Integral Mindfulness (Sammāsati)
The Pāḷi noun sati is related to the verb sarati, which means “to remember.” Thus, an important function of mindfulness is the remembrance of what has been learned and understood. Mindfulness in this sense of remembrance connects the four applications of mindfulness with the awakening factor of mindfulness and the faculty of mindfulness. The awakening factor of mindfulness is explained in SN 46.3 Sīla Sutta as the recollection of the teaching heard from accomplished monks:
Abiding thus withdrawn, one recollects the dhamma and thinks it over. Whenever, monks, a monk abiding thus withdrawn recollects that dhamma and thinks it over, on that occasion the awakening factor of mindfulness is aroused by the monk, on that occasion the monk develops the awakening factor of mindfulness, on that occasion the awakening factor of mindfulness comes to fulfillment through development in the monk.
The faculty of mindfulness is defined in SN 48.9 Paṭhamavibhaṅga Sutta as follows:
Here, monks, a noble disciple is mindful, possessing supreme mindfulness and discretion, one who remembers and recollects what was done and said long ago. This is called the faculty of mindfulness.
Integral mindfulness begins with contemplation (anupassanā). Contemplation involves skillfully attending to the four applications of mindfulness (cattāro satipaṭṭhānā). These four are: contemplation of the body (kāyānupassanā), contemplation of feelings (vedanānupassanā), contemplation of mind (cittānupassanā), and contemplation of phenomena (dhammānupassanā). By employing these contemplations we develop the mental factors of mindfulness (sati) and full awareness (sampajañña). Mindfulness and full awareness are then used to develop calm (samatha) and clear seeing (vipassanā). This further training in the development of calm and clear seeing is presented in MN 73 Mahāvaccha Sutta:
“Now may the Blessed One teach me the dhamma further.”
“Then in that case, Vacca, develop further the two qualities of calm and clear seeing. When these two qualities of calm and clear seeing are developed further they lead to the comprehension of many things.”
These two mental factors are then optimally yoked together. This is stated in MN 149 Sahāsaḷāyatanika Sutta:
These two qualities of calm and clear seeing occur in him yoked evenly together. With direct gnosis he fully understands those things which should be understood through direct gnosis. With direct gnosis he abandons those things which should be abandoned through direct gnosis. with direct gnosis he develops those things which should be developed through direct gnosis. With direct gnosis he realizes those things which should be realized through direct gnosis.
Thus, these two concomitant mental factors of calm and clear seeing lead to liberating knowledge (vijjā). This is also stated in AN 2.32 Vijjābhāgiyā Sutta:
Two qualities, monks, are conducive to knowledge. Which two? Calm and clear seeing.
When calm is developed, what purpose does it serve? The mind is developed. And what is the benefit of a developed mind? Passion is abandoned.
When clear seeing is developed, what purpose does it serve? Discernment is developed. And what is the benefit of developed discernment? Ignorance is abandoned.
Defiled by passion, the mind is not released. Defiled by ignorance, discernment does not develop. Thus, monks, from the fading away of passion there is liberation of mind (cetovimutti). From the fading away of ignorance there is liberation through discernment (paññāvimutti).
Both mindfulness and full awareness are necessary mental factors in the development of either calm or clear seeing, and both calm and clear seeing are necessary for the full development of jhāna. Jhāna is a necessary prerequisite for liberating knowledge and the resultant discernment liberation. The necessity of the mental factors of mindfulness and full awareness right from the outset of one’s meditation practice can be understood by thinking of them metaphorically as our two “legs” which we need to walk the path. These two legs, with repeated exercise, then strengthen into calm abiding and clear seeing. As for which component should be developed first, calm abiding or clear seeing, AN 4.170 Yuganaddha Sutta states:
Here, friend, a monk has developed clear seeing preceded by calm.... Or, friend, a monk has developed calm preceded by clear seeing.... Or, friend, a monk has developed calm yoked evenly together with clear seeing.
From this statement we can see that the development of meditation can begin with either the development of calm or clear seeing. We should also keep in mind that both of these need to be united in the practice of jhāna for the arising of direct gnosis.
With integral mindfulness we begin to apply our theoretical understanding of the dhamma in order to develop this understanding into experiential discernment (bhāvanāmayā paññā) wherein one thoroughly understands the nature of all conditioned phenomena (dhammathitiñāṇa) according to specifically assignable conditionality (idappaccayatā). This thorough knowledge of conditioned phenomena (conditioned arising, impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and selflessness) culminates in liberation through discernment (paññāvimutti). This discernment liberation is the result of the direct gnosis of nibbāna (nibbāna ñāṇa), which is synonymous with gnosis of the elimination of mental outflows (khayeñāṇa).
