The Four Foundations of Mindfulness [Paperback]

U Silananda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

The Venerable U Silananda has written one of the best and most illuminating commentaries on the Maha Sattpatthana Sutta, the Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness. This sutta represents one of the Buddha's most important teachings for both scholars and practitioners alike.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications; 2nd edition (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0861713281
• ISBN-13: 978-0861713288
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, 2nd Edition, August 14, 2006

By 

L. Mansur "a hyrophant - learner" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Paperback)

I am going to be attending a retreat on the same title and this book was recommended as preparation.

I feel it is for serious students of Buddhism who are still working on "getting" the foundation of Buddhism as it relates to meditation on the Four Foundations.

What I appreciated about the book are the details and also the clarifications of the meanings of the sutra and instructions as it relates to the subject. Quite user friendly.

This is serious reading. I would think it is good for someone who is serious about Buddhism and has the patience and perseverance to look more deeply into what the four foundations are all about.

I am learning a lot from it and feel am getting a lot of value. I am the kind of person who feels foundations are very important. I have been working at my strengthening my base so I can have a better grip over what meditation encompasses so I can be a better meditator. To me, meditation is the core of Buddhism.

The book was recommended to us for a retreat by Sri Lankan teacher who is an adept in all this stuff. He is the one who wrote the book: Mindfulness in Plain English and that is also an excellent book.
Thank you for the opportunity.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Study of the Satipatthana Sutta, October 1, 2010

By 

Andrew Levin "-A.L." (Long Island, New York, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Paperback)

This book is an excellent study and exploration of the Maha-Satipatthana Sutta (nearly identical to the Satipatthana Sutta), the foundational Buddhist discourse on Satipatthana, also known as vipassana, or insight, meditation, the system of meditation unique to the Theravada Buddhist tradition.

The author draws on his own extensive knowledge and experience of the vipassana system of meditation, the knowledge and experience of the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition of insight meditation of which he is a student himself, including the methods taught by the Venerable Sayadaw himself.

Just as importantly, perhaps moreso, the author works into his treatment detailed explanations of the Buddhist commentarial literature provided as supplemental and illuminating commentarial reading by the ancient monastics over the millenia (available in full in Soma Thera's "The Way of Mindfulness," an important book itself, available in print from Pariyatti.com and online for-free from accesstoinsight.org). This literature is essential. It provides to the very brief original instructions in the sutta much more practical and lucid explanatory guidelines. Silananda works the instructions in this material into accessible and much less terse language for the modern lay reader today. Readers will have the full benefit of this excellent and vital material imparted to them in an easy-to-read-and-understand set of instructions.

Most definitely a must-read work on the way to establish the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Buddhist system of vipassana meditation, the core of the method of practice the Buddha taught as leading to enlightenment and awakening alongside the aforementioned work too.

I recommend to buy this book alongside The Way of Mindfulness (by Soma Thera, available from aforementioned site, also available online for free at accesstoinsight dot org) for serious students of Buddhism or those who want to become dedicated practitioners... for other recommended readings see Bodhi Monastery's recommended readings list (bodhimonastery dot net/bm/some-buddhist-book-recommendations/suggested-readings dot html) Suggested readings and the "Customers who bought this also bought" listing on the pages of many Theravada books on amazon.com itself.

Accesstoinsight dot org also has many e-books, articles, and sutta translations online for-free. For other excellent and thorough guides to insight meditation, see Bhante Gunaratana's "Mindfulness in Plain English," and "In This Very Life," by Sayadaw U Pandita (another Mahasi disciple), both available in print and online for-free, as well as "Essentials of Insight Meditation Practice" by Sujiva, Goldstein's and Kornfield's "Seeking the Heart of Wisdom" and Analayo's "Satipatthana". Perhaps also Mahasi Sayadaw's "Practical Insight Meditation." You would also do well to buy some of the literature on the maps of the meditative journey and explanations of what the practice will look like at different and progressive stages on that journey. Such a list would include some of the following: Mahasi Sayadaw's "The Progress of Insight," Bhante Gunaratana's "The Path of Serenity and Insight," Daniel Ingram's "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha," and maybe even Jack Kornfield's "A Path With Heart." U Pandita's already-mentioned work, "In This Very Life" also has descriptions of this material as well, so double the incentive to buy it.

Lastly, Bhikkhu Bodhi's "In The Buddha's Words", an anthology of discourses from the Theravada Buddhist scriptures, with commentary and introductory commentary by himself, is a great place to get a view of the broad depth of the teachings of Theravada Buddhism and where insight meditation, compassion, morality, renunciation, wisdom, and many other aspects of the teaching fit in together in the bigger picture of the Theravada Buddhist doctrine and orthodoxy.

Happy seeking! :)

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, May 31, 2008

By 

NovaGhost "Novaghost" (TX) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Paperback)

This is a truly great book that addresses the Foundations of Mindfullness and meditation. It is mostly a commentary and advise on the sutra dealing with mindfullness and is on the Bhavana Society's list of helpful books. The aurthor of Mindfulness in Plain English and Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness name is Bhante Henepola Gunaratana and both are wonderful books as well. I would definetly read the first two previously mentioned along with this one to really help you understand mindfullness and its implications as they have helped me. If you already have a teacher then this is a great way to find more understanding; if like me you have not found a teacher then these books give a firm foundation to stand on.