RIGHT MINDFULNESS
Establishing Mindfulness of Body
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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)
Full awareness: when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep,
waking up, talking, and keeping silent . . . one is just aware, just
mindful: “There is body.” And one abides not clinging to anything in the
world. (MN 10)
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Mindfulness of
the body can take place at any time and with any activity. We practice
it formally seated on a meditation cushion to become familiar with a
certain range of sensations, and then we can extend it to other areas of
daily life. Acting with full awareness is particularly well suited to
ordinary activities requiring a sense of continuity over time, such as
walking or dressing yourself. Full awareness is mindfulness in motion.
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All skills are
gradually learned by practicing them again and again. When sitting still
we tend to focus on the bodily sensations associated with the breath;
when walking mindfully we notice the sensations of the rhythmic moving
of certain muscles. See if you can extend the scope of these practices
by becoming aware of the sensations of other bodily motions, such as
those associated with taking a sip of tea, for example.
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RIGHT CONCENTRATION
Approaching and Abiding in the First Phase of Absorption (1st Jhāna)
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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)
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Tomorrow: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
One week from today: Establishing Mindfulness of Feeling and Abiding in the Second Jhāna
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