7. Right Mindfulness

What, now, is right mindfulness?

The Four Focuses of Mindfulness

MN 10 The four focuses of mindfulness lead in one direction only, to the purification of beings, to going beyond sadness and crying, to the disappearance of physical and mental suffering, for the attainment of the true way, for the realisation of nibbāna. What are the four?

1. Having restrained the five hindrances, you abide aware of the body (rūpa), energised, knowing the purpose of what you are doing, and mindful.
2. Having restrained the five hindrances, you abide aware of experience (vedanā), energised, knowing the purpose of what you are doing, and mindful.
3. Having restrained the five hindrances, you abide aware of the mind (citta), energised, knowing the purpose of what you are doing, and mindful.
4. Having restrained the five hindrances, you abide aware of mind-objects (dhammā), energised, knowing the purpose of what you are doing, and mindful.

Mindfulness of Body

And how are you aware of the body?

Mindfulness of Breathing

You go to a quiet secluded place, sit down comfortably, and give priority to establishing mindfulness. Then, mindful, you breathe in, mindful, you breathe out.

When the in-breath and out-breath are long, you are aware that they are long.

When the in-breath and out-breath are short, you are aware that they are short.

Then you learn to experience the whole of the breath as you breathe in and out.

Then you learn to calm the breath (kāya-saṅkhāra) as you breathe in and out.

Just as a skilled painter is aware whether they are making a long brush stroke or a short brush stroke—so too, when the in-breath is long, you are aware that it is long …

In this way you are aware of your own body, or you are aware that the bodies of others are of the same nature as yours, or you abide aware of the nature of both your own and others’ bodies.

Or else you abide aware of what causes the arising of the body (the four nutriments), or you abide aware that the body will cease (when the four nutriments cease); or you abide contemplating the body’s causal nature of both arising and ceasing.

Or else mindfulness that “it is just a body” (impermanent, suffering, and not me, not mine and not a permanent essence) is established in you to the extent necessary for mindfulness and wisdom essential for liberation. And you abide independent, not clinging to anything in the world.

That is one way that you are mindful of the body.

The Four Postures

When walking, you are aware in the present that: “I am walking,” when standing … sitting … or lying down, you are aware in the present that: “I am lying down.” Thus you maintain present-moment awareness of however your body is disposed.

In this way you are aware of your own body, or you are aware that the bodies of others are of the same nature as yours, or you abide aware of both your own and others’ bodies…

That is another way that you are mindful of the body.

Full Comprehension of the Purpose

You act in full comprehension of the purpose when going forward and returning; you act in full comprehension of the purpose when looking ahead and looking away, when flexing and extending your limbs, when wearing your clothes and carrying things; you act in full comprehension of the purpose regarding eating, drinking, defecating and urinating, walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, being awake, talking, and keeping silent.

In this way you are aware of your own body, or you are aware that the bodies of others are of the same nature as yours, or you abide aware of both your own and others’ bodies…

That is another way that you are mindful of the body.

The Bodily Parts

You review your body from head to toe, bounded by skin, as made up of many kinds of parts: blood and bones, tissues and organs … Just as though there were a full shopping bag with many kinds of groceries, such as bread, potatoes, fruit and vegetables—so too, you review this same body … as full of many parts thus: “In this body there are hairs, bones … excrement and urine.”

… That is another way that you are mindful of the body.

Elements

You review your body by way of the elements thus: “In this body there are the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the air element.”

… That is another way that you are mindful of the body.

The Nine Charnel Ground Contemplations

1. You see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground, up to three days old, bloated, livid, and oozing matter. Then you reflect that your own body is of the same nature, it may become like that, it is not exempt from that fate.
2. Or you see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground, being devoured by birds, animals or maggots. Then you reflect that your own body is of the same nature, it may become like that, it is not exempt from that fate.
3. Or you see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground, a skeleton with flesh and blood, held together with sinews …
4. … a fleshless skeleton smeared with blood, held together with sinews …
5. … a skeleton without flesh and blood, held together with sinews …
6. … disconnected bones scattered in all directions ...
7. … bones bleached white, the colour of shells …
8. … bones heaped up …
9. … bones more than a year old, rotted and crumbled to dust… Then you reflect that your own body is of the same nature, it may become like that, it is not exempt from that fate.

