“When experiencing a pleasant feeling, the meditator knows: ‘I experience a pleasant feeling’; when experiencing a painful feeling, the meditator knows: ‘I experience a painful feeling’; when experiencing a neutral feeling, the meditator knows: ‘I experience a neutral feeling.’”
Mindfulness of Feelings, Mahasatipatthana Sutra
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness form one of the central teachings of Buddhism and are described in detail in the Satipatthana Sutra. They provide a practical framework for observing our experience as it unfolds moment by moment.
The four foundations are:
• Mindfulness of the Body
• Mindfulness of Feelings
• Mindfulness of Mind
• Mindfulness of Dhamma
Although often presented as separate practices, they naturally overlap. During meditation and daily life we move continually between awareness of bodily sensations, mindfulness of feelings, mental states and the teachings that help us understand them.
In this series I am not attempting a scholarly explanation of the Four Foundations. Rather, I am sharing my own reflections on how they appear within my personal Buddhist practice.
Understanding Feelings
When Buddhists speak of feelings, they are not simply referring to emotions.
Feelings arise from both external sensory experience and internal mental activity. They may be pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
A pleasant feeling can lead to attachment, craving and desire.
An unpleasant feeling can lead to aversion, irritation, ill will or even hatred.
A neutral feeling can easily pass unnoticed and become a source of ignorance or delusion.
However the practice is not to suppress these feelings or judge them. It is simply to recognise them as they arise.
Not “My” Feelings
One aspect of this foundation particularly appeals to me.
Buddhism encourages us to observe feelings without immediately identifying with them.
Instead of thinking:
“I am sad.”
“I am in pain.”
“This is my grief.”
we are invited simply to observe:
“That there is sadness.”
“There is pain.”
“And there is grief.”
At first this may seem like a subtle difference, but in practice it can be transformative.
The feeling is still present, but the attachment to it is weakened.
What I Have Observed
The most important observation from this practice is the impermanence of feelings.
Pleasant feelings arise and pass away.
Unpleasant feelings arise and pass away.
Even neutral feelings arise and pass away.
Nothing remains fixed for very long.
As mindfulness develops, it becomes easier to notice this constant process of appearing and disappearing.
The feeling that seemed overwhelming a few moments ago may already have changed.
Lessons from Illness and Recovery
Between 2019 and 2023 I underwent several major surgical procedures, including treatment for prostate cancer, a hip replacement, spinal decompression surgery and three separate hernia operations.
These years brought significant physical pain and emotional turmoil.
Looking back, I realise how much I relied upon mindfulness of feelings during that period.
By observing painful sensations and difficult emotions as experiences rather than possessions, I found it easier to remain calm.
The pain did not disappear, but my relationship with it changed.
I am deeply grateful to the surgeons who cared for me and equally grateful to the Buddha’s teachings, which helped reduce suffering during those challenging years.
Today’s Meditation
During today’s meditation I focused on feelings arising from both external sensory experience and internal mental activity.
I became aware of the fragrance of sandalwood incense.
A pleasant feeling.
I became aware of a gentle breeze moving through the open window.
A neutral feeling.
I became aware of my elbows resting on the chair and my feet touching the carpet.
Again, largely neutral feelings.
What became noticeable was how quickly each sensation faded and was replaced by another.
Each feeling was temporary.
Each feeling existed independently.
Only one occupied the foreground of awareness at any given moment.
The experience reinforced the reality of impermanence far more effectively than any book or philosophical discussion.
A Difficult Foundation
Of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, this is the one I find most difficult.
It often feels less satisfying than mindfulness of the body or mindfulness of breathing.
My attention wanders more easily and the observations can seem subtle and elusive.
Yet I have learned not to judge the meditation as successful or unsuccessful.
The practice itself is enough.
Each session reveals something different and gradually develops a greater understanding of how feelings shape our daily experience.
Perhaps that understanding is the real purpose of the practice.
By observing feelings as they arise and pass away, we become less controlled by them and more capable of responding to life with mindfulness, wisdom and compassion.
Time to Connect: 👉Anger Enters Meditation 👉Mindfulness in Buddhism 👉Mindfulness of the Body
This article is part of my Four Foundations of Mindfulness series:
- Mindfulness of the Body
- Mindfulness of Feelings
- Mindfulness of Mind
- Mindfulness of Dhamma
This seems to be in-depth experience sharing of your practice of meditation with full mindfulness of learned things turned into reality…come and see 💐❤️🙏you are the true inspiration for the people, your dedication towards experiencing every spiritual aspect knowing self is phenomenal.Bravo!! Keep it up Dr.Brian🙏🫡
Thank you so much for your encouragement. I am definitely on a spiritual journey, so late in life, and writing to share my experiences with people is as close as I can get (unfortunately) to having a Sangha. This is how important comments such as yours have become 🙏🕉️