Reply To: Validity of current interpretation of Satipatthana Sutta

#51079
pathfinder
Participant

Thank you TripleGemStudent for your kind words, we are all striving hard here. 

And thank you for the reference! It is very helpful to think of dhatu meditation this way.

I find it easier to link “Iti ajjhattaṁ vā vedanāsu vedanānupassī viharati, bahiddhā vā vedanāsu vedanānupassī viharati” in the Vedanānupassanā section. Eg we can say when experiencing a pleasant taste of ice cream, it is bahiddhā, but when we start to want more bites from the ice cream and crave the next bite, it is ajjhattaṁ. Would it be alright to say that?

However, I struggle with applying it for the kaya section:

Lal: Here, “kāye kāyānupassī viharati” refers to “a part of the pancupadanakkhandha (PUK).”

  • Kaya = PUK.  
  • kāye kāya” refers to other kāya within the PUK. It is the initial stage of PUKwhich starts with an arammana. The bahiddha kaya arises first (with “distorted sanna“) and is immediately followed by the ajjhatta kaya (according to the samyojana/anusaya present in that mind.)

Perhaps then, a possible connection between the contemplation how the body consist of what was described, eg hairs of the head, hairs of the skin, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones… and how it links to“Iti ajjhattaṃ vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati, bahiddhā vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati, ajjhattabahiddhā vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati” could be the following:

If I realise that this body is only made of those impurities, it becomes easier to differentiate what is ajjhattaṁ and bahiddhā. Since in reality, the body only consist of hair, skin, nail etc, whatever sights and sounds that we cling on to are ajjhatam since they do not make up the body.

Seems a bit forced and not correct. It would be great if anyone could present how they would link the impurities to ajjhattabahiddhā.

Lal: Here, “kāye kāyānupassī viharati” refers to “a part of the pancupadanakkhandha (PUK).”

Then, in vedana section:

Iti ajjhattaṃ vā vedanāsu vedanānupassī viharati, bahiddhā<sub>13</sub> vā vedanāsu vedanānupassī viharati, ajjhattabahiddhā vā vedanāsu vedanānupassī viharati,

Does “vedanāsu vedanā” mean “a part of vedana”? If yes then which part?