Excerpt from Body, Speech &Mind

A Manual for Human Development

by Namgyal Rinpoche

“I think it would be profitable for us to study some of the basic teachings of Buddha-Dharma during our time together, so perhaps we might turn our attention to the Buddha’s discourse on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. The modern understanding of the correct way in which to practise mindfulness often falls into the error of discounting most of the body’s natural postures. Originally, meditations were more balanced in their approach to posture. The monks who followed Sakyamuni Buddha were told by him to take care that they divided their days equally into an aware practice of four positions: walking, standing, sitting and lying down. There were meditations to be done while resting after meals, while doing work around the monastery, while running (which come under the “walking” category), while standing with the back against a pillar, while eating, and so forth. In full retreat, anywhere from nineteen to twenty-one hours per day are dedicated to the practice of ongoing awareness. The exotic exercises than many beings are so anxious to get into are really meant to be a capstone, to be placed on a background of established awareness. They are not a starting point but a tool with which to probe more deeply into the nature of mind.”

“Before any work can really be done, it is a necessity to establish the mind in the practice of ongoing choiceless awareness. So . . . we shall begin to explore the ancient way of training oneself in this excellent practice.”