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, September 29, 2024
Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Mindfulness and Concentration: Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects and Abiding in the Fourth Jhāna
RIGHT MINDFULNESS Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects
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 awakening factor of concentration is internally present,
one is aware: “Concentration is present for me.” When concentration is
not present, one is aware: “Concentration is not present for me.” When
the arising of unarisen concentration occurs, one is aware of that. And
when the development and fulfillment of the arisen awakening factor of
concentration occurs, one is aware of that. . . . One is just aware,
just mindful: “There is a mental object.” And one abides not clinging to
anything in the world. (MN 10)
Reflection
The practice of
insight meditation also involves the practice of concentration. Insight
and concentration are like the two wings of a bird, each supporting the
function of the other. Concentration is a mental factor that allows the
mind to focus on a single object without being carried away by the
stream of consciousness into telling and retelling stories. Insight is
understanding the nature of what you are focusing on.
Daily Practice
As with all
mental factors, sometimes concentration is present and sometimes it is
not. Sometimes your mind is focused, and other times it is flitting from
one object to another, apparently out of control. With practice you can
notice these fluctuations of mind. You can watch the ability to focus
come and go, always simply being aware of what is happening. The idea is
not to control the mind but to calm it and let it settle.
RIGHT CONCENTRATION Approaching and Abiding in the Fourth Phase of Absorption (4th Jhāna)
With the abandoning of pleasure
and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, one
enters upon and abides in the fourth phase of absorption, which has
neither-pain-nor-pleasure and purity of mindfulness as a result of
equanimity. The concentrated mind is thus purified, bright, unblemished,
rid of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to
imperturbability. (MN 4)
Tomorrow: Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering One week from today: Establishing Mindfulness of Body and Abiding in the First Jhāna
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