The Foundations of Mindfulness
(two versions)
"Mindfulness" is a translation of the word sati in the Satipatthana Sutta. The Satipatthana Sutta is a guide for mindfulness and meditation supposedly taught by Gotama Buddha. There are several translations, and two versions are below - 1) a trimmed version of Eric Harrison's already abbreviated version from his book The Foundations of Mindfulness and 2) one compiled and edited from several sources.
Highlights for mindfulness/ meditation/ contemplation:
Breath
Body/ body scan
Feelings/ sensations
Death/ Dissolution of body
States of Mind
Five Aggregates
Four Noble Truths
Eightfold Path
The Foundations of Mindfulness (1)
(a trimmed version of Eric Harrison's already abbreviated version from his book The Foundations of Mindfulness)
The systematic four stage training of attention: live intently contemplating your body, clearly understanding and being mindful of it, and examine emotions, states of mind, and thought.
Mindfulness of the Body (kaya)
For formal meditation, go to a comfortable, peaceful spot.
Focus on the breath. Mindfully breathe in and mindfully breathe out. When inhaling a long or short breath, know: “I am inhaling a long or short breath.” Likewise, know when breathing out a long or short breath.
Train thinking: “Conscious of the whole body, I breathe in. Conscious of the whole body, I breathe out. Calming the whole body, I breathe in. Calming the whole body, I breathe out.” Carefully observe your body and the bodies of others. Observe how bodily sensations arise and pass away, and what causes them to do so.
When walking, know: “I am walking.” When standing, know: “I am standing.” Likewise, be mindful of sitting or lying down. Calm the breathing and body in all postures. Be equally mindful doing all things- when coming and going, when looking forward or around, when bending and stretching, when wearing robes and carrying bowls, when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting, when defecating and urinating, when walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, when falling asleep and waking up, when talking and remaining silent.
Survey the body upward from the soles of the feet or downward from the hairs of the head.
Contemplate a body after "death" through stages of physical dissolution thinking: “My body is just like that one and cannot escape its fate.” In these ways, one contemplates the nature of the body.
Mindfulness of Emotion (vedana)
Observe the valances of phenomena. When experiencing a pleasant feeling, know: “This is pleasant.” When experiencing an unpleasant feeling, know: “This is unpleasant.” Recognize those valences that are neutral and neither pleasant nor unpleasant. Likewise, be aware of the positive, negative, and the neutral valences that accompany thoughts. Carefully observe how valences arise, how they pass away, and what causes them to do so. Observe this in yourself and in others. Live free of attachments/ do not cling to or attach to emotions (valances of phenomena), simply observe.
Mindfulness of States of Mind (citta)
Observe the mind and know when it is: caught in desire, free of desire, caught in anger, free of anger, caught in delusion, free of delusion, shrunken, distracted, undeveloped, developed, restless, settled, not free, or liberated. Observe how these arise and pass away, and what causes them to do so. Observe this in yourself and others.
Observe the five hindrances: sensory desire, ill-will, apathy, anxiety, and doubt. When the mind is caught in desire, know: “This is desire.” When the mind is free of desire, know: “This is the mind free of desire.” Carefully observe how desire arises and passes away and what causes it to do so. Learn to extinguish desire when it arises and how to prevent it from arising in the future. Do the same for the other hindrances: ill-will, apathy, anxiety, and doubt.
Observe the seven factors of enlightenment: mindfulness, investigation, energy, bliss, tranquility, absorption/ concentration, equanimity. When mindful, be aware of it. When not mindful, be aware of it. Observe how mindfulness comes and goes and what causes it to do so. Learn how to strengthen mindfulness when it is present and how to bring it forth when it is not present.
Contemplate the other factors of enlightenment. Observe how investigation, energy, bliss, tranquility, absorption/ concentration, and equanimity arise and pass away and what causes them to do so. Learn to strengthen each of these qualities when present and how to bring them forth when not present.
Observe how the seven factors of enlightenment arise and pass away, and what causes them to do so. Observe this in yourself and in others. Live free of attachments/ do not cling to or attach to states of mind, simply observe.
Mindfulness of Thought/ Phenomena (dhamma)
Contemplate the five aggregates that make up the sense of self: body, feelings (valences), perception impulses, mental formations, and consciousness. Understand how the body, feelings (valences), perception impulses, mental formations, and consciousness arise and pass away. Investigate how attachment occurs through the senses and understand how to break free from attachment. Live free of attachments derived from the senses, simply observe.
