Noble Eightfold Path

RIGHT MINDFULNESS
SAMMÃ SATI

SAMÃDHIKKHANDA
- SAMMÃ VÃYÃMA (VIRIYA)
- SAMMÃSATI (SATI)
- SAMMÃ SAMÃDHI (EKAGGATÃ)
Noble Eightfold Path : 7th Factor
 Sati/Mindfulness: Mental Factor Defined
 Presence of mind  mindful of things that are
 Attentiveness to the present taking place.
 Characteristic: not wobbling  chief characteristic is ‘not
(not floating away from floating away’;
the object)  Acts like a gatekeeper at the
 Function – non- six sense doors
forgetfulness; no  one of the five spiritual
confusion powers
  one of the seven factors of

enlightenment


Bhikkhu Bodhi 1
(Sati - comes from a root

Mehm Tin Mon2
(sati can function as memory
word that means ‘to
remember’) and can be developed)


1=A Comprehnsive Manual of Abhidhamma; 2= Buddha Abhidhamma

 Practice of Mindfulness

q Bare attention to qA llju d g m e n ts a n d

what is present in te rp re ta tio n s

q Mind is present, h a ve to b e
open, quiet and su sp e n d e d , o r
alert qif th e y o ccu r, ju st

q Contemplating the re g iste re d a n d

present d ro p p e d .
qS im p ly n o te w h a te ve r co m e s u p ju st a s it is
q

o ccu rrin g ,
qM in d sta ys firm ly in th e h e re a n d n o w , n o t

slip p in g o r w a n d e rin g a w a y , n o t d istra cte d .

The Working & Practice of Sati
q Mindfulness anchors the mind on the present,
does not float away.
q when mindfulness is strong, the mind stays with
its object and penetrates its characteristics
deeply.
q It reveals the object as it is before it has been
plastered over with conceptual paint, overlaid
with interpretations.
q It simply notes, notes the arising, the being and
passing away of each experience
q not thinking, not judging, not associating, not
planning, not imagining, not wishing - no room
for clinging, no compulsion to saddle things
with our desires.
Sati & Realising Dhamma

q SATI is instrumental in and for realising

Dhamma: it brings the field of
experience into focus and makes it
accessible to INSIGHT to ‘see reality as
it is’.
q In the absence or weakness of SATI,
there is papañca, the mind is deluded
(defilements present) and begins a
fabricating process - builds on the
‘reality impression’ with something
else (ideation – concepts – mental
 cattãro satipa55 hãnã
Four Foundations of Mindfulness

Cultivation of Mindfulness
Sati in Development of Concentration & Insight
1. concentration and
 2. insight and


serenity (jhanas or development of

absorption), sati wisdom: sati
keeps the mind on the observes,
object, notes,
Guards the mind from discerns phenomena
wandering away with utmost precision
(penetrate) until their
Watches out and expels
characteristics are
hindrances ‘seen’.
 cattãro satipa55 hãnã
FOUR FOUNDATINS OF

Right mindfulness is cultivated through the

practice of the four foundations/applications of
MINDFULNESS

mindfulness.
The four applications of mindfulness and their

objective spheres:
1. Body (kāyānuppasanā) (material aspect)
2. feelings or sensation (vedanānuppasanā) (mental
aspect)
3. states of mind (cittānuppasanā) (mental aspect)
4. phenomena (dhammānuppasanā) (mix of material
and mental)
Completion of the practice of satipa55hãnã

requires all four contemplations

 1.1 mindfulness of breathing
1.2 mindfulness of postures
1.3 mindfulness and clear comprehension
1.4 meditation of the unattractiveness of body
1.5 Analyses of the body into elements
1.6 cemetery meditations

1. Kāyānuppasanā
Contemplation of the Body
CONTEMPLATION OF BODY: SUMMARY
qMindfulness of breathing: lead to all
stages of the path culminating in full
awakening
qMindfulness of postures: impersonal nature
of the body; subject to influence of
volition
qMindfulness with clear comprehension:
purpose; suitability; range; without
delusion
qMeditation on foulness of body – leads to
detachment to the body and cuts off
craving
qMeditation/analyses of primary elements of
body: reveal there is no I’, no ‘self’
to cling to
 cattãro
satipa55hãnã
Four Foundations of
Mindfulness
2. Vedanānuppasanā

