Foundations of Mindfulness

Just a few pages long, with 13 recommended practices, it provides the authority for the worldwide practice of mindfulness. However, this influential text has been neglected of late - not least because the common translation, in Victorian English, is virtually indecipherable. So, modern mindfulness students - focused instead on the Zen practice of 'just sitting' - risk missing the benefits of the Buddha's more sophisticated approach.

In 1975, Eric Harrison retranslated the SATIPATTHANA SUTTA and made it the basis of his teaching career. Now, with his new translation and commentary - informed by a lifelong consideration of the Buddha's original teachings - he makes mindfulness more accessible than ever, particularly to those coming to it not by way of Buddhism or prior meditation practice.

“"For people seriously interested in mindfulness, this is a step-by step explanation of the Buddha's original teachings on the subject, considered wholly (and paradoxically) from a secular, non-Buddhist perspective."-- Publishers Weekly”

"Brings clear thinking, practical wisdom, and welcome rigor to the widely popular concept of mindfulness." -- Publishers Weekly
"A deeply engaging book which both Buddhist meditators and secular mindfulness practitioners around the globe will find useful. To help clarify mindfulness, Eric Harrison explores the relationships, overlaps, and divergences between western Buddhist meditation and secular mindfulness. Whatever your particular views and preferences on the subject, TheFoundations of Mindfulness will help you locate them. I also enjoyed Eric’s translation of the Satipatthana Sutta for its accessibility." -- Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Happiness
"The Satipatthana Sutta is one of the Buddha’s foundational teachings on mindfulness. This commentary by a staunchly non-Buddhist mindfulness teacher makes for a stimulating and, at times, provocative read." -- David Michie, author of The Dalai Lama’s Cat series and Mindfulness is Better Than Chocolate

Eric Harrison was born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1949. He graduated from Victoria University with a BA in English literature and music, and started his working life as a schoolteacher and journalist. Between 1974 and 1985 he spent a total of 18 months doing retreats in the Burmese, Tibetan, Zen, and yoga traditions. While he appreciated the opportunities to do long retreats, he found he had no appetite for Buddhism itself. When Eric opened the Perth Meditation Centre in 1987, he chose to use secular, rational, and science-based language to explain meditation. He later supplemented his knowledge with five years' study in biology, cognitive science, and Western philosophy. This approach made his work acceptable to the many doctors and psychologists who referred clients to him, and to corporations that have employed him since. He has now taught 30,000 people how to meditate, and his previous six books, including Teach Yourself to Meditate and The 5-Minute Meditator, have been translated into 14 languages.

Just a few pages long, with 13 recommended practices, it provides the authority for the worldwide practice of mindfulness. However, this influential text has been neglected of late - not least because the common translation, in Victorian English, is virtually indecipherable. So, modern mindfulness students - focused instead on the Zen practice of 'just sitting' - risk missing the benefits of the Buddha's more sophisticated approach.In 1975, Eric Harrison retranslated the SATIPATTHANA SUTTA and made it the basis of his teaching career. Now, with his new translation and commentary - informed by a lifelong consideration of the Buddha's original teachings - he makes mindfulness more accessible than ever, particularly to those coming to it not by way of Buddhism or prior meditation practice.

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