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Satipatthāna Meditation offers nine weeks of study and practice of the liberating teachings of the Satipatthāna sutta, a foundational early Buddhist framework, with a cohort of practitioners guided by the teachings of renowned scholar and monastic, Bhikkhu Anālayo.
We are delighted to offer New Participant and Returning Participant Cohorts for the Satipatthāna Meditation program. If this will be your first time taking the BCBS Satipatthāna Meditation program, please select the New Participant Application. If you have completed the BCBS Satipatthāna Meditation program in the past, please select the Returning Participant Application.
April 4 - June 5, 2027
November 1, 2026 - February 1, 2027
9 week
7-10 hours per week
Choose the $500–$700 rate that works for your budget. Learn more about program fees, teacher dāna, and financial assistance.
Intensive
Establishment in a basic mindfulness practice
• Video lectures
• Audio guided meditations
• Reading assignments
• Sutta study
• Discussion forums
• Non-graded review questions
• Weekly 90-minute live small group meetings, including break-out practice and sutta study discussions
• Moderated weekly written discussion forums
Former Satipatthāna Meditation student and current facilitating teacher Stephanie Swann shares her transformative experiences of the program from multiple perspectives.
Program Information:
Satipatthāna Meditation is an interactive, comprehensive online program modeled on Venerable Bhikkhu Anālayo’s previously offered in-person programs on the foundational mindfulness text, the Satipatthāna Sutta. Grounded in scholarly research, the program emphasizes what is most relevant to meditation practice and offers a variety of ways to engage with the teachings, supporting different learning styles and their integration into daily life.
The core text is Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide by Bhikkhu Anālayo. Participants engage through interactive group study meetings facilitated by guiding teachers, recorded guided meditations and video lectures by Bhikkhu Anālayo, moderated forum discussions, and practical exercises. Each week focuses on one aspect of the four foundations of mindfulness through contemplation of body, feeling, mind, or dhammas.
Certification Track:
Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation is the first in a three-part series based on the teachings of Bhikkhu Anālayo, followed by Mindfulness of Breathing and then Brahmavihāras & Emptiness. Together, the programs offer a comprehensive path of study and practice oriented toward liberation. Participants are encouraged to move through the series at a pace that supports their practice.
The programs must be taken in order. To continue from Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation to Mindfulness of Breathing, participants must complete the optional certification track. Certification in Mindfulness of Breathing is then required before continuing to Brahmavihāras & Emptiness.
Participants may choose how far they wish to continue in the series. Each program can offer substantial value on its own, whether participants stop after Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation, continue through Mindfulness of Breathing, or complete the full series.
Timeline:
Applications Open:
November 1, 2026
Application Deadline:
February 1, 2027
Notification of Acceptance or Waitlist:
February 5, 2027
Registration Period:
February 5-28, 2027
Orientation Week:
March 21, 2027
Program Dates:
April 4 – June 5, 2027
| Pre-launch week | Orientation |
| Week 1 | Mindfulness, Satipatthāna |
| Week 2 | First Satipatthāna (Body): Contemplation of Anatomical Parts |
| Week 3 | First Satipatthāna (Body): Contemplation of Elements |
| Week 4 | First Satipatthāna (Body): Contemplation of Death |
| Week 5 | Second Satipatthāna (Feeling): Contemplation of Feelings |
| Week 6 | Third Satipatthāna (Mind): Contemplation of Mind |
| Week 7 | Fourth Satipatthāna (Dhammas): Contemplation of the Hindrances |
| Week 8 | Fourth Satipatthāna (Dhammas): Contemplation of the Awakening Factors |
| Week 9 | Conclusion and Integration |
This program requires considerable commitment from participants and is not a self-study program. We require attendance at weekly virtual meetings as well as completion of writing prompts and program assessments. The required time commitment is roughly 10-12* hours per week.
Weekly individual participation includes:
90 minutes of a small group video meeting**
watching/listening to a 20-minute video lecture by Bhikkhu Anālayo
daily personal Satipatthāna Meditation practice (Bhikkhu Anālayo’s Guided Meditations)
completing study activities
contributing to the group discussion forum
reading one chapter per week in the core text, Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide by Bhikkhu Anālayo.
* Participants are strongly encouraged to read Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide in advance of the program (later referring back to the book as a reference/refresher for each weekly topic). Otherwise, participants should anticipate an additional 2-3 hours per week for reading during the program.
** The small group meeting is the only program component that happens at a fixed time, and meetings will occur on the same day/time each week.
Click here for the Small Group Meeting Times. Applicants will select their available times on the application. Attendance is mandatory.
In early Buddhist thought, tranquility and insight are complementary dimensions of meditative cultivation, traditionally based on a solid foundation in moral conduct and part of a gradual process of training. This online program will follow the Buddha’s principle of ethics as the foundation for Satipatthāna practice. Participation in this program is supported by group commitment to respect and non-harming, applying to both communication with others and also to one’s personal relationship with the practice.
Applications Open:
November 1, 2026
Application Deadline:
February 1, 2027
Notification of Acceptance or Waitlist:
February 5, 2027
Registration Period:
February 5-28, 2027
Orientation Week:
March 21, 2027
Program Dates:
April 4 – June 5, 2027
BCBS offers pricing options to make our programs financially accessible. Please choose the highest rate that works within your budget:
Benefactor: Covers the full cost of the program and includes a tax-deductible contribution to support others.
Actual Cost: Covers the full cost of the program.
Supported: Our most subsidized rate.
All rates provide the same program experience, and subsidized rates require no application or explanation. These lower rates are made possible by the generosity of our community.
Information about Teacher Dāna and additional financial assistance is available in the tabs below.
Program fees do not include compensation for the teachers. In keeping with the tradition of freely offering the Buddhadharma, the teachers are offering this course in a spirit of generosity. Participants have an opportunity to join in this practice of generosity by offering dāna in support of the teacher. Many BCBS teachers have chosen to rely entirely on dāna for their livelihood, both as a practice and as an expression of the Buddhist tradition.
We are committed to making this program accessible to all. Financial assistance is available to offset the program fee if needed. When invited to register, you can select financial assistance of 30%, 40%, or 50% off the Supported tier ($500). If you require financial assistance greater than 50%, please email us, and we will try to accommodate your request.
We are committed to providing a spiritual home and resources for all on the path to awakening. We also aim to offer a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive learning and practice environment for everyone, whatever their age, race, ethnicity, sex (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, body type, disability, religion, or political viewpoint. We recognize this is ongoing work and invite you to reach out to us at contact@buddhistinquiry.org if you have suggestions about how we can more fully embody our aspirations.
We understand that personal circumstances may require you to cancel your registration. In these cases, please contact us right away. If you cancel before the program starts, you are eligible for a full refund minus a $100 administrative fee. Registration fees are nonrefundable after the program starts.
This online program offers an optional certification track, which qualifies participants for Bhikkhu Anālayo’s online Mindfulness of Breathing and Brahmavihāras & Emptiness programs. The optional certification track requires the completion of a final reflection and review of participation.
He is a scholar-monk and the author of numerous books on meditation and early Buddhism, such as Satipatthāna: The Direct Path to Realization, Perspectives on Satipatthāna, and Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide. He is a Faculty Member at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, having retired from being a professor at the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Hamburg. His main area of academic research is early Buddhism, with a special interest in the topics of meditation and women in Buddhism. At the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, he regularly participates in online programs and undertakes research into meditation-related themes.
Bhikkhu Anālayo’s teachings for this program are offered through video lectures, guided meditations, and readings. There will be no direct interaction with Bhikkhu Anālayo.
