The Four Application of Mindfulness – May 2008

This DVD set chronicles the seven-day Four Application of Mindfulness retreat held at Santa Barbara’s historic Old Mission in May 2008.

A central message of the Buddha’s teachings is that the mind is purified of its afflictions through the integrated cultivation of meditative quiescence (shamatha) and contemplative insight (vipashyana). The four applications of mindfulness—of the body, feelings, mental states, and mental objects—comprise the foundation of Buddhist insight practice. As we investigate the nature of these features of our existence in this seminar, we will probe the nature of human identity and the possibility of freedom from suffering and its inner causes.

A central theme will be the cultivation of cognitive balance, in which we will increasingly distinguish between phenomena presented to our senses and the conceptual projections that we impose on reality. This mode of contemplative inquiry integrates the pursuits of genuine happiness, understanding, and virtue. The seminar will consist of lectures, guided meditations, and discussions.