Ajahn Brahmali conducts a workshop on Satipaṭṭhāna, which is about meditation practice.
This series consists of 8 workshops, conducted in two sessions. The first session (Workshop 1 – 4, Part 1 to 8), covers general aspect, such as:
- The purpose of satipaṭṭhāna on the Buddhist path,
- The interplay of samatha and vipassanā (calm and insight), and
- The historical development of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta.
The second session (Workshop 5 – 8, Part 9 to 16), applies the findings of the first workshop to the Satipatthana Sutta:
- We investigate the Satipatthana Sutta in detail with a view to discover how the Buddha most likely wanted us to go about this practice.
- We will look at each satipatthana exercise in detail and discuss its place on the path.
- The final result will be a simple and practical guide to meditation practice.
General Reading:
- Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN 10)
- Introduction to Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta
- The earliest Satipatthana Sutta
- Present Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta vs. earliest Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, in full
- Present Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta vs. earliest Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, summary
- Satipaṭṭhāna Saṁyutta (SN 47)
- A History of Mindfulness by Bhante Sujato (advanced)
Workshop Series:
- Workshop 1 (Part 1 – 2 ) | 27 November 2021 | Ajahn Brahmali
- Workshop 2 (Part 3 – 4) | 04 December 2021 | Ajahn Brahmali
- Workshop 3 (Part 5 – 6) | 11 December 2021 | Ajahn Brahmali
- Workshop 4 (Part 7 – 8) | 18 December 2021 | Ajahn Brahmali
- Workshop 5 (Part 9 – 10) | 19 February 2022 | Ajahn Brahmali
- Workshop 6 (Part 11 – 12) | 26 February 2022 | Ajahn Brahmali
- Workshop 7 (Part 13 – 14) | 05 March 2022 | Ajahn Brahmali
- Workshop 8 (Part 15 – 16) | 12 March 2022 | Ajahn Brahmali
You may also like to watch the following Friday night talk by Ajahn Brahmali on Buddhist meditation, which summarised some of the main issues discussed at the workshop:
Workshop 1 (Part 1 – 2) | 27 November 2021 | Ajahn Brahmali
Satipaṭṭhana: The Big Picture
- A brief summary of meaning of EBT
- The purpose of this course is to arrive at simple meditation instructions (MN 118)
- A brief review of noble eightfold path (SN 45.1, SN 45.8)
- Definition of sammāsati (SN 45.8)
- The breadth of satipaṭṭhāna: Satipaṭṭhāna Saṁyutta and historical developments (SN 47)
- The meaning of satipaṭṭhāna
- The use of sati in the suttas
- Why the Buddha can speak on satipaṭṭhāna for a hundred years (MN 12, end)
- Satipaṭṭhāna is a gem! (AN 8.19)
- Satipaṭṭhāna as a refuge (DN 26, beginning)
- The relationship between the Aids to Awakening (bodhipakkhiyadhammas) and satipaṭṭhāna
- The place of satipaṭṭhāna on the path
- How satipaṭṭhāna meditation works.
Part I
Satipatthana-part-1-(Workshop-1)
Part 2
Satipatthana-part-2-(Workshop-1)
Workshop 2 (Part 3 – 4) | 04 December 2021 | Ajahn Brahmali
Myths/Misconceptions
- What do we do when there are disagreements of interpretation?
- Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta is the most important sutta
- Satipaṭṭhāna can be fully understood through the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta
- Satipaṭṭhāna means “foundation of mindfulness” (SN 47.1)
- Satipaṭṭhāna can be done without morality (SN 45.1)
- Satipaṭṭhāna is equivalent to vipassanā (SN 45.1)
- Modern vipassanā/satipaṭṭhāna is a direct lineage going back to the Buddha
- Satipaṭṭhāna is “Mindfulness meditation”
- Satipaṭṭhāna is non-judgmental awareness of the present moment.
Part 3
Satipatthana-part-3-(Workshop-2)
Part 4
Satipatthana-part-4-(Workshop-2)
Workshop 3 | 11 December 2021 | Ajahn Brahmali
Samatha and Vipassanā
- The roots of vipassanā meditation
- What are samatha and vipassanā? (AN 2.32)
- Why there is no such thing as vipassanā meditation
- How samatha and vipassanā arise together
- Specific suttas that deal with samatha and vipassanā (AN 4.94; AN 4.170)
- Satipaṭṭhāna and samādhi (AN 8.63; SN 47.4)
- Saññā and vipassanā, how they work together
- Satipaṭṭhāna leading to deep insight (AN 10.28; SN 52.3; SN 47.37)
- Satipaṭṭhāna and sammāñāṇa (AN 10.103)
- Satipaṭṭhāna and samādhi, a practical sutta example (SN 47.10).
