A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Sunday, July 28, 2024
Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Mindfulness and Concentration: Establishing Mindfulness of Mind and the Third Jhāna
RIGHT MINDFULNESS Establishing Mindfulness of Mind
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 not composed, one is aware: “The mind is not
composed”. . . One is just aware, just mindful: “There is mind.” And one
abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)
Reflection
With the third
of the four foundations of mindfulness, or practices on which
mindfulness can be established, we learn to notice the effect of various
mental and emotional states on the way consciousness manifests in our
experience. A composed mind consists of a moment of coherence, unity,
tranquility, and internal harmony. Sometimes this happens, and sometimes
it does not. Simply be aware when it does and does not.
Daily Practice
When observing
the many changing mental states in your experience, it is important to
avoid getting attached to them. This is particularly difficult with
thoughts, which have rich content that can draw us into the story and
away from an attitude of neutral observation. This is why the
instruction to just be aware, to just be mindful, is so important. This keeps the mind moving forward and not clinging to anything.
RIGHT CONCENTRATION Approaching and Abiding in the Third Phase of Absorption (3rd Jhāna)
With the fading away of joy, one
abides in equanimity. Mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure
with the body, one enters upon 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)
One practices: “I shall breathe in concentrating the mind”;
one practices: “I shall breathe out concentrating the mind.”
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 Way to the Cessation of Suffering One week from today: Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects and the Fourth Jhāna
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
No comments:
Post a Comment