The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana (PDF)

Description

In simple and straightforward language, Bhante Gunaratana shares the Buddha’s teachings on mindfulness and how we can use these principles to improve our daily lives, deepen our mindfulness, and move closer to our spiritual goals.Based on the classic Satipatthana Sutta, one of the most succinct yet rich explanations of meditation, Bhante’s presentation is nonetheless thoroughly modern. The Satipatthana Sutta has become the basis of all mindfulness meditation, and Bhante unveils it to the reader in his trademark “plain English” style. Contemplating the Four Foundations of Mindfulness—mindfulness of the body, of feelings, of the mind, and of phenomena themselves—is recommended for all practitioners. Newcomers will find The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English lays a strong groundwork for mindfulness practice and gives them all they need to get started right away, and old hands will find rich subtleties and insights to help consolidate and clarify what they may have begun to see for themselves. People at every state of the spiritual path will benefit from reading this book.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Solid practical instruction. I bring it with me to my meditation practice. A good read, but really meant to be applied. It’s an instruction manual, not just philosophy. I highly recommend to anyone at any stage of their practice.

⭐there are many books on the satipatthana sutta. however most are very much a focused interpretation of the sutta in light of a single teachers ideas about it. they may for example only focus on breathing or another of the practices and only vaguely touch on everything else in the sutta. some of these are wonderful books that surely can lead one to nibbana. but i have been searching for one that details the whole sutta as there’s a lot more to it than just a couple of practices.bhante covers everything from start to finish. it is still colored with his own interpretation of the sutta but it’s not even possible to write a commentary on a sutta without personal interpretation and he sticks to fairly traditional explanations, keeping it largely impersonal. my only critiques are:1. that he could have included the sutta itself but at least it’s a widely available sutta. just web search “satipatthana” and you’ll have no problem finding it. and2. that he doesn’t give a definitive answer too the question of how many of the exercises you are supposed too practice and when to do them. there are a ton of exercises in the sutta and i have yet to see an author explain this problem (although i imagine analayo covers it in “satipatthana”)! the wikipedia page on the satipatthana sutta gives these options:”Single-focused, successive and simultaneous practices:There are a variety of ways that one could use the methods described in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta including: 1.Focus on a single method. The method most written about in the English language is that of mindfulness of breath. 2.Practice the various methods individually in succession. 3.Maintain breath mindfulness as a primary object while using other methods to address non-breath stimuli. 4.Practice multiple methods either in tandem or in a context-driven manner.”i would add to option three that there are other options of what to pick as the primary object (it doesn’t have to be the breath if one is using this interpretation, for example one could use the modes of deportment as the primary object) and then use the other methods to address whatever else arises that is not the primary object.as is typical for the author he puts everything in very easily understood wording and easily digested logic.he talks you through how to use the methods found in the sutta to see impermanence, suffering, and not self in your own life, day by day. if you follow his instructions carefully and earnestly you will start to see light shining through the cracks in the walls that make up reality. and who knows, maybe this will lead you to full on nibbana!one note: on page 96 bhante writes “Remember that you do want to die with anger”. knowing enough about buddhism i’m 99.9999% sure he meant “Remember that you do NOT want to die with anger”. just so everyone is clear on that point. it would be VERY bad for the path to deliberately die with anger. we are supposed to make great efforts to die without anger.update: i contacted the publisher and they confirmed it is an error that will be fixed in later editions.

⭐I am new to mindfulness. A recent trip to Myanmar and the death of my parent made me think deeper about life, about purpose and about myself. I wasn’t really seeking mindfulness or buddhism perse. Its more like I went on a trip and did some tourist activities and then realized I really liked what I saw and heard. So I came back to the States and wanted to read more. Basically, I was looking at a beginner-intermediate book (not so beginner that its like those “mindfulness for dummies” books but something that was deeper and would take you through a journey of learning)He explains everything well, which is exactly what I needed. I do wish there was a bit of history in it. I would like to know more about the life of Buddha (maybe one chapter?). The book goes right into mindfulness.In terms of mindfulness itself: it really is written in plain-English. I like how it tells you EXACTLY what sitting, walking and sleeping meditation is and what actions/behaviors you have to focus on when you are doing it.I read through it really slowly and practice it everyday now because he writes in a very encouraging way. For example, he mentions how folks who try lotus position may find it very difficult the first time around and he talks about how you should persevere. It took him a while too even though he was meditating (in another position) for decades!This was a great starting place for getting into mindfulness. As you progress and become more intermediate, it serves as a great reminder (through re-reading) of your foundation.

⭐I read the first book “mindfulness in plain English” and it was illuminating to understand mindfulness. I choose this as my next book to read. The book is clearly written, but leaves you a little lost. It appears that there is allot of repetition but that might be related to my newness to the field.I would have liked it to be more organized with flow charts to point out where these insights and truths fall on the path. I enjoyed it but not as much as the first book. Now I will move on to read beyond mindfulness in plain English.In this search for Nobel truth and enlightenment, my method is to read as much as possible in different paths including yoga and zen too, as they are all faces of similar practice and looking from different angels helps clear understanding bad comprehension.

⭐Amazing book and the perfect introduction to Buddhism and meditation! I would definitely give this book 5 Stars if it had a true version of the Satipathana Sutra in it. The author quotes the Sutra throughout and puts a version of the Sutra in the book, but it is not the Sutra in its true and inspiring form . The Sutra in its true form is about 10 pages long and is the subject of this book. it should be included. That way people can read Buddhist scripture while learning about mindfulness. It would be a more full experience.

⭐This book does everything it says in the title and walks you gently through mindfulness, highly recommended. If you want to know about mindfulness then this is for you.

⭐bhante is inspiring

⭐Easy to understand excellent for beginners like myself

⭐Brilliant book. Great service. Thank you

⭐Das Buch widmet sich dem SATIPATTHANA SUTTA und erläutert auf dieser Basis die buddhistischen Grundlagen / die Philosophie der Meditation.Zur Einordnung: Der Autor selbst sieht das Buch und die SATIPATTHANA SUTTA als Detailierung der 7. Stufe (“Kunst der Achtsamkeit” / “Skillful Mindfulness”) des edlen achtfachen Pfades (“Noble Eightfold Path”).Der Text könnte interessant sein für alle, die Erfahrungen in Mindfulness haben (z.B. einen MBSR oder MBCT Kurs belegt haben) und mehr über die praktisch philosophischen Grundlagen wissen möchten. Religiöse Inhalte werden – soweit möglich – vermieden.Die streng hierarchische und aufeinander aufbauende Lesereihenfolge wäre wahrscheinlich sich zuerst mit den 4 noble Wahrheiten (4 noble truth), dann als Detailierung der 4. Wahrheit mit dem achtfachen Pfad (noble eightfold path) und anschließend mit diesem Buch als weitere Vertiefung der 7. Stufe zu beschäftigen. Man kann aber auch direkt mit diesem Buch als eher philosophische Erklärung des Phänomens (Achtsamkeits-)Meditation beginnen.Vom gleichen Autor ist der Titel “EIGHT MINDFUL STEPS TO HAPPINESS” verfügbar, der sich mit dem achtfachen Pfad beschäftigt. Seine Einführung in Mindfulness trägt den Titel “MINDFULNESS IN PLAIN ENGLISH” und ist als erster Einstieg in das Thema besonders geeignet – und vielleicht der gelungenste Versuch Achtsamkeit mit Worten zu erklären.

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