To recap for those whose may be just joining in, and for those who have been following along these past few months, please read Part 13 of this series, “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”. Part 13 provides a good summary of the first three of the four practices I have been writing about. Part 14 introduces the question, and offers various reflections on the differences between the terms bare attention, mindfulness, and clear comprehension. Regrettably I don’t think Part 14 is as clear as it could be.

Part 15 is an attempt to simplify the question of the differences between these terms by focusing solely on a definition and practical examples of bare attention.

In this section Part 16 I will continue the effort to simplify and clarify my comments on the terms bare attention, mindfulness, and clear comprehension.

Nyanaponika Thera wrote a book about “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” (Sutta 22) entitled “The Heart of Buddhist Meditation”. His book emphasizes the approach to this meditation developed by certain teachers from Burma as popularized by Mahasi Sayadaw of the 20th century. It is important to note this is only one view of how to engage the practices in “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”.  For example, the views of Buddhist teachers of Thailand who speak to this Sutta are often quite different. It is also important to note that some of the comments and perspectives in Nyanaponika Thera’s book are corrupted by a certain chauvinistic approach to Buddhism that is just as distasteful as chauvinistic approaches to the Bible which are offered by certain Christian teachers. Furthermore, some of his more pointed comments may simply be wrong. More on this at another time.

Having noted these exceptions, I want to also affirm that his way of defining bare attention, mindfulness, and clear comprehension seems the most clear, at least to me. Despite the flaws of the book, it is also clear he has a profound understanding of Buddhist meditation and a passionate care for the well being of humanity and all that live in this world.

Regrettably, I did have to read the book 3 times before I could really perceive what he was actually saying. However perseverance often brings rewards.

Nyanaponika Thera sees mindfulness (also referred to as Right Mindfulness) as a term that has two aspects. Bare attention is the first aspect. Clear comprehension is the second. For me, seeing mindfulness as the general, over-arching term and understanding there are two specific aspects of how to apply mindfulness has helped clarify my understanding of the three terms. Suffice it to say other venerable teachers have their own variations on these points, but having one good set of definitions and working understandings is enough for me at present.

Bare attention (see Part 15 of this series) notes the bare facts of what one is perceiving.

While practicing bare attention one is simply making a brief mental note about what is observed. In the first practice of the “Four Foundations of Mindfulness” it might be making a mental note “seeing” or “hearing” or “contact by touch” or “smelling” or “tasting” or “thought”. If a sense impression gives rise to “I like this” or “I don’t like this” or “I have no strong impression about this” a mental note is made to that fact and then one returns to just noting sense impressions. The mind is open and receptive. The mind is neither trying to block impressions from arising, nor is it allowing the mind to get carried away in various evaluations, judgements or actions. One is simply trying to stay focused on naming individual impressions as they appear and pass. Bare attention is focused solely on the microseconds of present experience without elaboration or interpretation or reaction. For a side note bare attention is synonymous with choiceless awareness although it may be used in slightly different ways in different contexts.

The practice of bare attention can also be done and needs to be done with regards to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th practices of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”. But comments on these applications will have to wait until I convert these blog notes into a workshop.

As noted above, clear comprehension is the second aspect of mindfulness. When one is practicing clear comprehension they are calling to mind basic teachings of Buddhism and then applying them to understand and process phenomena as phenomena arises and passes away. In this way clear comprehension actively engages the memory as well as the cognitive processing functions of analysis, discernment, and response.

I will see if I can get permission from the publisher of “Nyanaponika Thera’s book, “The Heart of Buddhist Meditation” to use his exact quotes. Until then the above paraphrases will need to suffice.

It is in the fourth practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” where clear comprehension is applied. In general, the first three practices are just different foci for the application of bare attention and noting.

The first section of the 4th practice begins with the application of bare attention to note if one the five hindrances are present or are absent. The five hindrances spoken about in the “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” (the 22nd Sutta) are: greed, anger, fear and restlessness, torpor, and doubt.

But the bulk of work in the fourth practice is the application of clear comprehension in this general sequence:

First there is an active engagement of the memory as one calls to mind what one has learned about a proper understanding of Right View, Right Action, Right Effort and related teachings. Endeavoring to gain a working understanding of these core teachings is a preparation step needed before one engages “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”.

Second there is an active engagement of the cognitive functions of investigation and analysis into the causes that lead to arising of hindrances and the causes that facilitate their dispersal. This is followed by a third step as one seeks to apply right effort to actually disperse the hindrance and the causes of the hindrance.

In short:

What are the causes that led to the arising of the hindrance? Then, what are the skillful means to respond to help clear the mind of the hindrance so it is no longer a source of stress. In Buddhist practice, and the practices of other religions, there are a variety of skillful means you can apply when greed, anger, or fear is present. These skillful means will lower the stress level caused by these afflictive emotions by addressing the underlying causes that gave rise to the hindrance in the first place. More on these skillful means will be presented in the posts over the next few weeks.

The final stage of the practice of clear comprehension is to gain the insight needed to prevent eruptions of the hindrance from arising in the future. This general process is to seek to understand the fundamental cause that leads to the arising of all of the hindrances. The goal is to gain the decisive insights with sufficient clarity and apply them with sufficient skill so the hindrances no longer arise in the future. This elevated stage of awareness and skill is the ultimate goal of all practice. For a practical recap:

In the context of the 4th practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” one uses bare attention to note “greed has arisen within me” or “anger has arisen within me” or “fear and restlessness has arisen within me” or “torpor or sluggishness of mind has arisen with me” or “doubt as to the truth of the teachings” has arisen within me” or words to similar effect. In bare attention there is no judgement that these experiences have arisen. One does not say, “I am a bad meditator or a bad person,” because I am angry or afraid etc. Neither does one act on, let alone over-react to, the anger, fear, or doubt and the other hindrances. One simply notices that the experience has come up.

After the above noting has been made, the work of clear comprehension is applied to understand why this hindrance has arisen and how can you work to shape and mold your experience in such a way that the hindrance is dispersed. After you have learned to do this, the final stage of practice is to delve deeper to understand what you need to know so this hindrance, and the others, do not arise again.

Once the hindrance has passed, whether it is a minute or a month later, one returns to the practice of bare attention to note, “greed is absent within me” or “anger is absent with me”, or “fear has passed” etc. One also makes this note without judgement but rather to observe the experience of greed, anger, fear, torpor, or doubt being absent.

With this clarification of the definitions of bare attention and clear comprehension as two aspects of the proper application of mindfulness, I can proceed next week to more detailed reflections on the fourth practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”.

Please email or call with any questions or constructive criticisms. If you wish your response to be published on the site it will be. If not I can respond with a private note.

Will Raymond will@meditationpractice.com   774-232-0884

Author of the Simple Path of Holiness

Host of MeditationPractice.com

To recap for those whose may be just joining in, and for those who have been following along these past few months, please read the post from 10-6-13 which is Part 13 of this series “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”. Part 13 provides a good summary of the first three of the four practices I have been writing about. Part 14 introduces the question, and offers various reflections on the difference between the terms bare attention, mindfulness, and clear comprehension.

The differences between these terms are more important than semantic hair-splitting.

Understanding the differences between these terms and the different ways they are applied is an important prelude to how one uses different tools of practice at different points of practice. Looking back at Part 14, though, I can see I attempted to cover too much ground and that I may have further muddied the waters, rather than cleared them.

If you do read Part 14 and have questions, please just send me an email or call and I will be glad to discuss the questions you have. In the meantime I want to see what I can do to simplify the descriptions of bare attention, mindfulness, and clear comprehension.

