The Practice Method of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness

The Satipaṭṭhāna Sūtra is an excellent sūtra for cultivating both meditative concentration (samādhi) and wisdom in order to attain purity of the Dharma eye. Because we lack the power of concentration and the power of wisdom, our minds are coarse and we do not know how to introspect upon ourselves. This sūtra teaches us how to cultivate the mind to a state of utmost subtlety, so that we can introspect upon ourselves with increasing clarity, recognize that our own arising, ceasing, and change are unreal, and thereby eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) and attain the four fruits of the Small Vehicle.

The sūtra teaches the contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) of the four foundations of mindfulness: contemplating the body as a foundation of mindfulness, contemplating feeling as a foundation of mindfulness, contemplating the mind as a foundation of mindfulness, and contemplating dharmas as a foundation of mindfulness. When contemplating the body as a foundation of mindfulness, one first contemplates one's own breathing, with the mind continuously following the movement of one's breath; the mind rests on a single dharma, attaining meditative concentration and stillness, and then one raises contemplation, realizing that the material body arises and ceases and is without self. Afterwards, one contemplates the entire material body, until one has contemplated through and through all the bodily formations and actions one creates, being perfectly clear about what one's body is currently doing. In the end, only a single thought of the body remains; then one empties that thought, relinquishes that notion, and the mind inwardly knows that all dharmas are empty and are not the self.

In the future, if one wishes to investigate Chan, relying on the power of concentration one can replace this thought with a huatou for Chan investigation, or with a point of Dharma meaning that needs to be resolved, carrying this thought of investigation whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down; at a certain point, one will be able to investigate and uncover the Dharma meaning. Right now our minds are not sufficiently alert; we do not understand ourselves and do not know how to introspect upon ourselves. Through cultivating concentration, once the mind has become subtle and refined, we can understand ourselves very well; only by understanding can we resolve our own problems.

After cultivating for a while, one will taste the sweetness of practice. Although at the beginning it may feel bitter—internally unwilling to be restrained, struggling—if one perseveres and forms a habit, it will be fine. Then one can introspect upon oneself anytime and anywhere: what the body is doing, what the mind is doing—one comes to understand one's own bodily, verbal, and mental actions. When one understands them thoroughly, knowing oneself and knowing others, one can win every battle without fail, and one can resolve one's own problems. Using the Dharma to examine oneself—whether one is in accord with the Dharma or not—one must manage oneself well. Only when one can manage oneself will one have the ability in the future to manage others. If one cannot even manage oneself, one cannot manage others, and cannot be a bodhisattva or a guide and leader for sentient beings.

One must understand that one's present actions are precisely the view of the body and the view of self. When one takes all these actions and formations as real, as the self, and grasps at and clings to them, then when one has the ability to introspect, one will know this is self-grasping; taking the functions and operations of all dharmas as real is dharma-grasping. First, being able to observe this is enough—do not worry about whether you can actually do it; sooner or later you will be able to. What is to be feared is that right now you do not know, that you cannot observe yourself—that is ignorance (avidyā). If you do not know that your views are wrong, do not know that you have grasping and ignorance, then how could you ever change?

Starting from contemplating the breath, contemplate the body and cultivate the foundation of mindfulness of the body, then cultivate the foundation of mindfulness of feeling. Sentient beings mostly drive their minds to create all kinds of karmic actions for the sake of feeling comfortable; these feelings are all the functions and operations of the arising-and-ceasing six consciousnesses, and also involve the operation of the manas; all of them arise, cease, change, and are unstable. Then contemplate the mind as impermanent. In contemplating the mind, one first contemplates the mind consciousness and the six consciousnesses, and in the end it also involves the manas. The contents are not long, but to become proficient in the contemplative practice of each small section also takes a very long time—as for how long, that varies from person to person.

The Satipaṭṭhāna Sūtra finally speaks of contemplating dharmas as without self. This dharma-without-self does not mean that all dharmas are not the self of the eighth consciousness; the contemplative practice of the Small Vehicle is not done this way—contemplating this way cannot lead to realizing the fruits. The "self" in the Small Vehicle refers to the self that can scatter and decay, that can be destroyed; in fact, there is no self that is permanent and imperishable. All dharmas cannot exist forever; sooner or later they all return to extinction. Therefore it is said that dharmas are without self and are not the self.