“This is incorporated in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta: the development of mindfulness, the practice of samādhi, and the development of wisdom.”

The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

16th January, 2022

“This is incorporated in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta: the development of mindfulness, the practice of samādhi, and the development of wisdom.”

Question:  “Can you explain the difference between Ānāpānasati Sutta and Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta.  Are they complementary? Do we have to practice both of them?”

Than Ajahn:  “Ānāpānasati is the practice of samādhi – concentrating, focusing on your breathing.  The Buddha sometimes talked only about Ānāpānasati, so it’s called, ‘Ānāpānasati Sutta,’ sometimes he incorporated this in Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta.

Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta consists of the practice of samādhi, paññā, and mindfulness (sati). These are the three practices consisting in Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta.  When you’re not sitting in meditation you have to be mindful with whatever you are doing. You have to keep watching your body activities. Don’t let your mind goes somewhere else.  Bring your mind to be watching the body activities.  So, this way you can have mindfulness. It will prevent you from thinking about other things. It will make your mind empty of thoughts, but is not yet calm. If you don’t have any control, it still thinks. But it doesn’t think as much as before. 

So, you have to control your thoughts as much as possible by focusing your attention on something like your body or your mantra. This is the first practice, to develop mindfulness.  

Once you have mindfulness, you want to meditate.  The Buddha says, ‘When you sit and meditate, you should watch your breath because your body is not moving anymore.’  

The only thing that is moving is your breath, so you keep watching your breath.  If you can focus on watching your breath and do not think of anything, then your mind will gradually enter into singularity, become one.  Having no thought, you will become peaceful, happy, and still.  So, this is the practice of samādhi.  Once you have mastered this practice of samādhi, you can enter into samādhi any day, anytime, anywhere.  

Then, the next step is to develop vipassanā or paññā or wisdom or insight – that is to see the true nature of the body, the true nature of the feelings, and the true nature of the mind.  

These are three things that you have to understand clearly. Right now you are addicted or attached to these three things. Your attachment is the one that causes you sadness and unhappiness because you don’t understand the nature of the body. You don’t see that the body will get old, get sick and die, so you become attached to your body. When you’re attached, you want your body to live forever, not to get sick and not to get old.  But when your body starts to get old, get sick or die, then you will be unhappy.  

If you know that the body will get old, get sick and die, then you will not be unhappy, you’re willing to accept the truth. Right now you are not ready to accept the truth, so you have to keep reminding yourself: if you don’t want to be sad or unhappy, you have to accept this truth. This is the development on wisdom. 

It’s the same thing with your feelings.  Your feeling is impermanent.  It keeps changing; it doesn’t remain the same.  Sometimes it is good feeling but sometimes it is bad feeling.  

Sometimes it’s neither good nor bad feeling. It keeps changing and you cannot tell it to be otherwise.  

When it’s bad feeling, you want to get rid of it but you cannot.  When it’s good feeling, you want to hang on to it but you cannot.  So, you just have to understand the nature of the feelings that it comes and goes. 

And you’re willing to face it and let it go.  Be willing to face it when it comes and let it go when it has to go.  Then, you will not be attached to them.  

It’s the same way with your mind.  Your mind has different moods and emotions.  Sometimes you have good feeling, feeling high.  

Sometimes you’re down and depressed.  

Sometimes the mind is bright.  Sometimes the mind is dull.  These are the nature of the mind.  

So, you have to understand that this is just the nature of the mind and don’t try to manage or control it.  

Try to understand it. Accept it for what it is.  Then, you will not be sad when the mind doesn’t appear to be what you want it to be.  This is the practice of wisdom or insight.  

This is incorporated in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta: the development of mindfulness, the practice of samādhi, and the development of wisdom.      

By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

Youtube: Dhamma in English

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g