The Four Applications of Mindfulness (Cattāro Satipaṭṭhānā)
The purpose of the four applications of mindfulness is to train the mind to develop and maintain mindfulness and full awareness during all activities and in all situations.
Beyond this fundamental level of mindful awareness, the four applications of mindfulness serve as frames of reference to be used to investigate how we can create and maintain the optimal conditions for the development of integral meditative composure. This relationship between the development of the four applications of mindfulness (catunna satipaṭṭhānā bhāvanā) and integral meditative composure is presented in SN 47.4 Sāla Sutta:
Come, friends, remain contemplating the body in the body, ardent, fully aware, unified, with a limpid mind, composed, with singleness of mind, in order to know the body as it really is. Remain contemplating feelings in feelings, ardent, fully aware, unified, with a limpid mind, composed, with singleness of mind, in order to know feelings as they really are. Remain contemplating mind in mind, ardent, fully aware, unified, with a limpid mind, composed, with singleness of mind, in order to know the mind as it really is. Remain contemplating phenomena in phenomena, ardent, fully aware, unified, with a limpid mind, composed, with singleness of mind, in order to know phenomena as they really are.
The mental qualities of remaining ardent (ātāpī) and fully aware (sampajāna), which are standard in the descriptions of integral mindfulness, are here directly related to remaining unified (ekodibhūtā), with a limpid mind (vippasannacittā), composed (samāhitā), with singleness of mind (ekaggacittā). All of these latter terms indicate the onset of integral meditative composure.1
This relationship between integral mindfulness and integral meditative composure is also embedded in the process model of the seven factors of awakening and the process model of the four jhānas. Regarding the relationship between the applications of mindfulness and the four jhānas, we find the following instructions in AN 8.63 Saṅkhittadesita Sutta:
‘I will remain contemplating the body in the body... feelings in feelings... mind in mind... phenomena in phenomena, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having removed covetousness and unhappiness with regard to the world.’ That, monk, is how you should train.
When, monk, this meditative composure is developed in this way and made much of, you should develop this meditative composure with directed thought and evaluation, you should develop it without directed thought but with mere evaluation, you should develop it without directed thought and evaluation, you should develop it with joy, you should develop it without joy, you should develop it with comfort, you should develop it with equanimity.
By employing mindfulness and dhamma-investigation we can learn to identify the mental factors which can be developed and strengthened in order to enter and remain in the first jhāna. The instructions on differentiating between inappropriate and appropriate feelings in relation to inducing meditative composure are included in MN 10 Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta:
When feeling a carnal pleasurable feeling, he discerns, ‘I feel a carnal pleasurable feeling;’ when feeling a non-carnal pleasurable feeling, he discerns, ‘I feel a non-carnal pleasurable feeling.’
Separation from the Five Strands of Sensual Pleasure (Kāmagunā)
The distinction between the five strands of sensual pleasure and the appropriate objects to be employed for mental development is indicated in SN 47.6 Sakuṇagghi Sutta, which clearly differentiates between the five strands of sensual pleasure and the four applications of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhānā). In this discourse one is instructed to avoid wandering into the range of the five strands of sensual pleasure and instead remain in one’s own proper range of the four satipaṭṭhānas:
Do not stray, monks, into what is not your own range and is the domain of others. Māra will gain access to those who stray into what is not their own range and is the domain of others. Māra will get a hold on them.
And what, for a monk, is not his own range and is the domain of others? The five strands of sensual pleasure.... These, for a monk, are not his own range and are the domain of others.
Move, monks, in what is your own range, your own ancestral domain. Māra will not gain access to those who move in their own range, their own ancestral domain. Māra will not get a hold on them.
And what, for a monk, is his own range, his own ancestral domain? The four applications of mindfulness. Which four? Here monks, a monk remains contemplating the body in the body, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having removed covetousness and unhappiness with regard to the world. He remains contemplating feelings in feelings ... mind in mind ... phenomena in phenomena, ardent, fully aware, mindful, having removed covetousness and unhappiness with regard to the world. This, for a monk, is his own range, his own ancestral domain.
Thus, correctly engaging in integral mindfulness by employing the four satipaṭṭhānas, one is secluded from the five strands of sensual pleasure. This practice creates the optimal conditions for the abandoning of the five hindrances and the arising of the five factors of the first jhāna. This is how the full development of integral mindfulness leads to integral meditation (sammāsamādhi).
Notes
- This discourse also indicates the relationship between mindfulness and meditative composure in order to know as they really are (yathābhūta ñāṇāya): the body, feelings, mind, and phenomena; fully understand (pariññāya): the body, feelings, mind, and phenomena; and remain detached from (visaṃyuttā): the body, feelings, mind, and phenomena. ↩
<< back to contents next page >>