Touching the Infinite: A New Perspective on the Buddha's Four Foundations of Mindfulness

Description

A prominent Insight Meditation teacher explores the profound implications of the traditional Buddhist teaching on the four areas to which mindfulness is applied as a means to liberation. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness as set out in Satipatthana Sutta are among the most basic of Buddhist teachings, relied upon by Buddhist practitioners across the whole spectrum of schools and traditions. They relate to the four areas to which mindfulness should be applied and maintained as a foundation for awakening. The foundations are (1) Mindfulness of the body, (2) Mindfulness of feelings/sensations, (3) Mindfulness of mind/consciousness, and (4) Mindfulness of dhammas. Rodney Smith provides here a guide to the Four Foundations that provides a solid foundation in the teachings, but that then goes further to show how, when practiced, the foundations lead to the perception of the true nature of things, leading the practitioner to the perception of the formless and then back to daily life infused with that great freedom.

RODNEY SMITH is founder and guiding teacher of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society and is a senior teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Mass.) He leads at least twenty retreats annually- in the Seattle area, as well as at the Insight Meditation Society; Spirit Rock; Southern Dharma (North Carolina); Austin and Houston, Texas; and British Columbia. Before his retirement he spent many years as a hospice administrator and is also the author of the book Lessons from the Dying (Wisdom, 1998; 13,000 copies), which comes from his experiences in that work.

"I highly recommend Rodney Smith's book Touching the Infinite. His explanations are interesting, lucid and practical. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness are, in themselves, a most important guide to the realization of the Dhamma. I congratulate Rodney on his excellent work."-Ajahn Sumedho, author of The Sound of Silence and The Way It Is "Rodney Smith shares the beautiful fruits of his many decades of devoted practice of the Buddha's teachings. Touching the Infinite freshly unpacks the instructions on touching the true nature of reality through developing an intimate relationship with the living components of our own direct, moment-to-moment experience. Seekers of system updates for dharma in the 21st century will find much fulfillment in this book, which has been written from the heart in a voice that is delightfully creative."-Dzogchen Ponlop, author of Rebel Buddha "Touching the Infinite is a subtle in-depth re-reading of the Mindfulness Sutra expanding the horizons of mindfulness beyond self, beyond mind, all the way out to the ineffable and the sacred. As a Zen practitioner, I am struck by the consonance of these teachings with Zen. Thoughtful and provocative, Rodney's words free us from the self-clinging inherent in so many of our received ideas about Dharma. Especially helpful are his many meditational thought-experiments, that bring his message home." -Norman Fischer, author of Experience: on Thinking, Writing, Language and Religion and What Is Zen? Plain Talk for a Beginner's Mind