In late July I went on a two-week Satipatthana retreat with my friend Christiane. The retreat was intended to explore the Satipatthana Sutta, a text describing the foundations of mindfulness. I guess most of my readers have heard of mindfulness before: it refers to non-judgementally drawing one’s attention to the experience as it arises and being present in the moment. We can be mindful in whatever we are doing, be it talking to another person, doing the dishes, or writing an email. According to the sutta, mindfulness can be the direct path to enlightenment, or the termination of all suffering. Thus, the mental capacity of mindfulness plays a key role in Buddhist practice. It is always available, but must be cultivated systematically, and for this the Satipatthana Sutta gives instructions. According to the sutta, the four
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