The Buddha’s teaching is part of a broader tradition of Indian yoga that is centred on practice rather than belief, awakening rather than salvation. Before his awakening, Siddhartha Gautama practised both meditation and ascetic practices as he explored the different paths to awakening that were part of the dharma culture of his time. He named the style of practice he subsequently taught to his students satipaṭṭhāna, which could be translated as the “applications of mindfulness” (sati), what we know as mindfulness meditation or insight meditation. The Buddha called it the “direct way” (ekāyana magga) to awakening. In this workshop Patrick Kearney, experienced meditation teacher and scholar, will lead an exploration of:

• The nature of satipaṭṭhāna as developed and taught by the Buddha.

• How specific meditation techniques can be developed to express the unifying principles of satipaṭṭhāna.

• An approach to satipaṭṭhāna that includes the Buddha’s emphasis on our relationship to our own bodies and the physical world.

• How intimacy with the body leads to intimacy with heart and mind.

This workshop is designed for people interested in understanding the Buddha’s approach to meditation. No commitment to any Buddhist tradition is assumed. The workshop will contain a mix of theoretical teaching, group discussion and practical meditation exercises. The Buddha will be treated as the creator of a practical system of empirical exploration that does not require faith in any doctrine, but only in the reality of what is revealed by our own direct experience.