FOREWORD TO FOURTH EDITION

At the request of the Buddha Sasana Council on 13^th November 1956 (to compile a book on Theravada Buddhism for distribution in Japan), Mahasi Sayadawgyi had composed a chapter on “Purpose of Practising Kammatthana Meditation”. This composition had been rendered into book form and first edition was published in 1957/1958. Up to now, this book has been reprinted for nineteen times.

An article about this book had been translated into English by U Pe Thin, a Mahasi yogi who had translated several books of Mahasi Sayadawgyi into English, under the title “Buddhist Meditation and its Forty Subjects” in December 1957. This was published in “The Light of the Dhamma” Volume(V)No.3, in July 1958 by the Buddha Sasana Council.

Again in 1980, the then President of the Buddha Sasana Nuggaha Organization, requested U Min Swe who was the Secretary of the Organization to translate the some book into English and U Min Swe’s translation in November 1980 was published by the Buddha Sasana Nuggaha Organization in December 1980. The Second edition was published in August 1995. Still another edition was published in the same year 1995 together with “Satipatthana-the only way”, one of the lectures by Mahasi Sayadawgyi on his World Missionary tour made in 1956.

In the original Myanmar version, in addition to the composition on “Purpose of Practising Kammatthana Meditation” , one annexure on “noting of the movement of abdomen” and another annexure on “Dhamma Aphorisms”, were also included. However, U Min Swe’s translation was only of main topic and did not include the two annexures. In this Fourth Edition of U Min Swe’s translation we publish his original translation as well as his preface. For the short Biography of Mahasi Sayadawgyi, we have put in the updated version in this edition.

Hence, for the Sayadawgyi’s Myanmar composition, we now have two English translations by two translators under two different titles. The article by U Pe Thin in “The Light of the Dhamma” had been brought to the notice of the Buddha Sasana Nuggaha Organization and U Pe Thin’s article was put into book form and published in June 2015.

We conclude by quoting the last words of Mahasi Sayadawgyi in this book that Kammatthana meditation should be practised so as to reach Nibbana, thereby escaping from all kinds of misery, such as “old age, death, etc..” May all who wish to realise Nibbana be able to practise insight meditation as duly instructed in this book.

Dr.Tint Soe Lin

President

Buddha Sasana Nuggaha

Organization

August- 2015

Purpose Of Practising

Kammatthana Meditation

This copy is Fourth Edition published in August 2015 in which the grammar, punctuations and spellings of English words were corrected during January 2019 for the next Edition.

(1) English words corrected by “ Microsoft Words” in computer by Ma Soe Soe on 11.1.2019 and checked by U Khin Maung Oo on 16.1.2019 .

(2) Pali words re-checked by ----------------------.

Note; the words in red are not to be uploaded in the website.