The Four Foundations of Mindfulness - Ancient Wisdom for Modern Awakening

"This is the direct path for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and distress, for the attainment of the right method, and for the realization of Unbinding…” 

- The Buddha 

In recent years, “mindfulness” has gained considerable buzz and cultural recognition—on magazine covers, in schools and boardrooms, on social media and in therapy sessions—but often without clear understanding or acknowledgement of the technique as originally taught by Sidhartha Gotama, the man we call the Buddha.

But when the Buddha gave his discourse on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness to his disciples over 2,600 years ago (during an age of social and philosophical upheaval) he was setting forth an instruction manual for directly realizing deep peace and spiritual liberation even in the most challenging, tangled times. Those teachings were later recorded in the Pali language as the Sattipatthana Sutta, a document that has changed the course of world history in terms of its influence on the lives of countless beings. Even today, the Sutta reads as a powerfully penetrating and elegantly simple text, an invitation to deeper perception of our reality, radical freedom from our dysfunctional personal and sociocultural patterns, and inner quietude amidst the noise and unrest of our era.

And it speaks an indestructible and ageless truth: that true freedom starts in our minds. 

In this 4-week course with Buddhist teacher and psychotherapist Sam Cooper, lay or strengthen the foundation of your mindfulness practice by going back to its very roots. Working with the Sattipathana Sutta with an emphasis on discovering modern relevance in this ancient text, each week will focus on one of the Four Foundations: 

• Body - from breath to death 

• Feeling - transcending pain/pleasure reactivity 

• Mind - moods, attitudes, and cognition 

• Dhamma - deeper truths about the mechanics of mind and reality 

There will be guided meditations, talks, and discussions throughout.

Classes will be held online via Zoom so that this deep work can be integrated into your life with convenience and ease to the degree possible.