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

 

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

Reflection The Zen meditation practice called zazen means “just sitting.” This is a form of the early Buddhist practice described here. The idea is to always do only one thing at a time. Not sitting and reading, or sitting and watching TV, or sitting at your computer—but just sitting. This is an exercise in being rather than doing. The only activity you are doing while sitting is “being aware.” Aware of what? Aware that you are sitting. Daily Practice Spend some time every day, either regularly or adventitiously, just sitting. At first the tendency might be to “sit and think about stuff,” or “sit and remember,” or “sit and plan.” But this is a mindfulness of the body practice, so it involves being aware of all the microsensations of the body as you sit. There is a lot going on when you just sit and take the time to notice. Notice it all without clinging to anything in the world. 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) Breathing in long, one is aware: ‘I breathe in long’; or breathing out long, one is aware: ‘I breathe out long.’ This is how concentration by mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated, so that it is of great fruit and great benefit. (A 54.8)  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.

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Via Daily Dharma: Ignorance Is Faulty Information

Ignorance means that we don’t have all of the elements we need to make informed choices about life. We’re all looking for comfort, or meaning, but we make clumsy choices that lead to painful results.

Pamela Gayle White, “The Pursuit of Happiness”

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - May 21, 2023 💌

 
 

"Truth is one of the vehicles for deepening spiritual awareness through another human being. And if there is a license for that in any relationship: with guru, with friend, with lover, with whatever it is, it is an absolutely optimum way of coming into a liquid spiritual relationship with another person. "

- Ram Dass - 

 

 

[GBF] New Talk: Spirituality & Authenticity - Melvin Escobar

In this week's dharma talk, Melvin Escobar encourages us to meditate on two Koans:

"What is your original face?"

and
 

"What was your original face before your parents were born?"

He offers the perspective on aspects of the 3 Jewels:
The Buddha - representing the Oneness of all things;
The Dharma - representing the Diversity of all things;
The Sangha - where Oneness and Diversity merge in harmony.

He reminds us that our authentic self is shaped by all of our past experiences, including the experiences of our ancestors before we were born.

Listen to the full talk at https://gaybuddhist.org/podcast/melvin-escobar/
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Melvin Escobar is a core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center, a licensed psychotherapist, and a certified yoga instructor. Melvin has walked the path of service for much of his life, drawing on his experiences as a queer man of color born and raised in Los Angeles, CA.

Having encountered the priceless wisdom embodied in Buddhism and Yoga, he continues daily to learn the revolutionary potential of body-centered contemplative practices for personal and social healing. You can read his latest article in Lion’s Roar Magazine “Loving-Kindness: May All Beings Be Happy,” and visit his website www.melvinescobar.com for more information.