In this way you are aware of your own body, or you are aware that the bodies of others are of the same nature as yours, or you abide aware of both your own and others’ bodies.

Or else you abide aware of what causes the arising of the body (the four nutriments), or you abide aware that the body is of the nature to cease (when the four nutriments cease), or you abide contemplating the body’s causal nature of both arising and ceasing.

Or else mindfulness that “it is just a body” (impermanent, suffering and not me, not mine and not a permanent essence) is established in you to the extent necessary for mindfulness and wisdom essential for liberation. And you abide independent, not clinging to anything in the world.

That is another way that you are mindful of the body.

Benefits of Mindfulness of the Body

MN 119 When mindfulness of the body has been repeatedly practised, and developed, these ten benefits may be expected.

1. You overcome delight and discontent.
2. You overcome fear and dread.
3. You bear cold and heat, hunger and thirst, and contact with flies, mosquitoes, ticks, wind, the sun, and creeping things; you endure unwelcome words and arisen bodily feelings that are painful and menacing to life.
4. You experience, whenever needed, without difficulty, the four jhānas that constitute the higher mind (adhicitta) and provide a pleasant abiding in this very life.
5. You wield the various kinds of supernormal power: having been one, you become many; having been many, you become one; you appear and vanish; you go unhindered through a wall or through a mountain as though through space; you dive in and out of the earth as though it were water; you walk on water without sinking as though it were earth; seated cross-legged, you travel in space like a bird; you wield bodily mastery even as far as the Brahma-world.
6. With clairaudience (the “divine ear”), you hear sounds both heavenly and human, those that are far as well as near.
7. You can read the minds of other persons, having encompassed them with your own mind, especially whether their mind is affected by one of the five hindrances or whether it is experiencing a jhāna.
8. You recollect your past lives, even up to a hundred thousand births, and many aeons of expanding universes, many aeons of decaying universes: “There I was so named, of such a family with such an appearance, such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life-term; and passing away from there, I reappeared in this other place; and there too I was so named, of such a family ... such my life-term; and passing away from there, I reappeared here.” Thus with their aspects and particulars you recollect many of your past lives.
9. With clairvoyance (the “divine eye”), you see beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and one understands how beings are reborn according to their actions (kamma).
10. By realising for yourself with direct experience, in this very life, you enter upon and abide in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom; you are an awakened one.

Arising and Passing Away (Rise and Fall)

SN 47.42 I will teach you the origination (samudaya) and the passing away (atthaṅgama) of the four focuses of mindfulness.

1. Supported by the four nutriments, there is the origination and continuance of the body. With the cessation of the four nutriments, the body ceases. [The four nutriments are: food, six sense contacts (phassa), will and consciousnesses.]
2. Supported by the six sense contacts (phassa), there is the origination of experience. With the cessation of six sense contacts, experience ceases.
3. Supported by objects of consciousness (nāma-rūpa), there is the origination of the citta. With the cessation of nāma-rūpa, the mind (citta) ceases.
4. Supported by attention, there is the origination of mind-objects. With the cessation of attention, mind-objects cease.

Mindfulness of Experience

MN 10 How are you mindful of experience (vedanā)?

When feeling a pleasant experience, you are mindful that you feel a pleasant experience; when feeling an unpleasant experience, you are mindful that you feel an unpleasant experience; and when feeling a neutral experience, you are mindful that you feel a neutral experience.

When feeling a worldly pleasant experience, a worldly unpleasant experience, or a worldly neutral experience, you are mindful that you feel such a worldly pleasant, unpleasant or neutral experience.

When feeling an unworldly pleasant experience, an unworldly unpleasant experience, or an unworldly neutral experience, you are mindful that you feel such an unworldly pleasant, unpleasant or neutral experience.

