The vipassanabhumi patha: a Pali chant that runs through the six grounds of insight, from the five aggregates to dependent origination, with its meaning
The vipassanabhumi patha is a chant that names six groups of teaching, the ground on which insight meditation works: the five aggregates, twelve sense bases, eighteen elements, twenty-two faculties, four noble truths, and dependent origination, both as things arise and as they cease. Pāṭha means a text for reciting, so this is a table of contents for the teaching on insight that you can say aloud.
Where the vipassanabhumi patha comes from
The chant is not a single discourse. It strings together lists found in the Tipiṭaka. The first five groups come from chapters of the Vibhaṅga, the second book of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, and the last is the formula of dependent origination that the Buddha taught in many discourses, such as SN 12.1. Who first arranged them as a chant is not recorded. The Pali on this page follows the Vibhaṅga and the discourse in the Mahāsaṅgīti edition; some chanting books spell or break the lines slightly differently.
When and how to use the vipassana bhumi chant
The vipassanabhumi patha suits times of practice: before sitting, during evening chanting on a retreat, or alone at home as a review of the teaching. Beginners can chant slowly, one group at a time, and read the meaning of each group before going on. Once it is familiar, chant it straight through. The Thai letters under each Pali line give the Thai reading. You may begin with the usual homage to the Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha if you like.
The vipassanabhumi patha and practice
Chanting does not produce wisdom by itself. What the vipassanabhumi patha gives is familiarity: when you sit or walk and notice an ache, a thought or a sound, you can recognise it at once as an aggregate, a base or an element that is arising and passing, not as yourself. Each group is explained, together with what vipassana actually looks at, on objects of insight; how to watch mind and matter for yourself is in how to do vipassana; and the whole chain is explained in dependent origination.
The vipassanabhumi patha with its meaning
The vipassanabhumi patha is set out in seven parts by group, with dependent origination split into arising and ceasing. Each part gives the Pali in Thai letters first, then the meaning.
The chant
The five aggregates
Pañcakkhandhā:
rūpakkhandho, vedanākkhandho, saññākkhandho,
saṅkhārakkhandho, viññāṇakkhandho.
Meaning
There are five aggregates: form, feeling, perception, formations and consciousness. Together they are everything we take to be ourselves.
The twelve sense bases
Dvādasāyatanāni:
cakkhāyatanaṁ, rūpāyatanaṁ,
sotāyatanaṁ, saddāyatanaṁ,
ghānāyatanaṁ, gandhāyatanaṁ,
jivhāyatanaṁ, rasāyatanaṁ,
kāyāyatanaṁ, phoṭṭhabbāyatanaṁ,
manāyatanaṁ, dhammāyatanaṁ.
Meaning
There are twelve sense bases: the eye and sights, the ear and sounds, the nose and smells, the tongue and tastes, the body and touches, the mind and mind-objects. The first of each pair is an inner base, the second an outer one. Every experience happens where a pair meets.
The eighteen elements
Aṭṭhārasa dhātuyo:
cakkhudhātu, rūpadhātu, cakkhuviññāṇadhātu,
sotadhātu, saddadhātu, sotaviññāṇadhātu,
ghānadhātu, gandhadhātu, ghānaviññāṇadhātu,
jivhādhātu, rasadhātu, jivhāviññāṇadhātu,
kāyadhātu, phoṭṭhabbadhātu, kāyaviññāṇadhātu,
manodhātu, dhammadhātu, manoviññāṇadhātu.
Meaning
There are eighteen elements, in six sets of three: eye, sight and eye-consciousness; ear, sound and ear-consciousness; nose, smell and nose-consciousness; tongue, taste and tongue-consciousness; body, touch and body-consciousness; mind, mind-object and mind-consciousness. Each is only an element bearing its own nature, owned by no one.
The twenty-two faculties
Bāvīsatindriyāni:
cakkhundriyaṁ, sotindriyaṁ, ghānindriyaṁ,
jivhindriyaṁ, kāyindriyaṁ, manindriyaṁ,
itthindriyaṁ, purisindriyaṁ, jīvitindriyaṁ,
sukhindriyaṁ, dukkhindriyaṁ,
somanassindriyaṁ, domanassindriyaṁ, upekkhindriyaṁ,
saddhindriyaṁ, vīriyindriyaṁ, satindriyaṁ,
samādhindriyaṁ, paññindriyaṁ,
anaññātaññassāmītindriyaṁ,
aññindriyaṁ, aññātāvindriyaṁ.
Meaning
There are twenty-two faculties: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind; femininity, masculinity and life; bodily pleasure, bodily pain, mental joy, mental distress and neutral feeling; faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion and wisdom; and the faculties of 'I shall know the unknown', of final knowledge, and of one who has fully known. A faculty is what governs its own function.
The four noble truths
Cattāri ariyasaccāni:
dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ,
dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ,
dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ,
dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā ariyasaccaṁ.
Meaning
There are four noble truths: the noble truth of suffering, of the origin of suffering, of the cessation of suffering, and of the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering.
Dependent origination: arising
Avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā,
saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṁ,
viññāṇapaccayā nāmarūpaṁ,
nāmarūpapaccayā saḷāyatanaṁ,
saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso,
phassapaccayā vedanā,
vedanāpaccayā taṇhā,
taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ,
upādānapaccayā bhavo,
bhavapaccayā jāti,
jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇaṁ
sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā sambhavanti.
Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.
Meaning
With ignorance as condition, formations come to be; with formations, consciousness; with consciousness, name and form; with name and form, the six sense bases; with the six sense bases, contact; with contact, feeling; with feeling, craving; with craving, grasping; with grasping, continued existence; with continued existence, birth; with birth as condition, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress and despair come to be. That is how this whole mass of suffering arises.
Dependent origination: ceasing
Avijjāya tveva asesavirāganirodhā saṅkhāranirodho,
saṅkhāranirodhā viññāṇanirodho,
viññāṇanirodhā nāmarūpanirodho,
nāmarūpanirodhā saḷāyatananirodho,
saḷāyatananirodhā phassanirodho,
phassanirodhā vedanānirodho,
vedanānirodhā taṇhānirodho,
taṇhānirodhā upādānanirodho,
upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho,
bhavanirodhā jātinirodho,
jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇaṁ
sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā nirujjhanti.
Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hoti.
Meaning
But when ignorance fades away and ceases with nothing left over, formations cease; when formations cease, consciousness ceases; when consciousness ceases, name and form cease; when name and form cease, the six sense bases cease; when the six sense bases cease, contact ceases; when contact ceases, feeling ceases; when feeling ceases, craving ceases; when craving ceases, grasping ceases; when grasping ceases, continued existence ceases; when continued existence ceases, birth ceases; when birth ceases, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress and despair cease. That is how this whole mass of suffering ceases.
Machine translation from: Vibhaṅga, Analysis of the Aggregates (Vb 1) · Vibhaṅga, Analysis of the Sense Bases (Vb 2) · Vibhaṅga, Analysis of the Elements (Vb 3) · Vibhaṅga, Analysis of the Truths (Vb 4) · Vibhaṅga, Analysis of the Faculties (Vb 5) · Vibhaṅga, Analysis of Dependent Origination (Vb 6) · Paṭiccasamuppāda Sutta (SN 12.1) · Traditional chant arranged from lists in the Tipiṭaka, compiler unknown
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