually a soft trance state. What the Sutta describes requires genuine attentional effort sustained over time.

The refrain — "ardent, clearly knowing, mindful, having removed covetousness and grief with reference to the world" — appears after every instruction. Those qualifiers aren't decorative. They specify the quality of attention required. I've found that contemporary systems that try to operationalize this do better when they're honest about how demanding that quality of attention actually is to cultivate.

This text is Book 13 in The Mysterious Thread curriculum. The complete architecture can be found via The Collective Press.

[Paul Bard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read. Best practical instructions for insight. Four foundations, five hindrances, seven factors, four noble truths.

Basis for the Goenka 10 day retreats, plus Metta.

[🅿️]

Δ=ΞC

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When a mind arises that is filled with distraction and anxiety he knows; this is a mind filled with distraction and anxiety. He knows how the the thoughts that have not arisen come to be discarded. And when thoughts arise he denotes their source. When a mind filled with emotion that is not directly related to sense pleasures he knows, this is a feeling that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant that is not directly relate to sense pleasures. He denotes their cause. Thus he dwells perceiving again and again, this as merely phenomenon in himself. Not mine. Not I. But simply independently existing phenomenon..."

[Ruxandra Moise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for those who practice meditation, especially for Vipassana meditators. The double Pali English text makes it easy to follow Goenka's speeches and is also a great starter to learn the Pali language. Together with the dedicated course you can deepen your understanding of the Vipassana practice in relationship with Buddha's words.

[Haz 31 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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