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there are many books on the satipatthana sutta. however most are very much a focused interpretation of the sutta in light of a single teachers ideas about it. they may for example only focus on breathing or another of the practices and only vaguely touch on everything else in the sutta. some of these are wonderful books that surely can lead one to nibbana. but i have been searching for one that details the whole sutta as there's a lot more to it than just a couple of practices.
bhante covers everything from start to finish. it is still colored with his own interpretation of the sutta but it's not even possible to write a commentary on a sutta without personal interpretation and he sticks to fairly traditional explanations, keeping it largely impersonal. my only critiques are:
1. that he could have included the sutta itself but at least it's a widely available sutta. just web search "satipatthana" and you'll have no problem finding it. and
2. that he doesn't give a definitive answer too the question of how many of the exercises you are supposed too practice and when to do them. there are a ton of exercises in the sutta and i have yet to see an author explain this problem (although i imagine analayo covers it in "satipatthana")! the wikipedia page on the satipatthana sutta gives these options:
"Single-focused, successive and simultaneous practices:
There are a variety of ways that one could use the methods described in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta including:
1.Focus on a single method. The method most written about in the English language is that of mindfulness of breath.
2.Practice the various methods individually in succession.
3.Maintain breath mindfulness as a primary object while using other methods to address non-breath stimuli.
4.Practice multiple methods either in tandem or in a context-driven manner."
i would add to option three that there are other options of what to pick as the primary object (it doesn't have to be the breath if one is using this interpretation, for example one could use the modes of deportment as the primary object) and then use the other methods to address whatever else arises that is not the primary object.
as is typical for the author he puts everything in very easily understood wording and easily digested logic.
he talks you through how to use the methods found in the sutta to see impermanence, suffering, and not self in your own life, day by day. if you follow his instructions carefully and earnestly you will start to see light shining through the cracks in the walls that make up reality. and who knows, maybe this will lead you to full on nibbana!
one note: on page 96 bhante writes "Remember that you do want to die with anger". knowing enough about buddhism i'm 99.9999% sure he meant "Remember that you do NOT want to die with anger". just so everyone is clear on that point. it would be VERY bad for the path to deliberately die with anger. we are supposed to make great efforts to die without anger.
update: i contacted the publisher and they confirmed it is an error that will be fixed in later editions.
- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Wisdom Publications (August 14, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1614290385
- ISBN-13: 978-1614290384
- Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 42 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#232,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #73 in Theravada Buddhism (Books)
- #266 in Buddhist Rituals & Practice (Books)
- #480 in Consciousness & Thought Philosophy
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