Walter Hottinga . Com

Just back from Spain, were I enjoyed 12 days of nice warm weather, had a couple of nice days in Barcelona and Gerona and did a Vipassana meditation course.

Vipassana meditation:
Since I first heart of this technique some 3 years ago it stayed on my mind as something I wanted to checkout myself. Only last year I found the opportunity and did my first 10 day course as thought by S.N. Goenka. I got hooked up immediately.
Here was a technique; that came without a doctrine I had to believe before it would work, that was practical, that made a lot of abstract theories about life that I have been studying the last couple of years tangible, that gave me a daily routine to work on my understanding, that made me more balanced, happier and that was on top offered to me for free.

The technique is rooted in Buddhism but no need to be Buddhist or believe in the teachings. The technique will teach you to observe your own bodily sensations in a particular manner and gain your own wisdom from this. No Buddha telling you what to believe, no Goenka. Just gain your own wisdom and trust on that.

After a couple of courses I found it time to delve deeper into the theoretical site of the technique. Deepening my understanding and thus gaining more out of my daily practices. I preparation for this course I made a summary of the theory that would be the topic of the discourse; The Mahāsatipatthāna Sutta. I discovered how important it is to have a “good” translation as a basis. During the course I, therefore made a new summary focusing on the framework. I added some aid as how to apply the framework. This summary is meant as an aid only. You will find it at the bottom of this article. Use it! I strongly advise you to follow the course that comes along with it to gain all the benefits.

Some background on the Mahāsatipatthāna Sutta course:
Some 2500 years ago Gautema the Buddha, found enlightenment. He handled down this knowledge. He gave discourses and thought people the techniques that would also help them to grow in wisdom. Live happier lives and advance on the path towards enlightenment.
The discourses have reached us in the Pali Language and are found in the Tipitaka; three baskets. One of these baskets contains the Sutta’s or discourses mostly given by Gautema. One of these Sutta’s is the Mahāsatipatthāna Sutta. It is this particular Sutta that gives a written description of the technique of Vipassana.
The Vipassana technique has also reached us through a long linage of mediators that practiced instead of theorized the technique. S.N. Goenka in the lineage of Sayagyi U Ba Khin has been my teacher.
We are now in the opportunity to compare practice and theory for our self and that is what this (Mahā) Satipatthāna Sutta course is all about; deepening your understanding by comparing both for yourself.

Background links:
+ Buddha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha
+ Gautama: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha
+ The origin of the sutta’s: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pali_Canon
+ An organization that publishes the sutta’s: http://www.tipitaka.org/
+ The English translation that I used in the course and that served as the basis for the summary http://www.tipitaka.org/english-docs
+ The lineage of my teacher: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Khin
+ My teacher: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._N._Goenka
+ The organization were I follow my courses: http://www.dhamma.org/

Summary

Mahāsatipatthāna Sutta
The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Awareness

1. Introduction
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