Vedanā & Citta sections | Satipatthāna Sutta | Translation guide

This post continues the translation of the Satipatthāna Sutta and expounds the sections on Vedanā & Citta.

Much of the translation hinges on how these two terms are themselves interpreted.

Vedanā is generally seen as the sensations/feelings aroused by perception and is understood as feelings of pleasant, unpleasant, or neither. This is the bare affective quality of an experience, or valence which is the subjective positive-negative evaluation. It is generally associated with one’s attachment (positive or negative) to people, objects, ideas, etc

This in turn leads to motivation; the intensity or strength of urge to move toward or away from a particular stimulus.
The Pali-English Dictionary suggests citta as heart / mind, emphasizing the more emotive side of mind, as opposed to the intellect.

Motivation is what directs behaviour, or what causes a person to want to repeat a behaviour, a set of forces that acts behind our rational exterior. In this way Vedanā & Citta can be seen as a complex motivational nexus of volitions (or intentions) which one experiences continuously driving one's thoughts, speech, and actions.

An old word for this motivational aspect of mind is 'conation' but more often than not I fall back on 'emotion' to render citta rather than the even more generic term 'mind'.


Again please note, this attempt at translation is for illustration and as such it is very literal and endeavours to remain true to the underlying grammar. And I haven't rendered much of the repetition.

For explanation of abbreviations, scholarly translations etc see previous post.

Feelings

kathañ+ca,	pana	bhikkhave,	bhikkhu	vedanāsu	vedanānupassī	viharati
adv	ind	V	N s m	L s f	vb: N s m/n	v 3rd s
How, and	yet	monks	a monk	in affect	affect observing	(he) abides
And yet how, O monks, (does) a monk dwell in affect, observing affect?

idha	bhikkhave	bhikkhu	sukhaṃ	vā	vedanaṃ	vedayamāno1
ind	V	N s m	adv	ind	A s f	prp N s m
here	monks	a monk	pleasant	or	sensation	sensing
Here, O monks, a monk sensing a pleasant sensation

1 Present participle of Vedeti: Denominative from. vid 'to know' or 'feel '

sukhaṃ	vedanaṃ	vedayāmī2 ti	pajānāti
adv	A s f	v: 1st s pi	v: 3rd s
pleasant	sensation	(I) sense	(he) knows
he knows, 'I sense a pleasant sensation'

2 1st person sgl. of Vedeti: Denominative from. vid; (vowel often lengthen before 'ti)

dukkhaṃ	vā	vedanaṃ	vedayamāno	dukkhaṃ	vedanaṃ	vedayāmī’ti	pajānāti
adv	ind	A s f	prp N s m	adv	A s f	v: 1st s pi	v: 3rd s
unpleasant	or	sensation	sensing	unpleasant	sensation	(I) sense	(he) knows
or feeling an unpleasant sensation, he knows 'I feel an unpleasant sensation'

adukkham+asukhaṃ	vā	vedanaṃ	vedayamāno
adv	ind	A s f	prp N s m
neither unpleasant nor pleasant	or	sensation	sensing
or sensing neither pleasant nor unpleasant sensation

adukkham+asukhaṃ	vedanaṃ	vedayāmī’ti	pajānāti;
adv	A s f	v: 1st s pi	v: 3rd s
neither unpleasant nor pleasant	sensation	(I) sense	(he) knows
he knows 'I sense neither pleasant nor unpleasant sensation'

sāmisaṃ1	vā	sukhaṃ	vedanaṃ	vedayamāno
A s n	ind	adv	A s f	prp N s m
baited	or	pleasant	sensation	sensing
or sensing a baited pleasant sensation,

1 sa+āmisa : with food; flesh; ~ baited; usually rendered worldly, carnal

sāmisaṃ	sukhaṃ	vedanaṃ	vedayāmī ti	pajānāti
A s n	adv	A s f	v: 1st s pi	v: 3rd s
baited	pleasant	sensation	(I) sense	(he) knows
he knows 'I sense a baited pleasant sensation'

nirāmisaṃ2	vā	sukhaṃ	vedanaṃ	vedayamāno
A s n	ind	adv	A s f	prp N s m
unbaited	or	pleasant	sensation	sensing
or sensing an unbaited pleasant sensation,

