8-WEEK MEDITATION PROGRAM

In the first program of Course 2 we begin to immerse ourselves in the teachings and practices of Satipaṭṭhāna, or The Foundations of Mindfulness.

The Foundations of Mindfulness, of which there are four, form the basis for the practice of vipassana or insight meditation. And it is through their development that the arising of liberating insight becomes possible. 

Here in Program 1 we lay the fundamental substratum of Embodied Presence through the first two foundations of mindfulness:

• The Contemplation of the Body

• The Contemplation of Feeling.

Through the study and application of the first two foundations of mindfulness we ground awareness within the body, reawakening the mind’s innate ability to step back from its conditioned, subjective relationship with the body, cultivating the ability to relate to the body through the lens of objective awareness, developing a radically liberating relationship between the mind and body.

Over the eight-weeks of Program 1 practitioners will be introduced to and engage in a myriad of mindfulness based practices as passed down by the Buddha:

• Satipaṭṭhāna (Mindfulness) Meditation

• Muditā (Appreciative Joy Meditation)

• Ānāpānasati (Mindfulness of Breathing)

• Body Scans

• Daily Activities (Mindfulness off the cushion)

8-WEEK MEDITATION PROGRAM

Building upon the first two foundations from Program 1, The Sky-Like Mind continues to explore the Satipaṭṭhānas, both intellectually and experientially, moving into the third and fourth Foundations of Mindfulness:

• The Contemplation of the Mind

• The Contemplation of Phenomena (dhammas).

In Foundations 3 and 4 we transition into the more subtle contemplations of mind-states and the myriad sensory phenomena that make up our external environment. In so doing we gradually return the mind to what can be called its “original nature”. A spacious and boundless quality of consciousness referred to in one of the Buddha’s ancient teachings as “The Sky-Like Mind.”

The teachings and practices of the third and fourth foundations of mindfulness carry with them enormous potential to alter the way in which we have been conditioned to perceive our own minds and the content within them, such as thoughts and emotions.

Practices in Program 2 continue to build upon Program 1 and include:

• Satipaṭṭhāna (Mindfulness) Meditation

• Muditā (Appreciative Joy Meditation)

• Ānāpānasati (Mindfulness of Breathing)

• Cankāma (Walking Meditation)

• Daily Activities (Mindfulness off the cushion)

8-WEEK MEDITATION PROGRAM

In the final program of our online meditation course Clear Seeing, we gather and integrate the knowledge and experience from our efforts in Course 1 (Calm) and 2 (Insight), moving into the life-changing practice of vipassanā or insight meditation.

Having honed one’s practice and understanding of The Four Foundations of Mindfulness through Programs 1 and 2, practitioners will now be ready to step into the same practice that liberated the Buddha’s mind over 2600 years ago. Developing intuitive insights and the inherent wisdom capable of awakening the mind from its conditioned sleep, Program 3 carries the potential to liberate the mind from unsatisfactoriness/suffering, transforming the way we live within this world.

Program 3 is the culmination of a years work of committed study and unceasing dedication to one’s practice. At this point practitioners will be certain to look back upon their efforts with great appreciation, embodying a sense of freedom and unconditional inner peace, receiving the gift of what Thai meditation master Ajahn Buddhadasa called “A New Life.”

Practices of Program 3:

• Vipassanā (Insight Meditation)

• Metta (Loving-Kindness Meditation)

• Cankāma (Walking Meditation)

• Daily Activities (Mindfulness off the cushion)