Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Mindfulness and Concentration: Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects and 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 mindfulness awakening factor is internally present, one is aware: “Mindfulness is present for me.” When mindfulness is not present, one is aware: “Mindfulness is not present for me.” When the arising of unarisen mindfulness occurs, one  is aware of that. And when the development and fulfillment of the arisen mindfulness awakening factor 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

Mindfulness is a mental state that comes and goes, like all mental states. Sometimes it arises and passes away on its own, and sometimes you “establish its presence” by putting forth energy with an intentional act of will. As your experience and skill in meditation increases, you will find it easier to arouse mindfulness, will it more often, and will find that it remains established for longer periods of time.

Daily Practice

The easiest way to notice the presence of mindfulness is in that instant when you become mindful after not being mindful. When mindfulness is established in your mind after being absent the moment before, you can best discern its texture and quality. That is harder to notice when mindfulness has slipped away. Practice noticing when your mind is wandering and gently guide it back to the breath.

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 due to equanimity. The concentrated mind is thus purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability. (MN 4)

Reflection

This state of mind is the culmination of the four stages of absorption and represents the consummation of the meditative enterprise of focused, one-pointed awareness. With the mind thus purified of its imperfections it is capable of seeing clearly, and by becoming "malleable" and "wieldy" it can be used as a tool to penetrate the many distortions and delusions that normally prevent us from understanding the true nature of things.

Daily Practice

Allow your Sunday sitting meditation to slowly and gently mellow into a profound state of equanimity. The mind is steady and bright but also imperturbable in the sense that there is nothing in your inner or outer experience that is going to evoke an episode of yearning or aversion. Equanimity is balance, an evenly hovering attention. Notice also in this passage that equanimity is said to be the means of purifying mindfulness.

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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Via Daily Dharma: Meditating, Not Controlling

Think of sitting on a beach and watching the waves come and go, the flatness of the horizon, and the way the clouds appear. Can you control them? Can you make the salt air different? What would happen if we approached meditation the same way?

Justin von Bujdoss, “Tilopa’s Six Nails”

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - May 15, 2022 💌

 
 

“Just listen to hear what the form of your dance is, and don’t be afraid to risk. And when it blows up, just go through the pain and get on with it. And you will find each relationship, you’re coming at it from a different place. There is growth through all of these experiences you’re having.” 

- Ram Dass -

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Intoxication

 

RIGHT LIVING
Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Intoxication

Intoxication is unhealthy. Refraining from intoxication is healthy. (MN 9) What are the imperfections that defile the mind? Negligence is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Knowing that negligence is an imperfection that defiles the mind, a person abandons it. (MN 7) One practices thus: “Others may become negligent by intoxication, but I will abstain from the negligence of intoxication.” (MN 8) One of the dangers attached to addiction to intoxicants is weakening of the intellect. (DN 31)

Reflection

Right living means understanding the things that cause us harm and directing our lives away from these things toward those that bring out our best and contribute to our well-being. Just as certain foods strengthen the body and others weaken it, so too certain things strengthen the mind and others weaken it. Negligence, for example, weakens the mind, while its opposite, diligence, strengthens it. Understanding this is important.

Daily Practice

See if you can identify the toxins in your life that weaken the mind, and then work toward reducing their influence. Many things can be toxic and intoxicating, including substances, activities, relationships, views, and emotional habits. Take an honest inventory of what you intuitively know to be harmful and helpful, and take steps to abandon the things that are toxic and cultivate those that are wholesome.

Tomorrow: Maintaining Arisen Healthy States
One week from today: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Effort: Maintaining Arisen Healthy States

RIGHT EFFORT
Maintaining Arisen Healthy States

Whatever a person frequently thinks about and ponders, that will  become the inclination of their mind. If one frequently thinks about and ponders healthy states, one has abandoned unhealthy states to cultivate healthy states, and then one’s mind inclines to healthy states. (MN 19) Here a person rouses the will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts the mind, and strives to maintain arisen healthy mental states. One maintains the arisen equanimity awakening factor. (MN 141)

Reflection

When you consistently cultivate healthy mental and emotional states your mind and heart become increasingly healthy. You do this partly by abandoning the states that are not healthy as they come up and partly by protecting and maintaining the healthy states that arise. When you feel generous, be more generous. When you are kind, become even kinder. When you care for someone, protect that caring intention.

Daily Practice

Equanimity is the culminating factor of the seven factors of awakening, the state to which the development of all the others leads. Whenever you notice you are highly attentive to something but are not caught in attaching to it if it's pleasurable or resisting it if it's painful, you have discovered a moment of equanimity. Feel what that is like and try to maintain that state in the ensuing mind moments.

Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects and the Fourth Jhāna
One week from today: Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States

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Via Daily Dharma: Practice Not-Doing

 Practicing not-doing means the causes and conditions that create many problems and struggles vanish. No solution needs to be found, no cure discovered, and no help is even necessary. That’s why the Buddhist tradition is grounded in not-doing—because so much of the suffering in the world could be entirely alleviated if we simply didn’t cause it.

Kimberly Brown, “What You’re Not Doing Matters”

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Social Action

 

RIGHT ACTION
Reflecting Upon Social Action

However the seed is planted, in that way the fruit is gathered. Good things come from doing good deeds, bad things come from doing bad deeds. (SN 11.10) What is the purpose of a mirror? For the purpose of reflection. So too social action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61) One reflects thus: “Others may think in unhealthy ways; I shall refrain from thinking in unhealthy ways.” (MN 8) One lives with companions in concord, with mutual appreciation, without disputing, blending like milk and water, viewing each other with kindly eyes. One practices thus: “I maintain mental acts of lovingkindness toward my companions both openly and privately.” (MN 31)

Reflection

The mental state of actively caring about someone and wishing them well is not to be taken for granted but is something to remind yourself of and practice doing often. The more seeds of kindness you plant, even with your thoughts alone, the more healthy fruit of goodwill and love you will reap. When these thoughts spill over into words and deeds expressing lovingkindness, all the better.

Daily Practice

Take on the task of consciously forming thoughts of lovingkindness toward your friends, family, and associates. Don’t just assume, “Of course I care for them,” but form an intention of goodwill toward them regularly and deliberately. This is the difference between your lovingkindness being just an idea and being an emotion that actively expresses itself in your heart on a consistent basis.

Tomorrow: Abstaining from Intoxication
One week from today: Reflecting upon Bodily Action

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Via Daily Dharma: Choosing Freedom

 We must actively renounce our sense of entitlement. We must want to be free more than we want to be right; choose what is instead of what we’d like. 

Vanessa Zuisei Goddard, “Pocket Paramis: Patience”

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