As noted in earlier posts of this series, one need not be a Buddhist to study these Buddhist approaches to meditation. These basic practices can easily be adapted to your current beliefs whether you are one who believes in God, one who does not, or one who is not sure what to believe.

It is easiest to think of bare attention on the context of the five senses: touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell. In terms of Buddhist descriptions of the senses the mind is the 6th sense. But commenting on how to apply bare attention to the mind as the 6th sense might only confuse things for the present. This is an important subject to return to at a later time but for now let’s just focus on applying bare attention to the impressions arising in the mind from the five senses.

The first way to think of bare attention is that it is a simple noting of the first micromoments when a new impression arises in the mind. Bare attention in this application is an attempt to see the difference between the initial sense impression as compared with the later stages of feelings, labels, concepts, memories, judgements, thoughts, and reactions that arise from the sense impression.

The goal is to stop at this very first link in the chain of arising experience.

For example, you see several people whom you know walking down the street. The impression arises from sight, or possibly sound if you hear them talking. The mental note is “seeing” or “seeing and hearing”. The words you use are up to you. What is important is to see if you can stop before the next stage of experience arises where you think, reflexively within yourself, “I like these people”, or “I don’t like these people”, or “I don’t have much of an impression about who these people are”.  See also if you can pause before memory is activated and kicks in with the name…”Oh that is Peter, or Juan, or Monica.”

See if you can pause before you notice and subjective thoughts like, “O that person is Caucasian”, or “That person is “African American”, or that person seems poor, or that person seems to be wealthy. Or that person is attractive or that person is quite homely.

See if you maintain a disciplined focus on just the bare facts of the initial sense impression: “seeing” or “people”.

See if you can forego the usual proliferation of feelings, labels, names, thoughts, and judgements etc., which naturally arise from sense impressions when the mind and memory and feelings and language faculties of the mind are fully triggered and engaged.

Please do not think that I am saying this is some easy thing to do. What I am saying is that it is possible to develop the acuity of mind to restrain the tendency of the mind to proliferate from initial impressions into feelings of “like”, “dislike”, or “neutral” and all the steps or perception that follow after that.

If the sense impression does give rise to a feeling, or the name of the object you are seeing comes to mind (as it most probably will) then the following step can be taken:

Apply bare attention to the feeling and simply note “feeling has arisen within me” or “feeling of like” or “feeling of dislike” or “neutral feeling has arisen in me”. Then return to the bare attention of whatever sense impression might be present at the moment. The limiting of bare attention to sense impressions in the nano-seconds before feelings, thoughts, and desires arise in the mind is a primary application of bare attention. Making a bare mental note of feelings, thoughts, and desires that do arise and then returning back to a bare noticing of sense impressions as soon as you are able is another application of bare attention. Bare attention can also be applied to the other practices of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”. But those details need to wait until later posts. The means described above offer a good beginning to this practice.

If you are meditating with your eyes closed the predominant impressions will most likely be related to sensations of the breath or the body, all of which tend to be touch impressions. On occasion the sense impression might be the sounds outside the center, or the sound of someone on the meditation class coughing or breathing too loudly etc., or the sound of the teacher offering some guided meditation.

While you are on retreat, the process can continue as you get up from the cushion or chair but generally on a more selective and less detailed basis. When you return to the active hours of your life, the application of bare attention can continue as you go through the day, but the practice will be even more selective as you go to work and discharge the other responsibilities and activities of everyday living. But when possible slow the process of perception down. Look closely when a new sense impression arises. See the arising or a feeling or “I like” or “I don’t like” or “I have no strong reaction” arises. See if you can catch the swiftly moving river of perception to notice that your memory digs up the distinguishing characteristics of the object and then applies a name or general label to it.

Regrettably, my ongoing studies to understand the differences between bare attention, mindfulness, and clear comprehension continue to proceed slowly. I am surprised how differently various writers define these terms. They also suggest variations on how to apply various aspects of these tools to meditation practice.

But the above definition of bare attention is a good working definition. I will have to spend more time understanding how different teachers define the similarities and differences between bare attention, mindfulness, and clear comprehension. I will also have to spend more time understanding how different teachers apply these tools in the context of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”.

I do wish this was simpler process. But a detailed comparative study of Nyanaponika Thera’s book “The Heart of Buddhist Meditation, Venerable Analayo’s work “Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization”, B Alan Wallace’s notes in a Tricycle article (spring 2008), and Joseph Goldstein’s commentary on CD is a valuable process. I understand there probably is no single correct set of definitions or process of application. Nevertheless, as arcane as this inquiry may appear to be, I can tell I certainly am learning a great deal by studying the varying nuances and practice instructions of these very competent scholars and teachers.

More next week

Please call or email with any questions or constructive criticisms.

Will Raymond  774-232-0884  or will@meditationpractice.com 

Author of “The Simple Path of Holiness”

Host of MeditationPractice.com

To recap for those whose may be just joining in, and for those who have been following along these past few months,  before reading this post, please note the blog from 10-6-13 which is Part 13 of this series “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”. Part 13 of this series provides a good summary of the first three of the four practices I have been writing about.

As noted in earlier posts of this series, one need not be a Buddhist to study these Buddhist approaches to meditation. These basic practices can easily be adapted to your current beliefs whether you are one who believes in God, one who does not, or one who is not sure what to believe.

I did not realize when I started writing an introduction to “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” how vast a subject it is. It is easy to see how one could misunderstand how much material there is to work with. The Sutta, which is #22 of “The Long Discourses of the Buddha”, is only 15 pages long (Wisdom Publications translated by Maurice Walshe).

While the subject matter is profound this Sutta is not a dense read and can be read in one or two sessions. But what was not so evident to me at first is the fact that these fifteen pages cover almost all of the Buddhist teachings in condensed form.

There are several modern commentaries that write about this Sutta at length. The writers are all very senior monks or lay teachers with excellent scholarly skills and are very skillful practitioners of the teachings in this Sutta.

“The Heart of Buddhist Meditation” by Nyanaponika Thera, “The Direct Path of Realization” by Venerable Analayo, and the recorded talks of Joseph Goldstein are the three works I have studied closely in addition to a careful read of the Sutta itself. I believe Joseph Goldstein will soon publish a book on the subject. I look forward to reading it very much. An interview with Alan Wallace from Tricycle (Spring 2008 Page 60) is also quite informative on the differences between Mindfulness and Bare Attention.

Each of these authors offer important insights. Each of these books, in my opinion, also skips over some key aspects of actual practices of this Sutta. Perhaps they assume a person is reading their book in the context of regular personal interviews with a skilled teacher who could fill in the gaps. That certainly is an appropriate assumption. Perhaps they feel the subject is so basic that most people understand more quickly than I do as to what they are saying. In this regard, I realize my slowness is not a basis for criticizing their well-regarded work. Still, I was often left confused about how to actually engage the practices or understand the philological studies and definitions they present.

One example of the issues that surfaced for me is this: In Nyanaponika Thera’s book “The Heart of Buddhist Meditation” (Samuel Weiser Inc.) he devotes a significant amount of time making the distinction between Bare Attention and Clear Knowing (See chapter 2). It is a focus on a better understanding of what Bare Attention is and how to engage this practice, at least in preliminary form, that is the subject of this blog post. (Of course I realize this blog post is, like all my others, much too long. Thanks to anyone who perseveres with this process where I am working through certain questions by writing about them. At some point I will need to simplify this series and cast it into a separate book).

