Skip to reading
← Saṃyutta Nikāya

Analysis

SN 47.40 · Vibhaṅgasutta

A small island of river foam drifting on quiet water.

“Mendicants, I will teach you mindfulness meditation, the development of mindfulness meditation, and the practice that leads to the development of mindfulness meditation. Listen …

And what is mindfulness meditation? 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. They meditate observing an aspect of feelings … mind … principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. This is called mindfulness meditation.

And what is the development of mindfulness meditation? It’s when a mendicant, with respect to the body, meditates observing the liability to originate, to vanish, and to originate and vanish—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. With respect to feelings … mind … principles, they meditate observing the liability to originate, to vanish, and to originate and vanish—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. This is called the development of mindfulness meditation.

And what is the practice that leads to the development of mindfulness meditation? It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. This is called the practice that leads to the development of mindfulness meditation.”

Connections

Collection & context

Teachings named in the text

Books

About this edition

Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.