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**angeldimmon** · 06-14-2011, 06:43 PM

Has anyone here a definition of what is meant by clear comprehension (Sampajañña) as it appears in the Satipatthana sutta. it is twinned with Mindfulness (Sati) so I have presumed it is bare attention, seeing what is there, but this comprehension is emphasized by "clear" so does this imply something further

So, returning to the Satipatthana Sutta, it is as follows:
Herein (in this teaching) a monk lives contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, having overcome, in this world, covetousness and grief; he lives contemplating feelings in feelings, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, having overcome, in this world, covetousness and grief; he lives contemplating the mind in the mind, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, having overcome, in this world, covetousness and grief; he lives contemplating mental objects in mental objects, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, having overcome, in this world, covetousness and grief. OR MORE CLEARLY

Bhikkhus, whenever a bhikkhu is one who lives constantly contemplating body in bodies... is one who lives constantly contemplating feeling in feelings ... is one who lives constantly contemplating mind in the mind ... is one who lives constantly contemplating Dhamma in dhammas, strives to burn up defilements, comprehends readily and is mindful, in order to abandon all liking and disliking toward the world; then the sati of that bhikkhu thus established is natural and unconfused. So, in respect of the sutta, one 'clearly comprehends':

1. when the mind clearly sees the meditation objects (body/breath, feelings, mental states, Dhamma)

2. when the mind clearly sees/observes (contemplates) the meditation objects without covetousness and grief; without liking and disliking

So, the popular term 'bare attention' is one aspect of sampajanna, that is, observing without liking & disliking

As for 'sati' or 'mindfulness', this means 'recollection' or more simply 'to remember', 'to keep in mind'.

Mindfulness is not bare awareness. Mindfulness is to remember to keep the mind free from liking & disliking; to remember to keep or maintain the mind in a state of bare awareness; to keep Right View in the mind, etc.

So bare awareness is the result of mindfulness rather than mindfulness itself.

What is sammasati? Sati [mindfulness] means to bear in mind or bring to mind. Sati is the state of recollecting, the state of remembering, the state of non-fading, the state of non-forgetting. Sati means the sati that is a Spiritual Faculty, the sati that is a Spiritual Power, Sammasati, the Sati that is an Enlightenment Factor, that which is a Path Factor and that which is related to the Path. This is what is called sammasati." [Vbh.105, 286] A simple metaphor is that of holding & pointing a flashlight upon a place where another must carry out some work during the night. It is mindfulness that remembers to keep the flashlight pointed upon the place of work. It is sampajanna that is the light coming out of the flashlight.

Kind regards

Element

06-14-2011, 06:43 PM	#4
angeldimmon Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 358 Senior Member	Has anyone here a definition of what is meant by clear comprehension (Sampajañña) as it appears in the Satipatthana sutta. it is twinned with Mindfulness (Sati) so I have presumed it is bare attention, seeing what is there, but this comprehension is emphasized by "clear" so does this imply something further So, returning to the Satipatthana Sutta, it is as follows: Herein (in this teaching) a monk lives contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, having overcome, in this world, covetousness and grief; he lives contemplating feelings in feelings, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, having overcome, in this world, covetousness and grief; he lives contemplating the mind in the mind, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, having overcome, in this world, covetousness and grief; he lives contemplating mental objects in mental objects, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, having overcome, in this world, covetousness and grief. OR MORE CLEARLY Bhikkhus, whenever a bhikkhu is one who lives constantly contemplating body in bodies... is one who lives constantly contemplating feeling in feelings ... is one who lives constantly contemplating mind in the mind ... is one who lives constantly contemplating Dhamma in dhammas, strives to burn up defilements, comprehends readily and is mindful, in order to abandon all liking and disliking toward the world; then the sati of that bhikkhu thus established is natural and unconfused. So, in respect of the sutta, one 'clearly comprehends': 1. when the mind clearly sees the meditation objects (body/breath, feelings, mental states, Dhamma) 2. when the mind clearly sees/observes (contemplates) the meditation objects without covetousness and grief; without liking and disliking So, the popular term 'bare attention' is one aspect of sampajanna, that is, observing without liking & disliking As for 'sati' or 'mindfulness', this means 'recollection' or more simply 'to remember', 'to keep in mind'. Mindfulness is not bare awareness. Mindfulness is to remember to keep the mind free from liking & disliking; to remember to keep or maintain the mind in a state of bare awareness; to keep Right View in the mind, etc. So bare awareness is the result of mindfulness rather than mindfulness itself. What is sammasati? Sati [mindfulness] means to bear in mind or bring to mind. Sati is the state of recollecting, the state of remembering, the state of non-fading, the state of non-forgetting. Sati means the sati that is a Spiritual Faculty, the sati that is a Spiritual Power, Sammasati, the Sati that is an Enlightenment Factor, that which is a Path Factor and that which is related to the Path. This is what is called sammasati." [Vbh.105, 286] A simple metaphor is that of holding & pointing a flashlight upon a place where another must carry out some work during the night. It is mindfulness that remembers to keep the flashlight pointed upon the place of work. It is sampajanna that is the light coming out of the flashlight. Kind regards Element
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