The Satipatthana Sutta is the teaching on mindfulness and the breath and is the bases of much insight meditation practice today. This book by Bhikku Analayo is a thorough and insightful guide to this deceptively simple yet profound Buddhist teaching.

Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization, Bhikkhu Analayo, Windhorse Publications, Paperback, 328 pages, $28.95

Bhikkhu Analayo is a scholar-monk and meditation teacher whose published works include Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization, Perspectives on Satipatthana and Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation. Mindfully Facing Disease and Death will be published in January 2017.

LIST OF FIGURES	xii
INTRODUCTION	1
TRANSLATION OF THE SATIPATTHANA SUTTA	3
Chapter I GENERAL ASPECTS OF THE DIRECT PATH	15
1. OVERVIEW OF THE SATIPATTHANA SUTTA	15
2. A SURVEY OF THE FOUR SATIPATTHANAS	19
3. THE RELEVANCE OF EACH SATIPATTHANA FOR REALIZATION	21
4. THE CHARACTER OF EACH SATIPATTHANA	24
5. THE EXPRESSION "DIRECT PATH"	27
6. THE TERM SATIPATTHANA	29
Chapter II THE "DEFINITION" PART OF THE SATIPATTHANA SUTTA	31
1. CONTEMPLATION	32
2. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BEING DILIGENT ( ATAPI)	34
3. CLEARLY KNOWING ( SAMPAJANA)	39
4. MINDFULNESS AND CLEAR KNOWLEDGE	41
Chapter III SATI	44
1. THE EARLY BUDDHIST APPROACH TO KNOWLEDGE	44
2. SATI	46
3. THE ROLE AND POSITION OF SATI	49
4. SATI IMAGERY	53
5. CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS OF SATI	57
6. SATI AND CONCENTRATION (SAMADHI)	61
Chapter IV The Relevance of Concentration	67
1. FREEDOM FROM DESIRES AND DISCONTENT	67
2. CONCENTRATION, RIGHT CONCENTRATION, AND ABSORPTION	72
3. ABSORPTION AND REALIZATION	79
4. THE CONTRIBUTION OF ABSORPTION TO THE PROGRESS OF INSIGHT	85
5. CALM AND INSIGHT	88
Chapter V THE SATIPATTHANA "REFRAIN"	92
1. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CONTEMPLATION	94
2. ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATIONS OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CONTEMPLATION	99
3. IMPERMANENCE	102
4. DEPENDENT CO-ARISING ( PATICCA SAMUPPADA)	107
5. THE PRINCIPLE OF DEPENDENT CO-ARISING AND ITS PRACTICAL APPLICATION	110
6. MERE AWARENESS AND CLINGING TO NOTHING	112
Chapter VI THE BODY	117
1. THE BODY CONTEMPLATIONS	117
2. PURPOSE AND BENEFITS OF CONTEMPLATION OF THE BODY	121
3. MINDFULNESS OF BREATHING	125
4. THE ANAPANASATI SUTTA	133
5. POSTURES AND ACTIVITIES	136
6. ANATOMICAL PARTS AND ELEMENTS	146
7 CORPSE IN DECAY AND MEDITATION ON DEATH	152
Chapter VII FEELINGS	156
1. CONTEMPLATION OF FEELINGS	156
2. FEELINGS AND VIEWS ( DITTHI)	161
3. PLEASANT FEELINGS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF JOY	164
4. UNPLEASANT FEELINGS	168
5. NEUTRAL FEELINGS	171
Chapter VIII MIND	173
1. CONTEMPLATION OF THE MIND	173
2. NON-REACTIVE AWARENESS OF ONE'S STATE OF MIND	175
3. FOUR "ORDINARY" STATES OF MIND	177
4. FOUR "HIGHER" STATES OF MIND	179
Chapter IX DHAMMAS: THE HINDRANCES	182
1. CONTEMPLATION OF DHAMMAS	182
2. CONTEMPLATION OF THE FIVE HINDRANCES	186
3. THE IMPORTANCE OF RECOGNIZING THE HINDRANCES	190
4. CONDITIONS FOR PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF A HINDRANCE	192
Chapter X DHAMMAS: THE AGGREGATES	201
1. THE FIVE AGGREGATES	201
2. HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE TEACHING ON ANATTA	207
3. EMPIRICAL SELF AND CONTEMPLATION OF THE AGGREGATES	209
4. ARISING AND PASSING AWAY OF THE AGGREGATES	213
Chapter XI DHAMMAS: THE SENSE-SPHERES	216
1. THE SENSE-SPHERES AND THE FETTERS	216
2. THE PERCEPTUAL PROCESS	222
3. COGNITIVE TRAINING	226
4. THE INSTRUCTION TO BAHIYA	229
Chapter XII DHAMMAS: THE AWAKENING FACTORS	233
1. CONTEMPLATION OF THE AWAKENING FACTORS	233
2. THE CONDITIONAL SEQUENCE OF THE AWAKENING FACTORS	235
3. BENEFITS OF DEVELOPING THE AWAKENING FACTORS	239
Chapter XIII DHAMMAS: THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS	243
1. THE IMPLICATIONS OF DUKKHA	243
2. THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS	245
3. CONTEMPLATION OF THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS	247
Chapter XIV REALIZATION	250
1. SUDDEN AND GRADUAL	251
2. NIBBANA AND ITS ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS	257
3. THE EARLY BUDDHIST CONCEPTION OF NIBBANA	260
4. NIBBANA: NEITHER ALL-EMBRACING UNITY NOR ANNIHILATION	262
Chapter XV CONCLUSION	266
1. KEY ASPECTS OF SATIPATTHANA	266
2. THE IMPORTANCE OF SATIPATTHANA	271
BIBLIOGRAPHY	279
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS	301
GLOSSARY	303
INDEX	309