Chapter 11 - Right Mindfulness Flashcards
define:
Right Mindfulness
3
- energy that brings us back to present moment
- finding ways to sustain appropriate attention throughout the day
- accepts everything without judging or reacting, it’s inclusive and loving
enumerate:
Seven Miracles of Mindfulness
- to be present and able to touch deeply
- to make the other present, also
- to nourish object of attention
- to relieve the other’s suffering
- to look deeply
- to understand
- to transform
exemplify:
to be present and able to touch deeply
1st Miracle of Mindfulness
ex: blue sky, beloved, child’s smile
explain:
to make the other present also
2nd Miracle of Mindfulness
- both you and other (beloved,blue sky, flower etc) are here together truly, not just a daydream
explain:
to nourish object of attention
3rd Miracle of Mindfulness
2
- without appropriate attention how can we say we love?
- to not give attention to beloved is a kind of killing
“I know you are here beside me and it makes me very happy”
explain:
to relieve the other’s suffering
4th Miracle of Mindfulness
3
- “I am here for you” = make self and other present at same time
- just a look can say it
- to love means to nourish the other with appropriate attention
“I know you are there and your presence is precious to me”
explain:
to look deeply and shine light on object and self together
5th Miracle of Mindfulness
3
- being calm and concentrated means really being there, ready for deep looking
- we shine the light of mindfulness on the object of our attention and at the same time on yourself
- see object of attention and storehouse of precious gems all at once
explain:
to understsand, the very foundation of love
6th Miracle of Mindfulness
- by understanding, we cannot help but love
explain:
to transform, determined to escape samsara
7th Miracle of Mindfulness
2
- touching healing and refreshing elements of life we begin to transform our and world’s suffering
- transforming a habit energy stops samsara
ex: smoking cessation
enumerate:
Four Establishments of Mindfuless
- Body in Body
- Feelings in Feelings
- Mind in Mind
- Objects of Mind in Objects of Mind
explain:
Mindfulness of the Body in the Body
1st Establishment of Mindfulness
4
- note all body’s positions and movements
- mere recognition
- practice: body scan / deep relaxation recognising 52 parts of the body
- see 4 Elements (earth, water, fire, air) inside and outside body and belonging to same reality - “we are everywhere”
explain:
Mindfulness of the Feelings in the Feelings
2nd Establishment of Mindfulness
5
- knowing if pleasant - unpleasant - neutral
- our feelings are us
- call feelings by their true names
- love all feelings unconditionally as a mother does her child, keep saying “hello”
- when our feelings are stronger than our mindfulness, we suffer
explain:
Mindfulness of the Mind in the Mind
3rd Establishment of Mindfulness
4
- awareness of mental formations
- practise mere recognition when mental formations do arise
- also acknowledge their impermanence and interbeing/non-self
- store consciousness is in fact mind consciousness at a deeper level (not separate)
explain:
Mindfulness of Objects of Mind in Objects of Mind
4th Establishment of Mindfulness
6
- all mental formations need an object
ex: anger at someone or something - 5 kinds of meditation for calming the mind
- 18 Elements make universe’s existence possible
- seeing their substance and their source, we go beyond ignorance and fears
- investigation of objects of mind is one of 7 Factors of Awakening
- 6+6+3 realms, Meditation on the 2 Realms
describe:
Form Realm
- meditative state of concentration in which material things are somewhat subtle
describe:
Formless Realm
- meditative state of concentration in which material things are very subtle
describe:
Conditioned Realm
- birth, death, before, after, inner, outer, small, big
- historical dimension
- “wave”
NB: water and wave inseparable
describe:
Unconditioned Realm
3
- no coming, no going, no after, no before
- ultimate dimension
- “water”
NB: water and wave inseparable
enumerate:
2 Kinds of Happiness
- true happiness
- deceptive happiness
describe:
True Happiness
- of benefit for self and others, nourishing both
describe:
Deceptive Happiness
- brings temporary pleasure and helps us forget our suffering, but not of lasting benefit and can sometimes be harmful
ex: cigarettes, alcohol
enumerate:
Five Kinds of Meditation for Calming the Mind
- counting the breath
- observing interdependent arising
- observing impurity
- observing with love and compassion
- observing the different realms (6+6+6+3+M2)
enumerate:
Six Realms
- happiness
- suffering
- joy
- anxiety
- letting go
- ignorance
enumerate:
Six realms - another list
- craving
- freedom from craving
- anger
- absence of anger
- harming
- non-harming
Three Further Realms
- Desire Realm
- Form Realm
- Formless Realm
produced by mind and relate to material world
enumerate:
Six Elements
- earth
- water
- fire
- air
- space
- consciousness
4 Great Elements + 2
enumerate:
Eighteen Elements
6 x 3
eye - forms - seeing
ears - sound - hearing
nose - smell - smelling
tongue - taste - tasting
body - touch - touching
mind - object of mind - mind consciousness
Desire Realm
2
- material things present in grossest form
- humans do not meditate here
Mere Recognition
- mindfulness that comes through labelling our actions and our experiences
ex: agitation arises -> “I am agitated”
ex: walking -> “I know I am walking”
What’s another way to penetrate the Eighteen Elements according to the Buddha?