Reading: Ajahn Brahmali: Why Samatha and Vipassanā Are Inseparable; Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw: Satipatthana Vipassana; S.N. Goenka: Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta Discourses.
Part 5
Satipatthana-part-5-(Workshop-3)
Part 6
Satipatthana-part-6-(Workshop-3)
Workshop 4 | 18 December 2021 | Ajahn Brahmali
The Original Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta
- How original are the suttas?
- The two versions of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta
- The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta in comparative light
- Satipaṭṭhāna mūla, “the root Satipaṭṭhna Sutta”.
Reading: Bhante Sujato: A History of Mindfulness (second half of book).
Part 7
Satipatthana-part-7-(Workshop-4)
Part 8
Satipatthana-part-8-(Workshop-4)
Workshop 5 | 19 February 2022 | Ajahn Brahmali
The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta: Overview and General Issue
- A brief summary of the findings of the previous workshop
- The purpose of this course (MN 118)
- Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta context (MN 10):
o Location of delivery of Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta
o Results of satipaṭṭhāna practice, beyond samādhi
o Satipaṭṭhāna summary statement
Part 9
Satipatthana-part-9-(Workshop-5)
Part 10
Satipatthana-part-10-(Workshop-5)
Workshop 6 | 26 February 2022 | Ajahn Brahmali
Myths/Misconceptions
- Satipaṭṭhāna develops mindfulness (SN 45.1 + SN 47.1)
- Satipaṭṭhāna is the “one and only way” (SN 47.1)
- You are either mindful or you are not (SN 48.12)
- Satipaṭṭhāna is all about direct observation: anupassanā/vipassanā (MN 10)
- Breath meditation belongs to body contemplation (MN 118)
- Satipaṭṭhāna is to be practiced in everyday life (SN 47.2)
- Satipaṭṭhāna includes watching pain (MN 118).
Part 11
Satipatthana-part-11-(Workshop-6)
Part 12
Satipatthana-part-12-(Workshop-6)
Workshop 7 | 05 March 2022 | Ajahn Brahmali
Satipaṭṭhāna 1, 2, and 3: contemplation of body, feelings, and mind
Body:
- Breath meditation: belongs to all four satipaṭṭhānas (MN 10, MN 118)
- Four postures (MN 10)
- Clear awareness: comes before satipaṭṭhāna (SN 47.2 + MN 27)
- 31 parts of the body: original body contemplation (MN 10)
- Elements (MN 28)
- Cemetery contemplations (MN 10).
Feelings:
- Practice in context of mindfulness of breathing (MN 118)
- Painful feeling: do we need to contemplate it? (MN 118)
- Spiritual pain (MN 137)
- Spiritual happiness: samādhi and jhāna (MN 10 + SN 36.31).
Mind:
- Practice in context of mindfulness of breathing (MN 118)
- Mind contemplation vs. sense restraint
- Defiled mental states: should they be contemplated? (MN 10 + MN 118)
- Special emphasis of samādhi and jhāna (MN 10 + MN 118).
Reading: Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw: Satipatthana Vipassana; S.N. Goenka: Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta Discourses.
Part 13
Satipatthana-part-13-(Workshop-7)
Part 14
Satipatthana-part-14-(Workshop-7)
Workshop 8 | 12 March 2022 | Ajahn Brahmali
Satipaṭṭhāna 4: contemplation of Dhammas, and summary
- Dhammas: practice in context of mindfulness of breathing (MN 10 + MN 118)
- Hindrances: original
- Aggregates: insight addition
- Sense spheres: insight addition
- Seven factors of awakening: original
- Four noble truths: insight addition
- Satipaṭṭhāna and Ānāpānasati compared (MN 10 + MN 118)
- How to practice satipaṭṭhāna (MN 118)
- Conclusion of Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN 10)
- Summary: importance of morality and right view; satipaṭṭhāna leads to samādhi, then deep insight; mindfulness of breathing.
Part 15
Satipatthana-part-15-(Workshop-8)
Part 16
Satipatthana-part-16-(Workshop-8)
Satipatthana – Workshop series 1 – Program and Reading Materials
Satipatthana – Workshop series 2 – Program and Reading Materials
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