Reflect on and understand the four noble truths:
1) Understand that in life there is inevitable, universal suffering/ disappointment/ unsatisfactoriness (dukkha)
2) The cause of dukkha is desire/craving for life to be other than what it actually is
3) There is a cessation of dukkha
4) There is a path to the cessation of dukkha, the Eightfold Path
Eightfold path: right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right concentration, right mindfulness, right intention/resolve, right view/understanding*
Right speech- communicate sincerely and without ill-will; pause, think, and be mindful before communicating
Right action- be kind to all living things, avoid acting on unwholesome thoughts/intention
Right livelihood- earn a living practicing harmlessness and doing good will
Right effort- be disciplined and persistent; learn to (1) neutralize active, unwholesome mind states, (2) discourage inactive, unwholesome mind states, (3) nurture active, wholesome mind states, and (4) encourage inactive, wholesome mind states (“wholesome” connotes well-being and holistic integrity, in harmony with “right” and “true”)
Right concentration- learn to focus and continually strengthen the ability to focus; focus on the wholesome; acknowledge, contemplate, and let go of distractions; develop an alert but calm awareness aimed specifically at reducing the hindrances and clearing the mind
Right mindfulness- all of the above; be aware of your body, emotions, state of mind, and thoughts- be in the present- aware of what you are doing/thinking
Right intention/resolve- strive to do no harm, do not be attached to or crave worldly gratification
Right view/understanding- understand the four noble truths, discern what is wholesome and unwholesome, understand non-self and interconnectedness, understand dependent origination**
* "right" may also be translated as complete, genuine, or in perfect harmony- or viewed as "to right," as in restoring an accurate position, in alignment with what is "true," like an arrow or instrument that is finely crafted or tuned and fit for its purpose
** dependent origination - everything that exists is conditioned, dependent on something else; applies to thoughts as well as objects, to the individual as well as the entire universe; nothing exists independently, everything we perceive is conditioned
Foundations of Mindfulness (2):
(compiled and edited from several sources)
contemplation of
1) body,
2) feeling,
3) states of mind, and
4) dhammas (groups of phenomena)
CONTEMPLATION OF BODY
Mindfulness of Breathing
Be aware of your breath as you breathe in and out. Be aware of your whole body as you breathe. Consciously relax your body as you continue breath awareness and experience mind, body, and breath fully.
Mindfulness of Postures
When walking, be aware of walking. When standing still, sitting, or lying down, be conscious of this. Be mindful of however your body is positioned.
Mindfulness of Activities of Daily Living
Wherever you’re going, whichever way you’re looking, and whatever you’re doing, act in full awareness. Be mindful when walking, standing, or sitting, going out and coming back, looking ahead and looking aside, bending and stretching, dressing, eating, drinking, urinating, defecating, falling asleep, waking up, speaking, remaining silent, etc.
Reflection on the Body
Think about all your body is made of, from your head to your toes, and reflect on everything about your body. Reflect on the fact that your body is made up of all kinds of matter, from armpit hair to sweat and mucous, intestines and contents, bodily fluids, etc.
Reflection on Material Elements
At its most basic level, your body is made of the same materials found everywhere in nature- you, and all living beings, are simply a flowing expression of nature- there is no substantial basis for “me,” “I,” “mine.”
Contemplation of Bodily Disintegration
Contemplate the stages of bodily decomposition. Bodies decompose until there’s nothing left but bones, and even bones will disintegrate/ transform into some other manifested forms of the universe. Reflect on the fact that all living beings/ forms have this same fate. You are no different from any other living being; you can’t escape bodily death and there is nothing you can cling to that will change this.
CONTEMPLATION OF FEELING
When you feel something pleasant, understand you are feeling a pleasant feeling. When you feel something unpleasant or painful, or a feeling that’s neutral, be aware of those feelings. Think about how pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings arise and dissipate.
CONTEMPLATION OF STATES OF MIND
Contemplate states of mind- the mind with lust and without lust; with anger and without anger; with delusion and without delusion; the cramped mind and the distracted mind; the developed mind and the undeveloped mind; the surpassable mind and the unsurpassable mind; the concentrated mind and the unconcentrated mind; and the freed mind and the bound mind.
Whatever state your mind is in, be aware of and understand it. Contemplate the essence of your mind and what will happen to it when your body dies.
