Knowing Yourself to Practice Correctly: Teachings from the Four Foundations of Mindfulness

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought you looked beautiful? Yet all day when you go out, no one compliments you. Could it be that we are seeing a different truth than what others see?

This is precisely the illusion about ourselves — the first ignorance of all sentient beings. The Buddha taught the Four Foundations of Mindfulness so that we may see the truth correctly. Only when we know the truth can we be liberated.

What are the Four Foundations of Mindfulness?

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness is a method of contemplation on four places, practiced to attain meditative concentration and enlightenment. "Foundation" means place, and "Mindfulness" means mindful contemplation — remembering, reflecting, and understanding clearly. The four places are the body, feelings, mind, and phenomena. But first, we must understand the core meaning:

"To know the truth is enlightenment. Enlightenment means knowing the truth, knowing reality. And that knowing of truth, that knowing of reality, is what liberates us." — Venerable Thích Chân Quang

We drift in samsara (cycle of rebirth) because we do not understand ourselves or our lives correctly. The Buddha appeared in this world to help us understand everything correctly. However, the truth is not easy to grasp. That is why we need patience and blessings from merit and favorable conditions.

The illusion about ourselves is the first ignorance

Most of us hold illusions about ourselves. We think we are talented, that we are superior. This is like the story of the security guard who imagined he held great power, blocking even the company director from entering, and was fired. In contrast, the director who humbled himself by serving water to a job candidate and doing the janitor's work earned people's admiration, and his blessings from merit grew.

The lesson is clear: the more we humble ourselves, the more enduring we become. As Teacher Chân Quang taught:

"The more we see ourselves as small and ordinary, the more solid our blessings from merit become."

In meditation practice, we also need three states of heart: reverence for the Buddha, love for all sentient beings, and humility. These are the foundation for connecting with the noble ones and increasing our blessings from merit.

Know your own capacity to practice correctly

Each person has a different capacity: lower, middle, or higher. Those with higher capacity can easily gather the mind in meditative concentration; those with lower capacity have many wandering thoughts. We must know where we stand in order to practice correctly. Do not imitate those of higher capacity — staring fixedly at one object to enter concentration — for we will harm our minds. Practice according to your own level, or even slightly below it.

"When we practice according to our own capacity, or below it, we can easily gather the mind. But when we fantasize and practice above our capacity, it becomes difficult to gather the mind." — Venerable Thích Chân Quang

For example, in the martial arts, a grandmaster can throw a dry leaf as a deadly weapon, while if we try the same, we only waste our strength. Meditation is the same: only by matching our capacity do we see results.

Five contemplations of right reflection in meditative concentration

When entering meditation, we need to treat wandering thoughts with five contemplations of right reflection:

Reverence for the Buddha

Compassion — loving all sentient beings

Humility — seeing ourselves as dust

The body, mind, and world are all subject to impermanence (anicca)

This body and mind are a mass of wrongdoing

These five contemplations help us connect with the Buddha and with sentient beings, and open our wisdom. They are the foundation for practicing meditative concentration correctly.

Resting the mind according to capacity

In the technique of meditation, we sit cross-legged, keep the back straight, and observe the natural breath. Depending on our capacity, we choose where to rest the mind:

Higher capacity: rest the mind on "oneself" — an abstract point between the abdomen and chest.

Middle capacity: rest the mind on the sacrum (the lower back, below the waist).

Lower capacity: rest the mind on the lower abdomen (the perineum area).

Those of middle capacity should rest the mind at the sacrum, not at the head or upper spine, as this can harm the mind. But do not rush to call yourself of middle capacity. Look honestly at your own level. Knowing who you are is the first step of wisdom.

Begin today

Do not deceive yourself with illusions of grandeur. Practice the three states of heart: reverence for the Buddha, love for all sentient beings, and humility. Practice according to your true capacity, patiently, step by step. When we know we are small, our blessings from merit become enduring. When we see the truth clearly, liberation opens before us.