Satipatthana 
four foundations of mindfulness

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Buddhist Zen masters have talked a lot about how to practice the Dharma of the four foundations of mindfulness (Satipattana), except for this monk. So, in today's short sermon, I also follow this trend to present some practical observations of that meditation practice, which is a Buddha's teaching that probably has many misconceptions in Buddhist students. 
Those of you who have been involved in Buddhist centers must have heard many teachers claim that the Dharma of Mindfulness is  "the only way"  to reach Enlightenment. Although this statement seems affirmative and appealing, in fact, it is not the exact translation of the original scriptures nor is it consistent with the Buddha's teachings in other suttas. The phrase Pali  "Ekayana Magga" in Sutta No. 10 (Sutra of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness) in Central Vietnam is often translated as "the only way" which is also used in the Sutta No. 12 (Great Sutra Sutra) and has a clear meaning of  "one child." road with a single purpose " . There are many different paths but the same purpose. In fact, the "only path" mentioned by the Blessed One is not the four foundations of mindfulness, but the eight-way path (Eightfold Path), as in the Dhammapada:

"In all the paths, the Eight-Path Path is the best enemy (...) 
This is the only way, there is no other path, to go to pure knowledge" (...)

Thus, the  "only path"  to Enlightenment, as all Buddhists have known, is the  Noble Eightfold Path. The four foundations of Mindfulness (the four foundations of mindfulness) are only part of that path. That is the 7th part (Mindfulness). In addition, there is the Right Concentration which is the 8th Genus, and also the Chief Justice, the Right Thought, the Chief Justice, and the three branches of the Precepts (Right Speech, Right Career, and Righteousness). Each part of this section is equally necessary, to attain Enlightenment. If there is any part that is not necessary, then the Buddha must have taught about the Seven Paths, the Six Paths, etc. But, in the scriptures, he always refers to the Eight Noble Paths at all times. So, in your study and practice, you need to always remember that all eight parts of the Eightfold Path need to be cultivated evenly and completely, like  "a path only "  .
Practicing the four foundations of mindfulness as the Buddha's teaching is a very advanced level. So high that the Blessed One teaches that if one can seriously practice those four concepts according to the way he has given, in just seven days, he can attain Enlightenment or attain the Unexpected ( Sutra of the four foundations of mindfulness.Many yogis have attended seven-day, ten-day, or more meditation courses that have yet to achieve such a noble result as the Buddha promised. Why ? I think it is because they did not practice seriously according to the Buddha's teachings. 
If you want to practice the four foundations of mindfulness in the way that the Buddha says has a quick result to enlightenment, there are many things that you need to accomplish before you start contemplating. These preparations can be summarized as follows: You need to practice the entire seven parts of the Noble Eightfold Path . Or to put it another way, as the Buddha preached in the Sangha ("The Five Dharma - the Mindfulness of the Land", Sutta 63 and 64), you have to keep tight the 5 Precepts, let go of 5 hindrances (greed , hatred, melancholy, regret, doubt), then meditate on Mindfulness. 
These crucial prerequisites were actually preached by the Buddha in the two suttas of the four foundations of mindfulness (in the Central and the Ministry) in Pali:  "Loke Abhijjha-Domanassam". This verse is often translated as: "after the photographer is greedy and sorrowful in life" or something like that. Such a translation is often not understood by yogis and they despise that Buddha's teaching, and therefore, they have not achieved any results! At the time of the Buddha's existence, monks, nuns, and lay people must have understood immediately that saying means  "after letting go of the five hindrances" ! The official commentaries on the two suttas of the four foundations clearly explain that the phrase  Abhijjha-Domanassam  refers to the five hindrances .In the other sermons of the Buddha,  Abhijjha  is synonymous with the First Chakra , Domanassam is synonymous with the second hindrance, and if used together - in the Pali idiom - that is an abbreviation for the five hindrances. This means that all five hindrances must be let go before beginning the practice of Mindfulness. So, in my opinion, it is because the meditators try to meditate on Mindfulness while still being stuck on the hindrances that they have not achieved good or long-term results.
The function of understanding the stages of meditation (Jhana) - part of the Noble Truth of the Noble Eightfold Path - is to let go of all five hindrances to help develop insight.In the Central Chapter's No. 68 (Nalakapana Sutta), the Buddha taught that when one has not yet attained the Jhana meditation stages, the five hindrances together with contempt and entertainment will invade the mind and stay there. Only when the practitioner reaches into the stages of meditation, will the five hindrances together with contempt and entertainment not invade the mind and not stay there. Buddha taught so clearly.
Any student who has experienced these powerful stages of meditation must have known, through his own experience, the true nature of the mind after the hindrances have let go. Students who do not know the stages of meditation do not understand the subtle forms of hindrances. They thought that the hindrances had let go, but in fact, they were not aware of them, and therefore, did not achieve good results while meditating.Therefore, the practice of Vajra Meditation (Samatha) to nourish the stages of Jhana meditation is part of the Mindfulness Dharma, and so if you think that the Mindfulness (Satipattana) is a "pure Vipassana" (Vipassana) ) this is not very accurate. My teacher, Ajahn Chah, has repeatedly said that Samatha and Vipassana - Silence and Insight;Only and Quan - must be together, inseparable,
After persevering in completing the necessary preparations, yogis can now stay mindful of one of the four headings: their body, painful feelings or pleasure, consciousness, and object of mind. When the hindrances have faded and the yogis can maintain a strong mind to focus on these subjects, then the yogi can contemplate the deeper part of the mind, deeper than the receiving common sense, about the impermanence of the so-called Self-Self that we often cling to. We often assume that this body is me, is mine, that the pleasant feelings are related to the self, that the mind contemplating is my soul, that the objects of the mind are like is the thought and the action (the "choice") is Self, is me, is mine.
This is not an easy thing to do, not everyone can do it in a short time, but it is possible, can be completed in seven days. But on the condition that yogis must practice  fully and strictly  according to the Buddha's teachings without running after any other shortcut.END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.29.12.2018.