Pali Term: Sati
Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 9:01 am
Hello Pali friends,
Basically the term ' sati' means 'remembrance' ( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/remembrance ).
"And what is the faculty of remembrance? There is the case where a monk, a disciple of the noble ones, is endowed with memory, highly meticulous, remembering & able to call to mind even things that were done & said long ago."
Indriya-Vibhanga sutta, (SN V 197-8 )
Dhammasangani 16, and Vibhanga, give a list of related words:
"Katamaa tasmi.m samaye sati hoti? Yaa tasmi.m samaye sati anussati pa.tissati sati sara.nataa dhaara.nataa apilaapanataa asammussanataa sati satindriya.m satibala.m sammaasati– aya.m tasmi.m samaye sati hoti."
anussati - recollection;
sara.nataa - remembering;
dhaara.nataa - keeping (in mind);
apilaapanataa - calling to mind;
asammussanataa - non-distraction.
(Note here the affinity of 'sati' to 'dhaaraṇa', a term prominently featured in Yoga-Sutra, and the affinity through 'apilaapana' to 'noticing' in Satipatthana-Vipassana by Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw)
And what exactly is kept in mind?
"One remembers to abandon wrong view & to enter & remain in right view: This is one's right remembrance.
One remembers to abandon wrong resolve & to enter & remain in right resolve: This is one's right remembrance.
One remembers to abandon wrong speech & to enter & remain in right speech: This is one's right remembrance.
One remembers to abandon wrong action & to enter & remain in right action: This is one's right
remembrance.
One remembers to abandon wrong livelihood & to enter & remain in right livelihood: This is one's right remembrance."
Maha-cattarisaka sutta, MN 117
Milinda-Panha gives more details:
“yathaa, mahaaraaja, ra~n~no cakkavattissa bha.n.daagaariko raajaana.m cakkavatti.m saaya.m paata.m yasa.m saraapeti ‘ettakaa, deva, te hatthii, ettakaa assaa, ettakaa rathaa, ettakaa pattii, ettaka.m hira~n~na.m, ettaka.m suva.n.na.m, ettaka.m saapateyya.m, ta.m devo saratuu’ti ra~n~no saapateyya.m apilaapeti. evameva kho, mahaaraaja, sati uppajjamaanaa kusalaakusalasaavajjaanavajjahiinappa.niitaka.nhasukkasappa.tibhaagadhamme apilaapeti ‘ime cattaaro satipa.t.thaanaa, ime cattaaro sammappadhaanaa, ime cattaaro iddhipaadaa, imaani pa~ncindriyaani, imaani pa~nca balaani, ime satta bojjha"ngaa, aya.m ariyo a.t.tha"ngiko maggo, aya.m samatho, aya.m vipassanaa, aya.m vijjaa, aya.m vimuttii’ti. tato yogaavacaro sevitabbe dhamme sevati, asevitabbe dhamme na sevati. bhajitabbe dhamme bhajati, abhajitabbe dhamme na bhajati. eva.m kho, mahaaraaja, apilaapanalakkha.naa satii”ti.
Just as, Your Majesty, the treasurer of a king who is a cakka-vattin causes the cakka-vattin king to remember his glory evening and morning [saying], 'So many, lord, are your elephents, so many your horses, so many your chariots, so many your foot soldiers, so much your gold, so much your wealth, so much your property; may my lord remember.' Thus he calls to mind the king's property. Evan so, your Majesty, sati, when it arises, calls to mind dhammas that are skilful and unskilful, with faults and faultless, inferior and refined, dark and pure, together with their counterparts: these are the four establishments of mindfulness, these are the four right endeavours, these are the four bases of success, these are the five faculties, these are the five powers, these are the seven awakening-factors, this is the noble eight-factored path, this is calm, this is insight, this is knowledge, this is freedom. Thus one who practises yoga resorts to dhammas that should be resorted to and does not resort to dhammas that should not be resorted to; he embraces dhammas that should be embraced and does not embrace dhammas that should not be embraced. Just so, Your Majesty, does sati have the characteristic of calling to mind.
