Satipatthāna Meditation offers nine weeks of study and practice of the liberating teachings of the Satipatthāna sutta, a foundational early Buddhist framework, with a cohort of practitioners guided by the teachings of renowned scholar and monastic, Bhikkhu Anālayo.
We are delighted to introduce New Participant and Returning Participant Cohorts for Satipatthāna Meditation: Winter 2025! If this will be your first time taking the BCBS Satipatthāna Meditation program, please select New Participant Application. If you have completed the BCBS Satipatthāna Meditation program in the past, please select Returning Participant Application.
Former Satipatthāna Meditation student and current facilitating teacher Stephanie Swann shares her transformative experiences of the program from multiple perspectives.
Satipatthāna Meditation is an interactive and comprehensive online program modeled on previously offered in-person programs by Venerable Bhikkhu Anālayo on the foundational mindfulness text, the Satipatthāna sutta. While based on scholarly research, the emphasis throughout this online program is on what is relevant to actual meditation practice. In order to promote accessibility and support individual learning styles, participants are offered a variety of tools to make this text personally relevant and to integrate it into daily living.
The core text for this program is Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide by Bhikkhu Anālayo. The participant experience is enriched by a variety of learning modalities and practice experiences, including interactive group study meetings facilitated by guiding teachers, recorded guided meditations and video lectures by Bhikkhu Anālayo, moderated forum-based discussions, and practical exercises. Each week, participants will investigate one aspect of the four foundations of mindfulness by contemplating a particular aspect of body, mind, feeling, or the dhammas.
January 18 - March 22, 2025 (Orientations: January 13-18)
October 21 - November 25, 2024
9 weeks
7-10 hours per week
Intensive
Establishment in a basic mindfulness practice
• Video lectures
• Audio guided meditations
• Reading assignments
• Sutta study
• Discussion forums
• Non-graded review questions
• Weekly 90-minute live small group meetings, including break-out practice and sutta study discussions
• Moderated weekly written discussion forums
| Pre-launch week | Orientation |
| Week 1 | Mindfulness, Satipatthāna |
| Week 2 | First Satipatthāna (Body): Contemplation of Anatomical Parts |
| Week 3 | First Satipatthāna (Body): Contemplation of Elements |
| Week 4 | First Satipatthāna (Body): Contemplation of Death |
| Week 5 | Second Satipatthāna (Feeling): Contemplation of Feelings |
| Week 6 | Third Satipatthāna (Mind): Contemplation of Mind |
| Week 7 | Fourth Satipatthāna (Dhammas): Contemplation of the Hindrances |
| Week 8 | Fourth Satipatthāna (Dhammas): Contemplation of the Awakening Factors |
| Week 9 | Conclusion and Integration |
This program requires considerable commitment from participants and is not a self-study program. We require attendance at weekly virtual meetings as well as completion of writing prompts and program assessments. The required time commitment is roughly 10-12* hours per week.
Weekly individual participation includes:
90 minutes of a small group video meeting**
watching/listening to a 20-minute video lecture by Bhikkhu Anālayo
daily personal Satipatthāna Meditation practice (Bhikkhu Anālayo’s Guided Meditations)
completing study activities
contributing to the group discussion forum
reading one chapter per week in the core text, Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide by Bhikkhu Anālayo.
* Participants are strongly encouraged to read Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide in advance of the program (later referring back to the book as a reference/refresher for each weekly topic). Otherwise, participants should anticipate an additional 2-3 hours per week for reading during the program.
** The small group meeting is the only program component that happens at a fixed time, and meetings will occur on the same day/time each week.
Click here for the Winter 2025 Small Group Schedule. Applicants will select their available times on the application. Attendance is mandatory.
In early Buddhist thought, tranquility and insight are complementary dimensions of meditative cultivation, traditionally based on a solid foundation in moral conduct and part of a gradual process of training. This online program will follow the Buddha’s principle of ethics as the foundation for Satipatthāna practice. Participation in this program is supported by group commitment to respect and non-harming, applying to both communication with others and also to one’s personal relationship with the practice.
The program fee is $450.
In keeping with the tradition of teachers offering the Buddhadharma out of a spirit of generosity, program fees do not include compensation for teachers. There will be an opportunity to support your teacher(s) through the practice of dāna at the end of the program.
We are committed to making this program accessible to all. Financial assistance is available to help supplement the program fee. Requests for financial assistance can be made during the registration process. If accepted into the program, financial assistance of 30%, 40%, or 50% of the program fee can be selected and immediately applied during registration. If the need for financial assistance is greater than 50% of the program fee, please indicate what amount of the program fee feels affordable to you, and we will do what we can to accommodate your request.
Applications Open: October 21
Applications Close: November 25 at 5:00 PM ET
Initial Acceptance Notification: November 29
Registration: December 2-23
Orientation Week: January 13-18
Program Dates: January 18 – March 22 (Small Group Schedule)
This online program offers an optional certification track, which qualifies participants for Bhikkhu Anālayo’s online Mindfulness of Breathing and Brahmavihāras & Emptiness programs. The optional certification track requires the completion of a final reflection and review of participation.
We understand that personal circumstances may require you to cancel your registration. In these cases, please contact us right away. If you cancel before the program starts, you are eligible for a full refund minus a $100 administrative fee. Registration fees are nonrefundable after the program starts.
He is a scholar-monk and the author of numerous books on meditation and early Buddhism, such as Satipatthāna: The Direct Path to Realization, Perspectives on Satipatthāna, and Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide. He is a Faculty Member at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, having retired from being a professor at the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Hamburg. His main area of academic research is early Buddhism, with a special interest in the topics of meditation and women in Buddhism. At the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, he regularly participates in online programs and undertakes research into meditation-related themes.
Bhikkhu Anālayo offers his teaching for this program through the video lectures, guided meditations, and readings. There will be no live contact with Bhikkhu Anālayo.
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