In this way you are aware of your own experience, or you are aware that the experience of others is of the same nature as yours, or you abide mindful of both your own and others’ experience.

Or else you abide aware of what causes the arising of experience (sensory contact), or you abide aware that experience is of the nature to cease (when sensory contact ceases), or you abide contemplating experience’s causal nature of both arising and ceasing.

Or else mindfulness that “it is just experience” (impermanent, suffering and not me, not mine and not a permanent essence) is established in you to the extent necessary for mindfulness and wisdom essential to liberation. And you abide independent, not clinging to anything in the world.

That is how a meditator abides mindful of experience.

Mindfulness of the Citta (Mind)

How are you mindful of the mind?

You understand a mind that is affected by wanting as such and a mind that is unaffected by wanting as such. You understand a mind that is affected by aversion as such, and a mind that is unaffected by aversion as such. You understand a mind that is affected by delusion as such, and a mind that is unaffected by delusion as such. You understand a contracted mind as contracted because of dullness and drowsiness, and a distracted mind as distracted because of restlessness and remorse.

You understand an exalted mind, a surpassing mind, a still mind and a liberated mind (all referring to a mind in jhāna) as such, and a mind that is neither exalted, surpassing, still nor liberated, as such.

In this way you are aware of your own mind (citta), or you are aware that others’ minds are of the same nature as yours, or you abide aware of both your own and others’ minds.

Or else you abide aware of what causes the arising of the citta (nāma-rūpa), or you abide aware that the citta is of the nature to cease (when nāma-rūpa ceases); or you abide contemplating the citta’s causal nature of both arising and ceasing.

Or else mindfulness that “it is just a mind” (impermanent, suffering, and not me, not mine, and not a permanent essence) is established in you to the extent necessary for mindfulness and wisdom essential to liberation. And you abide independent, not clinging to anything in the world.

This is how you are mindful of the mind.

Mindfulness of Mind-Objects

How are you mindful of mind-objects?

The Five Hindrances

You are mindful of mind-objects in terms of the five hindrances.

1. When there was wanting regarding the five senses, you are mindful that there was such wanting. When there is no wanting regarding the five senses, you are mindful that there is no such wanting. You also understand how such wanting arises, how to let go of such wanting, and how such wanting doesn’t arise again.
2. When there was aversion in you …
3. When there was dullness and drowsiness in you …
4. When there was restlessness and remorse in you …
5. When there was doubt in you, you are mindful that there was such doubt. When there is no such doubt, you are mindful that there is no doubt. You also understand how such doubt arises, how to let go of doubt, and how doubt doesn’t arise again.

MN 39 Suppose you took out a loan and your business was successful. Then you repaid that loan and there was enough left over for your own enjoyment and for that of your family. As a result, you would be glad and full of joy.

Or suppose you were very ill, you couldn’t eat or sleep, and had no strength. Later, however, you recovered, could eat and sleep again, and you regained your strength. As a result, you would be glad and full of joy.

Or suppose you were imprisoned and later were released, safe and secure, with no loss to your property. As a result, you would be glad and full of joy.

Or suppose you were a slave, indentured to another, unable to go where you want. Then, later, you were released from slavery, independent of others, able to go where you want. As a result, you would be glad and full of joy.

Or suppose you had to travel along a dangerous road across a wilderness, but later, you would pass through that wilderness safe and secure, with no loss to your property. As a result, you would be glad and full of joy.

So too, when these five hindrances were present, you look back on them as: a debt (wanting), a disease (aversion), a prison (dullness and drowsiness), slavery (restlessness and remorse), and a dangerous road across a wilderness (doubt). But when these five hindrances have been abandoned, you regard that as freedom from debt, as health, release from a prison, freedom from slavery, and reaching a land of safety.

The Seven Awakening Factors

MN 10 Or, you are mindful of mind-objects in terms of the seven awakening factors.

