The formal "I will teach you" announcement formula, followed by a question-and-answer definition of "development" itself
Length
<1 minute to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed by this project's own check
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — brief, and notably simpler in structure than several surrounding discourses
Why this discourse
Unlike the several surrounding discourses in this vagga, which trace the four kinds of mindfulness meditation to a further outcome — freedom from death, enlightenment, the far shore — this discourse asks and answers a narrower question: what IS the development (bhāvanā) of the four kinds of mindfulness meditation, in itself, with no outcome named beyond the practice itself.
Reading guide
A formal teaching announcement, not found in the surrounding discourses
Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse opens with the formal “catunnaṁ, bhikkhave, satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvanaṁ desessāmi... taṁ suṇātha” (“I will teach you the development of the four kinds of mindfulness meditation... listen”) announcement formula, a more formal opening than the plain “there are these four kinds of mindfulness meditation” used by several of the surrounding discourses in this vagga.
Development defined AS the practice, not as its result
The discourse's own closing line — “ayaṁ kho, bhikkhave, catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvanā” (“this is the development of the four kinds of mindfulness meditation”) — is confirmed by direct reading to define “development” as IDENTICAL with carrying out the fourfold observation itself, not as a separate outcome the practice produces.
No outcome named, unlike its immediate neighbors
This project's own honest comparison confirms that, unlike SN 47.36 through SN 47.38, which each name a specific outcome (the two results, freedom from death), this discourse names NO further outcome at all — its own question and answer are confined entirely to what the practice itself consists of.
Key terms
bhāvanā — “development, cultivation” — this discourse's own title term, defined here as identical with the fourfold practice itself
desessāmi — “I will teach” — part of the formal announcement formula opening this discourse, distinguishing it from the plainer openings used by several surrounding discourses
taṁ suṇātha — “listen to that” — the instruction to attend that regularly follows the Buddha's own formal teaching announcements
katamā... bhāvanā — “what is the development...” — the discourse's own guiding question, answered by describing the fourfold practice itself
cattāro satipaṭṭhānā — “the four kinds of mindfulness meditation” — observing the body, feelings, the mind, and principles, defined here as constituting “development” in itself
The text
The complete discourse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Mendicants, I will teach you the development of the four kinds of mindfulness meditation. Listen … And what is the development of the four kinds of mindfulness meditation? 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. This is the development of 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
How does this discourse's own opening differ from several surrounding discourses in this vagga?
Correct: A. A more formal opening than the plain "there are these four kinds of mindfulness meditation" used elsewhere.
Question 2 of 3
How does this discourse define "development" (bhāvanā)?
Correct: A. The practice IS the development — not something the practice produces.
Question 3 of 3
How does this discourse compare to its immediate neighbors, SN 47.36 through SN 47.38?
Correct: A. Its question and answer are confined entirely to what the practice itself consists of.
