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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Mindfulness and Concentration: Establishing Mindfulness of Body and the First Jhāna

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 standing, one is aware: “I am standing”… One is just aware, just mindful, “there is body.” And one abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)

Reflection

Mindfulness can be practiced in any position. Sitting and walking are the most familiar positions, but you can also practice standing or lying down. It is simply a matter of “establishing the presence of mindfulness” in the same way you do in sitting practice. Notice the same emphasis on being just aware, just mindful of the bodily sensations without mental elaboration. Can you stand to practice without clinging to anything in the world?

Daily Practice

When you find yourself having to stand in place for any length of time, such as waiting in line or watching an event, take the opportunity to practice mindfulness. Turn your attention inward, to the flow of your direct experience, and notice, for example, all the micro-adjustments made by your body to maintain balance. This in itself can become a compelling practice, as you notice how much is going on that you normally overlook.

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)

Reflection

Absorption practice begins by finding the sweet spot in the center of the mind, the place where there is neither too much energy (restlessness) nor too little (sluggishness), neither wanting (sense desire) nor non-wanting (ill will) something or anything. When these hindrances, along with doubt, are abandoned temporarily, the mind naturally settles down into a state of tranquil alertness and equanimity.

Daily Practice

Sit quietly and comfortably in a peaceful place and allow everything swirling around in your mind and body to gradually settle down. Like dust settling in the air or particulates settling in water, there is nothing to force or make happen. Patience will be rewarded by the experience of deeper and deeper modes of peacefulness, clarity, and stability of mind. Don’t try to measure anything; just let it all be what it is.

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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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - April 24, 2022 💌

 

Part of what I see as tools for transformation has to do with honoring what you are as an instrument for transformation – and that has to do with the mind and the heart and the skills.    Hearing what in my business would be called your unique dharma, or your unique manifestation in the game. Also, then learning how to do it as 'the Bhagavad Gita' says, by not being identified with being the actor behind what you are doing, and not being attached to the fruits of the actions. Doing it free of those things, where you’re doing it because it’s your part in the dance…    “I’ll do what I can to relieve suffering. I’ll do what I can to preserve the environment, sustainably. I’ll do what I can to bring about justice to the world.”    Whether there is justice or the environment gets sustained, or there is an end to suffering, that is not really my business. It would be chutzpah and presumption for me to think it was. There are just too many variables involved in that. I learned from the East the idea of doing impeccable dharma. That is, doing your thing as well as you can. I mean, when I give lectures or write a book or do whatever I do, or sit with a dying person… the game is to do that as cleanly and as fully consciously, and as equanimous as I can.    The next part of this is how it comes out. This is about identification with yourself as the actor because if you’re identifying as an actor, like most activists, you burn out immediately because you’re working, and then there’s more to do and you’re working harder and harder. You end up feeling exhausted and burned out.    It’s creating space where you can do the actions without getting trapped in being the actor. Just like your heart is beating – but you’re not beating your heart.  - Ram Dass

Via Daily Dharma: Recognizing Patterns

Each time you meet an old emotional pattern with presence, your awakening to truth can deepen. There’s less identification with the self in the story and more ability to rest in the awareness that is witnessing what’s happening.

Tara Brach, “Finding True Refuge”

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