Here are some quotes from Nyanaponika Thera’s book:

“Bare Attention is the clear and single-minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us at the successive moments of perception.”  (page 30)

“Bare attention consists in a bare and exact registering of the object.” (page 32)

“Bare attention is concerned with only the present” (page 40)

From the various descriptions, I gather that Bare Attention is a process of making a brief, general mental note about the phenomena being experienced. One makes a bare observation shorn of interpretations, if possible, and a brief mental note about what is arising in the mind. But how exactly is one to make this note. How does the noting process change when focused on sense impressions, for example as distinct from feelings or desires?

Nyanaponika Thera touches briefly on what system of noting to use but does not further delineate the specific details of the mental noting system.  Venerable Analayo, unless I missed something, also does not go into any detail of the specific mechanics of mental noting to be developed. More importantly, how to engage Bare Attention in each of the different practices of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” is not, in my opinion, as clearly delineated as one might hope. This is important because at some point Bare Attention gives way to Clear Comprehending as the primary way of processing the material noted. This is especially the case regarding the fourth practice.

Joseph Goldstein’s comments on the specifics of Bare Attention in the talks I heard were more extensive and I could gain a better sense of the specific ways he uses the mental-noting in his mindfulness practice. But at key points in his presentation I found his comments a bit hard to follow. This is unfortunate as I feel his commentary on this Sutta, is among the clearest and most accessible of anything written on the subject.

One source for extensive commentary on a system of mental-note making can be found in “Living Dharma” by Jack Kornfield (Shambhala) pages 55-66. These pages cite comments from his profile on Mahasi Sayadaw who is a pivotal figure in the 20th century revival of the Burmese approach to “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”. The system Mahasi Sayadaw uses for making mental notes is very extensive but may be so detailed as to be quite intimidating or overwhelming to many who are new to practice. Certainly, he does say this is used mostly for intensive practice while on retreat and that it needs to be attenuated for practice in everyday life.

Many may feel the subject is too arcane for serious reflection and study. But for me that is not the case. Often knowing the nuts and bolts details of a practice allows me to better understand how to actually engage a practice, especially one as subtle yet profound as the use of Bare Attention in the various stages of “The Four Foundations of Practice”.

I will continue to search for simple clear ways to discuss this issue as we continue to reflect on the first three practices, and as we prepare for the work of the fourth practice. I will continue to search for ways to understand the differences between Bare Attention and Clear Comprehending and Mindfulness.

For now the following is an interim solution as to how one can view and engage the practice of Bare Attention. This approach is far from perfect, but one which at least provides a bit of clarity and useful direction until a more comprehensive articulation can be developed.

When a new sense impression arises in the mind, you can make the general note, sight, or sound, or taste, or touch, or smell. Take a moment to notice that very, very quickly the label or name of that object is fetched from memory as to what the specific sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell is. This happens so fast it is likely you will not see any time between the moment the sense impression first arises in the mind, and the time that you remember what it is and apply the appropriate label, i.e. to name the phenomena in question.

But one of the first ways to approach the practice of Bare Attention is to begin to realize there is a gap between when a sense impression first arises in the mind and the time it takes the mind to remember the label or name and apply it. The practice of Bare Attention will allow you to see this process as a series of stages each of which you can study with care.

For some examples: I am walking down the street. I see someone. It is someone I know. Their name is Steve or Susan. Before the name of the person is re-cognized, I make the mental note: “seeing.”

I am sitting in a meditation center in the city. I hear something. I know it is a siren. Before I re-cognize that the sound is indeed a siren, I make the mental note: “hearing”.

I walk through the food court of a mall. I smell something. I know it is the smell from Cinnabon. Before I re-cognize that the smell is a cinnamon roll, probably from Cinnabon, I make the mental-note: “smelling”.

One can further refine the practice in this way. One can see even that making a note seeing, or hearing, or smelling is a cognition. Even making this general a distinction indicates the discriminating and remembering mind has been engaged. After all the mind has determined which of the five senses has been engaged with sensory input. Is this really Bare Attention?

One could simply make the more general note: “sense impression”. This note distinguishes that a sense impresion is different from feeling, or thought, or general state-of-mind. But, is this really Bare Attention?

Still one can further refine the practice in this way. Even making a note distinguishing a sense impression from a feeling or a thought or a general state-of-mind is a cognition. Is it not an indication the discriminating and remembering mind has been engaged? After all the mind has noted the difference, and named the difference, between a sense impression and either a feeling, or a thought, or a general state-of-mind. Is this really Bare Attention?

One can further refine the practice in this way. One can suspend all language-based mental-noting and labeling and discursive thought. One can simply dwell in a state of open wordless awareness. This seems to me to be Bare Attention though I am sure the earlier preparatory stages of practice also are covered by the term.

In this way I believe I can see that one way to engage Bare Attention is through a series of  progressive refinements. The noting becomes more and more general as the focus of the mind becomes more and more finely honed and less and less specific discriminations are made. The goal being that the mind settles into a very concentrated state of wordless, calm and tranquility. This concentrated state of mind is another central feature of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”.

The question of how to define Bare Attention as compared to Clear Seeing, and Mindfulness is a good one. It was from a question from the friend who helps with the proof-reading of this blog that the importance of the question was clarified to me.

I am very grateful for her efforts and for this interesting question .

Please call or email with questions or corrections you may have. I am glad to know what your thoughts on these subjects are.

Will Raymond 774-232-0884  will@meditationpractice.com

Author of the Simple Path of Holiness

Host of MeditationPractice.com

The phrase “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” is an English translation of the “Satipatthana Sutta”. This is the 22nd Sutta from the “Long Discourses of the Buddha”. The translation I am working with is the one by Maurice Walshe which is published by Wisdom Publications. These are among the oldest Buddhist writings of the Theravada Buddhist tradition, which in turn is the oldest form of Buddhism we have knowledge of. Tibetan and Zen Buddhism are much later variations of Theravada Buddhism.

As noted in earlier parts of this series, one need not be a Buddhist to study these Buddhist approaches to meditation. These basic practices can easily be adapted to your current beliefs whether you are one who believes in God, one who does not, or one who is not sure what to believe.

To recap for those whose may be just joining in, and for those who have been following along these past few months, the first three practices of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” are:

1) Mindfulness of Bodily Sensations which is defined as those phenomena that arise from the body’s sensory systems of sight, sound, touch, smell, or taste. This includes the observation of the bodily sensations arising from the breathing process which is one of the most common introductory practices of Buddhism.

2) Mindfulness of three basic feelings: satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and neutral or non-descript feelings. There is an important distinction made between whether these feelings are arising from experiences that arise from sensory experiences and self-centered thoughts or whether these feelings arise from non-sensory experiences and selfless thoughts, actions, insights, or advanced states of concentration.

3) Mindfulness of mind-states which refers to an awareness of the general quality of the mind state in any given moment. Is the mind riddled with aching hunger and excessive desire, or is the mind free from aching hunger and excessive desire? Is the mind filled with anger, resentment, harsh judgments, and thoughts of aggression? Or, is the mind free from anger, resentment, harsh judgments, and thoughts of aggression? Is the mind filled with self-centered preoccupations and self-images? Or is the mind in a more relaxed state of selflessness or emptiness? Is the mind hazy and sluggish or is the mind clear, alert, and energetically engaged? Is the mind distracted and jumpy or is the mind concentrated and able to stay with the object of attention without distraction?