>2 nir+āmisa : without food; usually rendered spiritual

nirāmisaṃ	sukhaṃ	vedanaṃ	vedayāmī ti	pajānāti
A s n	adv	A s f	v: 1st s pi	v: 3rd s
unbaited	pleasant	sensation	(I) sense	(he) knows
he knows 'I sense an unbaited pleasant sensation'

Repeat of same couplet with:

• unpleasant &
• neither pleasant nor unpleasant sensation

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Refrain

For comments on the refrain see previous post.

iti	ajjhattaṃ	vā	vedanāsu	vedanānupassī	viharati,
ind	adv	ind	L s f	vb: N s m/n	v: 3rd s
thus	inwardly	or	in affect	affect observing	(he) abides
Thus, he abides in affect, observing affect inwardly

bahiddhā	vā	vedanāsu	vedanānupassī	viharati,
adv	ind	L s f	vb: N s m/n	v: 3rd s
outwardly	or	in affect	affect observing	(he) abides
or he abides in affect, observing affect outwardly

ajjhatta+bahiddhā	vā	vedanāsu	vedanānupassī	viharati,
adverb	ind	L s f	vb: N s m/n	v: 3rd s
inwardly & outwardly	or	in affect	affect observing	(he) abides
or he abides in affect observing the affect inwardly & outwardly

samudaya+dhamma+ānupassī	vā	vedanāsu	viharati
vb:	ind	L s f	v: 3rd s
arising of phenomena observing	or	in affect	(he) abides
or he dwells in affect observing the upspring of phenomena

vaya+dhamma+ānupassī	vā	vedanāsu	viharati,
vb:	ind	L s f	v: 3rd s
decay of phenomena observing	or	in affect	(he) abides
or he dwells in affect observing the dissolving of phenomena
...
or he dwells in affect observing the upspring and dissolving of phenomena

atthi	vedanā ti	vā	panassa	sati	paccupaṭṭhitā	hoti.
	N s f		ind	N s f	pp. N s f	v:3rd
is	affect	or	but his	focus	stood up before	is
Or else, ‘affect is’, is stood up before his [mental] focus

yāva+d+eva	ñāṇa+mattāya	patissati+mattāya
ind	pp D	pp D
only as far	(for) a measure of insight	(for) a measure of the alighted witness
only so far as is sufficient for insight & attending.

a+nissito	ca	viharati.
pp N s m	ind	v: 3rd s
independent, unsupported	and	(he) abides
he abides unsupported,

na	ca	kiñci	loke	upādiyati.
		indef	L,s,m	v 3rd s
not	and	anything	in world	taking up
and not taking up anything in the [phenomenal] world

evam+pi	kho,	bhikkhave,	bhikkhu	vedanāsu	vedanānupassī	viharati.
ind	ind	V	N s m	L s f	vb: N s m/n	v: 3rd s
thus so	indeed	O monks	a monk	in affect	affect observing	(he) abides
Just so, O monk, a monk abides in affect observing affect

Refrain Ends

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End of section on Feelings

Mind/Heart

kathañ+ca,	pana	bhikkhave,	bhikkhu	citte	citta+anupassī	viharati
adv	ind	V	N s m	L s n	N s m/n	v 3rd s
How, and	yet	monks	a monk	in conation	conation observing	(he) abides
And yet how, O monks, (does) a monk dwell in conation, observing conation?

idha	bhikkhave	bhikkhu	sarāgaṃ1	vā	cittaṃ	sarāgaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
ind	V	N s m	A s n	ind	A s n	N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
here	monks	a monk	with arousal	or	emotion	with arousal	emotion	(he) knows
Here, O monks, a monk with aroused emotion, he knows 'emotion (is) aroused '

1 sa+rāga : lit. with colour; to imbue; arouse. Usually rendered as passion

vītarāgaṃ2	vā	cittaṃ	vītarāgaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
A s n	ind	A s n	N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
without arousal	or	emotion	without arousal	emotion	(he) knows
or without aroused emotion, he knows 'emotion (is) without arousal'

2 vita+rāga : lit. free from colour

sadosaṃ	vā	cittaṃ	sadosaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
A s m	ind	A s n	N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
with hostility	or	emotion	with hostility	emotion	(he) knows
or with hostile emotion, he knows 'emotion (is) hostile'

vītadosaṃ	vā	cittaṃ	vītadosaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
A s n	ind	A s n	N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
without hostility	or	emotion	without hostility	emotion	(he) knows
or without hostile emotion, he knows 'emotion (is) without hostility'

samohaṃ1	vā	cittaṃ	samohaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
A s m	ind	A s n	N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
with infatuated	or	emotion	with infatuated	emotion	(he) knows
or with infatuated emotion, he knows 'emotion (is) infatuated'