“yathaa, mahaaraaja, ra~n~no cakkavattissa pari.naayakaratana.m ra~n~no hitaahite jaanaati ‘ime ra~n~no hitaa, ime ahitaa. ime upakaaraa, ime anupakaaraa’ti. tato ahite apanudeti, hite upagga.nhaati. anupakaare apanudeti, upakaare upagga.nhaati. evameva kho, mahaaraaja, sati uppajjamaanaa hitaahitaana.m dhammaana.m gatiyo samanveti ‘ime dhammaa hitaa, ime dhammaa ahitaa. ime dhammaa upakaaraa, ime dhammaa anupakaaraa’ti. tato yogaavacaro ahite dhamme apanudeti, hite dhamme upagga.nhaa’ti. anupakaare dhamme apanudeti, upakaare damme upagga.nhaati. eva.m kho, mahaaraaja, upagga.nhanalakkha.naa sati.
Just as, Your Majesty, the adviser-treasure of the king who is a cakka-vatin knows those things that are beneficial and unbeneficial to the king [and thinks], 'These things are beneficial, those unbeneficial; these things are helpful, these unhelpful.' He thus removes the unbeneficial things and takes hold of the beneficial. Evan so, Your Majesty, sati, when it arises, follows the courses of beneficial and unbeneficial dhammas: these dhammas are beneficial, these unbeneficial; these dhammas are helpful, these unhelpful. Thus one who practises yoga removes unbeneficial dhammas and takes hold of beneficial dhammas; he removes unhelpful dhammas and takes hold of helpful dhammas. Just so, Your Majesty, does sati have the characteristic of taking hold.
(Mil 37-8; translation from "The Buddhist Path to Awakening" by Rupert Gethin, pp. 37-38 )
On the other hand, there's a practice of 'anussati' (recollection), described, for example, in Mahanama sutta:
""There is the case where you recollect the Tathagata: 'Indeed, the Blessed One is worthy and rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge & conduct, well-gone, an expert with regard to the world, unexcelled as a trainer for those people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of divine & human beings, awakened, blessed.' At any time when a disciple of the noble ones is recollecting the Tathagata, his mind is not overcome with passion, not overcome with aversion, not overcome with delusion. His mind heads straight, based on the Tathagata. And when the mind is headed straight, the disciple of the noble ones gains a sense of the goal, gains a sense of the Dhamma, gains joy connected with the Dhamma. In one who is joyful, rapture arises. In one who is rapturous, the body grows calm. One whose body is calmed experiences ease. In one at ease, the mind becomes concentrated."
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
Metta, Dmytro
Basically the term ' sati' means 'remembrance' ( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/remembrance ).
"And what is the faculty of remembrance? There is the case where a monk, a disciple of the noble ones, is endowed with memory, highly meticulous, remembering & able to call to mind even things that were done & said long ago."
Indriya-Vibhanga sutta, (SN V 197-8 )
Dhammasangani 16, and Vibhanga, give a list of related words:
"Katamaa tasmi.m samaye sati hoti? Yaa tasmi.m samaye sati anussati pa.tissati sati sara.nataa dhaara.nataa apilaapanataa asammussanataa sati satindriya.m satibala.m sammaasati– aya.m tasmi.m samaye sati hoti."
anussati - recollection;
sara.nataa - remembering;
dhaara.nataa - keeping (in mind);
apilaapanataa - calling to mind;
asammussanataa - non-distraction.
(Note here the affinity of 'sati' to 'dhaaraṇa', a term prominently featured in Yoga-Sutra, and the affinity through 'apilaapana' to 'noticing' in Satipatthana-Vipassana by Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw)
And what exactly is kept in mind?
"One remembers to abandon wrong view & to enter & remain in right view: This is one's right remembrance.
One remembers to abandon wrong resolve & to enter & remain in right resolve: This is one's right remembrance.
One remembers to abandon wrong speech & to enter & remain in right speech: This is one's right remembrance.
One remembers to abandon wrong action & to enter & remain in right action: This is one's right
remembrance.
One remembers to abandon wrong livelihood & to enter & remain in right livelihood: This is one's right remembrance."
