Awareness in Buddhist Meditation
A detailed description of awareness in Buddhist Meditation.
A detailed description of awareness in Buddhist Meditation.
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Applications of <strong>Awareness</strong><br />
<strong>Awareness</strong> of the body<br />
Four applications of m<strong>in</strong>dfulness are named as awareness of the<br />
body (kāyānupassanā) together with awareness of the bodily postures<br />
(iriyāpatha), the 32 parts of the body and awareness of the<br />
process of breath<strong>in</strong>g (ānāpāna-sati) which we have discussed so<br />
far. There now rema<strong>in</strong> the other three applications of m<strong>in</strong>dfulness<br />
as awareness of the body’s sensations (vedanānupassanā), of<br />
the functions of the m<strong>in</strong>d (cittānupassanā) and of the m<strong>in</strong>d’s objects<br />
(dhammānupassanā). Together they constitute the four foundations<br />
of awareness (sati-upaṭṭhāna) accord<strong>in</strong>g to the Suttas 9 .<br />
<strong>Awareness</strong> of Sensations<br />
<strong>Awareness</strong> of the body’s sensations (vedanānupassanā) requires an<br />
understand<strong>in</strong>g of the nature of sensation, which is very often mistranslated<br />
as ‘feel<strong>in</strong>g’. Feel<strong>in</strong>g is a sensation, no doubt, but there is<br />
much more to sensation than mere feel<strong>in</strong>g. Feel<strong>in</strong>g is basically the<br />
physical sensation of touch; and touch (phassa) is only one of the<br />
five sensations of the body. The five physical sensations of the body<br />
are the see<strong>in</strong>g of sight, the hear<strong>in</strong>g of sound, the smell<strong>in</strong>g of odour,<br />
the tast<strong>in</strong>g of flavour and the touch<strong>in</strong>g of contact, all if which are<br />
9 A. i, 21, 27; D. 22; M. 10<br />
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