Awareness in the present
Pāli: sammā sati · Sanskrit: samyak smṛti · Vietnamese: Chánh niệm
Mindfulness is the capacity to remember and clearly know what is happening in body, feelings, mind, and phenomena without immediately being swept away by habitual reactions. MN 10 presents four fields of contemplation: body, feelings, mind, and phenomena. Mindfulness is not emptying the mind, thinking only positively, or forcing constant calm. It is also inseparable from clear comprehension and ethics: knowing anger so as not to speak harmfully; knowing pleasant feeling without rushing to cling; knowing bodily tension to pause at the right time. Beginners can start with natural breathing, bodily sensations, and simply naming mental states. With trauma or severe instability, practice gently and seek suitable guidance.
A guide by Inti Foundation · updated
Contemplation of body knows body and breath; contemplation of feelings recognizes pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral feeling; contemplation of mind knows greed, anger, distraction, or concentration; contemplation of phenomena sees patterns and teachings operating.
Clear awareness helps us choose less harmful words and actions. Merely observing while ignoring responsibility, boundaries, or consequences is not complete practice.
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No. Breath is one entry; MN 10 also presents contemplation of body, feelings, mind, and phenomena.
Not necessarily. It helps recognize emotions more clearly and reduce automatic reactions, without forcing emotions to disappear.
Begin with a few consistent minutes, prioritizing alertness and safety over trying to sit a long time.
Read, chant and recite every day with the free Inti Dharma app on Google Play (Android) and the App Store (iPhone).
Sources for deeper reading
The source discourse in the Inti library presents contemplation of body, feelings, mind, and phenomena.
