Buddha Kept Repeating This When He Taught Mindfulness This one line was what most powerfully imprinted itself into my mind. Atapi sampajjano satima, a refrain of the Satipatthana Sutta is probably the most succinct definition and description of mindfulness in the Buddha’s own words. In an age of commercialization of mindfulness, the original definition can often get obscured. This is why elucidating the logic behind these three words helped me so profoundly; and I hope that it can do the same for you. The root of this word comes from Sanskrit tap which means heat. It’s the basis for the concept of tapasya or penance in yoga, which isn’t as scary as it sounds. It’s merely an increase of the intensity level of our practice so that we are shifted out of our habitual mode, into a more growth-oriented and malleable state of plasticity. To pursue mindfulness more intensely means to be ready for all the impurity that might come up as a result of it. This is the entire process of purification; one where impurities arise and pass, just as they would when a piece of iron ore is being heated & refined to produce pure metal. Without the heat, the practice falls short, and won’t help us reach the depths of profundity taught by the Buddha. The root sam denotes completeness or orderliness. Pajjano refers to a contextual awareness or understanding. What the Buddha is trying to describe is a mental state where you know exactly what you are supposed to be doing. Continusly. This is (depending on the tradition) usually a focus on the phenomena that are arising and passing: impermanent, absent of selfhood, and unsatisfactory. This examining erodes our clinging & identification with the causes of suffering! It is with this context in mind that Buddha’s teachings act as a profound & potent medicine for long-term wellbeing. The Pali word sati and Sanskrit word smrti translate quite literally into “remembrance.” It’s not quite ‘mindfulness’ as we understand it today (being just in the present moment) but a more widely-encompassing state of awareness.
