The four placing of mindfulness—A guidance talk

On 30 July 2020 and 3 August 2020, at the request of others, His Eminence Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche gave a two-part guidance talk on The Four Placing of Mindfulness, via webcast, as a part of a series of guidance talks via webcast in July – August 2020, at the request of others on spiritual practices.

On the first day of the guidance talk on placing of the four mindfulness, His Eminence began with the insight that the four are the first section of the thirty-seven attributes leading to enlightenment, that their demarcation is from a person on the small level of the path of multitudes onwards, by which it means there is no qualified four placing of mindfulness in the mental continuum of those not entered the path.  Nonetheless, the practices of the four can be done from the beginning. Since it is a very vast subject and it would be difficult to speak about it in a short time, the guidance talk will be for beginners to have some understanding on the four placing of mindfulness.

The Sūtra source of instructions on placing of mindfulness are Sūtras such as, The Sūtra on Placing of Mindfulness, which comprise of four volumes in the Tibetan translation, and is therefore so vast.

Thereafter, His Eminence pointed out that the means for attaining special insight is through having first achieved calmed abiding, which in the context of the three trainings is the training on meditative concentration.  And placing of mindfulness is inclusive to the practice of special insight, whereas these days in the Ārya Sthāvarī tradition (Theravada tradition) there appears to be no mention of calmed abiding, rather, in terms of guiding a trainee, straight from special insight the practice is being done, and accordingly, in name it is being described as, “Vipassana”, which in Tibetan is lhag thong (lhag mthoṅ, vipaśyanā, special insight). And in their courses, mainly the placing of the mindfulness on body and placing of mindfulness on feeling are being taught.

Defining the phrase, His Eminence explained that “mindfulness” is a secondary mind that remembers, without forgetting, a past event, and “placing” is to place the mindfulness to remain firmly, not losing immediately, immediately. Yet it does not entail that the mind of placing mindfulness has to be a mindfulness, there are both mindfulness and wisdom.

His Eminence continued: In the Tibetan Buddhism, there is the meditation of concentrating on one’s breath, inhalation and exhalation, as a preliminary to the meditation on calmed abiding. Although it is not a placing of mindfulness of the qualified kind, it is inclusive to that. When the focus object of calmed abiding has not been confirmed, one concentrates on breathing in and out; and there is also where breathing in and out itself is kept as the focus object of calmed abiding, and that is perhaps similar to placing of mindfulness.

Thereafter, His Eminence spoke in great details on the four placing of mindfulness.

Since there is already a video recording of a four-day talk on The Four Placing of Mindfulness, in May 2018, by His Eminence Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, in English, viewable on this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIUYMqLMAKI), the transcript of the present two-day guidance talk on the subject is not prepared at the moment, although eventually they will be transcribed.

The video recording of this two-day guidance talk on The Four Placing of Mindfulness,

in Tibetan, can be viewed at this link: https://www.facebook.com/Samdhongrinpoche%20/videos/vb.516299501756817/616247919092893/