At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling among the Kosalans at the brahmin village of |Sālā::name of a Brahman village in Kosala [sālā]|. There, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus.”
“Venerable sir,” those bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:
“Bhikkhus, those bhikkhus who are new, recently ordained, and who have just come to this |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| and |Vinaya::code of monastic discipline rules, training [vinaya]|, they should be encouraged by you, should be settled, and should be firmly grounded in the |cultivation::development, meditation [bhāvanā]| of the four establishments of mindfulness. What four?
1. Come, friends, dwell contemplating the body in and of itself—|with continuous effort::ardent, zealous, with energy, with application [ātāpī]|, |fully aware::with attentiveness, with clear and full comprehension, intentional, purposeful [sampajāna]|, |being integrated::being whole [ekodibhūta]|, with a |tranquil::serene, calm [vippasanna]|, |collected::composed, settled [samāhita]| and |unified::one-pointedness, with oneness, integrated, well-composed, concentrated [ekagga]| mind, in order to know the body |as it is in actuality::as it has come to be, in reality [yathābhūta]|.
2. Dwell contemplating the |felt experience::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, feeling felt on contact through eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind [vedanā]| in and of itself—with continuous effort, fully aware, being integrated, with a tranquil, collected, and unified mind, in order to know the felt experience as it is in actuality.
3. Dwell contemplating the |mind::consciousness [citta]| in and of itself—with continuous effort, fully aware, being integrated, with a tranquil, collected, and unified mind, in order to know the mind as it is in actuality.
4. Dwell contemplating the |mental qualities::characteristics, traits, and tendencies of the mind, shaped by repeated actions and sustained attention, guided by particular ways of understanding; they may be wholesome or unwholesome, bright or dark [dhammā]| in and of themselves—with continuous effort, fully aware, being integrated, with a tranquil, collected, and unified mind, in order to know the mental qualities as they are in actuality.
Bhikkhus, those bhikkhus who are trainees, not yet attained to their goal, aspiring for the unsurpassed security from bondage, they also dwell contemplating the body in and of itself—with continuous effort, fully aware, being integrated, with a tranquil, collected, and unified mind, for the |complete comprehension::full understanding [pariñña]| of the body; dwell contemplating the felt experience in and of itself—with continuous effort, fully aware, being integrated, with a tranquil, collected, and unified mind, for the complete comprehension of the felt experience; dwell contemplating the mind in and of itself—with continuous effort, fully aware, being integrated, with a tranquil, collected, and unified mind, for the complete comprehension of the mind; dwell contemplating the mental qualities in and of themselves—with continuous effort, fully aware, being integrated, with a tranquil, collected, and unified mind, for the complete comprehension of the mental qualities.
Bhikkhus, those bhikkhus who are arahants, |whose mental defilements have ended::who is awakened through the complete exhaustion of the mental effluents, taints [khīṇāsava]|, who have fulfilled the spiritual life, who have done what had to be done, having put down the burden, having achieved the highest goal, |having exhausted the fetter of existence::who has worn away the bonds of continued conditional existence, i.e. the karmically conditioned mode of being that leads to future rebirth [parikkhīṇabhavasaṃyojana]|, and having been liberated through complete comprehension, they also dwell contemplating the body in and of itself—with continuous effort, fully aware, being integrated, with a tranquil, collected, and unified mind, |disentangled from::disengaged from, detached from, unfettered from [visaṃyutta]| from the body; dwell contemplating the felt experience in and of itself—with continuous effort, fully aware, being integrated, with a tranquil, collected, and unified mind, disentangled from the felt experience; dwell contemplating the mind in and of itself—with continuous effort, fully aware, being integrated, with a tranquil, collected, and unified mind, disentangled from the mind; dwell contemplating the mental qualities in and of themselves—with continuous effort, fully aware, being integrated, with a tranquil, collected, and unified mind, disentangled from the mental qualities.
Bhikkhus, those bhikkhus who are new, recently ordained, and who have just come to this Dhamma and Vinaya, they should be encouraged by you, should be settled, and should be firmly grounded in the cultivation of these four establishments of mindfulness.”