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sati simplified, B. Analayo's misinterpretations



https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/36069/simplest-possible-teaching-on-the-four-satipatthana/36079#36079

The best advice I can give anyone, beginner or not, is forget about MN 10 and DN 22 (the suttas people tend to default to as the definitive reference on the subject), and ignore what most of the so called experts are saying about mindfulness. Instead, read the first 10 suttas in SN 47, the satipatthana samyutta, carefully, and repeatedly. Those 10 suttas in SN 47, and you can rely on Thanissaro's excellent book, "right mindfulness" as the best reference manual on the topic, although there are a couple of issues I have it. But those two sources will give you a safe base to work from.


@frankk Can you expand further on what is problematic in [B. Analayo's] viewpoint? I haven't fully delved into his work, but from what I have seen, it has been extremely well-put and well-founded.
I had no intention to contradict your answer. Merely to add. In my personal practice I read from Thai Ajahns, including Ajahn Geoff, but I can see how others would find it dense at first.

Could you also comment our your qualms with Thanissaro Bhikku "Right Mindfulness"? I'm very interested to hear your viewpoint


 With B. Analayo, his views on sati tend to stray a little too close or outright agree with some of the serious modern misconceptions and misunderstandings about what 'sati' is. Ideas such as, "choiceless awareness", "bare present moment awareness", "mindfulness is broad, jhana is 'one pointed'", "sati is non judgemental", etc. Much of his analysis written in his books is straightforward interpretation of suttas, no problem with that, but in some important areas to justify his misinterpretation of sati, he'll make some really nonsensical illogical reading of a sutta passage to justify his interpretation.

My disagreement with B. Thanissaro has to do with his interpretation of Dhamma in the 7sb awakening factors, and Dhamma anupassana as the 4th of the 4sp satipatthanas. I've written about it here on lucid24.org:

Meaning of the cryptic 4spšŸ˜ formula

He abides, continuously seeing the body as a body, [as it actually is, according to reality]...
He abides, continuously seeing the experienced-sensations as experienced-sensations, [as it actually is, according to reality]...
He abides, continuously seeing the mind as mind, [as it actually is, according to reality]...
He abides, continuously seeing the ☸Dhamma as ☸Dhamma, [as it actually is, according to reality]...
šŸ”—proof & details


In contrast, most people interpret the 4sp formula to mean:
1. he contemplates a body meditation subject among many body meditation subjects to choose from...
2. he contemplates a feelings meditation subject among many feelings meditation subjects to choose from...
3. he contemplates a 'mind' meditation subject among many 'mind' meditation subjects to choose from...
4. he contemplates a 'phenomena' meditation subject among many 'phenomena' meditation subjects to choose from...



http://lucid24.org/sted/8aam/7sati/index.html


Also on the blog, if you search between 2019 nov and may, I've written several articles on how 'Dhamma' should be left untranslated because it often straddles several meanings. In the English translations of B. Bodhi and B. Thanissaro, by translating 'dhamma'  in the 7sb awakening factor and 4th frame of satipatthana (Phenomena, qualities, mental qualities, etc.) is highly problematic. This is not really their fault, it's because they regard MN 10 and DN 22 as the authoritative interpretation of sati, and those two suttas were distorted by late Theravada Abhidhamma biases.


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