The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (usually translated as the Foundations of Mindfulness) offers a complete description of the practice of mindfulness, beginning with the direct awareness of the breath and the body, progressing through mindfulness of vedana or feeling tone, to the more subtle object of the Third Foundation, mindfulness of mind states. The Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness represents the culmination of this series of practices, and can be seen as a direct pointing, again and again, to the possibility of freedom through direct awareness of where we get caught, and how to turn the mind towards liberation. This talk is an overview of the practices of the Fourth Foundation, which can be seen as both the last in the sequence of practices, and as a progression in itself. It also covers how the Fourth Foundation can be skillfully interwoven into our practice of the other foundations.

The Buddha teaches friendship is the whole path. This includes friendship with our self.

Why wish happiness for those who've caused us or others suffering? How can we overcome our resistance or hurt to genuinely open our heart to them?

The end of suffering can be understood as either permanent or temporary. In both cases, it is closely tied to the absence of selfing.

The Journey from suffering - to hearing the dharma, to inspiration, to facing fear, acceptance of ourselves, opening beyond self to deep trust, freedom, and sharing our practice.

How to radiate Metta for a difficult person.

Understanding our defensiveness and how to mindfully work with difficult emotions - can lead to freedom.

In the third foundation of mindfulness, the Buddha instructs us to bring awareness and clear seeing to the contents of the mind. In a nonjudgmental way, we are invited to be aware of whether the mind is affected by lust, ill will or delusion, and also when the mind is not affected by these states. Included in this practice are various experiences of concentration, expansion, and contraction in the mind. The section ends by including awareness of the liberated mind, even if this is only a temporary experience. The thrust of this section is to notice both the wholesome and the unwholesome qualities of the mind and by that very noticing increase the wholesome and decrease the unwholesome.