Touching the Infinite: A New Perspective on the Buddha's Four Foundations of Mindfulness

by Rodney Smith

An Insight Meditation teacher explores the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, an essential teaching that transcends all Buddhist traditions and provides a path to true liberation

Awakening manifests through the application of mindfulness to four body, feelings, mind, and dharmas. Buddhists of all the traditions share this foundational principle, which is defined in the  Satipatthana Sutta and has been expounded upon since the time of the Buddha himself. 
 
In Touching the Infinite , Rodney Smith guides readers through the Four Foundations to provide a solid understanding of the teaching. He goes on to challenge us to hold this teaching up against our own experience—and in doing so, to discover the inherent interconnection of all Four Foundations. They are a sequential path that reveal the true nature of things, leading the practitioner to the perception of the formless and then back to daily life infused with that great freedom. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness thus serve as a road map for any genuine spiritual path.

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2017

About the author

Rodney Smith is a renowned insight meditation teacher. He is the founding and guiding teacher of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society. He is also a guiding teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. He was at one time an ordained Buddhist monk in Southeast Asia, and considers Ajahn Buddhadassa, Nisargadatta Maharaj, J. Krishamurti, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Adyashanti, Joseph Goldstein, and Eckhart Tolle to have been influential in his development as a teacher and practitioner. He lives in Seattle and teaches around the world.

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Reviews

[Candace Robb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply considered, a fresh approach to the four foundations that shows how the student progresses through them to awakening. I am now on my third reading; this will be my primary guide for a long time to come. Thank you, Rodney! Gasho.

[Jaime Gacitua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing work. Thanks RS.

Deep and helpful interpretation of the Buddha’s teachings.

He might beat the drum too much about dissolving into the formless. The book could be shorter, but perhaps he does that on purpose.

[Paige Bookman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets five stars from me mostly because of how much Rodney Smith's writing has benefited my meditation practice. I was stuck for a while practicing in a way that reified the sense of self. RS does a great job of pointing to the self-fabrication process, and encouraging bringing that phenomenon into investigation from the beginning.

He's also great at translating what the Buddha was pointing at into a contemporary vocabulary, which has been really helpful for me, as I struggle with the more poetic style of the sutras.

I'd recommend his work to anyone looking to start or deepen a meditation practice.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.
This is a comprehensive study of the four foundations of mindfulness and there are plenty of passages that left me scratching my head. Being on this path I know it will be on my re-read shelf after some contemplation. If you want to delve deeper in the Dharma then this will certainly help.

[Gord Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most useful book that I have encountered in my Buddhist reading. It is my favourite of the three books by Rodney Smith that I have read. Rodney illustrates wonderfully how the approach the four foundations of mindfulness.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rodney Smith presents a well informed and straightforward guide through the Satipatthana Sutra. Make no mistake though, it was hard going but I think his insights into the sutra will accompany me through my future practice. I look forward to reading it again in a few years.