In this episode Robert A.F. Thurman uses the Mahāsatipatthāna Sutta, the Buddha’s direct instructions on practicing meditation and developing mindfulness, as a gateway to give a teaching on the intersection of Buddhism & Psychotherapy and the Buddhist perspective on non-duality.

Joined by Dr. Mark Epstein, Thurman discusses the Mahāsatipatthāna Sutta’s connection to the Heart Sutra, the four focuses of mindfulness, the legacy of Wilhelm Reich, the practice of circumambulation of stupas and sacred sites, and the concept of the “good enough mother” as presented by D.W. Winnicott.

The four focuses of mindfulness in the sutta are the body, the sensations, the mind, and the mental objects, among which the last is the longest and most elaborated. In addition to meditating as directed, many of the elements used by the Buddha to aim and structure the meditations, such as the five aggregates, the eighteen elements, and the twelve sense-media, need to be explained and incorporated in mind in order to be able to meditatively follow the guidance effectively.

This podcast includes an in-depth exploration of Nirvana and the terminology used by Buddhist translators and concludes with a guided mindfulness meditation by Robert A.F. Thurman. “Mindfulness & The Mahasatipatthana Sutta – Ep. 299” podcast photo of Mueang Chiang Mai, Thailand by Robert A.F. Thurman from 2019 GeoEx Trip, All Rights Reserved.

Recorded and streamed online live from Tibet House US in New York City on March 22, 2019, this podcast is an excerpt from the “Force For Good” class series available as part of the Tibet House US | Menla Member Archives. To listen to the first half of this talk with Dr. Mark Epstein, please visit: www.thusmenla.org.