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A new fluent translation of SN 47.4 Sāla, one of the most important suttas on satipaṭṭhāna

The sutta probably only takes 3 minutes to read, 

but it's one you should probably revisit frequently until you really get it. 

I've translated it in a way it should be much easier to grasp the important points that no one ever talks about. 


            SN 47.047.4.1 (newly ordained monks)

                SN 47.047.4.1.1 (Variant 4sp🐘 formula replaces ‘sati’ and inserts samādhi equivalent to 4 jhānas)

                    SN 47.047.4.1.1.5 (new ordained monk trains for knowledge of seeing things as they truly are, yathā-bhūtaṃ ñāṇāya )

            SN 47.047.4.2 (non arahant trainees do same exact practice)

                    SN 47.047.4.2.1.5 (sekha/trainee trains for complete knowledge of seeing things as they truly are, kāyassa pariññāya;)

            SN 47.047.4.3 (arahants do same practice)

                    SN 47.047.4.3.1.5 (arahant doesn’t need to train, they just do the right thing, being detached from body, kāyena visaṃyuttā;)

(translation style SP-FLUENT by frankk‍)

4. Sālasutta
4. At Sālā
Ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā kosalesu viharati sālāya brāhmaṇagāme.
At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Kosalans near the brahmin village of Sālā.
Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi … pe … etadavoca:
There the Buddha addressed the monks:

47.4.1 – (newly ordained monks)

“Ye te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū navā acira-pabbajitā
“monks, those monks who are junior—recently gone forth,
adhun-āgatā imaṃ dhamma-vinayaṃ,
newly come to this Dharma and training—
te vo, bhikkhave, bhikkhū catunnaṃ satipaṭṭhānānaṃ bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā.
should be encouraged, supported, and established in the four kinds of rememberfulness meditation.
Katamesaṃ catunnaṃ?
Which Four?
47.4.1.1 – (Variant 4sp🐘 formula replaces ‘sati’ and inserts samādhi equivalent to 4 jhānas)
etha tumhe, āvuso,
‘Come, friends.
kāye kāy-ānupassino viharatha
live continuously seeing the body as a body [as it truly is],
ātāpino sampajānā ekodi-bhūtā
be ardent, lucidly-discerning, having become singular [in focus],
vippasanna-cittā
clear-minded,
samāhitā
undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
with a single focus in mind,
47.4.1.1.5 – (new ordained monk trains for knowledge of seeing things as they truly are, yathā-bhūtaṃ ñāṇāya )
kāyassa yathā-bhūtaṃ ñāṇāya;
[meditate to] understand the body’s true nature;
(repeat for remaining 4 frames of 4sp🐘 )
vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharatha ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, vedanānaṃ yathābhūtaṃ ñāṇāya;
(repeat exercise with vedana/sensations instead of body in 47.4.1.1)
citte cittānupassino viharatha ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, cittassa yathābhūtaṃ ñāṇāya;
(repeat exercise with citta/’mind’ instead of body in 47.4.1.1)
dhammesu dhammānupassino viharatha ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, dhammānaṃ yathābhūtaṃ ñāṇāya.
(repeat exercise with Dharma instead of body in 47.4.1.1)

47.4.2 – (non arahant trainees do same exact practice)

Yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū sekhā
Those monks who are trainees [who are at least stream enterers but]—
ap-patta-mānasā
who haven’t achieved their heart’s desire,
anuttaraṃ yogakkhemaṃ patthayamānā viharanti,
live aspiring to the supreme sanctuary—
47.4.2.1 – (Variant 4sp🐘 formula replaces ‘sati’ and inserts samādhi equivalent to 4 jhānas)
tepi
They also, [doing the same practice as new monks],
kāye kāy-ānupassino viharanti
live continuously seeing the body as a body [as it truly is],
ātāpino sampajānā ekodi-bhūtā
they’re ardent, lucidly-discerning, having become singular [in focus],
vippasanna-cittā
clear-minded,
samāhitā
undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
with a single focus in mind,
47.4.2.1.5 – (sekha/trainee trains for complete knowledge of seeing things as they truly are, kāyassa pariññāya;)
kāyassa pariññāya;
[meditating for the purpose of attaining] complete knowledge of the body’s true nature;
(repeat for remaining 4 frames of 4sp🐘 )
vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, vedanānaṃ pariññāya;
(repeat exercise with vedana/sensations instead of body in 47.4.2.1)
citte cittānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, cittassa pariññāya;
(repeat exercise with citta/’mind’ instead of body in 47.4.2.1)
dhammesu dhammānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, dhammānaṃ pariññāya.
(repeat exercise with Dharma instead of body in 47.4.2.1)

47.4.3 – (arahants do same practice)

Yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū arahanto
Those monks who are perfected [Arahants]—
khīṇ-āsavā
who have ended the asinine-inclinations,
vusitavanto
completed the spiritual journey,
kata-karaṇīyā
done what had to be done,
ohita-bhārā
laid down the burden,
anuppatta-sadatthā
achieved their own goal,
parik-khīṇa-bhava-saṃyojanā
utterly ended the fetters of rebirth,
sammadaññā-vimuttā,
and are rightly freed through enlightenment—
47.4.3.1 – (Variant 4sp🐘 formula replaces ‘sati’ and inserts samādhi equivalent to 4 jhānas)
tepi
They also, [doing same practice as new monks],
kāye kāy-ānupassino viharanti
they live continuously seeing the body as a body [as it truly is],
ātāpino sampajānā ekodi-bhūtā
they’re ardent, lucidly-discerning, having become singular [in focus],
vippasanna-cittā
clear-minded,
samāhitā
undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
with a single focus in mind,
47.4.3.1.5 – (arahant doesn’t need to train, they just do the right thing, being detached from body, kāyena visaṃyuttā;)
kāyena visaṃyuttā;
[meditating] detached [from any underlying defilements or delusions in regard to] the body;
(repeat for remaining 4 frames of 4sp🐘 )
vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, vedanāhi visaṃyuttā;
(repeat exercise with vedana/sensations instead of body in 47.4.3.1)
citte cittānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, cittena visaṃyuttā;
(repeat exercise with citta/’mind’ instead of body in 47.4.3.1)
dhammesu dhammānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, dhammehi visaṃyuttā.
(repeat exercise with Dharma instead of body in 47.4.3.1)

(conclusion)

Yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū navā acirapabbajitā adhunāgatā imaṃ dhammavinayaṃ, te vo, bhikkhave, bhikkhū imesaṃ catunnaṃ satipaṭṭhānānaṃ bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā”ti.
Those monks who are junior—recently gone forth, newly come to this Dharma and training—should be encouraged, supported, and established in these four kinds of rememberfulness meditation.”

(end of sutta⏹️)

47.4.100 – commentary

1. as if ‘samādhi’ and ‘ekagga’ weren’t enough to implicate 4 jhānas, the two terms ‘ekodi-bhūtā’ and vip-pasanna-cittā’ use two keywords from j2🌗 second jhāna formula.

2. As MN 125, AN 8.63, and many other suttas show, jhāna and satipaṭṭhāna are done concurrently.

See 4 Jhānas🌕 ≈ 4 Satipaṭṭhāna🐘 for more examples.

3. not only are jhāna and 4sp done simultaneously, you can see here the Buddha expects even newly ordained monks to quickly attain some level of competency with first and second jhāna.

This is a stark contrast to LBT Theravada (in Vism. ) redefining jhāna as a disembodied frozen stupor, and is a skill so hard to attain they estimate less than one in a million serious practitioners can attain their redefined “jhāna”.

 


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