There is not a lot of action called for in these first three practices. The first general goal is to find a middle ground. This middle ground is to have enough stability of mind where you are not swept into action if the mind is filled, for example, with excessive desire, fear, torpor, or anger yet neither are you repressing such feelings from arising. The second general goal is to examine the arising and passing of these experiences without judging whether we are a bad meditator, for example, if we are angry, or a good meditator if we are filled with thoughts of loving-kindness. The third general goal is to notice that these experiences are all in a state of change and transition whether that change and transition is quick or very slow. Noticing the impermanence of all phenomena is an essential part of all Theravada Buddhist practice.

It is like we are sitting on a high mountain perch watching a very broad valley below as the weather changes from sunny to cloudy, from dry clear days to days with passing rain showers. It is like we are watching the sky and clouds drift through the afternoon sky. It is like we are watching the seasons come and go. It is like we are allowing the weather and the seasons and all the changes of the daily weather and to be what they are, and to see what they are with “choiceless awareness”, as they come and go.

The goal is to cultivate passive, non-judgmental observations of the different streams of impressions coming in through the senses, the different feelings that arise from the sense impressions, and the various thoughts and general mind-states that arise from that which happens around us and within us.

When the mind is hazy, to do what we can to observe the haziness with as much energy and non-judgment as we can. When the mind is clear, to observe the clarity and focus for as long as it is present and to notice when it is supplanted by whatever thoughts arise next such as anger, irritation, restless desire, self-centered preoccupation, worry, and when these states in turn are supplanted by something else.

Seeing when the body is tense and when it is relaxed.

Seeing when feelings of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or those of a non-descript nature, arise and pass.

Neither chasing pleasant sense desires, nor trying to “get rid” of annoying or irritating feelings.

Neither chasing after pleasant spiritual states, nor trying to get rid of difficult states of either a sensory or non-sensory nature.

The effort that is needed, once again, is to find and maintain a certain degree of balance and stability. The work is to cultivate a state where one is not driven to act out on unwholesome thoughts and desires, but neither is one trying to repress or block them from arising. This state of passive and non-judgmental seeing is not one of weakness. Rather it arises from a strong and very open state of confidence where one is able to face the all that is within one’s self as the inner drives, desires, memories, feelings, and conflicts are allowed to surface into personal consciousness. Those who believe in God do this practice in faith that God will sustain them through this process. Those who are non-theists engage this practice in faith that the teachings of the dharma, and the support of the community, are sufficient for the tasks of the day.

The time for shaping and molding the interior states and patterns of behavior begins in the 4th practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”. In this fourth practice one is working to ameliorate and disperse the underlying conditions that give rise to the unwholesome and unskillful states and choices. In this fourth practice one is also working, in the context of Right View and Right Effort to cultivate wholesome states and to make skillful choices.

And it is not as though one needs to perfect the passive, non-judgmental, beholding of experience before one transitions to the fourth practice. Rather it is enough to begin to really understand what “choiceless awareness” and “bare attention” really means. It is enough to really notice the arising and passing moment by moment throughout times of meditation and in the active hours of the various streams of sensation, feelings, thoughts, and mind-states. It is enough to notice the impermanence and transitory nature of all experiences and phenomena within us and around us. It is enough to notice which thoughts, actions, desires, and choices invariably lead to suffering and which invariably lead to liberation, however delayed the experiences of liberation may be.

It is enough to notice the mind is not a single, general entity, but rather a very intricate composite made of many streams of sensations, feelings, desires, memories, language, concepts, conflicts, core truths, and values.

It is enough to strengthen that part of the mind we call “The Watcher” so that we may see in ever greater detail, and ever greater depth, the changing streams of experience within us and around us of that which we refer to as “The Watched”.

As we engage the work of the fourth practice, we return again and again to any one of the first three practices. We return always glad to be a beginner, always glad to progress to deeper and deeper levels of skill and insight into the true nature of all that seems to come into existence and all that seems to pass from existence.

Please let me know what you think of any one of these blog entries. One of my goals with this work is to meet others who want to study these practices with ardent dedication. Another goal is to meet and compare notes with those who are already teaching or who aspire to a career in teaching the way of liberation.

Peace

Will Raymond Author of the Simple Path of Holiness  774-232-0884

Host of MeditationPractice.com

For many weeks I have been writing about the first three practices of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”.  The title “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” is the most common translation of the Satipatthana Sutta, which is a core Sutta of the early Buddhist tradition. It is #22 of the “Long Discourses of the Buddha”.

As noted in earlier parts of this series, one need not be a Buddhist to study these Buddhist approaches to meditation. These basic practices can easily be adapted to your current beliefs whether you are one who believes in God, one who does not, or one who is not sure what to believe.

The first practice is mindfulness of sensations.

The second practice is mindfulness of three basic feeling tones: satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality. These three basci feeling tones of the second practice are considered from two different contexts.

The first context is feelings of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality that arise from sensory experiences or thoughts of people, places, and things. The second context is feelings of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutral feelings that arise from experiences and thoughts which arise from activities such as charitable acts, the deep peace of concentration, new insights, or successful efforts to outgrow old bad habits and dependencies.

The third practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” is mindfulness of general states of mind. The most basic examples are when the mind is filled with restless aching hunger, irritation, aggression, or misguided ignorance. Other examples of states of mind to be on the look-out for are when the mind is calm, peaceful, and clear.

Still other examples of general states of mind to be noted are: when the mind is restless, easily distracted, sluggish, dull, in a low state of awareness, or generally in bondage. Finally, there are those states of mind when these unwholesome states are supplanted by their opposites when the mind is concentrated, bright, alert, clear, and free.  As there are many degrees of concentration, clarity and freedom, being aware of the specific degree or level of concentration, clarity, and freedom is another good example of practicing the third part of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”.

As always, it is wise to refer to the actual text (The Long Discourses of the Buddha- Wisdom Publications) for the original language and terms. Much of my writing is a general attempt to recast the language of long ago into language that modern people may more clearly recognize and relate to. But my efforts in this regard are still at an early stage and are not presented as though they were a systematic or comprehensive recasting.

What is important is to observe the various shades and nuances of these sensations, feelings, and general states of mind with as much openness and non-judgement as possible.

These efforts will give you some basic tools to use when sitting in meditation or moving about in the active hours of your day.

Look at your interior experience and begin to identify the component elements.

See how the different streams of sensory input from sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell weave together in different measure in different moments to create the sensory layer of your interior experience.

If you are in meditation with your eyes closed in a quiet chapel or natural setting, the primary experience will probably be the various sensations of breathing or the sensations that arise from sitting cross-legged or in a chair. If you are in the active hours of the day, there will generally be much more in the way of sight and sound in addition to touch. Or if you are eating, the sensations of taste and smell may be the more predominant mix of sense triggered experience arising in your mind.

But look carefully and see how differing mixes of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell arise in your mind as the stream of changing stimulus within and around you trigger one or more of these sensors.

Then look to see if your reaction to sensory input is one of “I like this”, or “I don’t like this”, or “I don’t have a strong reaction to this one way or the other.”

Then look carefully at the feeling layer in your mind whether that feeling is one of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality. Maybe the satisfaction is strong or mild. Maybe the feeling of dissatisfaction is very deep or only moderately intense. Maybe the feelings are a mixture of moderate satisfaction and moderate dissatisfaction as different feelings from different triggers arise and cloud, clog, or numb the mind.

Look to see the drives and urges that arise from feelings of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality.

Look to see the feelings of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality that arise from sensory or self-centered pursuits. See the urges and drives that are triggered by this category of feelings.

