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)   Full awareness: when going forward and returning, looking ahead and looking away . . . one is just aware, just mindful: “There is body.” And one abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)

Reflection Mindfulness involves focusing awareness very precisely on whatever is occurring in the present moment. Its sibling term, full awareness, expands the scope of awareness to encompass the whole sweep of a movement or activity. The two terms work together somewhat like a spotlight and a floodlight to illuminate an activity at the micro level of detail and at the macro level of broader continuity. Daily Practice Cultivate an attitude of full awareness as you go about the ordinary activities of daily life. When you are sipping tea, full awareness takes in the entire motion of lifting the cup, bringing it to the lips, sipping, swallowing, and returning the mug to the table. Many ordinary motions, like “looking ahead and looking away,” can be done every day as a practice of full awareness, complementing rather than replacing mindfulness.  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) One practices: “I shall breathe in experiencing the mind;” one practices: “I shall breathe out experiencing 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 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 Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - July 14, 2024 💌

 

When meditation works as it should, it will be a natural part of your being. There will no longer be anything apart from you to have faith in. - Ram Dass

Via Tricycle // The Environmental Impact of Sacred Tibetan Scarves

 

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July 13, 2024 The Environmental Impact of Sacred Tibetan Scarves What happens when a sacred object, like the khata, becomes ubiquitous? This is the central question of the film Khata: Purity or Poison? Khatas are long white pieces of thin fabric predominant in the Tibetan Buddhist world. These ceremonial scarves are often presented to show appreciation or as a greeting, wrapped around religious statues, and burned in ceremonies. Once made from wool and used in early indigenous Tibetan practices, these highly symbolic textiles are now frequently made of polyester—and are quickly polluting the planet. “Khata are polluting the environment,” says Huatse Gyal, the film’s director and a professor of anthropology at Rice University. “They pile up in trash cans, in the rooms of Buddhist monasteries; they get stuck in fences; animals eat them. Moreover, they release toxic smoke when they’re burnt—and you can see them melt into a solid form—which happens during offerings. Sheep-shearers now use khata to tie the legs of sheep. They’re being used for all kinds of utilitarian purposes now… However, there are efforts to spread the word about health risks and harm. People are starting to raise their concerns. I’m hopeful.” This ethnographic documentary film explores the paradoxical relationship between the meaning of khata and its materiality, between purity and poison, to raise awareness of the unintended consequences of our good intentions.    Watch the film today »

Via Daily Dharma: Clean Your Mirror

 

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Clean Your Mirror Remember that life is like a mirror: Everything you perceive reflects your inner world. Cleaning your dirty mirror of distorting smudges means clearing self-deception and coming closer to the truth. Khangser Rinpoche, “Your Life Is a Mirror” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Weathering the Eight Worldly Winds Cristina Moon in conversation with James Shaheen  In this episode of Tricycle Talks, Tricycle’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen, sits down with movement strategist and Zen priest Cristina Moon to discuss the importance of learning to face challenges directly and the role of swordsmanship and the fine arts in Zen training. Listen now » Khata: Purity or Poison? Directed by Huatse Gyal July’s film is available now! “Khata: Purity or Poison?,” directed by Huatse Gyal, explores the paradoxical relationship between the meaning of the Khata, a sacred scarf used in much of the Tibetan Buddhist world, and its materiality, between purity and poison, to raise awareness of the unintended consequences of our good intentions. Watch now »

Viua Dhamma Wheel | Right Effort: Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States

 

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RIGHT EFFORT Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States Whatever a person frequently thinks about and ponders, that will become the inclination of their mind. If one frequently thinks about and ponders unhealthy states, one has abandoned healthy states to cultivate the unhealthy states, and then one’s mind inclines to unhealthy states. (MN 19) Here a person rouses the will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts the mind, and strives to restrain the arising of unarisen unhealthy mental states. One restrains the arising of the unarisen hindrance of sluggishness. (MN 141)

Reflection Among the five hindrances is the hindrance of sluggishness. More colorfully called “sloth and torpor” in many texts, this is the quality of mind that is lacking energy, is low on enthusiasm, and just generally results in laziness or sleepiness. It is not a moral failing, but it is unhealthy insofar as it obstructs clarity of mind and thereby can contribute to suffering. It helps to make an effort to restrain its arising in the mind whenever possible. Daily Practice The practice of restraining the arising of sluggishness is not about repressing it but about understanding the conditions in which it thrives. You can work to limit those conditions so that sluggishness is not inclined to arise. Cultivate its antidote, energy, by raising physical and mental activity before sluggishness gains a foothold. Knowing it is present as a latent or potential trait helps guard against having it flare up in experience.  Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Body and Abiding in the First Jhāna One week from today: Abandoning Arisen Unhealthy States Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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