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 47.48 Friends

“Ye, bhikkhave, anukampeyyātha, ye ca kho sotabbaṁ maññeyyuṁ mittā amaccā ñātī sālohitā vā, te vo, bhikkhave, catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā.

Katamesaṁ, catunnaṁ? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; vedanāsu …pe… citte …pe… dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ.

Ye, bhikkhave, anukampeyyātha, ye ca sotabbaṁ maññeyyuṁ mittā amaccā ñātī sālohitā vā, te vo, bhikkhave, imesaṁ catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā”ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Ye, bhikkhave, anukampeyyātha, ye ca kho sotabbaṁ maññeyyuṁ mittā amaccā ñātī sālohitā vā, te vo, bhikkhave, catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā.

“Mendicants, those for whom you have sympathy, and those worth listening to—friends and colleagues, relatives and family—should be encouraged, supported, and established by you in the development of the four kinds of mindfulness meditation.

Katamesaṁ, catunnaṁ?

What four?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ;

It’s when a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.

vedanāsu …pe…

They meditate observing an aspect of feelings …

citte …pe…

mind …

dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ.

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

Ye, bhikkhave, anukampeyyātha, ye ca sotabbaṁ maññeyyuṁ mittā amaccā ñātī sālohitā vā, te vo, bhikkhave, imesaṁ catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā”ti.

Those for whom you have sympathy, and those worth listening to—friends and colleagues, relatives and family—should be encouraged, supported, and established by you in the development of the four kinds of mindfulness meditation.”

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Qualities:

Compassion

Compassion

A mental quality of wise empathy in response to suffering, which counters qualities of harm or cruelty.

Also known as: benevolence, concern, sympathy, kindness towards those who are suffering
Pāli: karuṇā, anukampa
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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
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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
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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
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Jealousy

Jealousy

A painful mental state that arises when seeing the good fortune or qualities of others. It begrudges what others have and resents their happiness, closing the heart to appreciative joy.

Also known as: covetousness, envy, possessiveness, protective of, unwilling to part with
Pāli: issā
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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
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Last updated on July 27, 2026