RIGHT HERE AND OUT THERE: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF AJJHATTAṂ AND BAHIDDHĀ IN THE CONTEXT OF MINDFULNESS OF THE BODY.

According to the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, mindfulness of the body involves seeing the body in a threefold way: ajjhatta;ṃ, bahiddhā, and ajjhattabahiddhā. This article attempts to show how an investigation of bodily perception, following the approach adopted by the phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty, can serve as the basis for a philosophically grounded understanding of the Pāli words ajjhatta;ṃ and bahiddhā. The interpretation that emerges is the distinction between "right here" and "out there": two mutually dependent, internally related domains that are experienced as what Merleau-Ponty called the "chiasm" or the "intertwining." This is different from the standard interpretations found in the Abhidhamma, the Pāli commentaries, the Visuddhimagga, and the instructions of most contemporary meditation teachers. It is hoped that the interpretation offered here can give some exposure to a movement within Theravāda Buddhism, initiated by Ñā?avīra Thera but slowly gaining traction, characterized by a phenomenological reading of the Pāli suttas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]