ABSTRACT
Sati has been explained or described in very diverse ways and contexts in the Buddhist Canon. It seems that sati has different functions on different occasions for different purposes. In this chapter I will attempt to formulate a classification of sati on the basis of our discussion in the last chapter, although this classification is not meant to be exhaustive. In that chapter we looked at the general principle underlying the practice of sati, that is, to direct saññA in a proper way. This involves interaction between the mind and its objects. In this chapter I shall discuss the various functions of sati in terms of such interaction in different states of mind ranging from normal consciousness to several kinds of meditation. As will be shown below, these different functions of sati are not always distinctively separate or incompatible. They sometimes work together. On the other hand, the same function of sati can be found in different states of consciousness.
