This program will be held in person at our Center in Cambridge.
The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta – the Buddha’s teachings on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness – is a central text from the Pāli canon. Described as a "direct path" of practice leading to the ending of suffering and to liberation, it contains within it many of the core teachings of insight meditation. We can think of the four foundations of mindfulness as the pillars upon which we cultivate a strong and steady awareness practice. They are:
- Mindfulness of the body and breath
- Mindfulness of feeling
- Mindfulness of the mind, the qualities of our awareness, and how it is affected by thoughts, emotions and mental states
- Mindfulness of the contents of mind, including thoughts and emotions. Also, investigating the Four Noble Truths, the Five Hindrances and the Seven Factors of Awakening.
Over the course of our time together, we will focus on each of the four foundations and look at how they build on each other and lead onward to a deeper understanding of our experience. We will begin to explore the different modes of practice described in the sutta. Simple ways of developing our mindfulness practice will be offered, either by integrating particular tools of this sutta or using the sutta to inform our daily practice. A major focus of this course will be to investigate how to apply mindfulness to our everyday lives.
This program is appropriate for both new and experienced meditators of all levels of experience. Each session will include formal meditation instructions, group practice, time for discussion, reflections, and questions. Suggestions for home practice will be offered. All are warmly welcome.
Full and partial scholarships are available. Please submit your requests to office@cambridgeinsight.org at least 72 hours prior to the start of the program.
Jim Austin has been practicing insight meditation since 1975. He regularly teaches various programs at CIMC: the Beginners Drop-In, the Parents Sangha, and the Little Buddhas Sangha. For a number of years he offered workshops and retreats at the Insight Meditation Center of Newburyport and also assisted Larry Rosenberg on his weeklong retreats at the IMS by providing mindful yoga sessions. Formerly he was the Senior Teacher at eMindful for over 10 years, leading online mindfulness courses. Anapanasati has been his primary practice.