The 
four foundations of Right Mindfulness

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The Buddhist masters talked a lot about how to practice the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipattana), except for this monk. So, in this short lecture today, I would like to follow this trend to present some practical observations on the practice of meditation, which is a teaching of the Buddha that would have been misunderstood in Buddhist students. 
All of you who have been to the Buddhist centers have heard that many teachers declare that the four foundations of mindfulness are  "the one way"  to reach Enlightenment.Although this statement seems affirmative and attractive, it is not, in fact, the exact interpretation of the original scriptures nor is it consistent with the teachings of the Buddha in other sutras. The term Pali  "Ekayana Magga" In the Ten Sutras (Sutras) in the Middle Sutra it is often translated as "the only way" which is also used in the 12th Sutra (The Great Sutra Singh) and is clearly meant to be  "one Road with a single purpose . There are many different paths but the same purpose. Actually, the "only way" was addressed by the Blessed One, not the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, but the Path of the Eightfold Path, as in the Dhammapada:

"In all the ways, the Eightfold Path is the most victorious (...) 
This is the only way, no other way, to go to pure knowledge" (...)

Thus, the  "only way"  to Enlightenment, as all Buddhists know, is the  Noble Eightfold Path. The four foundations of Right Mindfulness (Four Foundations of Mindfulness) are just one part of that path. That is the seventh part (Right Mindfulness).In addition, there is Right Mind as the 8th, and also Right View, Right Thought, Right Effort, and three branches of Righteousness (Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood). Each of these parts is equally necessary to attain Enlightenment. If there are any parts that are not necessary, then the Buddha taught the Seven Principles, the Six Principles, etc. But in the scriptures, always he always mentioned the Eight Chief.Therefore, in your study and practice, it is important to keep in mind that all eight parts of the Noble Eightfold Path need to be cultivated equally and completely, as  "a path unique "  .
Practicing the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as the Buddha taught is a very sophisticated workmanship. So high that the Buddha taught that if one can seriously practice the four foundations of mindfulness in the way he has given, in seven days, he can attain Enlightenment or attain Enlightenment ( The Four Foundations of Mindfulness. Many students who have attended the 7-day, 10-day, or more, retreats have not yet attained such a noble result as the Buddha promised. Why ? I think it was because they did not strictly follow the Buddha's teachings. 
If you want to practice the four foundations of mindfulness in a way that the Buddha says that there is a fast result in Enlightenment, there are many things that you need to complete before you begin to contemplate. The preparatory work can be summarized as follows: You need to practice the other seven parts of the Noble Eightfold Path . In other words, as the Buddha preached in the Sangha ("Nine Dhammas - Sutras", Sutras No. 63 and 64), you must strictly keep the five rules, let go 5. , sadness, kissing, pity, suspicion), then meditate Quan Niem. 
These essential prerequisites were actually taught by the Buddha in two discourses on the four foundations of Mindfulness (in the Middle and the Ministry) in the Pali verse: "Loke Abhijjha-Domanassam". This verse is often translated as "after greed and sadness in the world" or similar. Such translations are often not understood by the yogis and they disregard the teachings of the Buddha, and therefore they have not achieved any results! During the time of the Buddha, monks, nuns, and laypeople would have understood that saying  "after dropping the hindrances" ! The orthodox commentaries on the two Sutras have clearly explained that the term  Abhijjha-Domanassam  refers to the five hindrances . In the other suttas of the Buddha,  Abhijjha  is synonymous with the first Zen ,  Domanassam is synonymous with the second hermitage, and if used together - in the Pali idiom - is the acronym for the Hindi year group. This means that the whole of the hindrances must be let go before commencing the practice of Quan Niem. So, in my opinion, it is precisely because the meditators try to meditate on Quan Niet while still having problems with the hindrances that they have not achieved good or lasting results.
The function of penetrating the jhana - the essential part of the Noble Eightfold Path - is to let go of all the hindrances to help develop the insight knowledge. In the 68th volume of the Nalakapana Sutta, the Buddha taught that when the meditator has not attained the jhana jhana, the five hindrances together with unhappiness and solace will invade the mind and dwell there. Only when the meditator reaches the meditation stage, the five hindrances together with nothingness and dissatisfaction do not invade the mind and do not dwell there. The Buddha taught so clearly.
Yogis who have experienced these powerful meditations should have known, through their own experience, the true nature of the mind after the hindrites had let go. Those who do not know the meditation stage do not understand the subtle forms of the hindrances. They thought that the hindrances had dropped, but in fact, they were not aware of them, and so did not achieve good results in meditation. Thus, the practice of Samatha Meditation to nurture the jhana meditations is part of the Mindfulness of Mindfulness, and so if one thinks of Satipattana as a pure Vipassana meditation This is not very accurate. My teacher, Ajahn Chah, has repeatedly said that Samatha and Vipassana - Silence and Insight; Only and Quan - must go together, indivisible,
After diligently completing the necessary preparatory work, yogis can now stay alert in one of four categories: their bodies, their feelings of pain or joy, their minds, and object of the mind. When the hindrances are extinguished and the yogi can maintain strong concentration to concentrate on these objects, then meditators are able to contemplate the deeper part of the mind, The nature of the so-called self-self that we often cling to.We often assume that this body is mine, mine is, that the pleasure or suffering is related to the self, that the mind that is observing is my soul, that the objects of the mind are is the thought and the action (the "choice") is Self, is me, is mine.
This is not easy to do, not everyone can do it in a short time, but that is possible, which can be completed in seven days. But with the condition that yogis practice the  whole and strictly  according to the Buddha's teachings, they do not follow another shortcut.END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.THE MIND OF ENLIGHTENMENT.VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN LOTUS MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.17/9/2018.