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A History of Mindfulness
The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta is the most influential scripture in Buddhist meditation. It is the foundation text for the modern schools of ‘vipassanā’ or ‘insight’ meditation. The well-known Pali discourse is, however, only one of many early Buddhist texts that deal with mindfulness. This is the first full-scale study to encompass all extant versions of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, taking into account the dynamic evolution of the Buddhist scriptures and the broader Indian meditative culture. A new vision emerges from this groundbreaking study: mindfulness is not a system of ‘dry insight’ but is the ‘way to convergence’ leading the mind to deep states of peace.
396 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 5, 2018
This book is fascinating and it's FREE in case you didn't know. It can be downloaded in various formats from Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/AHistoryO...
It's not a light read, but it's very well researched and thorough. The main meat of the book is Sujato analyzing different versions of the original Sutta texts about mindfulness and comparing them to make informed guesses about which teachings are "original", how the current versions evolved, and what that means for our understanding of mindfulness as a whole.
The starting sections are very technical, and explain his methodology in assessing the "earliness" of texts based on various characteristics. This may be a bit dry for some but helps make the rest of the book a lot clearer. If you absolutely can't get through the introductory description of "GIST" etc, then skipping forward to the sections on the Satipatthana Samyutta etc. would probably be okay.
I find this kind of analysis really interesting, and it helps me make sense of some of the more incoherent aspects of the Pali versions, since Sujato can clear them up by pointing out that the Chinese translations had much more logical versions that probably just got messed up in the Pali due to copying errors. Weird and wonderful!
I haven't finished this book yet, but wanted to write this review to say "hey, check it out!" this book is really interesting and it's free so thanks Sujato for your generosity!
It's not a light read, but it's very well researched and thorough. The main meat of the book is Sujato analyzing different versions of the original Sutta texts about mindfulness and comparing them to make informed guesses about which teachings are "original", how the current versions evolved, and what that means for our understanding of mindfulness as a whole.
The starting sections are very technical, and explain his methodology in assessing the "earliness" of texts based on various characteristics. This may be a bit dry for some but helps make the rest of the book a lot clearer. If you absolutely can't get through the introductory description of "GIST" etc, then skipping forward to the sections on the Satipatthana Samyutta etc. would probably be okay.
I find this kind of analysis really interesting, and it helps me make sense of some of the more incoherent aspects of the Pali versions, since Sujato can clear them up by pointing out that the Chinese translations had much more logical versions that probably just got messed up in the Pali due to copying errors. Weird and wonderful!
I haven't finished this book yet, but wanted to write this review to say "hey, check it out!" this book is really interesting and it's free so thanks Sujato for your generosity!
July 13, 2024
A remarkable and important work of scholarship. I do however wish Ven. Sujato relied on a less sharp distinction between samatha and vipassanā throughout.
July 13, 2024
So the main conclusion of this book is that Satipatthana Sutta has been expanded over the years and that samatha and vipassana are complementary, like twins, in meditation practise. And that this is contrary to 19th and 20th century focus on vipassana as being more important (mainly from the influence of the Burmese tradition from the 19th century). And that there is no such thing as just “vipassana meditation” vs “samatha meditation “ - that once samatha (calm/tranquillity/concentration) is reached, vipassana (clear seeing or insight) will surely come. Like a pair of winged messengers. So lovely!
This is a fascinating read. The first half of the book sets up the reader for the second half, by showing the importance of historical understanding since texts and traditions evolve over time, and that this understanding will help us separate the essential from the unessential.
Ajahn Sujato poses one important question (not in these exact words): "Why is the Buddhist doctrine so well structured and coherent but the scriptures are seemingly so disorganised?" I have often asked this question myself. My teacher, a monk, once joked that: "Buddhists are slovenly".
But if you follow Ajahn Sujato's argument, you will see the evolution of the scriptures and that the oldest strata of scriptures has a very clear structure based on the core Buddhist doctrine. I will briefly sum it here, mainly for my own future reference. I cannot claim I will do a good job because there is just so much information in this book that I fail to grasp many of the finer points. Certainly must read it again.
The usual general approach to the chronology of the massive Tipitaka from the Pali Canon of the Theravada school is: Nikayas are the oldest (discourses of the Buddha), followed by the Vinaya (rules for monastics) and then the Abhidhamma (commentaries on the teachings).
