If you generally feel not quite happy or discontented, if you lack peace of mind, or you feel stressed or anxious, and you don't know why all this is and you want to liberate yourself, this practice may lead you to freedom, peace, tranquillity and happiness.
1, The essence of the Practice of Noticing/Monitoring
We are often not aware of what is going on in our mind, we usually are lost in thought, and not aware of our anger, fear, likes and dislikes, envy, greed, lust, sensual desires, craving, clinging, unawareness, delusion, conceit, restlessness, sloth, and other unwholesome mental states.
As a result of our unawareness, our attention is automatically directed by external and internal stimuli, triggering our habitual reactions, we act like a lizard, consequently resulting in unhappiness and suffering. If you generally feel unsatisfactory or feel anxious frequently, then there is something important you are not aware of.
The fruits of this contemplative practice include gaining an imperturbable mind, a deep sense of tranquillity and contentment, and being fully aware and taking equanimously whatever comes in our way. Also, you develop the skill to recognize and identify your emotions, and regulate them by making an effort to avoid unwholesome mental states and cultivate a wholesome mind.
This can be done via observing, comprehending every moment of your experience, observing how the mind's attention goes from one thing to another. Everything we experience comes through the six sense-doors: eye/seeing, ear/hearing, nose/smelling, tongue/tasting, body/touching, mind/thinking, and experienced as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral.
We can look at the world through this phenomenological understanding versus through concepts (beliefs, evaluations). By understanding our experience, seeing the body and mind as it is, we can overcome suffering.
When you get familiar with meditation techniques you may notice that there are two types of methods. One is practiced from ancient times by Vedic seers (rishi), yogis, and ascetics. They try to glue the mind's attention on one object or state (e.g. chanting sacred utterances 'mantra', gazing a yantra, mandala, or visualizing deities or chakras, or generate states such as loving-kindness 'metta', etc.), and try to exclude everything else in order to transcend the limitations of the ordinary mind. If focus is distracted, they bring attention back to the object over and over again till they reach a point where there are no distractions anymore. This meditative absorption starts with a joyful, ecstatic state, which then turns into a deeply relaxed, tranquil, hypnotic kind of state. This prolonged mental focusing can bring temporary relief from everyday stress, however when you are out of this state, you are back in the same unwholesome mental states.
The other method does not require sustained attention on a particular object, process, or mental state, but rather the mind just monitors, notices the content of your experience from a disengaged point of view from moment to moment. This detached awareness notices where the mind's attention moves. It gives us the ability of self-awareness, which is the keystone in emotional intelligence. With this understanding we are able to regulate our mental state, concerning what should be adopted and what should be avoided (wholesome versus unwholesome states) and thus permanent changes can be made in our life. The greatest benefit of this practice is release from the three major defilements or poisons of the mind: attachment (greed, lust), aversion (hatred), and delusion (taking things personally due to a sense of self, that is, not seeing the impersonal nature of the mental processes), which are the roots of all evil and suffering. We substitute them with generosity, loving- kindness and wisdom.
This latter method is the original meditation method taught by the Buddha, it is called samatha-vipassanā in Pali language, translated as Tranquillity-Insight meditation, (samatha=tranquillity, vipassana=come and see). It has been practiced in Theravada ("Way of the Elders") Buddhist countries, such as Thailand, Myanmar/Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos.
Meditation masters describe this whole practice with one word: appamāda in Pali (apramāda in Sanskrit अप्रमाद ), its meaning is non-negligence, conscious awareness, mindfulness.
Or with two words: Sati sampajañña in Pali (smṛti saṃprajanya in Sanskrit), its meaning is mindfulness with comprehension.
"a monk knows, when he is going, 'I am going';" (in Pali,
"gacchanto vā gacchāmīti pajānāti" )
"Ever mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out." (in Pali,
"So sato’va assasati, sato’va passasati.")
(Pāli Canon, MN10, DN22)
(The original instructions on how to do the exact practice can be found in two of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism (Pāli Canon). These are the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN10), and Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (DN22), which acting as the foundation for contemporary vipassana meditation practice.)
2, Outline of the practice
The actual method of noticing is to comprehend our experience from moment to moment. The goal is to notice where the attention goes, what phenomena arises at the six sense-doors (eye/seeing, ear/hearing, nose/smelling, tongue/tasting, body/touching, mind/thinking), and comprehend it by silently making an accurate short note of the successive occurrences of phenomena. Pick a word which describes the experience accurately. For example, you make a note like this, there is … "breathing in, breathing out", "walking, walking", "sitting, sitting", "lying down", "standing", "pain", "joy", "happy", "calm", "seeing", "hearing", "smelling", "tasting", "thinking", "liking", "disliking", "anger", "fear", "lust", "mindful", "wandering" etc. This clear comprehension (Sampajañña in Pali), or conscious awareness will help us in everyday life to recognize when we are worrying or lost in thought, to notice recurring thoughts or obsessions, projections, and other unwholesome mind states that poison our mood and daily life, and so we can replace them with wholesome states such as generosity, loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, tranquillity, neutrality, etc.