2
- observe all six elements/ all physical phenomena/ earth + water + fire + air + space + consciousness inside and around us
- see we are not separate from the universe
insight: we are free from birth and death
Counting to 10
- concentration practice
- 1/1, 2/2 —> 10/10 and back to 1/1
What’s another name for the objects of mind in Buddhism?
- dharmas
What is anxiety’s primary cause?
- inability to dwell in the present moment
Which of the Six Elements does the in-out-deep-slow practice put us in touch with?
- air element, in us
What does letting go give us that also happens to be the only condition for happiness?
- Freedom
NB: If in our heart we still cling to anything, eg anger, anxiety or possessions, we cannot be free
Which practices does the Tale of Kieu caution us to observe?
3
- Present moment awareness
- Active concentration
- Right mindfulness
“If we do not live deeply this moment, it will only be a dream”
What could the image of a cool lake represent?
4
- mind absent of craving, anger or harming
- practising Right Mindfulness is like jumping in on a hot day!
- …nothing to add or subtract
- …just need to be aware
if mind has craving, anger, harming - it’s like a house on fire
What is a literal translation of smriti?
- remembering
What happens if we look deeply into craving?
- we see we already have what we crave, because everything is already a part of everything else
Why is suffering essential for our happiness?
2
- if we look deeply into the thing that causes us suffering, it may be the very thing that we need to restore our happiness
- knowing the suffering of being cold allows us to enjoy being warm
Why are we only part-time Buddhas?
- a Buddha is mindful all day long!
Three Contemplations
- interdependence
- impermanence
- compassion
What do the Three Contemplations help us to do?
on interdependence, impermanence and compassion
2
- arrive at liberation from narrow views
- obtain fearlessness and great compassion
explain:
Contemplation on Interdependence
3
- deep looking into all dharmas (phenomena)
- in order to pierce through to their real nature
- in order to see that the great body of reality is indivisible and cannot be cut into pieces of separate existences
Which realms does the Meditation on the Two Realms refer to?
- Conditioned Realm
- Unconditioned Realm
How can we understand the practice of meditating to see the interbeing of subject and object?
a.k.a. Contemplation of the Interbeing of Subject and Object
4
- Contemplation of the Interbeing of Subject and Object is also the Contemplation of the Mind
- Mindfulness of Breathing practice: breathing IS mind
- Mindfulness of Body practice: body IS mind
- Mindfulness of Objects Outside Self = these are mind
NB: subject of knowledge cannot exist without object of knowledge, ex: to see or to hear is to see or to hear something
What are the two levels of the Seven Miracles of Mindfulness?
- 1-4 = stopping
- 5-7 = looking deeply
explain:
Six Elements
4 Great Elements + Space and Consciousnes
2
- observed inside and around us, we see that we are not separate from the universe
- this insight frees us from the idea of birth and death
Do objects of our visual perception exist inside or outside of us?
3
- neither and both
- these are us
- same with feelings, objects of our mental perception
