The bare fourfold formula, with no purpose-clause, narrative, or elaboration of any kind
Length
<1 minute to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed by this project's own check
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the plainest possible statement of the fourfold practice
Why this discourse
Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse's own Pāli name — “Suddhasutta,” “the plain discourse” — describes exactly what it gives: the four kinds of mindfulness meditation, named and defined, with no purpose-clause (unlike SN 47.1's own “path to convergence” formula), no narrative frame, and no further elaboration of any kind.
Reading guide
The bare formula, stripped of every addition met elsewhere
Confirmed by direct comparison, this discourse gives only what every other discourse in this saṃyutta ASSUMES: the plain naming of the four objects (body, feelings, mind, principles) and the shared method applied to each, without any of the purpose-clauses, similes, narrative settings, or elaborations found throughout the rest of this saṃyutta's own individual discourses.
A name that describes its own content directly
Unlike most discourses in this project's own broader collection, whose names refer to a person, place, or image within the text, this discourse's own name — “the plain version” — is confirmed by direct reading to describe the text's own FORM rather than any of its content, marking it as a kind of reference baseline within this vagga.
Key terms
cattāro satipaṭṭhānā — “the four kinds of mindfulness meditation” — named here without any purpose-clause or elaboration
kāye kāyānupassī viharati... dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati — the plain fourfold formula, given in its own bare, unelaborated form
ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ — “keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world” — the shared method, without further specification
suddha — “plain, pure” — this discourse's own name, describing its own bare form rather than any content within it
ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro satipaṭṭhānā — “these are the four kinds of mindfulness meditation” — the discourse's own closing line, restating the formula without addition
The text
The complete discourse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, there are these four kinds of mindfulness meditation. What four? It’s when a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. They meditate observing an aspect of feelings … mind … principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. These are the four kinds of mindfulness meditation.”
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Self-check quiz
3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 3
What does this discourse's own Pāli name, "Suddhasutta" ("the plain discourse"), describe?
Correct: A. Unlike most discourse names, which refer to a person, place, or image, this one names the text's own plainness.
Question 2 of 3
What does this discourse omit that most other discourses in this saṃyutta include?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct comparison — this discourse gives only what other discourses assume as their shared foundation.
Question 3 of 3
How does this discourse function within its own vagga?
Correct: A. Its own bare form marks it as a plain statement against which other, more elaborated discourses can be compared.