Ajahn Sujato is saying that while that is not wrong, it is also useful to ask which are the oldest suttas, and which Nikaya compilation is the oldest. Comparative studies of manuscripts of different ancient Buddhist schools and textual archaeology show that the following discourses are the oldest: Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta, Anattalakkhana Sutta, Adittapariya Sutta and the request of Brahma. Among the texts of the various Buddhist schools, these have the most concordance (the principle of textural concordance used by scholars), showing that these are likely pre-sectarian and based on the same common source. The Vinaya of the ancient Sarvastivadian school also mentioned that the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta is the oldest.
And the oldest Nikaya is actually the Samyutta Nikaya and that this structured according to the Four Noble Truths (this makes so much sense!). The ancient Sarvastivadian tradition also lists the Samyutta Nikaya first of their four Nikayas (while in the Pali Canon of the Theravada tradition, it is listed as the third collection).
The structure of the Samyutta Agama in the Chinese Agama (the oldest strata of Mahayana scriptures and are equivalent of the Pali Nikayas, these were translated from Sanskrit) follows the structure of the Four Noble Truths even more closely as it lists the Khandhavagga and Salyatanavagga as the first two sections corresponding to the First Noble Truth (as opposed to the Pali version which lists the verse section Sagathavagga as the first section). The different arrangements are attributed to the different emphasise by the different schools although the content are very similar doctrinally.
I was so excited when I read these!
Ajahn Sujato said he is trying to put together a "Grand Integrated Sutta Theory" aka GIST, based on the existing evidence. He demonstrated how elaborations were added to the oldest teachings over time. To understand this approach, one has to understand the historical context and practise of Buddha’s time. He postulated that it is likely that the Vedic scriptures, which predate the Buddha, used a prose, verse and exposition structure in their culture (sutta, geyya and vyakaranna – the three angas or three limb approach). You can see roughly in the Rigveda (verse as prime source), Samanaveda (prose) and Yayurveda (exposition). So the ascetics and intellectuals of Buddha’s time would be familar with this structure. And that this structure is apparent in the oldest sutta – the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta - Buddha makes a shorter declarative statement of his teaching and then there is an exposition and elaboration either attributed to Buddha or his key disciples later in the sutta.
Ajahn Sujato postulates that over time, some of the expositions grew and the Samyutta Nikaya became expanded and these were eventually organised into separate collections - the Digha Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, and Anguttara Nikaya (the Chinese Agama also has similar collections). He said it is well-acknowledged by many scholars that materials in the Pali Canon's Samyutta Nikaya had been moved to the Anguttara Nikaya at some point – because these had remained in the Samyutta Nikaya in other ancient schools’ scriptures (eg the Sarvastivadian school).
And that the oldest strata of Abhidhamma were all extracted from the Samyutta Nikaya in put in a separate collection.
So, what do all these have to do with “A History of Mindfulness” – the title of this book? Ajahn Sujato has taken pains to show the reader the evolution of texts over time, to understand their historical context, and try to see how the “eminent” Satipatthana Sutta held in reverence by so many in the Theravada tradition had actually evolved the past 2500 years, peeling back the layers lead us to the core features of meditation that are common among all the ancient schools.
Beautiful?
I must admit that I skipped over many of the details in the second half of the book because these are very technical, but also because I understood the key thrusts already from attending Ajahn Brahmali’s 10 week workshop on the Satipatthana Sutta which used Ajahn Sujato’s analysis as a basis. You can find Ajahn Brahmali’s course on YouTube – it is much easier to understand because he used tables to show you the different schools’ texts and you can see what elements were added into the Sutta by the Pali school over time. And Ajahn Brahmali is such a lovely teacher! ( I have had the auspicious fortune of attending lessons by both Ajahn Sujato and Ajahn Brahamli in person).
And the grand conclusion of the book and workshop is a joyful one – that the ancient texts show that samatha (concentration) and vipassa (insight) are twins. You cannot have one without having the other during meditation– each follow after the wings of the other. And having both samatha and vipassa will lead us to the next beautiful thing – wisdom.
Now isn’t that so uplifting?
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
This is a fascinating read. The first half of the book sets up the reader for the second half, by showing the importance of historical understanding since texts and traditions evolve over time, and that this understanding will help us separate the essential from the unessential.
Ajahn Sujato poses one important question (not in these exact words): "Why is the Buddhist doctrine so well structured and coherent but the scriptures are seemingly so disorganised?" I have often asked this question myself. My teacher, a monk, once joked that: "Buddhists are slovenly".
But if you follow Ajahn Sujato's argument, you will see the evolution of the scriptures and that the oldest strata of scriptures has a very clear structure based on the core Buddhist doctrine. I will briefly sum it here, mainly for my own future reference. I cannot claim I will do a good job because there is just so much information in this book that I fail to grasp many of the finer points. Certainly must read it again.
