This path program is an in-depth study of meditation as it emerges in the early Buddhist discourses, extant in Pāli and compared with their parallels in Chinese and other languages. This path is intended for experienced meditation practitioners who wish to deepen their understanding of the canonical Buddhist source material. Each program will combine study and discussion sessions in the mornings with meditation practice during the rest of the day; the last days of the program will be mainly in complete silence and more intensely dedicated to meditation only. The three programs, which build on each other to form the path, cover:
1. The Four Establishments of Mindfulness
2. Mindfulness of Breathing
3. The Divine Abodes and Emptiness
This first retreat in Bhikkhu Anālayo's three-part online series on Early Buddhist Meditation focuses on what is of practical relevance to actual meditation practice, informed by academic resources in understanding the four establishments of mindfulness. The meditative approach presented will combine all four establishments of mindfulness into a single continuous formal meditation practice that also relates to daily life practice. The approach to the four establishments of mindfulness is based on emphasizing an embodied form of practice, in the sense of rooting mindfulness in the whole body, which easily carries over into continuity of mindfulness during any activity.
When registering for the first program, participants are expected to commit to all three programs, which build on each other to form the path.
Required Reading: Analāyo 2018. Satipatthana Meditation: A Practice Guide, Cambridge: Windhorse Publications.
Information on the full path program can be found here.
