Table of Contents

  • Synopsis
    • SN 47.4 sāla-suttaṃ
    • (newly ordained)
      • (1. kāye kāyānupassino)
      • (2. vedanāsu vedanānupassino)
      • (3. citte cittānupassino)
      • (4. dhammesu dhammānupassino )
    • (non arahant trainees do same exact practice)
      • (1. kāye kāyānupassino)
      • (2. vedanāsu vedanānupassino)
      • (3. citte cittānupassino)
      • (4. dhammesu dhammānupassino )
    • (arahants do same practice)
      • (1. kāye kāyānupassino)
      • (2. vedanāsu vedanānupassino)
      • (3. citte cittānupassino)
      • (4. dhammesu dhammānupassino )
      • (conclusion)
  • SN 47.4 (thanissaro trans.)
    • (newly ordained)
      • (1. kāye kāyānupassino)
      • (2. vedanāsu vedanānupassino)
      • (3. citte cittānupassino)
      • (4. dhammesu dhammānupassino )
    • (non arahant trainees do same exact practice)
    • (arahants do same practice)
      • (conclusion)
    • AN 5.151 footnote on ekagga, thanissaro

Synopsis

SN 47.4 sāla-suttaṃ

sālasuttaṃ (SN 47.4)
 At Sālā (SN 47:4)
(derived from thanissaro trans.)
♦ 370. ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā kosalesu viharati
 On one occasion the Blessed One was staying among the Kosalans
sālāya brāhmaṇa-gāme.
 near the brahman village called Sālā.
tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi ... pe ...
 There he addressed the monks, “Monks!”
...
 “Yes, lord,” the monks responded to the Blessed One.
etadavoca —
 The Blessed One said,

(newly ordained)

♦ “ye te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū navā
 “Monks, the new monks—
acira-pabbajitā
 those who have not long gone forth,
adhunāgatā imaṃ dhamma-vinayaṃ,
 who are newcomers in this Dhamma & Vinaya—
te vo, bhikkhave, bhikkhū
 For those monks,
catunnaṃ satipaṭṭhānānaṃ
 (regarding the) four remembrance-establishings,
bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā.
 should be encouraged, exhorted, & established (by you).
katamesaṃ catunnaṃ?
 “Which four?

(1. kāye kāyānupassino)

etha tumhe, āvuso,
 ‘Come, friends.
kāye kāy-ānupassino viharatha
 (the) body as-the-body(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
kāyassa yathā-bhūtaṃ ñāṇāya;
 {for-the-knowledge-of} (the) body as-it-actually-is;

(2. vedanāsu vedanānupassino)

vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharatha
 experienced-sensations as-experienced-sensations(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
vedanānaṃ yathābhūtaṃ ñāṇāya
 {for-the-knowledge-of} experienced-sensations as-it-actually-is;

(3. citte cittānupassino)

citte cittānupassino viharatha
 (the) mind as-the-mind(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
cittassa yathābhūtaṃ ñāṇāya;
 {for-the-knowledge-of} (the) mind as-it-actually-is;

(4. dhammesu dhammānupassino )

dhammesu dhammānupassino viharatha
 (the) Dhamma as-the-Dhamma(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
dhammānaṃ yathābhūtaṃ ñāṇāya.
 {for-the-knowledge-of} Dhamma as-it-actually-is;

(non arahant trainees do same exact practice)

yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū sekhā
 “Monks, even those who are in training,2—
appattamānasā
 who have not attained the heart’s goal
an-uttaraṃ yogak-khemaṃ patthayamānā viharanti,
 but remain intent on the un-surpassed safety-from-bondage—
tepi
 even they

(1. kāye kāyānupassino)

kāye kāyānupassino viharanti
 (the) body as-the-body(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
kāyassa pariññāya;
 (for the) body’s complete-knowledge;

(2. vedanāsu vedanānupassino)

vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharanti
 experienced-sensations as-experienced-sensations(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
vedanānaṃ pariññāya;
 (for) experienced-sensations’ complete-knowledge;

(3. citte cittānupassino)

citte cittānupassino viharanti
 (the) mind as-the-mind(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
cittassa pariññāya;
 (for the) mind’s complete-knowledge;

(4. dhammesu dhammānupassino )

dhammesu dhammānupassino viharanti
 (the) Dhamma as-the-Dhamma(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
dhammānaṃ pariññāya.
 (for the) Dhamma’s complete-knowledge;

(arahants do same practice)

♦ “yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū arahanto
 “Monks, even those who are arahants—
khīṇ-āsavā
 (who have) destroyed-asinine-inclinations,
vusita-vanto
 reached fulfillment,
kata-karaṇīyā
 done-what-needed-doing,
ohitabhārā
 laid down the burden,
anup-patta-sadatthā
 attained the true goal,
parik-khīṇa-bhava-saṃyojanā
 totally destroyed the fetter of becoming,
sammadaññā vimuttā,
 and who are released through right gnosis—
tepi
 even they

