Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta

Conducted by Āyasmā Aggacitta, the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta Study with Meditation Workshop was held in 7 locations in Malaysia and Singapore, attended by more than 500 people. The purpose of this web site is to provide an opportunity for those who could not attend the live course, and a review for those who attended.

The whole sutta (MN 10) is covered in this 4-day workshop — critical yet interactive and pragmatic in orientation. Participants are exposed to several ways of interpreting the sutta and to a variety of approaches in the practice of satipaṭṭhāna. Most importantly, they are coached on how to apply mindfulness in daily life so that they can experience less suffering, more contentment and greater happiness, culminating in final knowledge and ultimate liberation from all forms of suffering.

The 4-day programme covers all aspects of the Sutta, including
• its historical background
• an overview
• the Pāli text and translation
• a comparative survey of the satipaṭṭhāna material in various Buddhist traditions.
The format consists of group chanting in Pāli, translation into English, explanation and word analysis by Āyasmā Aggacitta, discussion and presentation by the participants, followed by Āyasmā Aggacitta’s explanation. Sutta study is made practical through guided meditation exercises wherever and whenever applicable. Among other revelations, this workshop clarifies the meaning of samādhi, the distinction between samatha and vipassanā, and the difference between jhāna in the suttas and in the Visuddhimagga.

This section of the website provides a structure for the 70 training videos of the course. It contains links to the Youtube videos in the same sequence as the workshop. This recording is from the last session, held at Sāsanārakkha Buddhist Sanctuary in Taiping in July 2012.

There is a menu at the top of every page. Click Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta to go to the overview of that course. Hover over the menu item and a pop up shows Days 1 to 4. Select to go to the respective day’s program. On the pop up, there is also How to Use, which contains instructions for individuals and groups to get the most from the course, and links to materials which can be downloaded.

Separate from this website, we have produced a Video Pack, consisting of 5 discs in mp4 format for those who need/ prefer a hard copy. The Video Pack has higher resolution and is recommended for group study. You can request for a free copy of the Video Pack itself, available since 3 June 2014, from Nalanda Institute, Malaysia.