The Four Aspects of Mindfulness

His Eminence Professor Samdhong Rinpoche gave a series of lectures in English, The Four Aspects of Mindfulness, from April 16 – 19 at Lha Charitable Trust’s Ahimsa House in McLeod Ganj. Between 80 and 100 people attended, mostly Westerners from 25 countries; another many people watched via a live stream broadcast.

Rinpoche is a highly revered figure in the Tibetan world and known for his depth of knowledge about Tibetan Buddhism. He has held many academic and political positions since arriving in India in 1959 and has worked for decades in education, culture, social welfare and administration both in India and abroad.

Rinpoche explained that the term “mindfulness” is derived from the Sanskrit language and that it is important to be able to distinguish between the Western concept of mindfulness and that followed by the Buddhist spiritual path. From a Buddhist perspective, mindfulness is where memory and awareness work together and assist in personal investigation. It is used throughout all stages of the path. He explained that the purpose of meditation is to keep the mind healthy, just as food sustains the body. The four aspects of mindfulness are body, feelings, mind and phenomena. Meditations on these assist in realising the Four Noble Truths: the truth of suffering; the causes of suffering; the cessation of suffering and the path to the cessation of suffering. Rinpoche explained that to understand the philosophy behind the four aspects of mindfulness, it is necessary to understand something of the mind. He expanded on this and gave practical details on how to begin and progress with the meditations. He advised those beginning to meditate to focus on each of these in a sequence, as the earlier meditations support those that follow. He also reminded practitioners that, in the Buddhist path, a positive intention, or motivation, to practise is crucial to gain merit, which should be dedicated to all sentient beings.

The audience reported they gained much benefit from the talks. These were organised by Lha Charitable Trust, a social work charity based in McLeod Ganj, in collaboration with The Tibet Fund, the American based Tibet support and humanitarian organisation. The talks are available on Rinpoche’s website and Facebook page, which can be found through the links: www.facebook.com/Samdhongrinpoche and www.samdhongrinpoche.com/

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