Look to see how different are the feelings of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality that arise from non-sensory or selfless experiences of charity, concentration, dedicated effort on the path, or breakthrough insight. See if there are any urges of grasping, or aversion, or ignorance that arise from this category of non-sensory or selfless feelings. See the different effects of these two categories of feelings.

Now look at the general state of the mind as you engage the third of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” which is, once again, mindful awareness of your general state of mind or tone of consciousness.

Is the mind filled with restless aching hunger, or calm enjoyment, irritation and anger? Or is the mind calm with a sense of patient awareness and acceptance even if some difficult situation has developed? Is the mind concentrated on the breath or mantra, or is the mind jumpy and prone to one distraction after another?

Is the general state of mind one of ease and lucidity or tension and bondage?

There is another important aspect to any and all of this work. That is to view any and all of these phenomena with “bare attention”. Bare attention is a Theravada term.

As Nyanaponika Thera describes it in “The Heart of Buddhist Meditation”, “bare attention is the clear and single minded awareness of what is actually happening to us and in us, at the successive moments of perception”.  (The Heart of Buddhist Meditation Nyanaponika Thera Samuel Weiser Inc, York Me 1996)

The general idea of how to apply bare attention to the first three practices of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” is to observe and note the bare facts of, and I recap:

                   What sensations are arising in the mind from one or more of the five senses?

                   What basic feeling-tone is arising from the sensations of the body and the thoughts that arise in the mind?

                    Is the experience of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality arising from sensory experiences or self-centered thoughts or actions? Or, is the experience of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality arising from non-sensory and selfless thoughts and actions?

                   In what ways are the feeling tones of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and neutrality that arise from sensory and self-centered thoughts or actions different from those that arise from non-sensory and selfless thoughts and actions?

                    What is the general state of mind or tone of consciousness? Is it narrow, hazy, cloudy, tense, numb, or filled with greed, anger, or ignorance? Or is the mind in one of the various stages of calm, tranquility, ease, openness, relaxation, concentration, or freedom?

Beginning to clearly delineate the various layers and streams of input that comprise your consciousness at any given moment is part of the overall effort to continue to strengthen the constancy and penetrating depth of mindfulness.

You will begin to see the mind is not a single ball of wax, but rather a composite of many different stands of phenomena woven from many different streams of sensation, feelings, thoughts, and drives. We can explore the implications and benefits of this in future posts.

For now it is enough to know you will be able to see the wholesome and the unwholesome states without launching into knee-jerk judgments about what should or should not be happening, and without judging whether you are a good or lousy meditator. Rather you will see the various aspects of your experience as they arise, spread, have effect, begin to fade and then, eventually, note that they are gone.

You will be able to note very generally: meditator….experience…arising….passing….creative….not creative…etc.

You will see the arising and passing of all these different mental phenomena in a detached and dispassionate manner. You will be able to resist getting dragged around by desire and anger. There will be no need to start a restless chase after pleasure. Neither will you need to suppress difficult or unwholesome experiences that do arise. You will be able to more patiently observe irritating situations without getting caught in your usual web of defensive or controlling reactions. You will be able to enjoy pleasant experiences without trying to cling to them, and without lamenting their loss, when they fade and pass.

The goal of this activity is not to render a person as some lifeless, inert, automaton.

The goal is to strengthen mindful awareness to the degree that the more complex work of the fourth practice of The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”, and other advanced practices become possible. All of these preparations, and more, are needed for the final climb to the summit of liberation.

During both formal meditation practice and in the active hours of life the goal is to develop a passive, non-reactive, noting of pleasureable and unpleasureable experiences and states of mind. Learning to observe one’s interior experience, and the actions and states of minds of others in a very open, non-judgmental manner is a very good skill and perspective to learn. It will be like you are an engineer of a run-a-way freight train who does not panic but who finds a way to calmly fix the broken emergency brake long before it would otherwise crash.

This does not mean a person does not make judgements. It means one can learn to suspend judgement until they have had a chance to think clearly. One can then formulate skillful and compassionate judgements when they are needed and to forego them when they are not.

Seeing any original stimulus and seeing the stages of perception and reactions that arise from any initial stimulus will allow you to create alternative reactions that serve your needs and the needs of others far more skillfully.

In short, this work will help you to not react the way you usually react when “someone pushes your buttons”. You will be able to see your buttons. You will be able to see if someone is pushing your buttons. But you will be able to decide what tapes get played after the buttons get pushed.

When it is time to pursue an important goal, or to respond to an irritating or angering situation, you will be able to do so in a far more alert and creative manner.

All of this work will prepare you for deeper experiences of concentration, compassion and insight. Next week I will touch on some other aspects of these first three practices before moving on to the 4th practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”.

For now, all the best with your daily practice.

Send me an email or call. Let me know your impressions of these blog posts.

I would be glad to hear from you.

 Will Raymond

Author of “The Simple Path of Holiness”

Host of MeditationPractice.com

 774-232-0884

As noted in the last post in this series I need to back-track a bit to discuss another aspect of the second of the meditation practices of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” which is mindful awareness of feelings.

As noted in earlier parts of this series, one need not be a Buddhist to study these Buddhist approaches to meditation. These basic practices can easily be adapted to your current beliefs whether you are one who believes in God, one who does not, or one who is not sure what to believe.

Please read the earlier posts of this series, at least the previous one or two posts, to be aware of the principal themes and practices offered so far.

To recap, the second of “The Four Foundation of Mindfulness” is the practice of mindful awareness of feelings. As noted in the earlier posts on this second practice, by feelings the Theravada Buddhist teachers refer to only three basic feelings: satisfied, unsatisfied, or neutral. In the earlier posts of this series, where I discussed these three basic feelings I did so only in the context of feelings that arise from contact with sensory experiences such. The feelings of satisfaction that arise from tasting a hot apple turnover is one such example. The feelings of dissatisfaction of tasting poorly cooked food at an expensive restaurant is another. The neutral, or non-descript, feelings that arise after tasting food that is neither very good nor very bad is a third.

The first key point in this practice of mindfulness is to simply identify the basic feeling tones of satisfaction, unsatisfaction, or neutrality as you encounter sensory phenomena such as sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell.

The second key point is to notice how each of these feeling rise to a very particular mind-state or set of urges.

Does the feeling of satisfaction give rise to a desire to have “more” or to repeat the experience again and again with the hope that each time the experience will be just as satisfying? This sense of grasping, or restless longing, let alone any sense of aching hunger or craving, is the mind state to be on the look-out for. The basic belief of Theravada Buddhist teachers is that feelings of sensory pleasure will give rise to grasping, or restless longing, or fully blown aching hunger and craving, unless a person intervenes to stop the chase.

Does the feeling of dissatisfaction give rise to anger, resentment, irritation, a desire to push the experience away, or to harshly judge other people who may be the source of the irritation? This mind state of anger, irritation, or harsh judgement, let alone any urges to respond aggressively are the mind states to be on the look-out for. The basic belief of Theravada Buddhist teachers is that feelings of dissatisfaction will give rise to anger, resentment, harsh judgement, grasping for comforting pleasure, or aggression unless a person intervenes to calm the mind and consider more skillful modes of acceptance and creative response.

Does the feeling of neutrality give rise to a certain hazy response to a non-descript experience where one is no longer really observing the rising and passing of this non-descript experience? In general the neutral or non-descript reactions to experiences that are neither very pleasureable or very dissatisfying are, by definition, less vivid. Being less vivid it can be harder for a person to really take notice of the arising and passing of neutral mind states. The basic belief of Theravada Buddhist teachers is that neutral feelings tend to give rise to a certain form of ignorance or indifference that causes one’s practice to lapse into lack-of-awareness where they miss whatever is going on in that moment.

