Hello,
I have encountered the four foundations of mindfulness in many texts where it is often praised as an important practice for one to engage in. From ChNN's Vase to many other wonderful texts. So I would like to ask if there are any good resources and advice on the topic and how can one learn them and gain at least some familiarity with them.
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
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Könchok Thrinley
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The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche
For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.
- Arya Sanghata Sutra
For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.
- Arya Sanghata Sutra
Re: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
It is the practice of satipatthana/smrtyupasthana. You can find plenty of materials on it from Theravada and Mahayana sources.
Some examples:
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
Satipatthana: The Heart of Buddhist Meditation by Nyanaponika Thera
The Progress of Insight: A Treatise on Satipatthana Meditation by Mahasi Sayadaw
Transformation and Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
Minding Closely: The Four Applications of Mindfulness by B. Alan Wallace
For a comparison of the Abhidharma and Mahayana approaches, see the Mahaprajnaparamita Shastra:
Abhidharma auxiliaries (E): The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
Mahāyāna auxiliaries (A): The four foundations of mindfulness
And for an in depth study of the Satipatthana Sutta, there are three works of Bhikkhu Analayo (all available here):
Satipaṭṭhāna, the Direct Path to Realization
Perspectives on Satipaṭṭhāna
Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation: A Practice Guide
Some examples:
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
Satipatthana: The Heart of Buddhist Meditation by Nyanaponika Thera
The Progress of Insight: A Treatise on Satipatthana Meditation by Mahasi Sayadaw
Transformation and Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
Minding Closely: The Four Applications of Mindfulness by B. Alan Wallace
For a comparison of the Abhidharma and Mahayana approaches, see the Mahaprajnaparamita Shastra:
Abhidharma auxiliaries (E): The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
Mahāyāna auxiliaries (A): The four foundations of mindfulness
And for an in depth study of the Satipatthana Sutta, there are three works of Bhikkhu Analayo (all available here):
Satipaṭṭhāna, the Direct Path to Realization
Perspectives on Satipaṭṭhāna
Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation: A Practice Guide
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?
2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.
3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.
4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.
1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?
2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.
3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.
4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.
1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
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Nicholas2727
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Re: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
I am not sure if there are any differences between the Theravada understanding of Satipatthana and the Mahayana understanding, although Bhikkhu Yuttadhammo teachers the Mahasi Sayadaw style of Satipatthana on youtube and offers an online meditation course that goes through the different stages of the practice. He is very well learned on the Sutta and I suggest listening to one of his talks for a basic understanding.
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Könchok Thrinley
- Former staff member
- Posts: 3276
- Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:18 am
- Location: He/Him from EU
Re: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
Thank you for the links and comments. Wiki mentions that the four foundations can be practiced from a Mahayana pov and Vajrayana pov, are there any useful guides to practice them from this pov?
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche
For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.
- Arya Sanghata Sutra
For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.
- Arya Sanghata Sutra
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SilenceMonkey
- Posts: 1448
- Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:54 am
Re: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
Maybe the Alan Wallace book mentioned would be good as a practice manual. I've also heard that Drikung Chetsang Rinpoche sometimes teaches on these, so there might be Drikung teachings on this somewhere.
This may also be useful:
https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-ma ... s-and-path
This may also be useful:
https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-ma ... s-and-path