Whether the mind is in a pure state or an unpure state, a lofty state or a low state, there should be no elation or dejection, only a clear recognition of the state, without clinging to desired states or resenting undesired states. As contemplation deepens, the seemingly solid, stable mind reveals itself to be a stream of mental acts arising from nowhere and going nowhere, continuing one after another.
CONTEMPLATION OF DHAMMAS (groups of phenomena)
Five groups mentioned in the Satipatthana Sutta are: 1) the five hindrances, 2) the five aggregates, 3) the six senses, 4) the seven factors of enlightenment, and 5) the four noble truths.
The Five Hindrances
1. sensual desire;
2. aversion;
3. dullness, laziness, lethargy;
4. restlessness, worry, anxiety, agitation, remorse;
5. doubt.
Whenever one of these arises, be aware of it; when it fades away, be aware of it. Observe how these arise, how they dissipate, and what prevents these from arising.
The Five Constituent Parts of Existence/ Five Aggregates of Clinging
Be aware of the five constituent parts that make up your perceived existence and which are affected by attachment.
1. material form (your physical body);
2. feelings (pleasant, neutral, unpleasant);
3. perceptions (the information you receive from your sense organs, including the mind; registering, recognizing, and labeling (for example, the shape of a tree, color green, emotion of fear);
4. mental formations/ volitional activity (ideas and thoughts that form in your head; mental imprints and conditioning triggered by an object; includes any process that initiates an action);
5. consciousness (awareness of all of the above).
How did these arise? How are these sustained? How are these be associated with dukkha?
The Six Sense Organs
Sight - the eye and visible forms
Sound- the ear and sounds
Smell- the nose and odors
Taste- the tongue and tastes
Touch- the body and tactile objects
Mind- the mind and mental objects.
Be mindful of the input from the senses and attachments or aversions that arise through the senses- observe how any attachments or aversions arise and how they pass away. How are these be associated with dukkha?
The Seven Factors of Awakening
1. mindfulness;
2. investigation of phenomena;
3. effort/energy
4. joy/rapture
5. calmness/tranquility
6. concentration
7. equanimity
When any of these are present, be aware of it. When they are not, be aware of it. Observe how they arise and how they disappear.
The Four Noble Truths
1. Dukkha- Suffering/Unsatisfactoriness - dukkha is pervasive and all life experiences dukkha
2. The Cause of Dukkha/Suffering/Unsatisfactoriness
Suffering/ Unsatisfactoriness arises from craving, ignorance, a mistaken belief that we are separate, independent beings (“I,” “me,” “mine”) and a desire for life to be other than it actually is.
3. The End of Suffering/Unsatisfactoriness
Dukkha/suffering/unsatisfactoriness is temporary- it can end when we realize an awakened mind is within us and always available to us.
4. The Path to End Dukkha/Suffering/Unsatisfactoriness
By following the eightfold path, practicing meditation, and developing wisdom, we can achieve freedom from dukkha/suffering/unsatisfactoriness and realize enlightenment.
Eightfold path: right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right concentration, right mindfulness, right intention/resolve, right view/understanding
Right speech- communicate sincerely and without ill-will; pause, think, and be mindful before communicating
Right action- be kind to all living things, avoid acting on unwholesome thoughts/intention
Right livelihood- earn a living practicing harmlessness and doing good will
Right effort- be disciplined and persistent; learn to (1) neutralize active, unwholesome mind states, (2) discourage inactive, unwholesome mind states, (3) nurture active, wholesome mind states, and (4) encourage inactive, wholesome mind states (“wholesome” connotes well-being and holistic integrity, in harmony with “right” and “true”)
Right concentration- learn to focus and continually strengthen the ability to focus; focus on the wholesome; acknowledge, contemplate, and let go of distractions; eliminate the hindrances, clear the mind, develop an alert but calm awareness
Right mindfulness- be aware of all of the above - of your body, emotions, state of mind, and thoughts - be in the present- aware of what you are doing/thinking and be able to describe it
Right intention/resolve- strive to do no harm, do not be attached to or crave worldly gratification
Right view/understanding- understand the four noble truths, discern what is wholesome and unwholesome, understand non-self and interconnectedness, understand dependent origination
* dependent origination - everything that exists is conditioned, dependent on something else; applies to thoughts as well as objects, to the individual as well as the entire universe; nothing exists independently, everything is conditioned
* right" may also be translated as complete, genuine, or in perfect harmony- or viewed as "to right," as in restoring an accurate position, in alignment with what is "true," like an arrow or instrument that is finely crafted or tuned and fit for its purpose