1 sa+moha : has roots in early Vedic word mogha which means “empty, unreal, vain, useless, foolish”. From root muh, to become stupefied, or senseless, to be bewildered, mistaken, go astray, forgetting what’s important - infatuated.

vītamohaṃ	vā	cittaṃ	vītamohaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
A s n	ind	A s n	N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
without infatuated	or	emotion	without infatuated	emotion	(he) knows
or without infatuated emotion, he knows 'emotion (is) without infatuation'

saṃkhittaṃ	vā	cittaṃ	saṃkhittaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
collected	or	emotion	collected	emotion	(he) knows
or (with) collected emotion, he knows ' emotion (is) collected'

vikkhittaṃ	vā	cittaṃ	vikkhittaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
scattered	or	emotion	scattered	emotion	(he) knows
or (with) scattered emotion, he knows ' emotion (is) scattered'

mahaggataṃ	vā	cittaṃ	mahaggataṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
grown great	or	emotion	grown great	emotion	(he) knows
or (with) emotion grown great, he knows ' emotion (is) grown great'

amahaggataṃ	vā	cittaṃ	amahaggataṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
grown small	or	emotion	grown small	emotion	(he) knows
or (with) emotion grown small, he knows ' emotion (is) grown small'

sauttaraṃ1	vā	cittaṃ	sauttaraṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
inferior	or	emotion	inferior	emotion	(he) knows
or (with) mediocre emotion , he knows ' emotion (is) mediocre'

1 sa+uttara : with a superior ~ ordinary, mediocre?

anuttaraṃ2	vā	cittaṃ	anuttaraṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
inferior	or	emotion	inferior	emotion	(he) knows
or emotion without a superior, he knows ' emotion (is) unsurpassed '

2 an+uttara : without a superior

saṃkhittaṃ	vā	cittaṃ	saṃkhittaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
collected	or	emotion	collected	emotion	(he) knows
or (with) collected emotion, he knows ' emotion (is) collected'

vikkhittaṃ	vā	cittaṃ	vikkhittaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
scattered	or	emotion	scattered	emotion	(he) knows
or (with) scattered emotion, he knows ' emotion (is) scattered'

mahaggataṃ	vā	cittaṃ	mahaggataṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
grown great	or	emotion	grown great	emotion	(he) knows
or (with) emotion grown great, he knows ' emotion (is) grown great'

amahaggataṃ	vā	cittaṃ	amahaggataṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
grown small	or	emotion	grown small	emotion	(he) knows
or (with) emotion grown small, he knows ' emotion (is) grown small'

sauttaraṃ1	vā	cittaṃ	sauttaraṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
inferior	or	emotion	inferior	emotion	(he) knows
or (with) mediocre emotion , he knows ' emotion (is) mediocre'

1 sa+uttara : with a superior ~ ordinary, mediocre?

anuttaraṃ2	vā	cittaṃ	anuttaraṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
inferior	or	emotion	inferior	emotion	(he) knows
or emotion without a superior, he knows ' emotion (is) unsurpassed '

2 an+uttara : without a superior

samāhitaṃ3	vā	cittaṃ	samāhitaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
composed	or	emotion	composed	emotion	(he) knows
or emotion composed, he knows ' emotion (is) composed'

3 pp of sam+ādahati : to kindle, compose

asamāhitaṃ	vā	cittaṃ	asamāhitaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
perturbed	or	emotion	perturbed	emotion	(he) knows
or emotion perturbed, he knows ' emotion (is) perturbed'

vimuttaṃ	vā	cittaṃ	vimuttaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
released	or	emotion	released	emotion	(he) knows
or emotion released, he knows ' emotion (is) released'

avimuttaṃ	vā	cittaṃ	avimuttaṃ	cittan ti	pajānāti
pp A s n	ind	A s n	pp N s n	N s n	v: 3rd s
unreleased	or	emotion	unreleased	emotion	(he) knows
or emotion released, he knows ' emotion (is) released'

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Refrain

Repeat of refrain above but with: 'a monk dwell in conation, observing conation' etc.

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End of section on Mind/Heart

The dhamma section of Satipatthana sutta  continues here....
Or return to the intro & kaya section of Satipatthana sutta.