Where is 'vipassana' in relation to the 8 fold & 10 fold path?

Q & A
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I had always assumed ‘vipassana’ was included in the 9th factor of Samma Nana (Right Knowledge) in the 10 fold path. However, after doing some reading yesterday, I came to the conclusion it does not since Right Knowledge appears to be the knowledge that the defilements have been uprooted.

Since I doubt ‘vipassana’ is part of (the ‘forerunner’) Right View, this leaves Right Mindfulness as the factor that includes vipassana, since Right Mindfulness includes a description of (ultimately) seeing the impermanence in the four areas of meditation (satipatthana). However, to me, mindfulness (‘sati’) means ‘remembering’ (rather than ‘seeing’ - ‘anupassi’) & what is primarily remembered is to keep the mind in right view (per MN 117); free from covetousness & distress (per MN 118); or, otherwise, what is remembered is to keep the mind observing (anupassi) the appropriate objects of meditation (per MN 10).

Have I missed something somewhere in not being able to place ‘vipassana’ within the factors of the Buddhist path?

Or is vipassana ‘phala’ (‘fruition’) rather than ‘magga’ (path)?

:neutral_face:

Any view belonging to one who has come to be like this is his right view. Any resolve, his right resolve. Any effort, his right effort. Any mindfulness, his right mindfulness. Any concentration, his right concentration: just as earlier his actions, speech, & livelihood were already well-purified. Thus for him, having thus developed the noble eightfold path, the four frames of reference go to the culmination of their development. The four right exertions… the four bases of power… the five faculties… the five strengths… the seven factors for Awakening go to the culmination of their development. [And] for him these two qualities occur in tandem: tranquillity (samatha) & insight (vipassana).

MN 149

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For me Vipassana means Satipatthana.
So I always thought it is Samma Sati.
Samma Sati is a part of Samma Vayama and Samma Samadhi.
Noble Eight Fold Path is practiced as a whole not on isolation.
Hence Vipassana means the Noble Eightfold Path.
The important factor of Buddha’s teaching is the interconnectedness.
If you know one, you know the all.

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In ‘History of Mindfulness’ (page 187), Ajahn Sujato appears to include vipassana in the 9th factor.

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The way I understand 9th and 10th factors are Magga and Phala.
As I mentioned before you can’t practice Vipassana in isolation.

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Vipassana is the other side of the coin. The other side being samatha.
As Ajahn Brahmali answered to me (hoping he does not mind quoting him):
"Well basically I don’t think the Buddha divided meditation into samatha and vipassanā. There is just bhāvanā, “development of the mind”. And bhāvanā has two outcomes, samatha and vipassanā. When you practice mindfulness of breathing, the defilements are gradually overcome. A reduction in defilements means more peace (samatha), because one is not being dragged in to the future by desire or into the past by ill will. And it also means greater clarity (vipassanā), because the distortions of the mind are being abandoned. Abandoning defilements is exactly what satipaṭṭhāna does.

If you read the Ānāpānasati Sutta you will see that it specifically says that mindfulness of breathing fulfils the four satipaṭṭhānas. Please notice the word “fulfils”. In other words, this is all you need to do."

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:mindblown: woah, never thought about desire and ill-will in relation to time before!

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