Venerable Anuruddha teaches that the four kinds of mindfulness meditation—regarding body, feelings, mind, and principles—are the noble path to the complete ending of suffering when undertaken with keen awareness.

SN 52.10 Gravely Ill

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā anuruddho sāvatthiyaṁ viharati andhavanasmiṁ ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno. Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yenāyasmā anuruddho tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ anuruddhaṁ etadavocuṁ:

“Katamenāyasmato anuruddhassa vihārena viharato uppannā sārīrikā dukkhā vedanā cittaṁ na pariyādāya tiṭṭhantī”ti?

“Catūsu kho me, āvuso, satipaṭṭhānesu suppatiṭṭhitacittassa viharato uppannā sārīrikā dukkhā vedanā cittaṁ na pariyādāya tiṭṭhanti. Katamesu catūsu? Idhāhaṁ, āvuso, kāye kāyānupassī viharāmi …pe… vedanāsu …pe… citte …pe… dhammesu dhammānupassī viharāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ imesu kho me, āvuso, catūsu satipaṭṭhānesu suppatiṭṭhitacittassa viharato uppannā sārīrikā dukkhā vedanā cittaṁ na pariyādāya tiṭṭhantī”ti.

Dasamaṁ.

Rahogatavaggo paṭhamo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Rahogatena dve vuttā,
sutanu kaṇḍakī tayo;
Taṇhākkhayasalaḷāgāraṁ,
ambapāli ca gilānanti.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā anuruddho sāvatthiyaṁ viharati andhavanasmiṁ ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno.

At one time Venerable Anuruddha was staying near Sāvatthī in the Dark Forest. And he was sick, suffering, gravely ill.

Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yenāyasmā anuruddho tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ anuruddhaṁ etadavocuṁ:

Then several mendicants went up to Venerable Anuruddha, and said to him:

“Katamenāyasmato anuruddhassa vihārena viharato uppannā sārīrikā dukkhā vedanā cittaṁ na pariyādāya tiṭṭhantī”ti?

“What meditation does Venerable Anuruddha practice so that physical pain doesn’t occupy his mind?”

“Catūsu kho me, āvuso, satipaṭṭhānesu suppatiṭṭhitacittassa viharato uppannā sārīrikā dukkhā vedanā cittaṁ na pariyādāya tiṭṭhanti.

“Reverends, I meditate with my mind firmly established in the four kinds of mindfulness meditation so that physical pain doesn’t occupy my mind.

Katamesu catūsu?

What four?

Idhāhaṁ, āvuso, kāye kāyānupassī viharāmi …pe…

I meditate observing an aspect of the body …

vedanāsu …pe…

feelings …

citte …pe…

mind …

dhammesu dhammānupassī viharāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ

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

imesu kho me, āvuso, catūsu satipaṭṭhānesu suppatiṭṭhitacittassa viharato uppannā sārīrikā dukkhā vedanā cittaṁ na pariyādāya tiṭṭhantī”ti.

I meditate with my mind firmly established in these four kinds of mindfulness meditation so that physical pain doesn’t occupy my mind.”

Dasamaṁ.

Rahogatavaggo paṭhamo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Rahogatena dve vuttā,

sutanu kaṇḍakī tayo;

Taṇhākkhayasalaḷāgāraṁ,

ambapāli ca gilānanti.

Topics & 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
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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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Jhana

Jhana

An abiding with a steady, collected awareness that is attained through seclusion from the five hindrances and unwholesome mental states. When supported by right view, a jhāna can be a basis for the wearing away of taints and directing the mind toward the vision of Nibbāna.

Also known as: meditation, undistracted awareness, absorption, mental absorption
Pāli: jhāna, samāhita, susamāhita, sammāsamādhi
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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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Suffering

Suffering

Unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering that is inherent in conditioned existence.

Also known as: discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentedness, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, distress, affliction
Pāli: dukkha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026