Contemplation of Feelings
 Vedanā – Feeling or Sensation
§ Vedanā or ‘feeling/sensation’ as used here is a
mental factor present
§ A mental concomitant of consciousness
§ Three kinds of feelings:
1.Pleasant sensation (mental+ physical)
2.Painful (unpleasant = physical and mental)
sensation
3.Neutral sensation
§ Consciousness (mind’s knowing or cognition) is
always accompanied by one of the above kinds
of feelings at various degrees of intensity
Kinds of Feelings & Their Arising
§ Feeling arises upon ‘contact’ (or phassa) of
the sense object (form/color) with the
consciousness via the sense faculty (eye
faculty).
§ There are six senses  six kinds of ‘sense’
contacts from which which the
corresponding six kinds of feelings by the
sense faculties arise

Feelings & Arising of Defilements
in the absence of sati, the arising of root


defilements may be influenced by the type

of feelings
§ When feeling pleasant at the sight of
desirable object, greed/attachment
(lobha root defilement) may arise
§ When feeling unpleasant at the sight of
‘undesirable’ object, aversion (dosa root
defilement) arise arise
§ Neutral feeling may indicate delusion
(moha or ignorance root defilement)
Sati & Feelings & Root Defilements

In the presence of sati, feeling (simply
object of observation) is simply observed
(noted) and not reacted to
the link between the types of feelings and

the arising of corresponding root

defilements can be broken
Mindfulness on feelings as simply the object

of contemplation is important for

effectively preventing the habitual
reactions based on root defilemens
§
Contemplation of Feelings - Practice
1. Note the arisen feeling – its tone eg pleasant or
unpleasant or neutral; simply note it as
feeling (not I; not mine) as just feeling,
objectively. Note each feeling that arises
and let it go
2. Next note the process of feeling itself - seeing
a ceaseless flux of feelings arising and
dissolving, one succeeding another 
leading to insight into the nature of
‘impermanence’ of feelings – fleeting and
substanceless
3. Thus no basis for involvement with feeling in a
attached, averse or deluded way.
Contemplation of the State of Mind

3. Cittānuppasanā
 What is Mind?

Buddhist concept of mind



• Mind is not an enduring faculty

• Mind is not a fixed organ, no fixed identity
of its own
• Mind is a sequence of momentary mental
acts (= citta or a consciousness), each
distinct and discrete, their connections
with one another are causal = ‘stream of
citta’
•
 Mind = Citta + Cetasikas

• Mind = citta (consciousness) + cetasikas (mental

concomitantsm eg sati, lobha, dosa, karuna,
etc)
• Citta ‘s function is just to know (the object)
• Cetasikas function to support citta
• Each citta has its own set of supporting cetasikas
which give each citta its particular
characteristics or quality (‘good/bad/neutral’)
• In contemplating citta, we use cetasikas as their
indicators
 Contemplation of the State of Mind

sixteen kinds of citta to be noted: the mind

1, 2: with lust (lobha cetasika), without lust

(alobha cetasika or generosity),

3, 4: with aversion (dosa), without aversion,

(adosa or metta)
5, 6: with delusion (moha), without delusion

(amoha or pạññã),
7, 8: the cramped mind, the scattered mind,

•
 Contemplation of the State of Mind

9: the developed mind (mahaggata/rupa &

arupa jhana cittas),
10. the undeveloped mind (kãmavacara

cittas),
11, 12: the surpassable/inferior mind

(kãmavacara cittas), the unsurpassable mind

(rupa & arupa jhanas),
13, 14. the concentrated mind, the

unconcentrated mind,
15, 16: the freed mind, the unfreed mind.
 Contemplation of the State of Mind

13: concentrated mind (upacãra & appanã

samãdhi),
14: unconcentrated mind (without upacãra or

neighbourhood & appanã or absorption

samãdhi),
15: freed mind (freed of defilements – lobha, dosa,

moha, mãna, di55hi, thina, uddhacca, vicikiccha,

ahirika, anottappa),
16: unfreed mind (not freed of defilements).

