An established belief in going to a forest for austerity practices

An established belief in going to a forest for austerity practices
Question:
Venerable Sir, there is an established belief that one should go to a forest, shade of a tree or an empty building for austerity practices. If this is the case, we, laymen are not in a position to practice meditation. However, Satipattana Sutta was expounded to the residents of the city of Kuru. So, it is evident that the Buddha had addressed the common people, living in this city. In this circumstance, we feel that there could be a hidden meaning in this respect. What is your opinion on this?
Answer: 
Here, we need to understand the real meaning associated with these phrases in terms of the Satipattana Sutta. Non-awareness of the real meanings has led to different interpretations. In the Satipattana Sutta, we find, “ arannagato và rukkhamulagato và sunnàgàragato và nisãdati pallaïkam àbhujitvà ujuü kàyaü paõidhàya parimukhaü satiü upaññhapetvà...”. The terms “arannagato và” refer to a past action. It refers to a past action, meaning, “as if gone to a forest”. However, this has been misinterpreted as a necessity of going to a forest for the purpose of meditation. Present society does not allow most of you to go to a forest, a shade of a tree or an empty building to practice meditation. Also, you cannot find peace in these three locations. The Buddha has not proclaimed three destinations for meditators. It is neither practical nor scientific. The Buddha has proclaimed a way of constant practice. If you do not practice constantly, you can purify your mind of defilements. No matter where you are, you need to keep practicing what is taught in this sutta.
By the phrase “arannagato và”, the Buddha taught us to have a mental frame of a person who happens to be in a forest environment. A person who enters a forest always experiences fear and suspense. This person’s priority is to escape from the dangers of the forest as soon as possible. Similarly, a meditator’s mind should be preoccupied with honest intention of escaping from the cycle of rebirth and death as it is filled with dangers and misery. Then only a meditator could reap benefits from the practice of the Satipattana meditation.
When we observe the mental state of a person who takes shelter in the shade of a tree, you would see that this person finds some peace, calmness as long he sits there. However, he cannot continue to sit in the shade of the tree due to the presence of dangers in the night and adverse weather conditions such as rain, wind, and storms. So, he realises the shade of the tree to be a temporary, volatile peace. He realises that he cannot hold on to the shade of the tree indefinitely.
The person who entered the forest, now, finds temporary peace in the shade of a tree as took into consideration all the dangers present in the forest, while being vigilant and alert to escape from the forest environment. Similarly, as a meditator fights the mental defilements as in the case of a person who enters a forest and fights dangers present in a forest. Once a meditator fights with his defilements effectively, he could bring about peace, tranquility to his mind as a wanderer in a forest finds shelter in the shade of a tree. The tranquility achieved by a meditator with the subjugation of defilements is identified as Samadhi (concentration) and Jhana (absorptions). Samadhi and Jhana result from subjugation of defilements on a temporary basis which is analogous to the short term peaceful state under the shade of a tree. As this temporary peaceful state in the shade is subject to dangers and adverse weather conditions, Samadhi and jhana states are not everlasting. Therefore, meditators should not attach to Samadhi and Jhana states.
Now, let’s consider the phrase “sunnàgàragato và...”. Sunnàgàra (empty building) is not an old type bungalow or a residence as these structures have some value, even though these may be very old. Sunnàgàra is structure without any value at all. It is similar to a dilapidated, abandoned building which is uninhabitable totally. As a person does not attach any value to an abandoned, uninhabitable building under any circumstance, a meditator should observe one’s body filled with 32 repulsive body parts and subject to aging and death, as a worthless entity. When a meditator comprehends the repulsive nature of the body and the worthless nature of existence, he makes every attempt to keep away from this existence. He does everything with this view in mind.
The Buddha used the similes of going to a forest, the shade of a tree and the empty building to illustrate the gradual path for the subjugation of defilements which should be pursued and trained in three stages, namely, sila sikkha (morality training), samadhi sikkha (concentration training) and panna sikkha (wisdom training). These similes do not call for a obligatory need for going to a forest in order to practice mental training. Meditation practices referred to in the Satipattana Sutta could be performed at any place. Those are meditation techniques which should be practiced regularly, no matter where you are.
There were instances where the Buddha dispatched some of his disciples to forests to facilitate breaking up of some of the course defilements with the aid of the atmosphere prevailed in the forests. Also, some of the monks, who preferred the natural ambience of a forest, used to live in seclusion in forests, enjoying jhanic bliss.