ABSTRACT
In the simile in the KiSsuka Sutta mentioned in the previous chapter, a swift pair of messengers would ask the gatekeeper: “Where is the lord of this city?” and deliver a message of truth to the lord of the city. As mentioned before, “gatekeeper” stands for mindfulness and the “city” stands for the individual (kAya) according to the Buddha. He also explains that “the swift pair of messengers” is a designation for serenity (samatha) and insight (vipassanA ); “the lord of the city” is a designation for consciousness; “a message of truth” is a designation for Nibbana.1 Similarly, the KAyagatAsati Sutta of the Majjhima NikAya and a sutta in the AXguttara NikAya say, “Whoever has developed and cultivated kAyagatA sati, for him whatever wholesome states are conducive to gnosis (vijjAbhAgiya) are included.”2 And at AN I 61 samatha and vipassanA are said to be two wholesome states conducive to gnosis (vijjAbhAgiya).3 Samatha and vipassanA are regarded as the two main categories of Buddhist meditation. According to the foregoing suttas, these two can bring about Nibbana or gnosis (i.e. liberating insight) in one’s consciousness and are regulated or developed by sati, the gatekeeper in the simile. I will discuss the role of sati in these two types of meditation. Let us first investigate what these two terms refer to.
