Dhamma Q&A with Buddhadāsa and monks from Wat Pah Nanachat
Photo: Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives C03350
“In terms of the wheel, of paṭiccasamuppāda (dependent origination), where does it break in terms of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness?”
~ Response by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~
If there is genuine vedanānupassanā, contemplation of the vedanā, then we’ll be able to manage or master paṭiccasamuppāda right from the start. From the beginning of the senses functioning, and then contact, and vedanā arising with vedanānupassanā, we’ll have it under control from the start. If we really have the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the four satipaṭṭhāna, then dependent origination won’t be a problem for us.
To practice satipaṭṭhāna you need all four, you can’t just practice one, so we need all four. But the aspect of the satipaṭṭhāna that’s most important for human beings is vedanānupassanā, so that we can regulate or manage, we can keep the vedanā from dominating us. Without true contemplation and understanding of vedanā, then we become the slaves of positive and negative feelings. If there’s real vedanānupassanā, contemplation of the vedanā, that’s the crucial element in keeping dependent origination from causing us problems.
With kāyānupassanā, contemplation of the body, you can keep the senses from becoming problems. The senses will be mindful of them and they won’t become any problem for us. They won’t lead to attachment and dukkha.
And then for cittānupassanā, contemplation of the mind, we have even more mastery of the mind, because on an even deeper level, we can keep the vedanā from creating thoughts or perceptions which are trouble for us.
Dhammānupassanā, contemplation of dhammas, is the ability to manage all things which are the basis for attachment, so then we can control or we can manage all attachments. We master all the things that are opportunities for attachment, then attachment can no longer run our lives or take over our minds.
All natural things can be distinguished into two categories, the one are those which have a positive quality or characteristic and those which have a negative quality. If we really got the Foundation of Mindfulness, which is contemplation of dhammas, or dhammānupassanā satipaṭṭhāna, then we can master all these positive and negative qualities so that no dhammas, no things, no natures, will have any power over us.
The translator then asks, “It sounds like you can’t really separate the Four Foundations of Mindfulness – we need to develop all of them together?” And his reply is you need to know which satipaṭṭhāna is appropriate in each circumstance, but ultimately you can’t separate them. We develop all of them according to the circumstances. So the main thing is to have satipaṭṭhāna, to have the mind grounded through mindfulness, and then depending on the circumstances, it’s either of the body or feelings or mind or Dhamma. So one is mindful of these things, but exactly what one is mindful of depends on the circumstances in the mind.
Remember one sentence here, “Sati, mindfulness, can master the vedanā.” Sati masters the vedanā. All the different kinds of vedanā that there are – positive and negative and in between – all the various kinds of vedanā are mastered by sati, by mindfulness. If we are mindful, then we can keep these vedanā from becoming trouble.
(From Dhamma Questions and Answers with Buddhadāsa and monks from Wat Pah Nanachat as translated from the Thai by Santikaro)
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Dhamma Questions & Responses sessions were offered by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu in 1990-1991 to foreign meditators attending Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage courses.
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