[KCI-Indexed] A Comparative Study on the Practice Mechanisms of Vinaya and Sati

Abstract

This study investigates the praxeological mechanism through which Vinaya (monastic discipline) and Sati (mindfulness) functionally integrate to facilitate insight into anattā (non-self), specifically through the process of 'Non-Identification.' Moving beyond previous research that treats Vinaya as mere ethical norms and Sati as an isolated meditation technique, this study introduces the analytical concept of 'Cut-off Point' within the chain of Dependent Origination to examine their integrated operation.

The analysis reveals that Vinaya functions as a breakwater, serving as the primary cut-off point that structurally restricts sensory contact to suspend the automatic progression from phassa (contact) through vedanā (feeling) to taṇhā (craving). The 'waves' of sensory stimuli that pass over this breakwater arrive with diminished force, enabling Sati to serve as the secondary cut-off point by observing the weakened vedanā as a conditioned phenomenon separate from self-identification. Vinaya and Sati form a mutually reinforcing feedback relationship, and this integrated mechanism is characterized by the gradual reduction of cetanā (intention), transitioning from vigorous effort to wise attention (yoniso manasikāra).

The 'Dual Cut-off Points Model' proposed in this study shares functional similarities with 'Cognitive Defusion,' 'Acceptance,' and 'Psychological Flexibility' in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). However, it is distinguished by its ultimate aim of dismantling sakkāya-diṭṭhi (identity view) through the triple negation logic of the Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta — "This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self" — thereby fundamentally deconstructing the very concept of self rather than merely enhancing its flexibility.

In conclusion, this study provides a theoretical response to critiques of decontextualized modern mindfulness by demonstrating that Vinaya, as a structural foundation, constitutes an essential condition for sustaining the cognitive transformation effected by Sati.

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