Monday, April 4, 2022

Satipaṭṭhāna: "mindfulness" is continuous, moment to moment, to be done all the time.

 

STED Right Remembering (Eng.) (SN 45.8)



"Monks, what is right remembering [of ☸Dharma]?"
1. He meditates
continuously seeing the body as a body [as it actually is].
2. He meditates continuously seeing sensations as sensations [as they actually are].
3. He meditates continuously seeing the mind as a mind [as it actually is].
4. He meditates continuously seeing ☸Dharma as ☸Dharma [as it actually is, the only way to nirvana].

[In all four modes of right remembering of ☸Dharma],
* He is ardent 🏹, he has lucid discerning 👁, he remembers 🐘 [to apply relevant ☸Dharma],
* vanquishing worldly avarice and distressed mental states.

"This, monks, is called right remembering [of ☸Dharma]."


The anu-passana, literally, 'continuous, repeatedly seeing', is an important point.

I don't think I've seen anyone else translate it explicitly,  like I've done above. 

The impression you get from reading their translations,  using "contemplating", not "repeated continuous contemplating", gives the impression that you can just 'contemplate' once in a while, or every so often when you feel like it. You don't take long breaks between 'mindfulness' sessions. It's on, all the time. Or you should be trying to do that.

In so many suttas, the point the Buddha emphasizes again and again, is that one must be doing Right Remembering [of Dharma], doing the 4 ways of satipaṭṭhāna all the time.

Continuously seeing.

Repeatedly seeing the body, sensations, mind, as they truly are. 

A big part of the fourth frame of satipaṭṭhāna is continusously seeing and validating that their understanding of The Dharma is in accordance to the Dharma (2💭🕵️ Dhamma-vicaya-sam-bojjh-aṅgaṃ ), making corrections, and continuously seeing the body, sensations, and mind in accordance with the Dharma. 

Details matter.




No comments:

Post a Comment