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 walking, one is aware: "I am walking."… One is just aware, just mindful: "There is a body." And one abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)

Reflection As we gain the ability to be mindful of the body while breathing in and out, experiencing the entire body and stilling its activities, it becomes natural to extend this capacity for awareness to other normal activities. One of these is walking, and the point is not to get somewhere but to be entirely attentive to what it feels like to walk. Every step is an exercise in non-attachment, in not clinging to anything in the world. Daily Practice Spend some time in formal walking meditation. You can go for a walk and practice heightened awareness to the experience, but in formal walking meditation you walk slowly back and forth for 10 or 15 paces in each direction. This frees you from any concern about navigation, obstacles, or distractions, allowing the mind to focus entirely on the flow of physical sensations that come with slowly lifting, moving, and placing the foot with each step. 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) When one sees oneself purified of all these unhealthy states and thus liberated from them, gladness is born. When one is glad, joy is born; in one who is joyful, the body becomes tranquil; one whose body is tranquil feels pleasure; in one who feels pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated. (MN 40) Reflection The English word concentration conjures up a sense of deliberate effort, wherein you force yourself to pay attention or to concentrate. While the appropriate application of energy is required, the Buddhist texts talk about concentration as something you relax into naturally, rather than something you force yourself to do through discipline. This sets a very different tone, and makes the practice of concentration more appealing. Daily Practice We are used to noticing when we are vexed or afflicted in some way, and are less likely to notice when we are free from distress and feeling good. Try to reverse this today, and notice the times when the mind is free, if only for a moment, from any uncomfortable mental or emotional states. In short, feel good about feeling good when you feel good, and allow yourself to be glad when the mind is clear. 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: Sorrow Leads Us to Love

 Any time we feel sorrow, any time we are touched by the suffering of another being, we reconnect with our own beating heart and the quality of lovingkindness.

Judy Lief, “Welcome to the Real World”

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - March 26, 2023 💌

 
 

You exist on many planes simultaneously at this moment. The only reason you don't know of your other identities is because you're so attached to this one. But this one or that one, don't get lost, don't stick anywhere. It's just more stuff. Go for broke -- awake totally. 

- Ram Dass -

Life's a F***ing Fantasy for Santos - A Randy Rainbow Parody

Via 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 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 doubt. (MN 141)

Reflection The fifth of the five hindrances is doubt. This is not the healthy skepticism that encourages us to think for ourselves and not take anything on hearsay. It is the debilitating doubt wherein we are unsure of ourselves and unclear about whether the practice we are doing is well taught or we are practicing it correctly. These sorts of doubts hinder our progress and are better replaced by their opposite, trust and confidence. Daily Practice See if you can give some attention to the quality of mind that presents itself when you are doubtful about something and, alternatively, when you are trusting of something. The point is not so much whether the doubt or trust is justified or not, or right or wrong, but rather the effect such attitudes have on the workings of consciousness. Self-doubt in particular undermines the mind, while confidence promotes energy. 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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Via Be Here Now Network // Pilgrim Heart

  Krishna Das – Pilgrim Heart – Ep. 133 – Infinite Life with Dr. Robert Thurman
March 24, 2023

“Human beings are such a precious embodiment…it’s a great opportunity to become enlightened  That’s what you do when you attain freedom. You don’t stop...

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Via Daily Dharma: Be Thrifty with Awareness

Awareness itself is the primary currency of the human condition, and as such it deserves to be spent carefully.

Andrew Olendzki, “Busy Signal”

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Via The Ethicist: My fundamentalist parents won’t accept my marriage. Should I cut ties?

 

Via Don’t Miss These Must-See Buddhist Short Films

 

Support Tricycle with a donation » March 25, 2023 5 Films Documenting Buddhism Around the World Every year, a crop of young seekers and adventurers have their first encounters with the dharma while backpacking through the Himalayas and visiting Buddhist monasteries. Buddha Path Hostel, the 2021 short film, tells the story of Maya, a young dissatisfied city dweller who ends up at a Himalayan monastery searching for peace of mind. Along the way, she encounters a series of challenges and obstacles—and a monk to help her find the wisdom hidden within her struggles. As he teaches her about suffering and the way out of suffering, she must test herself to see if she can overcome the conditions in her own life that have led to her unhappiness.  Buddha Path Hostel is one of five Buddhist short films screening this month as part of Tricycle’s annual Buddhist Short Film Festival. The other films in this year’s selection document the communal traditions of a rural village in Thailand, the life of a trekking guide in Kathmandu, and a look inside the mind of an inspiring LGBTQ activist turned monastic. As a Tricycle subscriber, you have access to the lineup of all five films through March 31! Watch them 24/7 from the comfort of home.   Watch now »   Also this week: Don’t miss Tricycle’s second annual Buddhism and Ecology Summit! Sign up free to join conversations and practice sessions with leading Buddhist teachers, writers, and environmental activists.  The Dharma of Relationships:The Paramis in Action starts in April! Watch a free preview video to discover how the paramis can bring greater wisdom and compassion to your closest connections.  March’s Dharma Talk from Thanissaro Bhikkhu explores how to work skillfully with anger and the situations that provoke it.  Wake up to Buddhist wisdom with Tricycle’s new Daily Dharma app—now available for iPhone and Android.  Buddhist Short Film Festival Now Streaming This week is your last chance to tune in to the 2023 Buddhist Short Film Festival! Enjoy five short films, hand picked by Tricycle’s editors, now through March 31.  Watch now »

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