1. When the awakening factor of mindfulness is present in you, you understand that it is present. But when the awakening factor of mindfulness was not present in you, you understand that it was absent. You also understand how there comes to be the arising of the absent awakening factor of mindfulness, and how it comes to fulfilment by development.
2. When the awakening factor of exploring the Dhamma is present in you …
3. When the awakening factor of energy is present in you …
4. When the awakening factor of joy is present in you …
5. When the awakening factor of tranquillity is present in you …
6. When the awakening factor of stillness is present in you …
7. When the awakening factor of equanimity is present in you, you understand that it is present. But when the awakening factor of equanimity was not present in you, you understand that it was absent. You also understand how there comes to be the arising of the absent awakening factor of equanimity, and how it comes to fulfilment by development.

The Five Components of Existence

Or, you are mindful of mind-objects in terms of the five components of existence. You are mindful—

“Such is form, such its origin, such its disappearance;

such is experience, such its origin, such its disappearance;

such is perception, such its origin, such its disappearance;

such is will, such its origin, such its disappearance;

such are consciousnesses, such their origin, such their disappearance.”

The Six Sense Bases

Or, you are mindful of mind-objects in terms of the six internal and external sense bases.

You understand sights, understand forms, understand the fetter (wanting) that arises dependent on both; you understand how there comes to be the arising of the unarisen fetter, how there comes to be the abandoning of the arisen fetter, and how there comes to be the future non-arising of the abandoned fetter.

And so with the other five sense bases.

The Four Noble Truths

Or, you are mindful of mind-objects (dhammā) in terms of the four noble truths. You understand as it actually is: this is suffering; this is the origin of suffering; this is the cessation of suffering; this is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.

Summary of Mind-Objects

In these ways you are aware of mind-objects, or you are aware that others’ mind-objects are of the same nature as yours, or you abide aware of both your own and others’ mind-objects.

Or else you abide aware of what causes the arising of mind-objects (attention), or you abide aware that mind-objects are of the nature to cease (when attention ceases), or you abide contemplating mind-objects’ causal nature of both arising and ceasing.

Or else mindfulness that “these are just mind-objects” (impermanent, suffering, and not me, not mine, and not a permanent essence) is established in you to the extent necessary for mindfulness and wisdom essential for liberation. And you abide independent, not clinging to anything in the world.

This is how you are mindful of mind-objects.

Summary of Satipaṭṭhāna

So it was with reference to this that it was said: The four focuses of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna) lead in one direction only, to the purification of beings, to going beyond sadness and crying, to the disappearance of physical and mental suffering, for the attainment of the true way, for the realisation of nibbāna.

Nibbāna through Ānāpānassati

MN 118 When mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated, it is of great fruit and great benefit. When mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated, it completes the four focuses of mindfulness. When the four focuses of mindfulness are developed and cultivated, they complete the seven awakening factors. When the seven awakening factors are developed and cultivated, they complete true knowledge and deliverance (awakening).

Mindfulness of Breathing Completes the Four Focuses of Mindfulness

And how does mindfulness of breathing, developed and cultivated, complete the four focuses of mindfulness?

