@knotty36 here is the longer bit; which I include in this thread because I think it bears on the question about the formless attainments, for similar reasons to it bearing on mindfullness:
The Pali phrase
diṭṭhadhammikañca vajjaṃ samparāyikañca vajjaṃ
(The fault apparent in the present life, and the fault to do with lives to come.)
Occurs once in the entire Sutta/Vinaya Pitakas. (at AN2.1)
Whereas the phrase
paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ
(the first jhana)
Occurs 268 times. ( for e.g at DN2)
It can reasonably said from this fact that for the Buddhists of the Pali Canon the first jhana was a more important concept than the faults apparent in this life and the next.
How about we compare something else to the first jhana? What about the four foundations of mindfulness?
paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ V 46 D 24 M 52 S 24 A 61 T 268
cattāro satipaṭṭhānā V 3 D 10 M 11 S 48 A 18 T 92
So in the entire Sutta/VInaya Pitaka first jhana is mentioned almost 3 times as often as the four foundations of mindfulness.
Lets try one more thing and remove the Samyutta from the equation.
Now we have
paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ V 46 D 24 M 52 A 61 T 244
cattāro satipaṭṭhānā V 3 D 10 M 11 A 18 T 44
So if we leave out the Samyutta, first jhana is mentioned more than 5 times more often than the four foundations of mindfulness.
The Samyutta is the only collection to mention cattāro satipaṭṭhānā more than paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ, actually doing so twice as often, in contrast to the other four collections where first jhana is always mentioned at least twice as often as the four foundations.
This strange clustering of the four foundations of mindfulness in the Samyutta however is even more striking than it seems, because if we remove the occurrences in the standard formula listing dhamma subjects known as the 37 factors of awakening, that is the phrase “cattāro satipaṭṭhānā, cattāro sammappadhānā, cattāro iddhipādā, pañcindriyāni, pañca balāni, satta bojjhaṅgā, ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo” then the Vinaya has no mention of cattāro satipaṭṭhānā at all. This is somewhat troubling, recall that the Vinaya mentions the first jhana 48 times.
3 of the 10 mentions of cattāro satipaṭṭhānā in D are also the 37 factors formula as are 2 of the 11 in M and 1 of the 18 in A.
Of the 48 mentions of cattāro satipaṭṭhānā in S none of them occur in the 37 factors formula.
Controlling for the 37 factors formula we have:
paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ V 46 D 24 M 52 A 61 T 244
cattāro satipaṭṭhānā V 0 D 7 M 9 A 17 T 33
paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ S 24
cattāro satipaṭṭhānā S 48
So if we disregard the list of 37 factors S mentions the four foundations of mindfulness twice as much as the first jhana, while D, M, S and V mention the first jhana more than 7 times as often as the four foundations.
I have also spent some time lookin at “kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno” (observing an aspect of the body) which we will call the aspect formula, which reveals no occurrences in V,
kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno V 0 D 9 M 7 S 46 A 6
Once again we see S mentioning the aspect formula more than twice as often as the rest of the Sutta/Vinaya combined.
In conclusion there is a noticeable divergence in the ratio of mentions of the first jhana and the four foundations between the Samyutta and the rest of the Vinaya and Sutta Pitaka.
Metta.
A further search for the phrase “kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno” (observing an aspect of the body) which we will call the aspect formula, reveals no occurrences in V
kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno V 0 D 9 M 7 S 46 A 6
let us see about D.
D 16 is the first occurrence of either “cattāro satipaṭṭhānā” or “kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno” however we will leave it aside as it is widely agreed that the Mahāparinibbānasutta was one of the last pieces of literature in the canon to be “closed” and has many late additions.
At D 18 we have an interesting example of a whole doctrinal formula for the cattāro satipaṭṭhānā:
“What do the good gods of the Thirty-Three think about how much the Buddha has clearly described the four kinds of mindfulness meditation for achieving what is skillful? “Taṁ kiṁ maññanti, bhonto devā tāvatiṁsā, yāva supaññattā cime tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena cattāro satipaṭṭhānā paññattā kusalassādhigamāya. What four? Katame cattāro?