(1. kāye kāyānupassino)

kāye kāyānupassino viharanti
 (the) body as-the-body(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
kāyena vi-saṃyuttā;
 (from the) body, dis-joined;

(2. vedanāsu vedanānupassino)

vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharanti
 experienced-sensations as-experienced-sensations(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
vedanānaṃ pariññāya;
 (from) experienced-sensations, dis-joined;

(3. citte cittānupassino)

citte cittānupassino viharanti
 (the) mind as-the-mind(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
cittassa pariññāya;
 (from the) mind, dis-joined;

(4. dhammesu dhammānupassino )

dhammesu dhammānupassino viharanti
 (the) Dhamma as-the-Dhamma(he) continuously-sees; (he) abides [in that way]:
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 (he is) ardent, a lucid-discerner, transcended-into-singularity,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 (having become) undistractible-&-lucid,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 (with) single-preoccupation-(in)-mind,
dhammānaṃ pariññāya.
 (from the) Dhamma, dis-joined;

(conclusion)

♦ “yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū navā
 “Monks, the new monks, too—
acira-pabbajitā
 those who have not long gone forth,
adhunāgatā imaṃ dhamma-vinayaṃ,
 who are newcomers in this Dhamma & Vinaya—
te vo, bhikkhave, bhikkhū
 those monks,
imesaṃ catunnaṃ satipaṭṭhānānaṃ
 (regarding the) four remembering-establishings,
bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā”ti.
 should be encouraged, exhorted, and established by you.”
catutthaṃ.
 (end of sutta)

SN 47.4 (thanissaro trans.)

sālasuttaṃ (SN 47.4)
 At Sālā (SN 47:4)
(thanissaro trans.)
♦ 370. ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā kosalesu viharati
 On one occasion the Blessed One was staying among the Kosalans
sālāya brāhmaṇa-gāme.
 near the brahman village called Sālā.
tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi ... pe ...
 There he addressed the monks, “Monks!”
...
 “Yes, lord,” the monks responded to the Blessed One.

(newly ordained)

etadavoca —
 The Blessed One said,
♦ “ye te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū navā acirapabbajitā adhunāgatā imaṃ dhammavinayaṃ, te vo, bhikkhave, bhikkhū catunnaṃ satipaṭṭhānānaṃ bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā.
 “Monks, the new monks—those who have not long gone forth, who are newcomers in this Dhamma & Vinaya—should be encouraged, exhorted, & established by you in the four establishings of mindfulness.
katamesaṃ catunnaṃ?
 “Which four?

(1. kāye kāyānupassino)

etha tumhe, āvuso,
 ‘Come, friends.
kāye kāyānupassino viharatha
 Remain focused on the body in & of itself—
ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā
 being ardent, alert, unified,
vippasanna-cittā
 clear-minded,
samāhitā
 concentrated,
ek'-agga-cittā,
 & single-minded -1-
kāyassa yathā-bhūtaṃ ñāṇāya;
 for knowledge of the body as it has come to be.

(2. vedanāsu vedanānupassino)

vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharatha
 “‘Remain focused on feelings in & of themselves—
vedanānaṃ yathābhūtaṃ ñāṇāya
 for knowledge of feelings as they have come to be.

(3. citte cittānupassino)

citte cittānupassino viharatha
 “‘Remain focused on the mind in & of itself—
cittassa yathābhūtaṃ ñāṇāya;
 for knowledge of the mind as it has come to be.

(4. dhammesu dhammānupassino )

dhammesu dhammānupassino viharatha
 “‘Remain focused on mental qualities in & of themselves—
dhammānaṃ yathābhūtaṃ ñāṇāya.
 for knowledge of mental qualities as they have come to be.’

(non arahant trainees do same exact practice)

yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū sekhā
 “Monks, even those who are in training,2—
appattamānasā anuttaraṃ yogakkhemaṃ patthayamānā viharanti, tepi kāye kāyānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, kāyassa pariññāya; vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, vedanānaṃ pariññāya; citte cittānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, cittassa pariññāya; dhammesu dhammānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, dhammānaṃ pariññāya.
 who have not attained the heart’s goal but remain intent on the unsurpassed safety from bondage—even they remain focused on the body in & of itself—being ardent, alert, unified, clear-minded, concentrated, & single-minded for comprehension of the body. They remain focused on feelings in & of themselves… the mind in & of itself… mental qualities in & of themselves—being ardent, alert, unified, clear-minded, concentrated, & single-minded for comprehension of mental qualities.

