The Buddha teaches the four establishments of mindfulness—body, feelings, mind, and principles—as the direct path for the purification of beings, the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, and the realization of extinguishment.

SN 47.47 Bad Conduct

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami …pe…

“sādhu me, bhante, bhagavā saṅkhittena dhammaṁ desetu, yamahaṁ bhagavato dhammaṁ sutvā eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto vihareyyan”ti.

“Tasmātiha tvaṁ, bhikkhu, ādimeva visodhehi kusalesu dhammesu. Ko cādi kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ? Idha tvaṁ, bhikkhu, kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya kāyasucaritaṁ bhāvessasi. Vacīduccaritaṁ pahāya vacīsucaritaṁ bhāvessasi. Manoduccaritaṁ pahāya manosucaritaṁ bhāvessasi. Yato kho tvaṁ, bhikkhu, kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya kāyasucaritaṁ bhāvessasi, vacīduccaritaṁ pahāya vacīsucaritaṁ bhāvessasi, manoduccaritaṁ pahāya manosucaritaṁ bhāvessasi, tato tvaṁ, bhikkhu, sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya cattāro satipaṭṭhāne bhāveyyāsi.

Katame cattāro? Idha tvaṁ, bhikkhu, kāye kāyānupassī viharāhi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; vedanāsu …pe… citte …pe… dhammesu dhammānupassī viharāhi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Yato kho tvaṁ, bhikkhu, sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ime cattāro satipaṭṭhāne evaṁ bhāvessasi, tato tuyhaṁ, bhikkhu, ratti divaso āgamissati vuddhiyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu, no parihānī”ti …pe…

aññataro ca pana so bhikkhu arahataṁ ahosīti.

Sattamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami …pe…

Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha … and said:

“sādhu me, bhante, bhagavā saṅkhittena dhammaṁ desetu, yamahaṁ bhagavato dhammaṁ sutvā eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto vihareyyan”ti.

“Sir, may the Buddha please teach me Dhamma in brief. When I’ve heard it, I’ll live alone, withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute.”

“Tasmātiha tvaṁ, bhikkhu, ādimeva visodhehi kusalesu dhammesu.

“Well then, mendicant, you should purify the starting point of skillful qualities.

Ko cādi kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ?

What is the beginning of skillful qualities?

Idha tvaṁ, bhikkhu, kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya kāyasucaritaṁ bhāvessasi.

Give up bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind and develop good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind.

Vacīduccaritaṁ pahāya vacīsucaritaṁ bhāvessasi.

Manoduccaritaṁ pahāya manosucaritaṁ bhāvessasi.

Yato kho tvaṁ, bhikkhu, kāyaduccaritaṁ pahāya kāyasucaritaṁ bhāvessasi, vacīduccaritaṁ pahāya vacīsucaritaṁ bhāvessasi, manoduccaritaṁ pahāya manosucaritaṁ bhāvessasi, tato tvaṁ, bhikkhu, sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya cattāro satipaṭṭhāne bhāveyyāsi.

When you’ve done this, you should develop the four kinds of mindfulness meditation, depending on and grounded on ethics.

Katame cattāro?

What four?

Idha tvaṁ, bhikkhu, kāye kāyānupassī viharāhi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ;

Meditate observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.

vedanāsu …pe…

Meditate observing an aspect of feelings …

citte …pe…

mind …

dhammesu dhammānupassī viharāhi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ.

principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.

Yato kho tvaṁ, bhikkhu, sīlaṁ nissāya sīle patiṭṭhāya ime cattāro satipaṭṭhāne evaṁ bhāvessasi, tato tuyhaṁ, bhikkhu, ratti divaso āgamissati vuddhiyeva pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu, no parihānī”ti …pe…

When you develop the four kinds of mindfulness meditation in this way, depending on and grounded on ethics, you can expect growth, not decline, in skillful qualities, whether by day or by night.” …

aññataro ca pana so bhikkhu arahataṁ ahosīti.

And that mendicant became one of the perfected.

Sattamaṁ.

Qualities:

Cultivation

Cultivation

The active practice of 'bringing into being' wholesome states. It is the deliberate nurturing of the bright state of mind.

Also known as: development, improvement, meditation, nurturing, growth
Pāli: bhāvanā
View all discourses →
Displeasure

Displeasure

A feeling of mental pain or a disagreeable feeling or unease born of mental contact.

Also known as: mental pain, mental distress, melancholy, sadness
Pāli: domanassa
View all discourses →
Greed

Greed

A grasping mental quality of craving, possessiveness, or lustful wanting that clings to objects or experiences; it fuels attachment and obstructs renunciation and contentment

Also known as: acquisitiveness, avarice, covetousness, rapacity, money grabbing, grabbiness
Pāli: lobha, gedha
View all discourses →
Harm

Harm

Intention or action that causes injury or suffering to oneself or others. It arises from aversion and heedlessness and destroys trust and safety. The opposite of non-harm, it obscures compassion and leads to regret.

Also known as: injury causing behavior, destructiveness, bad, evil
Pāli: pāpaka
View all discourses →
Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Active presence of mind and lucid retention; the faculty that remembers the Dhamma, anchors attention to the chosen object or present experience, and guards the mind against unwholesome states.

Also known as: recollecting, remembering, keeping in mind, presence, awareness
Pāli: sati, anussati
View all discourses →
Wholesome

Wholesome

Conducive to or suggestive of good health and mental well-being.

Also known as: blameless, skillful, beneficial, good, useful, healthy, nourishing, sustaining
Pāli: kusala
View all discourses →

Last updated on July 27, 2026