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 52.5 At Thorny Wood (2nd)

Sāketanidānaṁ. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ anuruddhaṁ etadavoca:

“asekhenāvuso anuruddha, bhikkhunā katame dhammā upasampajja vihātabbā”ti?

“Asekhenāvuso sāriputta, bhikkhunā cattāro satipaṭṭhānā upasampajja vihātabbā. Katame cattāro? Idhāvuso, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; vedanāsu …pe… citte …pe… dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ asekhenāvuso sāriputta, bhikkhunā ime cattāro satipaṭṭhānā upasampajja vihātabbā”ti.

Pañcamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Sāketanidānaṁ.

At Sāketa.

Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ anuruddhaṁ etadavoca:

Sāriputta said to Anuruddha:

“asekhenāvuso anuruddha, bhikkhunā katame dhammā upasampajja vihātabbā”ti?

“Reverend Anuruddha, what things should a mendicant who is an adept enter and remain in?”

“Asekhenāvuso sāriputta, bhikkhunā cattāro satipaṭṭhānā upasampajja vihātabbā.

“Reverend Sāriputta, a mendicant who is an adept should enter and remain in the four kinds of mindfulness meditation.

Katame cattāro?

What four?

Idhāvuso, 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.

asekhenāvuso sāriputta, bhikkhunā ime cattāro satipaṭṭhānā upasampajja vihātabbā”ti.

A mendicant who is an adept should enter and remain in these four kinds of mindfulness meditation.”

Pañcamaṁ.

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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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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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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Last updated on July 27, 2026