Four Stations of mindfulness

[Tiger]

1. How much is four stations of mindfulness emphasized in Mahayana and Vajrayana? I remember reading similar passages about the Buddha's instruction on the four stations of mindfulness in both the Sravakayana and Mahayana sutras.
2. What are supposed to be the fruits of this practice?
3. Is it a practice of Shamatha or Vipashyana? In other words, does it lead to calm abiding, increased awareness or deeper insight?
4. Is it complementary to Shunyata meditation?
5. Last question: Shouldn't the last station of mindfulness (mindfulness of the dharmas) by default also include the first three?

Namo Amitabha Buddha.

[Tiger]

In the Sutras (and Suttas) it is said that practicing Four Stations of mindfulness will definitely lead to enlightenment and that all the Buddhas of the ten directions have taught the same.

So can practicing Four stations of mindfulness be the cause of Samyuksambodhi? I personally believe that this is the most essential of all the Buddhas' teachings and happens to be the most ignored one as well.

Also, Thich Nhat Hanh and other "Zen" masters teach mindfulness in everyday life. Would that also be considered Four Stations of mindfulness? Or Zen is much more than four stations of mindfulness?

Namo Amitabha Buddha.

[Jyoti]

In the Sutras (and Suttas) it is said that practicing Four Stations of mindfulness will definitely lead to enlightenment and that all the Buddhas of the ten directions have taught the same.

So can practicing Four stations of mindfulness be the cause of Samyuksambodhi? I personally believe that this is the most essential of all the Buddhas' teachings and happens to be the most ignored one as well.

Also, Thich Nhat Hanh and other "Zen" masters teach mindfulness in everyday life. Would that also be considered Four Stations of mindfulness? Or Zen is much more than four stations of mindfulness?

Namo Amitabha Buddha.

In the mahayana, the Four Stations of mindfulness is practiced as the antidote for the four inversions. it helps to develop the required qualities for attaining enlightenment (bodhi). For enlightenment itself, the intellect is required, the Four Stations of mindfulness is based on the intellect as the basis, practice causes the perfuming of the seeds associated with bodhi. However, in modern times, there is a kind of mindfulness practice that focus on the arising, such as breath, sound, and so on, without involving analysis, such is actually a practice of calm-abiding, which has nothing to do with the Four Stations of mindfulness, unfortunately such practice is getting very common nowadays.

Jyoti