Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Mindfulness and Concentration: Establishing Mindfulness of Mind and the Third Jhāna

 

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RIGHT MINDFULNESS Establishing Mindfulness of Mind 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 mind is not composed, one is aware: “The mind is not composed”. . . One is just aware, just mindful: “There is mind.” And one abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)

Reflection With the third of the four foundations of mindfulness, or practices on which mindfulness can be established, we learn to notice the effect of various mental and emotional states on the way consciousness manifests in our experience. A composed mind consists of a moment of coherence, unity, tranquility, and internal harmony. Sometimes this happens, and sometimes it does not. Simply be aware when it does and does not. Daily Practice When observing the many changing mental states in your experience, it is important to avoid getting attached to them. This is particularly difficult with thoughts, which have rich content that can draw us into the story and away from an attitude of neutral observation. This is why the instruction to just be aware, to just be mindful, is so important. This keeps the mind moving forward and not clinging to anything. RIGHT CONCENTRATION Approaching and Abiding in the Third Phase of Absorption (3rd Jhāna) With the fading away of joy, one abides in equanimity. Mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure with the body, one enters upon and abides in the third phase of absorption, on account of which noble ones announce: “One has a pleasant abiding who has equanimity and is mindful.” (MN 4) One practices: “I shall breathe in concentrating the mind”;  one practices: “I shall breathe out concentrating 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 Way to the Cessation of Suffering One week from today: Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects and the Fourth 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: A Moment of Mindfulness

A Moment of Mindfulness

Every moment of mindfulness is also a moment of equanimity. It is not a disengagement from the object of awareness but rather a full and complete engagement with it. Andrew Oldendzki, “The Buddha’s Smile” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - July 30, 2023 💌

"One part of getting free, free into the soul or the witness, is the ability to stand back a little bit because now you are identified with being the witness rather than being the player, and thus you can see the play more clearly."

- Ram Dass -

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right View: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Way to the Cessation of Suffering

 

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RIGHT VIEW Understanding the Noble Truth of the Way to the Cessation of Suffering And what is the way leading to the cessation of suffering? It is just this noble eightfold path: that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. (MN 9) One who has perfected their ethical behavior sees no danger from any side, just as a king who has vanquished his enemies sees no danger from any side. One experiences in oneself the blameless happiness that comes from maintaining noble ethical behavior. (DN 2)

Reflection From the Buddhist point of view, our own toxic internal states are our greatest threat. The hostility, cruelty, and hatred we are capable of act as a poison corroding our hearts from within, just as the craving, attachment, and grasping tendencies within us obscure our ability to see clearly and do what is best for us. The way to end suffering is to walk a path that relies on upright ethical conduct as a shield against these threats.    Daily Practice It is just as important to acknowledge our victories over our harmful inner tendencies as it is to be aware of our failures. It is okay to feel good about doing good. Allow yourself to feel the power of a commitment to honesty or a dedication to justice or a refusal to participate in harmful behavior. It is natural to feel happiness when behaving ethically, and you are encouraged to relish the healthy states that come from positive actions. Tomorrow: Cultivating Equanimity One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Effort: Developing Unarisen Healthy States

 

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RIGHT EFFORT Developing Unarisen 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 develop the arising of unarisen healthy mental states. One develops the unarisen awakening factor of energy. (MN 141)

Reflection Energy is a word with many different meanings in English. Here it refers to a mental state that may or may not co-arise with other mental states. Its presence or absence determines how much effort we put into whatever we are doing in any given moment. Energy levels can be adjusted by intention. Sometimes we need to put more effort into what we are doing; sometimes we need to back off and stop trying so hard. Daily Practice Since our concern here is developing healthy states, working with energy is a means of supporting such things as practicing when you don't feel like it, being patient when your impulses are urging otherwise, and looking more closely at a situation to see where the wisdom is to be found in it. Think of energy as an impersonal factor you can either dial up or dial down, depending on the situation. Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Mind and Abiding in the Third Jhāna One week from today: Maintaining Arisen Healthy States 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: Being a Patient Patient

 

Being a Patient Patient

Patience is key to your mental health when you are physically ill. It is one of the few virtues you can actively cultivate when your body ceases to cooperate. Shozen Jack Haubner, “Expiration Date” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures

 

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RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures Sensual misconduct is unhealthy. Refraining from sensual misconduct is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning sensual misconduct, one abstains from misbehaving among sensual pleasures. (MN 41) One practices thus: “Others may engage in sensual misconduct, but I will abstain from sensual misconduct.” (MN 8) Odors cognizable by the nose are of two kinds: those to be cultivated and those not to be cultivated. Such odors as cause, in one who cultivates them, unhealthy states to increase and healthy states to diminish, such odors are not to be cultivated. But such odors as cause, in one who cultivates them, unhealthy states to diminish and healthy states to increase, such odors are to be cultivated. (MN 114)

Reflection The point here is not that some things smell good and some smell bad. Rather it is that some odors provoke unhealthy states in us and some incline us toward healthy states. As usual, the emphasis is on the mental and emotional response to sensory input and not on the quality of that data. The key is to avoid the tendency for the odor to give rise to craving, either craving for more pleasure or craving for pain to go away. Daily Practice Here you have another invitation to abide in your experience with equanimity, to be acutely aware of something, in this case an odor, without being driven by that information into responding with attraction or aversion. Smells are a good way to practice equanimity, since it is so easy to observe the mind being automatically hijacked by pleasure or displeasure into liking or not liking the smell. Tomorrow: Developing Unarisen Healthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Intoxication Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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