The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English Quotes

“When we focus on the breath, we become mindful of the universal nature of all beings.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English

“The roots of suffering are within us. And the method for eliminating suffering is within us as well.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English

“If the mind goes astray as we engage in meditation, we bring our focus back to the five aggregates as we are experiencing them right now—our body and posture, feelings, perceptions, thoughts, and consciousness. These are the appropriate fields of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English

“Always remember: becoming mindful of losing our mindfulness is mindfulness.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English

“We inhale and experience pleasure and then tension. We exhale and experience release but also anxiety. But even this pattern has much to teach us. When we experience tension, we remind ourselves not to be disappointed. When we experience pleasure, we remember not to attach to it.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English

“Meditation on the breath is not a breathing exercise. We are simply using the breath as a point of focus to cultivate mindfulness.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English

“The meditation you do on the cushion is your homework. The rest of your life is your fieldwork. To practice mindfulness, you need both.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English

“Resting comfortably in awareness, we relax into things as they are right now in this very moment, without slipping away into what happened in the past or will happen in the future. Normally, because we do not understand, we tend to blame the world for our pain and suffering. But with sati, mindful remembering, we understand that the only place to find peace and freedom from suffering is this very place, right here in our own body and mind.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English