Justin Michelson on Finding Freedom in Awareness | Sacred Texts Ep. 3

<p><strong>What happens when you stop identifying with everything happening in your mind and simply rest in awareness?</strong></p><p>In the third and final conversation with Buddhist teacher <strong>Justin Michelson</strong>, Jonathan Hewitt explores the <strong>fourth foundation of mindfulness</strong> from the <em>Satipatthana Sutta</em> and the deeper freedom that can emerge through sustained mindfulness practice.</p><p>After exploring the body in Episode 1 and feelings and mind states in Episode 2, Justin takes the conversation one step further: <strong>What happens when we turn our attention toward awareness itself?</strong></p><p>Justin describes this as discovering the spaciousness, stillness, and presence that exist beneath the constant movement of thoughts, emotions, desires, and circumstances. Instead of trying to create a particular experience or become a different version of ourselves, the practice becomes learning to rest in what is already here.</p><p>In this conversation, Jonathan and Justin explore:</p><ul><li><p>The fourth foundation of mindfulness</p></li><li><p>What it means to turn attention toward awareness itself</p></li><li><p>How mindfulness can create a sense of inner freedom</p></li><li><p>Why we don&#39;t have to identify with every thought or emotion</p></li><li><p>The Buddhist teaching of <strong>non-self (anatta)</strong></p></li><li><p>What happens when we stop trying to locate or define ourselves</p></li><li><p>The difference between awareness and the experiences awareness observes</p></li><li><p>How spaciousness, stillness, and silence can become objects of meditation</p></li><li><p>What it means to experience life without clinging</p></li><li><p>The Buddhist practice of simply seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing</p></li><li><p>How mindfulness can become a refuge during difficult experiences</p></li><li><p>Why awareness and compassion can transform how we relate to ourselves and others</p></li></ul><p>Justin also shares a simple way to practice: <strong>just seeing, just hearing, just sensing, just thinking, without adding anything extra.</strong></p><p>Rather than trying to escape life or create the perfect experience, this Buddhist teaching points toward something much simpler: <strong>being fully present with what is, without clinging to it.</strong></p><p>This is <strong>Sacred Texts Ep. 3</strong>, the final conversation in Jonathan and Justin&#39;s exploration of the four foundations of mindfulness.</p><p><strong>L