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SN 47.4PTS SN 5.1442 min read

At Sālā

Sālasutta

Newly ordained mendicants should practice the four kinds of mindfulness meditation; trainees are practicing them, and perfected ones have perfected the practice.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 47.4Linked Discourses 47.4
  • 0.21. Ambapālivagga1. In Ambapālī’s Mango Grove

0.3SālasuttaAt Sālā

1.1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā kosalesu viharati sālāya brāhmaṇagāme.At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Kosalans near the brahmin village of Sālā.11.2Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi …pe… etadavoca:There the Buddha addressed the mendicants:

2.1“Ye te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū navā acirapabbajitā adhunāgatā imaṁ dhammavinayaṁ, te vo, bhikkhave, bhikkhū catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā.“Mendicants, those mendicants who are junior—recently gone forth, newly come to this teaching and training—should be encouraged, supported, and established by you in the four kinds of mindfulness meditation.22.2Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ?What four?2.3Etha tumhe, āvuso, kāye kāyānupassino viharatha ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, kāyassa yathābhūtaṁ ñāṇāya;Please, reverends, meditate observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, so as to truly know the body.2.4vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharatha ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, vedanānaṁ yathābhūtaṁ ñāṇāya;Meditate observing an aspect of feelings—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, so as to truly know feelings.2.5citte cittānupassino viharatha ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, cittassa yathābhūtaṁ ñāṇāya;Meditate observing an aspect of the mind—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, so as to truly know the mind.2.6dhammesu dhammānupassino viharatha ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, dhammānaṁ yathābhūtaṁ ñāṇāya.Meditate observing an aspect of principles—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, so as to truly know principles.

3.1PTS 5.145Yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti, tepi kāye kāyānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, kāyassa pariññāya;Those mendicants who are trainees—who haven’t achieved their heart’s desire, but live aspiring to the supreme sanctuary from the yoke—also meditate observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, so as to fully understand the body.33.2vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, vedanānaṁ pariññāya;They meditate observing an aspect of feelings—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, so as to fully understand feelings.3.3citte cittānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, cittassa pariññāya;They meditate observing an aspect of the mind—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, so as to fully understand the mind.3.4dhammesu dhammānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, dhammānaṁ pariññāya.They meditate observing an aspect of principles—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, so as to fully understand principles.

4.1Yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tepi kāye kāyānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, kāyena visaṁyuttā;Those mendicants who are perfected—who have ended the defilements, completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their own goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and are rightly freed through enlightenment—also meditate observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, detached from the body.44.2vedanāsu vedanānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, vedanāhi visaṁyuttā;They meditate observing an aspect of feelings—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, detached from feelings.4.3citte cittānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, cittena visaṁyuttā;They meditate observing an aspect of the mind—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, detached from the mind.4.4dhammesu dhammānupassino viharanti ātāpino sampajānā ekodibhūtā vippasannacittā samāhitā ekaggacittā, dhammehi visaṁyuttā.They meditate observing an aspect of principles—keen, aware, at one, with minds that are clear, immersed and unified in samādhi, detached from principles.

5.1Yepi te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū navā acirapabbajitā adhunāgatā imaṁ dhammavinayaṁ, te vo, bhikkhave, bhikkhū imesaṁ catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvanāya samādapetabbā nivesetabbā patiṭṭhāpetabbā”ti.Those mendicants who are junior—recently gone forth, newly come to this teaching and training—should be encouraged, supported, and established by you in these four kinds of mindfulness meditation.”

5.2Catutthaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. This village is possibly connected to the Śālagrāma famed in later years as the origin of the ammonite stones found on the Gaṇḍakī river and worshiped as aniconic forms of Vishnu. Against this theory is that Śālagrāma is too far to the north-east, although in truth we do not know the exact extent of Kosala. The feminine ending of the Pali form suggests that the name means “hall”, but Sanskrit sources trace Śālagrāma to the sal trees that grow abundantly in the Himalayan foothills.

    The same framing narrative recurs at MN 60, where the topic of rebirth is also discussed.

    ↩ sn47.4:1.1
  2. Traditionally, new monastics are taught the meditation on parts of the body (MN 10:10.1, Kp 3:1.1). See too AN 5.114.

    ↩ sn47.4:2.1
  3. Through the practice of mindfulness meditation they have attained jhāna and now seek to deepen understanding.

    ↩ sn47.4:3.1
  4. The arahants continue to meditate, not in order to achieve anything, but simply because it is a pure and blissful abiding.

    ↩ sn47.4:4.1