To repeat, in all these matters the first key point is to identify whether the reaction to sensory phenomena is satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral.  The second key point is to notice that each of these feelings tends to give rise to very identifiable mind states of either grasping, aversion, or ignorance, unless one is vigilant enough to forestall these mind states from arising or gathering too much momentum. This practice of noticing the mind states that arise from the three basic feeling tones is the first part of the third of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness.”  The second part of this third practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” is the willingness to not judge oneself for having these mind states of grasping, aversion, or ignorance, but simply to receive the experience with compassion without acting on the impulses attendant to these experiences as they arise and pass. There are other steps that are outlined in the fourth of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” that help a person work with unwholesome states that arise from satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral feelings.  But a discussion of this fourth aspect of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” will have to wait two or three weeks.

Before proceeding to this fourth practice it is important to note that in addition to satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral experiences that arise from sensory experiences, there are also the satisfying, unsatisfying and neutral experiences that arise from non-sensory experiences. The Theravada Buddhist teachers often refer to these non-sensory experiences as “other-worldly” pleasure, or “other-worldly” dissatisfaction, or “other-worldly” neutrality. For our purposes I feel it makes sense to stick with the designation “non-sensory” as I feel the term “other-worldly” is confusing and inaccurate.

These non-sensory experiences of pleasure may arise from acts of charity and love, or the act of attaining a level of discipline about not chasing after worldly pleasures. In short, diminishing the fires of restless aching hunger gives rise to feelings of joy and freedom. Non-sensory experiences of real contentment also arise from deep states of peace that arise from a very calm and properly concentrated mind. They also arise from satisfying epiphanies of insight into the nature of one’s long-term patterns or the nature-of-reality in general. In short, deep penetrating insight into the truth of one’s life and the truth of this life in general are very satisfying experiences to have. The point is these non-sensory experiences of pleasure do not give rise to feelings of grasping, restless longing, aching hunger, or craving. One is encouraged to seek and extend these non-sensory experiences of joy and delight assuming one does not cling to these experiences when they do pass.

The non-sensory experiences of dissatisfaction which might arise from a sense that one has backslid in their practice and are far from their goal of liberation need not give rise to feelings of anger or irritation or harsh judgement. Rather the sense of sadness of how far one is from their goal of high attainment can be a very useful motivation to re-dedicate one’s self to more sustained efforts.

The non-sensory experiences of neutrality are best described as feelings of equanimity where one takes both good fortune and bad fortune, favorable and unfavorable conditions, in stride and is not tipped upside down by either one. The practitioner is able to be fully mindful during such experiences and indeed such equanimity is one of the seven factors of enlightenment.

What is important is that all of us are warmly encouraged to enjoy the non-sensory pleasures and satisfactions that arise from wholesome states and efforts. In fact it is a basic tenet of Theravada Buddhist teachings that the joy of these non-sensory states exceeds the pleasure of sensory experiences. The teachings assert this greater joy meets the needs of the individual so completely that it is much easier to let go of the restless aching hunger for sensory experiences. Since the experiences of sensory delight are, by their nature, fleeting and since they inevitably turn into experiences of sorrow, pain, lamentation, and grief letting go of any effort to chase after sensory pleasure is very helpful. This does not mean one need forego all sensory pleasures, but rather that one does not cling to them when they pass and one does not chase after them as if they were the cure-all of one’s search for fulfillment in this life.

The joy of non-sensory experiences of charity, concentration, insight, and universal compassion are central to the path that leads out of suffering.

More next week on the non-sensory joys and pleasures of the path.

Peace,

Will Raymond

Author of The Simple Path of Holiness

Host of MeditationPractice.com

774-232-0884

In Part 10 of this series I want to begin discussion of the third of the meditation practices of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” which is mindful awareness of the general state of mind.

As noted in earlier parts of this series, one need not be a Buddhist to study this Buddhist approach to meditation. These basic practices can easily be adapted to your current beliefs whether you are one who believes in God, one who does not, or one who is not sure what to believe.

Please read the earlier posts of this series, at least the previous one or two posts, to be aware of the principal themes and practices offered so far.

To recap: the first of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” is the practice of mindful awareness of the sensations of the body, such as the changing sensations of the act of breathing in and out. The sensations of the body as you sit in meditation, or as you move about the active hours of your life, are other good examples. In general, be aware of the sensations that pour into the mind through the eye, ear, nose, taste, and touch. Begin to see how these different streams of experience are some of the components of your conscious experience. Begin to see how each of them is changing, constantly changing, whether that change is slow or quick.

The second of “The Four Foundation of Mindfulness is the practice of mindful awareness of feelings. As noted in earlier posts, by feelings the Theravada Buddhist teachers refer to only three basic feelings: satisfied, unsatisfied, or neutral. At first seeing the differences between these three choices may be much more clear during the active efforts of eating, or having sex, or going on holiday, or buying new clothes, or working with others, or going to dinner parties etc. During any or all of these activities you can begin to be more aware of whether the experiences you are having are satisfying, unsatisfying, or somewhat neutral. This assessment can continue, although usually on a more subtle level during times of formal sitting practice as well.

The third practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” is the practice of mindful awareness of the general state of mind. Please refer to the text of the Satipatthana Sutta for the exact words used. The following is language I am working on to try to convey to 21st century people how to think about this practice. The development of this language is a work in process, but here are a few ideas:

Is there a strong sense of aching hunger and grasping for “more” or is the mind free from aching hunger and the grasping for “more”?

Is there a strong sense of anger, resentment, and frustration, or is the mind free, or relatively free from anger, resentment, and frustration?

Is there a strong sense of “I”, and “me” and “mine”, or is the mind free from gross self-centered preoccupations and sense of entitlement, conceit, vanity, pride, or righteous indignation?

Is the experience of the mind (and body) tense and constricted, or is the mind (and body) calm and loose with a feeling of relaxed ease and spaciousness?

As you try to mediate are you finding you are constantly being distracted into one interior movie after another or is your mind steady and calmly focused on the inhale and exhale of the breath or whatever you are using for a mantra?

Do you feel you have reached the deepest states of peace and insight? Or is it clear you are still in a lower stage of peace, experience, and insight?

Do you feel you are making progress towards your goal of liberation or are you stuck or sliding backwards into old unskillful patterns?

In all of these observations there is one consideration of great importance. Don’t judge yourself as being a “bad meditator” if you are having experiences of aching desire, anger, self-centeredness, or just plain being stuck in a hazy or cloudy mind. Don’t judge yourself as being a “good meditator, if you are having experiences of being free from aching desire, anger, self-centeredness, or having really fulfilling experiences of clarity, calm, and freedom.

The different efforts of these basic practices of mindfulness will give you the tools to see with greater clarity and precision what is happening in the mind, as emotions and thoughts and general states of mind arise and pass away. Learning to distinguish sense impressions such as sights and sounds from general feeling tones is a good beginning. Seeing with greater clarity the three different base feeling tones of satisfaction, unsatisfaction, and neutral reactions is the next basic step. Seeing the relationship between these three base feeling tones and the basic tendencies of grasping or aversion that arise from them is the next level of observation.

All of this will help you see more clearly the intricate triggering that happens between bodily sensations, emotional feeling states, and various thoughts, judgements, and mind states.

The lucidity and suppleness of mindfulness that arises from these calisthenic kinds of exercises will prepare you for the later work of working with unwholesome states and thoughts and the cultivation of wholesome states and thoughts.

