1. “Bhikkhus, there are these four foundations of mindfulness. What four? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu dwells contemplating the body as a body, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He dwells contemplating feelings as feelings, … He dwells contemplating cognizance as cognizance … He dwells contemplating ideas as ideas, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. These are the four foundations of mindfulness”.
2. How does he dwell contemplating the body as a body?
Here someone contemplates the earth body as impermanent, not as permanent, as painful, not as pleasant, as not self, not as self; he becomes dispassionate, does not delight; he causes greed to fade away, does not inflame it; he causes cessation, not arising; he relinquishes, does not grasp. When he contemplates as impermanent he abandons perception of permanence, when he contemplates as painful he abandons perception of pleasure, when he contemplates as not self he abandons perception of self, when he becomes dispassionate he abandons delight, when his greed fades away he abandons greed, when he causes cessation he abandons arising, when he relinquishes he abandons grasping.
3. He contemplates the body in these seven aspects. The body is the establishment (foundation), but it is not the mindfulness. Mindfulness is both the establishment (foundation) and the mindfulness. By means of that mindfulness and that knowledge he contemplates that body. Hence “Development of the Foundation (Establishment) of Mindfulness consisting in contemplation of the body as a body” is said.
4. Development: there are four kinds of development: development in the sense of non-excess of ideas produced therein, development in the sense of single function (taste) of the faculties, development in the sense of effectiveness of the appropriate energy, and development in the sense of repetition. [Tr. I § 135]
5.–7. Here someone contemplates the water body …
8.–10. … the fire body …
11.–13. … the air body …
14.–16. … the head-hair body …
17.–19. … the body-hair body …
20.–22. … the outer-skin body …
23.–25. … the inner-skin body …
26.–28. … the flesh body …
28.–31. … the blood body …
32.–34. … the sinew body …
35.–37. … the bone body …
38.–40. … the bone-marrow body …
… in the sense of repetition.
That is how he dwells contemplating the body as a body.
41. How does he dwell contemplating feelings as feelings?
Here someone contemplates pleasant feeling as impermanent, not as permanent, … he abandons grasping.
42. He contemplates feelings in these seven aspects. The feeling is the establishment (foundation), but it is not the mindfulness. Mindfulness is both the establishment (foundation) and the mindfulness. By means of that mindfulness and that knowledge he contemplates that feeling. Hence “Development of the Foundation (Establishment) of Mindfulness consisting in contemplation of feeling as feelings” is said.
43. Development: … in the sense of repetition.
44.–46. Here someone contemplates painful feeling …
47.–49. Here someone contemplates neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling …
… in the sense of repetition.
That is how he dwells contemplating feelings as feelings.
50. How does he dwell contemplating cognizance as cognizance?
Here someone contemplates greedy cognizance as impermanent, not as permanent, … he abandons grasping.
51. He contemplates cognizance in these seven aspects. Cognizance is the establishment (foundation), but it is not the mindfulness. Mindfulness is both the establishment (foundation) and the mindfulness. By means of that mindfulness and that knowledge he contemplates that cognizance. Hence “Development of the Foundation (Establishment) of Mindfulness consisting in contemplation of cognizance as cognizance” is said.
52. Development: … in the sense of repetition.
53.–55. Here someone contemplates ungreedy cognizance …
56.–58. … hating cognizance …
59.–61. … unhating cognizance …
62.–64. … deluded cognizance …
65.–67. … undeluded cognizance …
68.–70. … cramped cognizance …
71.–73. … distracted cognizance …
74.–76. … exalted cognizance …
77.–79. … unexalted cognizance …
80.–82. … surpassed cognizance …
83.–85. … unsurpassed cognizance …
86.–88. … concentrated cognizance …
89.–91. … unconcentrated cognizance …
92.–94. … liberated cognizance …
95.–97. … unliberated cognizance …
98.–100. … eye consciousness …
101.–103. … ear consciousness …
104.–106. … nose consciousness …
107.–109. … tongue consciousness …
110.–112. … body consciousness …
113.–115. … mind consciousness …
… in the sense of repetition.
That is how he dwells contemplating cognizance as cognizance.
116. How does he dwell contemplating ideas as ideas?
Here someone contemplates all ideas excluding the body, excluding feeling and excluding cognizance, as impermanent, not as permanent, … he abandons grasping.
117. He contemplates ideas in these seven aspects.
Ideas are the establishment (foundation) but they are not the mindfulness. Mindfulness is both the establishment (foundation) and the mindfulness. By means of that mindfulness and that knowledge he contemplates those ideas. Hence “Development of the Foundation (Establishment) of Mindfulness consisting in contemplating of ideas as ideas” is said.
118. Development: … in the sense of repetition.
That is how he dwells contemplating ideas as ideas.
End of Treatise on the Foundations of Mindfulness.