At the beginning, when mindfulness (sati) and concentration (samādhi) are very weak, we spend most of our time making an effort to recognize again and again the unmindful, unaware state of mind, the state when we are not comprehending our experience. When we notice it, we resume comprehension by making a silent note mentally such as "distracted, distracted" "unmindful, unmindful".
The five major hindrances to meditation are:
1, Restlessness, unease, stress, for example, wandering in past and future, planning, aka "lost in thought", that is, thinking without knowing that you are thinking. When you recognize it, note it as e.g. "restless" "stressy" "wandering", "planning'', "thinking".
2, Drowsiness or sloth and torpor, note it as e.g. "tired";
3 and 4, Attachment or Aversion to phenomena, that is reacting to our experience (phenomena that arise at the six sense-doors) with a lustful mind ("I like it") or get annoyed by it ("I don't like it"), and get involved in thinking about it and want them (what you are experirncing) to be in a particular way. When you recognize the partiality of the mind, you make a mental note of the experience as "liking", "disliking", "wanting", and also relax, release tension in your body.
The partiality of our mind causes a lot of suffering to us. In contrast, a pure mind is in a state of non-judgemental or non-reactive awareness, in which you distinguish bare observation from evaluation, that is you separate what you see, hear, etc. (observation) from what u think and feel about it (evaluation). Thisway we can recognize our urges, habits of reacting to stimuli instead of responding wisely in action, speech, and mind. Clear awareness about the objects of our experience as a replacement to our judgemental thoughts is the first step in learning how to meditate.
When you become mindful at the relevant sense door (seeing, hearing etc.) you are able to avoid defilements from arising (e.g. reacting with lust or aversion). By just simply observing the bare fact of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, thinking (without recognizing what is that you see, hear etc.), noting as "seeing", "hearing", "tasting", "smelling", "touching", "thinking", you restrain the senses at the sense-door itself! For example, when you look at anything you say "seeing, seeing"; when somebody is yelling at you, you say mentally "hearing, hearing"; when you are angry with somebody, you don't focus on who and why you are angry at, but just say "angry, angry". The whole point is to lose the object, break the connection with the object of anger. Rather than allowing the mind to give rise to projection or judgement of the object, one simply reminds oneself of the true nature of the object as it is. The acknowledgement is a replacement for the distracted thoughts that lead one to extrapolate upon the object, seeing it as “good”, “bad, “me”, “mine”, and so on.
Thus, in this mode of perception recommended by the Buddha that he calls "entry into emptiness ('suññatā')", one simply notes the presence or absence of phenomena, without making further assumptions about them. (It looks at experiences and processes simply as events, with no reference to the question of whether there are any "things" lying behind those events, or of whether the events can be said really to exist.")
Each experience only lasts a single moment, so it is important to note experiences at the moment they occur, recognizing their arising, persisting, and ceasing, using an accurate word to create a clear awareness of their essential nature.
If you miss restraining at this first checkpoint, you will need to make effort to rid of defilements that have already arisen e.g. thoughts of sense desire, aversion, etc.
True, complete practice is an awareness of all of the mental and physical phenomena that constantly arise at the six sense doors (seeing/eye, hearing/ear, smelling/nose, tasting/tongue, touching/body, thinking/mind).
However, because concentration and awareness are not strong enough in the beginning, therefore we initially focus just on a few easily noticeable phenomena, for example, on the rise and fall of the abdomen (breathing in and out) when practicing sitting meditation, and on stepping when we do walking meditation. (This is called primary object.) Later, when your practice matures, you will be able to note many objects as they arise.
"The moments of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and thinking occur very swiftly. It will not be possible for a beginner to follow these on all successive incidents as they occur because his mindfulness (sati) and concentration (samādhi) are still very weak. It seems that seeing, hearing, thinking and imagining always occur simultaneously. it is not possible to distinguish which occurs first and which second. A beginner need not, therefore, follow up on many things. He needs to begin with only a few things."
"Seeing or hearing occurs only when due attention is given to their objects. Smelling rarely occurs. The experience of tasting can only occur while one is eating. In the case of seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting, the meditator can note them when they occur. Body impressions, however, are ever present. They usually exist distinctly all the time."
The Buddha's way of mindfulness (sati) consists of 4 domains we can apply mindful attention to aiding the development of a wholesome state of mind. It is called Satipaṭṭhāna in Pali; establishment of 'sati'=mindfulness (to bear in mind, to remember). The are:
(1) the contemplation of the body,
(2) the contemplation of feelings,
(3) the contemplation of mind states, and
(4) the contemplation of mind objects or dhammās, which regards thoughts, ideas, concepts. It includes key principles or categories of the Buddha's teaching.