You will have the tools you need for sophisticated work.

For now it is enough to observe with a simple, innocent curiosity and to note: mind filled with desire, mind free from desire, mind filled with anger, mind free from anger and so forth. Just make a mental note of what you are observing as the general state of mind you are experiencing. The time to take action to mold, or supplant, or disperse unwholesome states and to cultivate wholesome states will come about in the various efforts of the fourth practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”. For now it is enough to be more aware of the general tone of consciousness, which is to say the general tone of your state of mind with as little judgement and evaluation as possible.

Before proceeding to the fourth practice, I need to back up a little to discuss one important aspect of the feeling states of satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral. That important aspect is the ability to make a distinction between two categories. The first category is satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral experiences that arise from sensual experience such as eating or going to a movie.

The second category is satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral feelings that arise from the non-sensual experiences such as forsaking excessive desire, the act of full and free forgiveness, the freedom of accepting difficulties with grace and dignity, acts of genuinely selfless charity and the like.

This is an important distinction and I will discuss the very important nuances of this distinction next week. After that we can move on to outline the highlights of the fourth practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness”. There is no easy way to translate the Pali word that describes the fourth practice, although it is often referred to as mindfulness of mind objects, or mindfulness of dhammas.

But next week we can spend some time on the above mentioned distinctions relevant to the subtler practice of the mindful awareness of the feelings and thoughts that arise from sensual experiences as compared with the feelings that arise from non-sensual experiences.

Please let me know what you think of this blog. I would be grateful for the feedback.

All sincere comments, whether approving or critical will be posted. Or call and leave a message at 774-232-0884.

Will Raymond

Author of The Simple Path of Holiness-Host of MeditationPractice.com

 In Part 9 of this series I want to continue with the second of the meditation practices of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness,” which is mindful awareness of feelings.

As noted in earlier parts of this series, one need not be a Buddhist to study this Buddhist approach to meditation. These basic practices can easily be adapted to your current beliefs whether you are one who believes in God, one who does not, or one who is not sure what to believe.

Please read the earlier posts of this series, at least the previous one or two posts, to be aware of the principal themes and practices offered so far.

As noted last week, I want to emphasize the Theravada Buddhists use the word feelings differently than we do in modern times. When these teachers discuss feelings they are referring to three very basic feelings, or emotional states: satisfied, dissatisfied, or neutral.

In the post last week, I mentioned that eating food is a very good way to make the transition from mindful awareness of sensations to the mindful awareness of feelings.  There are the sensations of eating the food. Then there is the arising of one of three basic feelings.

The experience of the sensations of eating or smelling the food is satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral.

What is important is to notice the tendencies that arise from each of these three basic feelings. If the food is satisfying, does the feeling of satisfaction give rise to a restless aching desire for “more”? As you near the end of the meal or desert, is there a feeling, whether mild or pronounced, of longing or sadness when you realize you have the last bite in your mouth and there is no more?

If the food is poorly cooked or badly seasoned, what does the feeling of dissatisfaction feel like, regardless of whether the feeling of dissatisfaction is mild or pronounced? For example, you have gone out to an expensive restaurant and the food really tastes bad. There can be disappointment, maybe even high levels of frustration. The waiter responds in a snooty way and explains that there must be something wrong with you and your lack of knowledge of fine cuisine. Does the feeling of dissatisfaction with the food and the waiter give rise to irritation or anger that your carefully planned night out has been ruined by this over-priced restaurant and surly wait staff?

If the food is unremarkable but at least there is enough of it that you are no longer hungry, is there a feeling of neither satisfied or dis-satisfied, rather a sort of in-between feeling?

Another good example of watching feelings of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and neutrality arise can be seen in the experiences of working with others.

Possibly some of the people you work with are bright and positive and very helpful and skillful at what they do. The feeling of completing a project with them is satisfying and you like these people. Does this satisfaction give rise to thoughts of “Well I really want to spend more time working with these people”? Or, if those people leave the company or get transferred is there a feeling of, “I sure wish they were still here. I want the experience of working with them to continue”? (BTW a very natural inclination)

On the other hand perhaps one or two of people you work with in another department are lazy, incompetent and couldn’t care less whether the work is done well or poorly. The feeling that arises from working with them may be one of real dis-satisfaction. Watch carefully, does this dissatisfaction then give rise to frustration, irritation, anger, and even aggressive thoughts of lashing out big time?

For another example, suppose you are on vacation and having a really good time. Does the feeling of satisfaction give rise to thoughts, “I wish I had another week, even a few more days of this good time”? (Who has not had these thoughts?)

Does the thought of going back to a job you really find to be draining give rise to feelings of dissatisfaction? Does this dissatisfaction give rise to thoughts of anger and frustration about having to go back to work for a boss that is constantly belittling you or one who has increased the work but not increased the pay?

Watch carefully as you eat, work, go on vacation, commute to work, buy clothes, spend time with friends, lovers, have sex, make money in the stock market, lose money in the stock market, think about your meditation teacher, look in the mirror at your face or body, look at your house or apartment, see the days weather, and drive around the town you live in.

Notice the sensations of sight, sounds, smell, taste, and the sensations of touch in various points of the body.

See them arise and pass, arise and pass.

Notice whether the experience of these sensations is satisfying, dissatisfying, or neutral.

Notice as these feelings arise and pass, arise and pass. Whether they change slowly or quickly, watch them change, increase in force, decrease in force.

Notice the thoughts and actions that arise from the feelings of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and neutrality.  This shift from feelings to thoughts is a natural segue to the third practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” which is practicing mindful awareness of the general state of mind that is triggered by specific feelings.

There is more to be said about the three basic feelings, satisfying, dissatisfying, and neutral.  But for now it is enough to continue to be mindful of the sensations of the body and the feelings of satisfaction, dissatisfaction and neutrality that arise from the sensations of the body.

There is also much more to be said about the transition from observing these three feelings to observing the thoughts and actions that arise from feelings.

But this blog post is, again, too long. So it makes sense to sign off for now.

All the best with head and heart, work and love.

Will

774-232-004

Will@meditationpractice.com

In Part 8 of this series on “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” I make the transition from practicing mindful awareness of the body, to practicing mindful awareness of feelings. Mindful awareness of the body is the first of the meditation practices of the “Four Foundations of Mindfulness.” Mindful awareness of feelings is the second.

As noted in earlier parts of this series, one need not be a Buddhist to study this Buddhist approach to meditation. The “Four Foundations of Mindfulness” is the English translation of the name of a Buddhist Sutta, the “Satipatthana Sutta.” These basic practices can easily be adapted to your current beliefs whether you are one who believes in God, one who does not, or one who is not sure what to believe.

Please read the earlier posts of this series, at least the previous one or two posts, to be aware of the principal themes and practices offered so far.

Before discussing the practice of mindful awareness of feelings, I need to emphasize the Theravada Buddhists use the word feelings differently than we do in modern times. When these teachers discuss feelings they are referring to three very basic feelings, or emotional states: satisfied, dissatisfied, or neutral.

Practicing the mindful awareness of the sensations of the body while eating food is a very good way to segue to the mindful awareness of whichever of the three basic feelings you are having.

