RIGHT MINDFULNESS
Establishing Mindfulness of Body
|
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 walking, one is aware: "I am walking."… One is just aware,
just mindful: "There is a body." And one abides not clinging to anything
in the world. (MN 10)
|
|
|
|
As we gain the
ability to be mindful of the body while breathing in and out,
experiencing the entire body and stilling its activities, it becomes
natural to extend this capacity for awareness to other normal
activities. One of these is walking, and the point is not to get
somewhere but to be entirely attentive to what it feels like to walk.
Every step is an exercise in non-attachment, in not clinging to anything
in the world.
|
|
|
Spend some time
in formal walking meditation. You can go for a walk and practice
heightened awareness to the experience, but in formal walking meditation
you walk slowly back and forth for 10 or 15 paces in each direction.
This frees you from any concern about navigation, obstacles, or
distractions, allowing the mind to focus entirely on the flow of
physical sensations that come with slowly lifting, moving, and placing
the foot with each step.
|
|
RIGHT CONCENTRATION
Approaching and Abiding in the First Phase of Absorption (1st Jhāna)
|
|
|
Having abandoned the five
hindrances, imperfections of the mind that weaken wisdom, quite secluded
from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, one enters
and abides in the first phase of absorption, which is accompanied by
applied thought and sustained thought, with joy and the pleasure born of
seclusion. (MN 4)
When one sees oneself purified of all these unhealthy states and thus liberated from them, gladness is born.
When one is glad, joy is born; in one who is joyful, the body becomes
tranquil; one whose body is tranquil feels pleasure; in one who feels
pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated. (MN 40)
|
|
|
|
The English word concentration
conjures up a sense of deliberate effort, wherein you force yourself to
pay attention or to concentrate. While the appropriate application of
energy is required, the Buddhist texts talk about concentration as
something you relax into naturally, rather than something you force
yourself to do through discipline. This sets a very different tone, and
makes the practice of concentration more appealing.
|
|
|
We are used to
noticing when we are vexed or afflicted in some way, and are less likely
to notice when we are free from distress and feeling good. Try to
reverse this today, and notice the times when the mind is free, if only
for a moment, from any uncomfortable mental or emotional states. In
short, feel good about feeling good when you feel good, and allow
yourself to be glad when the mind is clear.
|
|
Tomorrow: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
One week from today: Establishing Mindfulness of Feeling and Abiding in the Second Jhāna
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media
#DhammaWheel
Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.
No comments:
Post a Comment