‘Satipatthna’ is sometimes translated as ‘the Foundations of Mindfulness’ and some  time as ‘the Establishing of (i.e. governance by) Mindfulness’. Technically, it is the method of practice that makes use of sati most fruitfully, as indicated in the Buddha’s words in the Mah Satipatthna Sutta:

“This is the one way, O Bhikkhus, for the purification of beings, for the passing beyond sorrow and lamentation, for the cessation of pain and distress, for the attainment of the Supramundane Path, for the realization of Nibbna, namely, the Four
Satipatthna.”

The development of Satipatthna is a very popular method of Dhamma-practice and is highly praised and revered. It is considered to incorporate both samatha (calm) and vipassan (insight) cultivation. The wayfarer may choose either to develop samatha until the attainment of absorption before developing vipassan based on the Four Satipatthna as a way of reaching his goal, or he may develop Satipatthna-vipassan in dependence on only an initial level of samdhi, the minimum that is sufficient for his purpose.

Vipassan is an important principle of Buddhist practice which, though widely known, is also widely misunderstood, and is thus a matter deserving some clarification. The following basic outline of Satipatthna will help to provide a better understanding of the meaning of vipassan, from its essential nature to its field of actions and its variation, as well as the extent to which its application is possible in daily life and what the benefits of such application may be. However, there is no intention to make a through study of vipassan here. The aim is merely to convey as much of an understanding of it as can be obtained from looking at the essential features

In brief, the main elements of Satipatthna are as follows:

1. Kynupassan, contemplation or mindfulness of the body;

(a) nupassan, going to scheduled place, sitting cross-legged and focusing sati on one’s inhalations and exhalations;

(b) Iriypatha, Focusing on posture, clearly perceiving the present mode of disposition of the body, whether standing, walking sitting, or lying down;

(c) Sampajaa, maintaining clear comprehension in every kind of action and movement, e.g., moving forward, looking around, stretching our the arm, dressing, chewing, eating, drinking. urinating, excreting, walking up, going to sleep, speaking and keeping silent;

(d) Patiklamanasikra, contemplating one’s body, from the top of the head to the soles of the feet, as a repository of a large number of unattractive constituents;

(e) Dhtumanasikra, contemplating one’s body by considering it separated into its four constituent elements;

(f) Navasvathik, looking at corpses in nine different stages of decay, from one newly dead to one reduced to crumbling bones, and, in each case, applying what is seen to oneself, reflecting that one’s own body must meet a similar fate;

2. Vedannupassan, mindfulness of feeling, i.e. when a feeling of pleasure, pain, or indifference arises, whether associated with sensual desires or unassociated with them, one has a clear perception of it in its actuality at the moment of occurrence;

3. Cittnupassan, mindfulness of mind, i.e. how the mind is at a given moment-for instance, whether sensual desire is present in it or not, whether aversion is present in it or not, whether it is agitated or concentrated, liberated or still fettered, etc., one has a clear perception of the underlying state of mind, in its actuality in the present moment;

4. Dhammnupassan, mindfulness of dhammas;

(a) Nvarana (hindrance), clear perception, in that moment, of whether any of the Five Hindrances is present in the mind or not, the way in which as-yet unarisen hindrances arise, how hindrances already arisen may be abandoned, and how hindrances already abandoned may be prevented from re-arising;

(b) Khandha (aggregate), comprehension of the nature of each khandha, how it arises and how it ceases;

(c) yatana (sense-base), clear perception of each of the internal and external sense-bases and of the fetters that arise dependent on them, how those already arisen may be abandoned and how those already abandoned may be prevented from re-arising.

(d) Bojjhaga (limbs of enlightenment), clear perception, in that moment, of whether or not any of the Seven Limbs of Enlightenment is present in one’s mind, how those as-yet unarisen may arise and how those already arisen may be developed to fullness;

(e) Ariyasacca, clear and authentic perception of each of the Four Noble Truths.

In the Mah Satipatthna Sutta, at the end of every one of the above clauses, there is an identical refrain:

“The bhikkhu contemplates the body   in the body  internally (i.e. one’s own body), contemplates the body in the body externally (another’s body), or contemplates the body in the body both internally and externally. He contemplates arising in the body; he contemplates dissolution in the body; he contemplates both arising and dissolution in the body. He possesses clear mindfulness of the existence of the body, solely to the extent necessary for a bare knowledge of it, sufficient for it to serve as an object of recollection. Thus he lives independently, clinging to nought in the world.”