For example: You walk into a friend’s house and they are baking something that gives off a strong, enticing aroma. You notice your sense of smell has been triggered as the aroma makes contact with your nose. The experience of this aroma is a sensation of the body. Usually, without fully realizing what is happening, or how quickly it is happening, your mind makes a basic determination whether the experience of this sensation of aroma is either satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral. A preliminary practice of being mindful of feelings is to be aware the mind has formed an interpretation of the sensations as either satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral. The second part is to observe the feeling of satisfaction, unsatisfaction, or neutrality as the operative feeling arises, spreads, begins to fade and then passes away.

OK, let’s keep going with this example.

Your friend tells you they are baking some apple turnovers and they give you one right out of the oven with some vanilla ice cream and a dash of whip cream. You notice the sensation of taste has been triggered when you take the first and then the second bite into the delicious treat. You may quickly decide, “This is great.” You find this taste treat is satisfying.  There is no need to go to extremes in this process. You begin with a simple observation of what is happening to whichever of the sensory impressions you happen to notice. Perhaps it is the taste of the food when you bite into the hot apple pie. Perhaps it is also the sense of smell continuing to be triggered as you smell the cinnamon and other fragrances of the turnover-ice cream treat. Perhaps it is the sensations of sight as you look around the kitchen you are sitting in. Perhaps it is the sense of touch as the teeth, tongue, mouth, and jaw engage to chew the food. Perhaps you focus on one, perhaps on any two, or all of these sensations. Maybe the cook is talking to you as you eat and so you notice the sound of their voice as the sense of hearing is triggered.

Keep it simple. Be aware in the moment as the sensors of the eye, ear, nose, taste, and sense of touch are triggered. A simple, natural curiosity of what is happening moment by moment is all that is needed.

You can then proceed to the second practice of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” by noticing the arising of the general feeling-state as to whether the experience you are now having is satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral.

Do not be too discouraged if you begin to notice that most of your experiences are either moderately or significantly unsatisfying. It takes courage to examine one’s inner state in detail. It takes courage to realize how there may be a general undercurrrent of dis-satisfaction in your life to one degree or another. All of this information can be put to very good use.

It also takes courage to realize that satisfying experiences tend to be fleeting and do not last as long as we often want them to.

If you notice that a large portion of your experiences are satisfying that is great. That means you have favorable conditions in your life. Hopefully you will be able to make the best use of these favorable conditions for meditation practice and other forms of study and work, art, play, or charitable activities.

Please remember it is enough to engage these practices with a simple, natural awareness and open observation.

Observe the sensations of the body caused by sensory input as the sensations arise, spread, have impact, begin to fade, and then pass completely from view.

Observe the mind forming a basic evaluation as to whether a specific experience is satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral. Observe the experience of the new feeling of satisfaction, unsatisfaction, or neutrality as one of these feelings arises, spreads, has impact, begins to fade, and then passes completely from view.

Begin to see how lightning-quick these sensations, evaluations, and feelings arise.

No need to strain to attain some breakthrough of insight or experience. A steady engagement of these practices with natural sincerity is all that is needed.

What I can tell you is the basic stages of progress are something like this:

First you notice the window in your room is not that clear.

Then you clean the window of dirt and smudges.

Then you open the window to see the countryside directly.

More next Sunday,

 Will

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In Part 7 of this series on “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness,” I am continuing my commentary on the meditation practice called mindfulness of the body, which is the first of the practices from the “Four Foundations of Mindfulness.” As noted in earlier parts of this series, one need not be a Buddhist to study this Buddhist approach to meditation. The “Four Foundations of Mindfulness” is the English translation of the name of a Buddhist Sutta, the “Satipatthana Sutta.” These basic practices can easily be adapted to your current beliefs whether you are one who believes in God, one who does not, or one who is not sure what to believe.

Please read the earlier posts of this series, at least the previous one or two posts, to be aware of the principal themes and practices offered so far. To sum things up, for those who may be just coming to this blog series, the practices discussed in this series are, “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness.” There is another way to say this, that may be a bit easier to understand. That is to refer to these practices as “The Four Basic Practices of Mindful Awareness.”

1) You can observe the sensations of the body.

2) You can observe the general mood tone of the moment

3) You can observe thoughts and images of the mind.

4) You can observe the general state of mind in the moment, or as I described above, the general tone of consciousness.

In the past few weeks I have written about various ways to practice mindful awareness of the body. Here is another: to practice mindful awareness of your diet and nutrition and the sensations of eating.

Mindful awareness of diet and nutrition and the sensations of eating.

Being mindful of the food you eat, and the sensations caused in the body by the food you eat, and the beverages you drink is not specifically referenced in the Satipatthana Sutta. But it is a reasonable development of practice that is fully consistent with the teachings of this Sutta.

What are you eating?

Is it healthy food grown by organic methods? Or is the food grown on huge corporate farms with many different kinds of chemical fertilizers and pesticides?

Are you eating foods with lots of sugar, white flour, salt, or grease?

Are you eating foods with excessive amounts of cholesterol or other deleterious fats?

As you engage this practice, you can observe simply and clearly:

There is the experience of moving your arm to move the fork or spoon or knife.

There is the experience of opening our mouth and the sensations of the food impacting the taste buds of the tongue and the sensors of smell in the nose. There is the texture of the food and the sense as to whether it is salty, sweet, bland, or delicately or highly seasoned. There are the sensations of the teeth and mouth and jaw as you chew your food. There are the sensations in your throat as you swallow your food and as it passes down your throat. There are the sensations of whether you have eaten too much or not enough. There are the sensations of being bloated or “stuffed” if you have eaten too much, and those of digestion or indigestion. If you have eaten a lot of sugar or white flour, there is the sensation of the calories being quickly released in the blood stream, causing a mild or pronounced sugar buzz. Similar kinds of sensations are experienced if you have consumed too much salt.

There are the sensations of various beverages you consume, especially if the beverages are caffeinated or alcohol-based.

There are many, many sensations in the body associated with eating and the after effects of eating what you have eaten or drunk.

There is also this discernment. Generally it is suggested people do their meditations in the morning before breakfast and in the evening before dinner. For those who wish to, and have the time, they can also have a meditation session before the noon time meal. This way the digestive tract is as light and clear as good health will allow. Have you snacked in between meals so that the digestive tract is still clogged? Have you eaten foods or consumed beverages that leave your mind hazy and sluggish or light and clear and …smooth?  What is the difference in your meditations when you have waited a suitable time since you last ate as compared with when you have eaten in the past hour or two? What are the differences in your mind state after you have eaten lots of greasy animal protein, and lots of sugar, white flour or salt as compared with the times when you have eaten light vegetarian fare or lean animal protein?

How does what you eat and when you eat affect your meditation experience?

Observing the sensations of the body while eating leads very naturally to the mindful awareness of feelings which is the second of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness.” After all, as we eat, for many of us, certainly for me, I am evaluating if the food is satisfying or unsatisfying.

And again, the mindful awareness of feelings in Theravada Buddhist terms is a bit different from what we may think of in modern times when we speak of feelings. For the Theravada Buddhist authors of the Satipatthana Sutta, mindfulness of feelings is a discernment of the very basic and very general emotional mood tone of the moment. The observation and discernment is this: “Are the current experiences satisfying, unsatisfying, or neutral?”

 As simple as these questions seem, there is a lot more to be gained from this discernment of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the various moments and experiences of our lives than may be apparent at first glance.

Once again the mindful awareness of feelings is the second of “The Four Foundations of Mindfulness.”

If you are wondering whether all these careful and detailed observations of sensations, feelings, thoughts, and consciousness are actually of any benefit, please be patient.

In due course, the benefits will be made clear. In due course, you will find the benefits will be very, very clear.

Peace,

Will

774-232-0884