Suttas often chanted
The seven books of the Abhidhamma — the funeral chant
SattappakaraṇābhidhammaThe opening passages of all seven books of the Abhidhamma, chanted by monks at Thai funerals and memorial serv…
Suttas often chanted
The Satipaṭṭhāna passage
Satipaṭṭhānapāṭha
The opening of the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, setting out the four foundations of mindfulness — often chanted to review the method before sitting.
When it is chanted
Chanted before sitting, as a way of reviewing where mindfulness is placed and how.
Many retreat centres use it to open the morning session: it is short enough to chant daily without eating into the meditation time.
Background
The Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta is the central discourse on mindfulness. This chant is its uddesa — the section that states the headings before the sutta explains each one in detail.
The Buddha calls it the direct path: the way that leads to purity of heart, past sorrow and lamentation, to the ending of pain and grief, and to the realisation of nibbāna. He then names the four places where mindfulness is established: body, feelings, mind, and the objects of mind.
Each of the four carries the same three qualifiers: ardent enough not to drift off, clearly knowing what one is doing, and mindful — not losing hold of what is being watched — while setting aside liking and disliking towards the world.
Pali
- Ekāyano ayaṃ bhikkhave maggo Monks, this is the direct path,
- Sattānaṃ visuddhiyā for the purification of beings,
- Sokaparidevānaṃ samatikkamāya for passing beyond sorrow and lamentation,
- Dukkhadomanassānaṃ atthaṅgamāya for the ending of pain and grief,
- Ñāyassa adhigamāya for reaching what is to be known,
- Nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya for the realisation of nibbāna:
- Yadidaṃ cattāro satipaṭṭhānā that is, the four foundations of mindfulness.
- Katame cattāro Which four?
- Idha bhikkhave bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati Here a monk abides watching the body in the body,
- Ātāpī sampajāno satimā ardent, clearly knowing, mindful,
- Vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ having put aside longing and aversion towards the world.
- Vedanāsu vedanānupassī viharati He abides watching feelings in feelings,
- Ātāpī sampajāno satimā ardent, clearly knowing, mindful,
- Vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ having put aside longing and aversion towards the world.
- Citte cittānupassī viharati He abides watching the mind in the mind,
- Ātāpī sampajāno satimā ardent, clearly knowing, mindful,
- Vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ having put aside longing and aversion towards the world.
- Dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati He abides watching mind-objects in mind-objects,
- Ātāpī sampajāno satimā ardent, clearly knowing, mindful,
- Vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ having put aside longing and aversion towards the world.
Where it comes from in the Tipiṭaka
Click to read the actual page it refers to
Other chants
Suttas often chanted
The passage that rouses gladness in the Dhamma
DhammapahaṃsanapāṭhaThe Buddha declares that the Dhamma has been made plain, so effort is worth making — the lazy live badly, the …
Suttas often chanted
The Buddha’s final words
PacchimabuddhovādapāṭhaThe Buddha’s last words before his passing: all conditioned things wear away — complete your work with diligen…
Suttas often chanted
Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta — The Characteristic of Not-Self
AnattalakkhaṇasuttaṃThe Buddha's second teaching to the five monks: the five aggregates are not a self we can command, so they sho…