The early discourses present the realization of four levels of awakening as the chief purpose of mindfulness practice. A survey of the opinions of various scholars, alleging these four levels to be a later development, shows that the main arguments proposed in support of this assessment are unconvincing. The testimony provided by a comparative study of the early discourses instead conveys the impression that these four levels of awakening are an integral part of the teachings of early Buddhism in the form in which they have been preserved in the textual records. These four levels depict a gradual purification of the mind which can be achieved through the cultivation of insight based on the practice of mindfulness.

早期的论述将唤醒的四个层面的实现作为正念练习的主要目的。对各种学者的意见进行的一项调查表明，这四个层次是后来的发展，表明为支持这种评估而提出的主要论点是没有说服力的。相反，由对早期话语的比较研究提供的证词转而给人的印象是，这四个层次的觉醒是早期佛教教义的组成部分，其形式被保存在文本记录中。这四个层次描绘了心灵的逐渐净化，这可以通过在正念练习的基础上培养洞察力来实现。