Maha-cattarisaka sutta, MN 117
Milinda-Panha gives more details:
“yathaa, mahaaraaja, ra~n~no cakkavattissa bha.n.daagaariko raajaana.m cakkavatti.m saaya.m paata.m yasa.m saraapeti ‘ettakaa, deva, te hatthii, ettakaa assaa, ettakaa rathaa, ettakaa pattii, ettaka.m hira~n~na.m, ettaka.m suva.n.na.m, ettaka.m saapateyya.m, ta.m devo saratuu’ti ra~n~no saapateyya.m apilaapeti. evameva kho, mahaaraaja, sati uppajjamaanaa kusalaakusalasaavajjaanavajjahiinappa.niitaka.nhasukkasappa.tibhaagadhamme apilaapeti ‘ime cattaaro satipa.t.thaanaa, ime cattaaro sammappadhaanaa, ime cattaaro iddhipaadaa, imaani pa~ncindriyaani, imaani pa~nca balaani, ime satta bojjha"ngaa, aya.m ariyo a.t.tha"ngiko maggo, aya.m samatho, aya.m vipassanaa, aya.m vijjaa, aya.m vimuttii’ti. tato yogaavacaro sevitabbe dhamme sevati, asevitabbe dhamme na sevati. bhajitabbe dhamme bhajati, abhajitabbe dhamme na bhajati. eva.m kho, mahaaraaja, apilaapanalakkha.naa satii”ti.
Just as, Your Majesty, the treasurer of a king who is a cakka-vattin causes the cakka-vattin king to remember his glory evening and morning [saying], 'So many, lord, are your elephents, so many your horses, so many your chariots, so many your foot soldiers, so much your gold, so much your wealth, so much your property; may my lord remember.' Thus he calls to mind the king's property. Evan so, your Majesty, sati, when it arises, calls to mind dhammas that are skilful and unskilful, with faults and faultless, inferior and refined, dark and pure, together with their counterparts: these are the four establishments of mindfulness, these are the four right endeavours, these are the four bases of success, these are the five faculties, these are the five powers, these are the seven awakening-factors, this is the noble eight-factored path, this is calm, this is insight, this is knowledge, this is freedom. Thus one who practises yoga resorts to dhammas that should be resorted to and does not resort to dhammas that should not be resorted to; he embraces dhammas that should be embraced and does not embrace dhammas that should not be embraced. Just so, Your Majesty, does sati have the characteristic of calling to mind.
“yathaa, mahaaraaja, ra~n~no cakkavattissa pari.naayakaratana.m ra~n~no hitaahite jaanaati ‘ime ra~n~no hitaa, ime ahitaa. ime upakaaraa, ime anupakaaraa’ti. tato ahite apanudeti, hite upagga.nhaati. anupakaare apanudeti, upakaare upagga.nhaati. evameva kho, mahaaraaja, sati uppajjamaanaa hitaahitaana.m dhammaana.m gatiyo samanveti ‘ime dhammaa hitaa, ime dhammaa ahitaa. ime dhammaa upakaaraa, ime dhammaa anupakaaraa’ti. tato yogaavacaro ahite dhamme apanudeti, hite dhamme upagga.nhaa’ti. anupakaare dhamme apanudeti, upakaare damme upagga.nhaati. eva.m kho, mahaaraaja, upagga.nhanalakkha.naa sati.
Just as, Your Majesty, the adviser-treasure of the king who is a cakka-vatin knows those things that are beneficial and unbeneficial to the king [and thinks], 'These things are beneficial, those unbeneficial; these things are helpful, these unhelpful.' He thus removes the unbeneficial things and takes hold of the beneficial. Evan so, Your Majesty, sati, when it arises, follows the courses of beneficial and unbeneficial dhammas: these dhammas are beneficial, these unbeneficial; these dhammas are helpful, these unhelpful. Thus one who practises yoga removes unbeneficial dhammas and takes hold of beneficial dhammas; he removes unhelpful dhammas and takes hold of helpful dhammas. Just so, Your Majesty, does sati have the characteristic of taking hold.
(Mil 37-8; translation from "The Buddhist Path to Awakening" by Rupert Gethin, pp. 37-38 )
On the other hand, there's a practice of 'anussati' (recollection), described, for example, in Mahanama sutta:
""There is the case where you recollect the Tathagata: 'Indeed, the Blessed One is worthy and rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge & conduct, well-gone, an expert with regard to the world, unexcelled as a trainer for those people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of divine & human beings, awakened, blessed.' At any time when a disciple of the noble ones is recollecting the Tathagata, his mind is not overcome with passion, not overcome with aversion, not overcome with delusion. His mind heads straight, based on the Tathagata. And when the mind is headed straight, the disciple of the noble ones gains a sense of the goal, gains a sense of the Dhamma, gains joy connected with the Dhamma. In one who is joyful, rapture arises. In one who is rapturous, the body grows calm. One whose body is calmed experiences ease. In one at ease, the mind becomes concentrated."
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
Metta, Dmytro