•
 Cittānuppasanā - Practice
For beginners in this training, it is considered
adequate start the training with noting the
first six cittas, those with or without root
defilements:
1,2: lobha, alobha,

3,4: dosa, adosa

5, 6: moha, amoha

 Cittānuppasanā - Practice
For beginners in this training, it is considered
adequate start the training with noting the
first six cittas, those with or without root
defilements:
1,2: lobha, alobha,

3,4: dosa, adosa

5, 6: moha, amoha

 Cittānuppasanā - Practice
it is considered adequate to start the training
with noting the first six cittas, those with or
without root defilements: mind with
1,2: lobha or alobha,

3,4: dosa or adosa

5, 6: moha or amoha

Contemplate the particular citta as just citta

(not me, I or mine)

 Cittānuppasanā - Practice
Simply note the citta, whether it is defiled or
pure, lofty or low
Simply note without resenting or clinging to

the cittas of the ‘undesirable’ or ‘desirable’

types
Simply note and let each citta go as it arises

and dissolves.
 Cittānuppasanā - Practice

As contemplation deepens,


• the mind becomes increasingly purified and

refined,
• Mindfulness is more keenly developed
• The mind becomes more aware of the process
of becoming – the arising and dissolving
away of citta
• That there is an active ‘perceiver’ disappears,
only the constant flashing in and out of cittas
•
4. Contemplation of
Phenomena
(Dhammānuppasanā)
 Contemplation of Phenomena

Phenomena = dhamma

Dhamma = cetasikas = ultimate
constituents of reality
1. the five hindrances,
2. the five aggregates,
3. the six inner and outer sense bases,
4. the seven factors of enlightenment, and
5. the Four Noble Truths.

The Five Hindrances (Nīvara7a)
n Principal impediments to liberation
1.Sensual desire (Kāmacchanda)
2.Ill-will (byāpāda)
3.Thina middha (sloth & torpor) (dullness &
drowsiness)
4.Udaccha-kukkucca (restlessness and
worry)
5.Vicikicchā (skeptical doubt)
6.
Dhammānuppasanā on Nīvara7a - Practice
n When a hindrance factor appears, note it
n when the hindrance factor fades, note its

passing
n There is also the understanding on how

the hindrances arise and disappear


With this understanding, hindrances can
be prevented from arising in the future
n

n
Dhammānuppasanā on Nīvara7a - Practice
All hindrances can be discarded with wise


attention to the perception of impermanence,

unsatisfactoriness and no-self
n Sense desire, arises due to unwise attention to

pleasant aspect of an object, eradicated in

Anāgāmī magga
n Ill-will, countered with metta, eradicated in

Anāgāmī magga


 Note: See Mahãsatipa55hãna by Venerables U Jotika and U Dhaminda

Dhammānuppasanā on Nīvara7a - Practice
n Sloth & torpor arises due to lack of interest,
drowsiness and mental sluggishness, countered
with energy & effort, eradicated in Arahatta
magga
n Restless and worry arises due to distraction and
worry, worry is eradicated in Anāgāmī magga,
restlessness is eradicated in Arahatta magga
n Skeptical doubt (doubts law of Kamma, Dhamma
truths), eradicated in Sotāpatti magga


Note:

See Mahãsatipa55hãna by Venerables U Jotika and U Dhaminda
Dhammānuppasanā on Nīvara7a - Practice
nContemplate the cause and dissolution of the
hindrances
èAppearance of hindrances due to unwise
attention (ayoniso manasikāra)
èHindrances temporarily discarded by wise
attention (yoniso manasikāra)
èHindrances permanently discarded by realisation
of the Four Noble Truths
èProgressively strengthening mindfulness and
gaining insight
è
Note: See Mahãsatipa55hãna by Venerables U Jotika and U Dhaminda
n
Seven Factors of Enlightenment
Bojjha}ga – aids to liberation


1.Right Mindfulness (samma sati)

2.Investigation (dhammavicaya)
3.Energy (viriya)
4.Rapture (pīti)
5.Tranquility (passadhi)
6.Concentration (samādhi)
7.Equanimity (upekkhā)
 Dhammānuppasanā on Bojjha}ga -
Practice
1.When an enlightenment factor is present,
note its presence
2.Understand how the enlightenment factor
arises
3.Understand how the enlightenment factor
can be developed
When enlightenment factors first arise,

they are weak. They can be strengthened

with consistent cultivation.
 Bojjha}ga – Practice: sati maintains a clear, cognizant, &
balanced mind, as initiating and driving force of the process
leading to enlightenment
Dhammānuppasanā

Sati initiates
and stays
throughout the
contemplation
process
 SAMMÃ SATI - SUMMARY
q Sati, a mental factor, responsible for placing
and keeping the mind firmly on the object
(field of experience) and penetrate it
deeply
q When sati is weak or absent, the mind is
subject to papañca, a series of fabrication
ensues, blocking the ‘seeing’ of true
reality
q Sammã sa tiis in stru m e n ta lin th e p ra ctice
le a d in g to co n ce n tra tio n ( sa m ã d h i) a n d
in sig h t ( p a n n ã o r w isd o m ) a n d e ve n tu a lly