It’s when a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body internally—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. Idha, bho, bhikkhu ajjhattaṁ kāye kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. As they meditate in this way, they become rightly immersed in that, and rightly serene. Ajjhattaṁ kāye kāyānupassī viharanto tattha sammā samādhiyati, sammā vippasīdati. Then they give rise to knowledge and vision of other people’s bodies externally. So tattha sammā samāhito sammā vippasanno bahiddhā parakāye ñāṇadassanaṁ abhinibbatteti.
They meditate observing an aspect of feelings internally … Ajjhattaṁ vedanāsu vedanānupassī viharati …pe… Then they give rise to knowledge and vision of other people’s feelings externally. bahiddhā paravedanāsu ñāṇadassanaṁ abhinibbatteti.
They meditate observing an aspect of the mind internally … Ajjhattaṁ citte cittānupassī viharati …pe… Then they give rise to knowledge and vision of other people’s minds externally. bahiddhā paracitte ñāṇadassanaṁ abhinibbatteti.
They meditate observing an aspect of principles internally—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. Ajjhattaṁ dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. As they meditate in this way, they become rightly immersed in that, and rightly serene. Ajjhattaṁ dhammesu dhammānupassī viharanto tattha sammā samādhiyati, sammā vippasīdati. Then they give rise to knowledge and vision of other people’s principles externally. So tattha sammā samāhito sammā vippasanno bahiddhā paradhammesu ñāṇadassanaṁ abhinibbatteti.
These are the four kinds of mindfulness meditation that the Buddha has clearly described for achieving what is skillful.” Ime kho, bho, tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena cattāro satipaṭṭhānā paññattā kusalassādhigamāyā”ti.
That is the topic on which Brahmā Sanaṅkumāra spoke. Imamatthaṁ, bhante, brahmā sanaṅkumāro bhāsittha.
“kāyānupassī viharanto tattha sammā samādhiyati” (meditating this way they become rightly immersed) occurs nowhere else in the canon. Nor does “bahiddhā paracitte ñāṇadassanaṃ abhinibbatteti”. This appears to be the standard aspect formula with late additions that are nowhere else attested.
D 22 is the same sutta as M 10, let us for the moment assume that the sutta originated in M and was imported to D, this picture is perhaps strengthened by the fact that the middle potion of D is mostly concerned with the Buddhas passing, the rebirth of followers and the discussions of the gods rather than meditative techniques or monastic praxis.
D 26 contains the aspect formula at the beginning and the end, the occurrence at the beginning seems to quote from D 16 using the phrase ‘attadīpā viharatha attasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā” which occurs only at D 16 and those parts of S 47 relating to the deaths of the Buddha, Sariputta and Mogollanna. The occurrence at the end being alongside the psychic powers, brahma viharas and jhanas. The bulk of the sutta however is devoted to the story of the wheel turning monarch and what constitutes good moral conduct having little to do with monastic practice. It appears at least possible that the opening and closing passages relating to monastic practice are a later addition.
D 28 is the 37 factors list
D 29 has the 37 factors list and the aspect formula, the aspect formula occurs at the very end of the discourse. It occurs after a discussion of the undeclared pints and views about past and future, it begins with:
I have taught and pointed out the four kinds of mindfulness meditation for giving up and going beyond all these views of the past and the future. Imesañca, cunda, pubbantasahagatānaṁ diṭṭhinissayānaṁ imesañca aparantasahagatānaṁ diṭṭhinissayānaṁ pahānāya samatikkamāya evaṁ mayā cattāro satipaṭṭhānā desitā paññattā. What four?
The phrase diṭṭhinissayānaṃ imesañca aparantasahagatānaṃ occurs nowhere else in the canon.
D 33 gives the aspect formula as part of a list of lists of formulas.
D 34 has the aspect formula and also
Furthermore, a mendicant with defilements ended has well developed the four kinds of mindfulness meditation. … Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno cattāro satipaṭṭhānā bhāvitā honti subhāvitā. Yaṁpāvuso …pe… ‘khīṇā me āsavā’ti.
Which is repeated for each of the 37 factor groups.
In conclusion, D mentions the four foundations of mindfulness rarely, and most often in places where it could easily be a later addition.
) inferences that you draw from the Vinaya Pitaka.
