The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
In today’s podcast we begin again at the beginning, remembering and reviewing the four foundations of mindfulness. These give us stability and strength but they are not things. They are processes. Simply they are mindfulness of the body, of feeling tone, of mind, and of mind phenomena/objects.
They build on one another and enrich one another; their practice leads us to wisdom and love.
Just being mindful of the body breathing and of bodily sensations arising and fading away is a powerful practice.
Being mindful of the feeling tone of experience is teaches us to pause and to respond skillfully rather than react to experience as it arises.
Being mindful of mind—of being aware of the process of mind—its clinging, its aversion, its scattered-ness, its concentration lets us understand how our minds work. And gives us deep insight into our habits of mind.
The fourth is being mindful of mind phenomena or objects. For example, sense desires. The senses want something-- to see something, to taste something, to touch something. Desire arises. We are aware of the desire arising. We are aware when it is present. When it is absent. When it has been abandoned. When there is a tendency of mind for it to arise. And, aware of it not arising in the future.
The foundations of mindfulness are the processes of mindfulness that allow us to deepen our wisdom and see things clearly, to recognize suffering and cease it, and to live with open hearts.
This week, I invite you to mindful of the events and processes that create your interior and exterior worlds.
I am grateful you are listening and I am grateful for the people behind the scenes who make this podcast possible.
All of you who are members of the podcast on Patreon;
Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;
Bill Rafferty for technical web support;
Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and
Margaret Haas for announcing the show
Be well. Be mindful.
CREDITS/RESOURCES
Thich Nhat Hang Mindfulness of the Body https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLITykptumU
DISCLAIMER
The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional.
