And finally we come to the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness. This foundation is often referred to as Mindfulness of the Dhammas in Pali, or in Sanskrit, Dharmas. The word “dhamma” or “dharma” has two foundational meanings - the first is the body of the Buddha’s teachings. The second is the way things are.
And its refrain begins to hint at the wisdom of this teaching. “In this way, in regard to dharmas, [the meditator] abides contemplating dharmas internally…externally…internally and externally. She abides contemplating the nature arising… of passing away… of both arising and passing in dharmas. Mindfulness that 'There are dharmas’ is established in him to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and continuous mindfulness. And she abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.” from Joseph Goldstein’s Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, translation by Venerable Analayo.
There is much in that paragraph but for now, it is enough to read it and begin to wonder at it.
There are five aspects to the dharmas/teachings and perspectives on the way things are. This is a cursory look. The first is the hindrances which we have touched on before - the five hindrances that interfere with mindfulness and meditation. There are sensual desire (wanting, greed, craving), aversion (or not wanting), sloth and torpor (too little energy), restlessness and worry (too much energy), and doubt (doubt!). Just becoming aware of these hindrances is a significant achievement.
The second and third sections in the Fourth Foundation are different lenses through which we can view the totality of our experience. We are more familiar with the six sense spheres - seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, sensations, and the mind and mind-objects which includes everything else. The other is the lens of the aggregates of clinging - material form, feeling (feeling tone), cognition, volitions, and consciousness.
The fourth section teaches about the seven factors of awakening - mindfulness, investigation of dharmas, energy, joy, tranquillity, concentration, and equanimity.
And the last is the Four Noble Truths - the truth of suffering, the truth of the causes of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the path out of suffering g - the Noble Eight Fold Path.
And with each of the teachings above, the Buddha encourages us to know when a factor has arisen whether it’s a hindrance, a sight or sensation, an awakening factor such as mindfulness or energy or joy, or whether suffering is present or absent. And further the Buddha encourages us to know when a factor that has arisen, ceases, what are the causes for its arising and what might prevent its arising.
The Buddha assured his monks that if they practiced these four foundations of mindfulness - mindfulness of the body, of feelings, of mind and of the dharmas, they would achieve the fruits of partial or full awakening.
This may seem like a tall order but many of us have tasted of these experiences, struggled with the binds of clinging, aversion, delusion, and reveled in the freedom of release and understanding. And these fruits are available to us all. They can be gleaned and refined by looking at our present moment experience with mindfulness, by cultivating our sensitivity to our experience through our practice, and by following the two most important instructions: First you start. And then you continue.
The Buddha assures us that if it could not be done, he would not encourage us to do it.