We are starting a series on the “Four Foundations of Mindfulness” today.
Let’s start by taking a minute or so to stretch.... ok that feels better right?
The Four Foundations are teachings directly from the Buddha, as opposed to commentaries or further developments on the basic Buddhist framework. The name of the Sutra, or text, where the Buddha taught The Four Foundations is called the *Satipaṭṭhāna* Sutra. Here’s a link to a nice translation from Plum Village.
I’m going to read you a little bit of it as translated by Bhante Gunaratana:
“Dwell contemplating the body in the body... in order to know the body as it really is. Dwell contemplating feeling in feelings… in order to know feelings as they really are. Dwell contemplating mind in mind… in order to know mind as it really is. Dwell contemplating phenomena in phenomena… in order to know phenomena as they really are.”
Those are the direct meditation instructions from the Buddha to us.
So those are the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Body, Feelings, Mind and Phenomena. Today we are going to focus on Body.
I love lots of things about Buddhist teachings, and here's one of them. Body comes first. Mindfulness of Body is the first Foundation of Mindfulness. Learning Buddhism, with all the categories and the Sanskrit and Tibetan terms, can be very much of an intellectual pursuit. But practicing Buddhism, or just practicing Mindfulness, starts with “Contemplating the body in the body”.
What does that phrase mean? “The body in the body”?
My current understanding of this, my experience of this instruction, is that it’s an encouragement to look at my physical experience much more deeply.
Let’s face it. We generally take our physical body for granted. If it’s not actively in pain, we tend to ignore it in favor of our thoughts, our plans, our hopes and fears.
So this instruction “Contemplate the body in the body” is encouragement to look more closely at the experience of having a body.
Can we sort out, clarify, experience purely and directly, what it is to have a physical form? Can we let our thoughts about our body rest for a minute and just connect directly to the raw experience of this physical form?
One thing that’s really helpful here is getting old. When I was younger I spent very little time actually contemplating my body. It worked well enough to do the things I wanted to do, and I enjoyed those things very much. Now, as my body evidences signs of injuries, stiffness, soreness, recovery and so on, I’m actually much more aware of my physical experience than I used to be.
Another thing that’s helpful with Mindfulness of Body is this incredible book called “The Wakeful Body” by Willa Baker. Willa is Lama Liz’s partner in the meditation center Natural Dharma Fellowship. She’s just published this book about yoga, meditation and what she calls “Somatic Mindfulness”
I'm going to read a quote talking about this phrase "the body within the body" and then a guided meditation from that book now.
But first let’s start with another quick stretch.