Establishing Mindfulness of Mind
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A person goes to the forest
or to the root of a tree or to an empty place and sits down. Having
crossed the legs, one sets the body erect. One establishes the presence
of mindfulness. (MN 10) One is aware: "Ardent, fully aware, mindful, I
am content." (SN 47.10)
When the mind is beset by desire, one is aware that "the mind is
beset by desire." One is just aware, just mindful: "There is mind." And
one abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)
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The third
establishment of mindfulness is mindfulness of the quality of mind
manifesting in any given moment. It is awareness of awareness itself, in
particular of whether or not awareness is influenced by the influx of
greed, hatred, or delusion. We start here with desire, a common state
that can in many cases be quite subtle and hard to see. Here we are
practicing becoming conscious of something that is normally unconscious.
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Sometimes the
presence of desire can be detected in our experience. This is not bad or
wrong—just something to be noticed. For example, seeing an object is
one thing, while seeing it with a tinge of desire, of wanting it, is
another. Notice that wanting is simply a quality of mind that is
sometimes present and sometimes not. We are not trying to change
anything here, just to learn to see what is really happening.
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RIGHT CONCENTRATION
Approaching and Abiding in the Third Phase of Absorption (3rd Jhāna)
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With the fading away of joy, one
abides in equanimity; mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure
with the body, one enters into and abides in the third phase of
absorption, on account of which noble ones announce: "One has a pleasant
abiding who has equanimity and is mindful." (MN 4)
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Some people
move easily and naturally through the stages of absorption, but many
people do not. This is not something to be forced if it does not come on
its own, and we should never judge our progress against the schema of
four jhānas. As we can see, mindfulness and concentration each
involve the other, so at a certain point it becomes unnecessary and
unhelpful to compare the two and distinguish two different practices.
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As you settle
into the pleasant feeling tones of the second level of absorption, the
pleasure gradually subsides and resolves into a state of equanimity or
even-mindedness. The body still feels tranquil and at ease, but the mind
becomes more balanced as it becomes more mindful and fully aware.
Simply rest at ease, doing nothing and striving for nothing, and let the
mind settle naturally.
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Tomorrow: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Way to the Cessation of Suffering
One week from today: Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects and the Fourth Jhāna
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