«The Foundations of Mindfulness» by Eric Harrison

Discover the wisdom of the Buddha’s original teachings on mindfulness. Usually translated as The Foundations of Mindfulness, the Satipatthana Sutta—taken from the 2,500-year-old teachings of the Buddha himself—is the original “DIY manual” on how to meditate and be mindful. Just a few pages long, with 13 recommended practices, it provides the authority for the worldwide practice of mindfulness. However, this influential text has been neglected of late—not least because the common translation, in Victorian English, is virtually indecipherable. So, many modern mindfulness students—focused instead on the Zen practice of “just sitting”—risk missing the benefits of the Buddha’s more sophisticated approach. Eric Harrison first translated the Satipatthana Sutta in 1975 and made it the basis of his decades-long teaching career. Now, with a new translation and commentary informed by a lifelong consideration of the Buddha’s original teachings, Harrison makes mindfulness more accessible than ever—to psychologists, teachers, and everyone with a serious interest in the practice looking for deeply informed, sparklingly clear insights and guidance.