The usual general approach to the chronology of the massive Tipitaka from the Pali Canon of the Theravada school is: Nikayas are the oldest (discourses of the Buddha), followed by the Vinaya (rules for monastics) and then the Abhidhamma (commentaries on the teachings).
Ajahn Sujato is saying that while that is not wrong, it is also useful to ask which are the oldest suttas, and which Nikaya compilation is the oldest. Comparative studies of manuscripts of different ancient Buddhist schools and textual archaeology show that the following discourses are the oldest: Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta, Anattalakkhana Sutta, Adittapariya Sutta and the request of Brahma. Among the texts of the various Buddhist schools, these have the most concordance (the principle of textural concordance used by scholars), showing that these are likely pre-sectarian and based on the same common source. The Vinaya of the ancient Sarvastivadian school also mentioned that the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta is the oldest.
And the oldest Nikaya is actually the Samyutta Nikaya and that this structured according to the Four Noble Truths (this makes so much sense!). The ancient Sarvastivadian tradition also lists the Samyutta Nikaya first of their four Nikayas (while in the Pali Canon of the Theravada tradition, it is listed as the third collection).
The structure of the Samyutta Agama in the Chinese Agama (the oldest strata of Mahayana scriptures and are equivalent of the Pali Nikayas, these were translated from Sanskrit) follows the structure of the Four Noble Truths even more closely as it lists the Khandhavagga and Salyatanavagga as the first two sections corresponding to the First Noble Truth (as opposed to the Pali version which lists the verse section Sagathavagga as the first section). The different arrangements are attributed to the different emphasise by the different schools although the content are very similar doctrinally.
I was so excited when I read these!
Ajahn Sujato said he is trying to put together a "Grand Integrated Sutta Theory" aka GIST, based on the existing evidence. He demonstrated how elaborations were added to the oldest teachings over time. To understand this approach, one has to understand the historical context and practise of Buddha’s time. He postulated that it is likely that the Vedic scriptures, which predate the Buddha, used a prose, verse and exposition structure in their culture (sutta, geyya and vyakaranna – the three angas or three limb approach). You can see roughly in the Rigveda (verse as prime source), Samanaveda (prose) and Yayurveda (exposition). So the ascetics and intellectuals of Buddha’s time would be familar with this structure. And that this structure is apparent in the oldest sutta – the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta - Buddha makes a shorter declarative statement of his teaching and then there is an exposition and elaboration either attributed to Buddha or his key disciples later in the sutta.
Ajahn Sujato postulates that over time, some of the expositions grew and the Samyutta Nikaya became expanded and these were eventually organised into separate collections - the Digha Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, and Anguttara Nikaya (the Chinese Agama also has similar collections). He said it is well-acknowledged by many scholars that materials in the Pali Canon's Samyutta Nikaya had been moved to the Anguttara Nikaya at some point – because these had remained in the Samyutta Nikaya in other ancient schools’ scriptures (eg the Sarvastivadian school).
And that the oldest strata of Abhidhamma were all extracted from the Samyutta Nikaya in put in a separate collection.
So, what do all these have to do with “A History of Mindfulness” – the title of this book? Ajahn Sujato has taken pains to show the reader the evolution of texts over time, to understand their historical context, and try to see how the “eminent” Satipatthana Sutta held in reverence by so many in the Theravada tradition had actually evolved the past 2500 years, peeling back the layers lead us to the core features of meditation that are common among all the ancient schools.
Beautiful?
I must admit that I skipped over many of the details in the second half of the book because these are very technical, but also because I understood the key thrusts already from attending Ajahn Brahmali’s 10 week workshop on the Satipatthana Sutta which used Ajahn Sujato’s analysis as a basis. You can find Ajahn Brahmali’s course on YouTube – it is much easier to understand because he used tables to show you the different schools’ texts and you can see what elements were added into the Sutta by the Pali school over time. And Ajahn Brahmali is such a lovely teacher! ( I have had the auspicious fortune of attending lessons by both Ajahn Sujato and Ajahn Brahamli in person).
And the grand conclusion of the book and workshop is a joyful one – that the ancient texts show that samatha (concentration) and vipassa (insight) are twins. You cannot have one without having the other during meditation– each follow after the wings of the other. And having both samatha and vipassa will lead us to the next beautiful thing – wisdom.
Now isn’t that so uplifting?
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews