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)   Breathing in and out, aware of long and short breaths . . . one is just aware, just mindful: "There is body." And one abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)

Reflection Breathing is universally recommended as an object of meditation because it is always present and always changing. Sometimes it is long, sometimes short. This is not about controlling the breath but following along with it however it naturally unfolds. We are breathing all the time, but today is a good time to sit intentionally for some period of time and do nothing but be aware of breathing in and out, long and short.  Daily Practice There is a wealth of guidelines for practice here. What does it feel like to be at the same time both ardent (intent, energetic) and content, or to be aware of the breath while not clinging to the object of awareness? These are questions to be investigated in your own experience. Sit down in an empty place, establish the presence of mindfulness, and see for yourself what these words are pointing to. 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 not wanting (ill will) 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 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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Take Responsibility You have to take responsibility for the path. No one else and nothing else can do it for you. If you try to throw away all notions of desire, striving, and your role in doing the path, the path won’t get done. Thānissaro Bhikkhu, “The Desire for Awakening” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

The Noble Truth of Pain By Annalisa Rakugo Castaldo What Zen has to say about the universal yet personal experience of pain. Read more »

Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - December 29, 2024 💌

 

"You start doing chanting as technique. You start to sing Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram. You start thinking it means, Honorable Ram, Hail Ram, Hail Hail Ram. Then after an hour you stop thinking about all of that and you are just singing it. You are realizing the aesthetic of the music and how beautiful it is. Then after a while it starts to go deeper until your heart is just singing, it’s singing from inside you. Then there’s a point where true Bhakti starts - where dualism ends and you become like the chant. You are in a space where it’s not emotional anymore. It’s moved into the deeper, intuitive quality of love. Touching that love leaves you with trust in the method and trust in where the method takes you—trust in the Beloved and trust in how you get there."

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