tamhonkhoe.comCourses · Buddhism · Course PG2 · Not started
The four foundations of mindfulness in 8 weeks
Body, feelings, mind and phenomena following MN 10; 20–30 minutes of sitting a day.
Planned outline. These lessons are not published yet. Lesson titles and passages may change during writing and review.
| For | Adults learning on their own; each lesson has a short kids’ corner |
|---|---|
| Length | 8 weeks · 20–30 min/day |
| Level | 2 |
| Status | Not started |
| Publishing | Needs a reviewer from within the tradition |
| Expected | Second half of 2027 |
Plan: 8 weeks
| Week | Lesson | Passages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mindfulness of the body (1) | MN 10 |
| 2 | Mindfulness of the body (2) | MN 10 |
| 3 | Mindfulness of feelings | MN 10 |
| 4 | The second arrow | SN 36.6 |
| 5 | Mindfulness of mind | MN 10 |
| 6 | Mindfulness of phenomena | MN 10 |
| 7 | Replacing thoughts | MN 20 |
| 8 | Two kinds of thought, and review | MN 19 |
What science finds
- 47 randomised trials, 3,515 people: mindfulness meditation programmes reduce anxiety and depression by a small-to-moderate amount; not better than other active treatments. (Goyal et al. 2014, JAMA Internal Medicine 174(3) · source)
- Review of 83 studies: about 8% of meditators reported an adverse experience (about 4% in experimental studies), most often anxiety or depression; it can happen to people with no history of mental illness. (Farias et al. 2020, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 142(5) · source)
Stop practising if
Stop or shorten practice and talk to a professional if you notice: rising anxiety or panic; low mood that lingers; feeling that you or the world is ‘not real’; flooding memories of trauma; several nights of poor sleep; hearing or seeing things others do not; thoughts of harming yourself. People with a history of psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe PTSD should ask a doctor before practising more than 20 minutes a day.