(arahants do same practice)

♦ “yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū arahanto
 “Monks, even those who are arahants—
khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṃyojanā sammadaññā vimuttā, tepi kāye kāyānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, kāyena visaṃyuttā; vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, vedanāhi visaṃyuttā; citte cittānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, cittena visaṃyuttā; dhammesu dhammānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, dhammehi visaṃyuttā.
 whose effluents are ended, who have reached fulfillment, done the task, laid down the burden, attained the true goal, totally destroyed the fetter of becoming, and who are released through right gnosis—even they remain focused on the body in & of itself—being ardent, alert, unified, clear-minded, concentrated, & single-minded, disjoined from the body. They remain focused on feelings in & of themselves… the mind in & of itself… mental qualities in & of themselves—being ardent, alert, unified, clear-minded, concentrated, & single-minded, disjoined from mental qualities.”

(conclusion)

♦ “yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū navā
 “Monks, the new monks, too—
acirapabbajitā adhunāgatā imaṃ dhammavinayaṃ, te vo, bhikkhave, bhikkhū imesaṃ catunnaṃ satipaṭṭhānānaṃ bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā”ti.
 those who have not long gone forth, who are newcomers in this Dhamma & Vinaya—should be encouraged, exhorted, and established by you in these four establishings of mindfulness.”
catutthaṃ.
 (end of sutta)
Notes
1. A person in training (sekha) is one who has attained at least the first level of awakening, but not yet the final level.
2. Ekagga-citta. For the meaning of this term, see AN 5:151, note 1. Notice that this sutta does not make a sharp distinction between mindfulness practice and concentration practice. See also MN 44 and AN 8:70.
See also: SN 22:122; SN 46:4; SN 52:9; SN 52:10; SN 54:11; AN 5:114

AN 5.151 footnote on ekagga, thanissaro

Note
1. Ek’agga is often translated as “one-pointed,” taking agga as meaning “point.” Because a mind in concentration is said to be in a state of ek’aggatā, or one-pointedness (MN 43; MN 44), it has been argued that if one’s awareness in concentration or jhāna is truly one-pointed, it should be incapable of thinking or of hearing sounds. However, this interpretation imposes too narrow a meaning on the word ek’aggatā, one that is foreign to the linguistic usage of the Canon.
a) To begin with, agga has many other meanings besides “point.” In fact, it has two primary clusters of meanings, in neither of which is “point” the central focus.
The first cluster centers on the fact that a summit of a mountain is called its agga. Clustered around this meaning are ideas of agga as the topmost part of something (such as the ridge of a roof), the tip of something (such as the tip of a blade of grass), and the best or supreme example of something (such as the Buddha as the agga of all beings). AN 5:80 plays with these meanings of agga when it criticizes monks of the future who will “search for the tiptop flavors (ras’agga) with the tip of the tongue (jivh’agga).”
The second cluster of meanings for agga centers on the idea of “meeting place.” A hall where monks gather for the uposatha, for example, is called an uposath’agga. The hall where they gather for their meals is called a bhatt’agga.
Given that the object of concentration is said to be a dwelling (vihāra), and that a person dwells (viharati) in concentration, this second cluster of meanings may be the more relevant cluster here. A mind with a single agga, in this case, would simply be a mind gathered around one object, and need not necessarily be reduced to a single point.
b) But even more telling in determining the meanings of ek’agga and ek’aggatā are the ways in which they are used in the Canon to describe minds.
i. Even if we translated ek’agga as “one-pointed,” this sutta shows that in an everyday context a one-pointed mind is not so pointy that it cannot think or hear sounds. If it were, one would not be able to hear a Dhamma talk or apply appropriate attention—asking questions in the mind related to the four noble truths (MN 2)—while listening. This would defeat the purpose of listening to the Dhamma and get in the way of “alighting on assuredness.”
ii. As for the way in which the term is used in describing the mind in concentration, a passage in MN 43 defines the factors of the first jhāna as these: “directed thought, evaluation, rapture, pleasure, & one-pointedness of mind.” It has been argued that this statement contains a contradiction, in that the compilers of MN 43 did not realize that one-pointedness precluded thought and evaluation. But perhaps they knew their own language well enough to realize that ek’aggatā—being gathered into oneness—did not preclude the powers of thought.
iii. The standard similes for right concentration (DN 2; AN 5:28; MN 119) all emphasize that the mind in right concentration is aware of the entire body. To get around this fact, those who propose that a one-pointed mind can be aware of only one point interpret “body” in these similes as meaning a purely mental body, but that would mean (a) the similes’ emphasis on pervading the entire body would meaningless if the mental body is reduced to a small point, and (b) the Buddha was extremely sloppy and misleading in his choice of similes to describe concentration. If the purpose of jhāna is to blot out awareness of the body, why would he choose a simile for the fourth jhāna in which the entire body is pervaded with awareness?
As MN 52 and AN 9:36 show, the ability to use appropriate attention to analyze any of the four jhānas while still in the state of ek’aggatā is an important skill in reaching awakening. So it’s important that the term not be defined in so narrow a sense that it would obstruct any efforts to master that skill and gain its benefits.
See also: AN 5:202; AN 6:86–88; AN 8:53; Sn 2:9; Thag 5:10