7 Ways to Contemplate the Mind

Seven Ways to Contemplate the Mind

Method	Pāli Term	Sanskrit (Devanagari)	Functional Definition
1. Mind as a Whole	Kalāpasammasana	कलापसम्मर्शन	Observing the entire mental event as a single group (Kalāpa) without distinguishing individual factors (feeling, volition, etc.).
2. Pairs of Phenomena	Yamakasammasana	यमकसम्मर्शन	Alternating between observing a physical object and the specific mental factor (like contact or feeling) that notes it.
3. Momentary Nature	Khaṇikasammasana	क्षणिकसम्मर्शन	Following one physical observation with a sequence of four successive notings of the noting mind itself to see its flickering nature.
4. Successive Objects	Paṭipāṭi	परिपाटी	Following one physical observation with a sequence of ten successive notings of the noting mind to exhaust the sense of continuity.
5. Removal of View	Diṭṭhiggahanugghāṭana	दृष्टिग्रहणोद्घाटन	Using the observation of mental rise and fall to “peel away” the deep-seated view of a permanent “Seer” or “I.”
6. Removal of Conceit	Mānugghāṭana	मानोद्घाटन	Breaking down the pride/conceit that “I am the one meditating” by seeing only impersonal mental processes.
7. Ending of Craving	Taṇhākkhaya	तृष्णाक्षय	Observing the mind until the desire to “hold” onto mental states or experiences dissolves completely.

Reference: Chapter 6 of Mahasi Sayadaw’s Manual of Insight