Since it is real panna it would be able to know the truth about realities that truly exist at this moment.  (Not about things that have not appeared yet.)  The development of satipatthana would be the development of panna, which is not to say that we intend to do something.  The moment of intention is not sati that is mindful of the characteristics of realities that have arisen from paccaya, at this instant, quite normally.  Those who do not understand satipatthana would ask what to do while they are seeing as we do normally, right now.  If someone told them to do something, that would be wrong, since no one could make any reality arise in the least.  However, they could listen and understand until they know that each distinct reality, through each dvara, at this instant, exists.  Therefore, one must really understand more about the realities that appear through each dvara.  For example at this instant there are things appearing through the eye to be seen.  But without the citta, no reality that experiences, no dhatu that knows; of the characteristic of the reality that is seeing that which appears, things that appear could not do so.  If at the ordinary instant of seeing now one is unable to know the characteristics of things that appear to the reality that sees, that would not be the development of vipassana.  Therefore what could we do, to make us rightly understand that at this moment of seeing is only a reality, other than to consider carefully at this moment of listening, and gradually truly understand increasingly that realities are not us.  Because they are things that really exist, under no one's control and arise normally, according to causes and conditions.

At this instant of listening there is already sati arising, but not yet the sati-patthana.  It is sati of the listening and contemplating level, gradually understanding more.  Everyone knows that sati is a sankhara-khandha, not 'us'; not the rupa-khandha, not the sanna-khandha, but a sankhara-khandha.  Which means that it is a reality that is conditioned, not that there is the 'we' to do that but the instant of listening conditions increased understanding.  At the moment of listening if there is understanding of nama-dhamma and rupa-dhamma in the instant of seeing, (any instant there is understanding of the characteristics of realities, not just understand the theory or the names of realities,) so that when any reality appears there is gradual true knowledge of its characteristics.  The characteristics of the reality that is intelligence, or seeing, is only a kind of dhatu or a kind of reality which could arise and see things that appear.  At that moment there is sati-patthana.  There are no need for names although most people know the names first and then wonder what sati-patthana is, or when it would arise.  On the other hand if there were no names, without names, this instant there are realities appearing, then there is gradual understanding of their characteristics, at that moment there is sati-patthana.

Right now there are realities appearing.  Anyone who has sati would gradually understand the characteristics of the realities; and even though others might say that that is not sati-patthana, would they be right?  Therefore to know the true original of a reality about which we have been studying for such a long time in diverse scriptures and texts, could only be when sati arises to be mindful of the characteristics of the reality.  When understanding increases, all the names in the Tipitaka would become clear according to the panna of the person who develops it, then right understanding of that reality would arise.  Otherwise there is no way to understand the original reality through its characteristics of dhatu, of ayatana, of the different terminology in the Tipitaka.  The Dhamma that the Buddha manifested all come from his enlightenment in the truth about the realities.  Therefore, those who study to know the original reality must do so by developing panna to know the characteristics of realities that are appearing.  Thus, they would be able to penetrate the meanings of all that he had manifested, according to the strength of their panna.