1. When the in-breath and out-breath are long and you are aware that they are long;
   When the in-breath and out-breath are short and you are aware that they are short;
   When you learn to experience the whole of the breath as you breathe in and out;
   When you learn to calm the breath as you breathe in and out; —on those occasions you are mindful of the body, having restrained the five hindrances, energised, fully aware of the purpose, and mindful. In-and-out-breathing is regarded by the Buddha as a body in the category “bodies”. That is why on that occasion a meditator abides mindful of the body, having restrained the five hindrances, energised, fully aware of the purpose, and mindful.
2. When you learn to experience joy (pīti) as you breathe in and out;
   When you learn to experience pleasure (sukha) as you breathe in and out;
   When you learn to experience the mental formation (of pīti-sukha) as you breathe in and out;
   When you learn to calm this mental formation (of pīti-sukha) as you breathe in and out;
   —on those occasions you are mindful of experience, having restrained the five hindrances, energised, fully aware of the purpose, and mindful. For being mindful of the pleasure associated with this stage of breath meditation is being mindful of experience (vedanā). That is why on that occasion a meditator abides mindful of experience, having restrained the five hindrances, energised, fully aware of the purpose, and mindful.
3. When you learn to experience the citta (experiencing a nimitta) as you breathe in and out;
   When you learn to brighten the nimitta (bring joy to the citta) as you breathe in and out;
   When you learn to settle the nimitta (still the citta) as you breathe in and out;
   When you learn to enter jhāna (liberate the citta) as you breathe in and out;
   —on those occasions you are mindful of the citta, having restrained the five hindrances, energised, fully aware of the purpose, and mindful. I do not say that there is the development of mindfulness of breathing for one who is dull, who is not fully aware (reaching a jhāna without the hindrances gone). That is why on that occasion a meditator abides mindful of the mind (citta), having restrained the five hindrances, energised, fully aware of the purpose, and mindful.
4. When you learn to explore impermanence in breath meditation;
   When you learn to explore things fading away in breath meditation;
   When you learn to explore things ceasing in breath meditation;
   When you learn to explore relinquishing things in breath meditation;
   —on those occasions you are mindful of mind-objects (dhammā), having restrained the five hindrances, energised, fully aware of the purpose, and mindful. Having seen with wisdom the impermanence, fading away, cessation and relinquishment of the five hindrances, you are mindful with equanimity. That is why on that occasion you are mindful of mind-objects, having restrained the five hindrances, energised, fully aware of the purpose, and mindful. That is how mindfulness of breathing, developed and cultivated, completes the four focuses of mindfulness.

Four Focuses of Mindfulness Complete the Seven Awakening Factors

How do the four focuses of mindfulness, developed and cultivated, complete the seven awakening factors?

1. When you are mindful of the body, having restrained the five hindrances, energised, fully aware of the purpose, and mindful—on that occasion steady mindfulness is established in you. On whatever occasion steady mindfulness is established in you—on that occasion the mindfulness awakening factor is aroused in you. You develop it and, by development, it comes to fulfilment in you.
2. When you are thus mindful, you explore Dhamma with wisdom. On whatever occasion, abiding thus mindful, you explore Dhamma with wisdom—on that occasion the exploration-of-Dhamma awakening factor is aroused in you, and you develop it, and by development it comes to fulfilment in you.
3. When you explore Dhamma with wisdom, and embark upon a full inquiry into it, unflagging energy is aroused. On whatever occasion unflagging energy is aroused as you explore Dhamma with wisdom—on that occasion the energy awakening factor is aroused in you, and you develop it, and by development it comes to fulfilment in you.
4. When you have aroused energy, unworldly joy (pīti) arises. On whatever occasion unworldly joy arises—on that occasion the joy awakening factor is aroused in you, and you develop it, and by development it comes to fulfilment in you.
5. When you experience unworldly joy, your body and mind become tranquil. On whatever occasion the body and the mind become tranquil and you experience joy—on that occasion the tranquillity awakening factor is aroused in you, and you develop it, and by development it comes to fulfilment in you.
6. When your body is tranquil and you feel pleasure in the mind, the mind becomes still. On whatever occasion the mind becomes still and joyful—on that occasion the stillness awakening factor is aroused in you, and you develop it, and by development it comes to fulfilment in you.
7. You observe such a still mind with equanimity. On whatever occasion you observe with equanimity the still mind—on that occasion the equanimity awakening factor is aroused in you, and you develop it, and by development it comes to fulfilment in you.

That is how the four focuses of mindfulness, developed and cultivated, complete the seven awakening factors.

Seven Awakening Factors Complete True Knowledge and Deliverance

How do the seven awakening factors, developed and cultivated, complete true knowledge and deliverance (full awakening)?

Here, you develop the mindfulness awakening factor, which is supported by seclusion (physical and mental), fading away and cessation, and ripens in relinquishment.

You develop the exploration-of-Dhamma awakening factor …

the energy awakening factor …

the joy awakening factor …

the tranquillity awakening factor …

the stillness awakening factor …

the equanimity awakening factor, which is supported by seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripens in relinquishment.

That is how the seven awakening factors, developed and cultivated, complete true knowledge and deliverance (full awakening).