>Contemplation of the body (kāyānupassanā in Pali) includes the contemplation of:
- the four main body postures of sitting, standing, walking, or lying down;
- contemplation of breathing (ānāpānasati in Pali);
- contemplation of the four elements (perceived as sensations such as hardness or softness -- earth, heat or coldness -- fire, tension, tightness, or looseness --air, and cohesion -- water element is subtle);
- contemplation of repulsiveness of the body parts (recommended if you are lustful); and
- contemplation of the decay of a body.
> Contemplation of feeling (vedanānupassanā in Pali) is the contemplation of pleasing ("happy), displeasing ("pain") and neutral sensations ("calm).
> Contemplation of mind (cittānupassanā in Pali) is the contemplation of mental activities pl.thinking, imagining, planning, volition, and emotions such as, joy, excited, surprised, sad, angry, disgusted, bored, fearful, contempt, envy, also, concentrated mind, exalted, liberated mind, etc.
> Contemplation of dhammas (dhammanupassana in Pali) includes five schemes:
- the five hindrances to mental clarity (restlessness, drowsiness, lust, aversion, and doubt in the usefulness of meditation);
- the five aggregates of clinging, these are temporary conditioned phenomena that makes up each moment of our experience, and create a sense of self (form/matter, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness). Start this contemplation with questions such as 'What is a being ?' or 'What is it that is called "I", "me" ?'
- the six pairs of internal and external sense bases (eye/sight, ear/sound, nose/smell, tongue/taste, body/touch, mind/thoughts);
- the seven factors of enlightenment or wakefulness are signs that the practice is going well (mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena, energy/effort, joy, tranquillity, concentration, equanimity); and
- the Four Noble Truths, which encompass the Noble Eightfold Path.
Your practice looks like this:
"During the time that one is sitting, the body impression of stiffness or the sensation of hardness in this position is distinctly felt. Attention should therefore be fixed on the sitting posture and a note made as “sitting, sitting, sitting.”
"It may be found that the exercise of observing the mere sitting posture is too easy and does not require much effort. One will generally feel lazy and will not want to carry on the noting as “sitting, sitting, sitting” repeatedly for a considerable length of time. It is a state of sloth and torpor. More energy should be developed, and for this purpose, the number of objects for noting should be increased. After noting as “sitting,” the attention should be directed to a spot in the body where the sense of touch is felt and a note made as “touching.” The noting should thus be repeated using these two objects of the sitting posture and the place of touching alternately, as “sitting, touching, sitting, touching, sitting, touching.”
"A simpler and easier form of the exercise for a beginner is this: With every breath there occurs in the abdomen a rising-falling movement. This rising-falling movement is easy to observe because it is coarse and therefore more suitable for the beginner. A beginner should start with the exercise of noting this movement. A mental note should be made as “rising” for the upward movement of the abdomen and “falling” for the downward movement. If these movements are not clearly noticed by simply fixing the mind on them, one or both hands should be placed on the abdomen.
The disciple should not try to change the manner of his natural breathing. He should neither attempt slow breathing by the retention of his breath, nor quick breathing or deep breathing. If he does change the natural flow of his breathing, he will soon tire himself. He must therefore keep to the natural rate of his breathing and proceed with the contemplation of rising and falling."
"Never verbally repeat the words, "rising, falling", and do not think of rising and falling as words. Be aware only of the actual process of the rising and falling movements of the abdomen as they occur in the course of normal breathing."
"You may feel at times that breathing is slow or that the rising and falling movements are not clearly perceived. When this happens, and you are in the sitting position, simply move the attention to "sitting", "touching".
"The same manner of contemplation by noting the movements as “rising, falling, rising, falling” should be carried out while one is in the lying posture."
"In the case of walking, the meditator should start the exercise by noting as “right step, left step,” or "stepping right, stepping left" or “walking, walking” while walking quickly. And by noting as “lifting, moving, placing” while walking slowly."
"If unpleasant feelings of stiffness or pain etc. arise, these sensations also should be noted as they occur, e.g. “stiff, stiff”, “hot, hot” “painful, painful” “tired, tired” and so on."
"While occupied with the exercise of observing each of the abdominal movements, other mental activities may occur between the noting of each rising and falling. Thoughts or other mental functions, such as intentions, ideas, imaginings, are likely to occur between each mental note of rising and falling. They cannot be disregarded. A mental note must be made of each as it occurs. If you imagine something, you must know that you have done so and make a mental note, "imagining". If you simply think of something, mentally note, "thinking". If you reflect, "reflecting". If you intend to do something, "intending". When the mind wanders from the object of meditation which is the rising and falling of the abdomen, mentally note, "wandering". Should you imagine you are going to a certain place, note "going". When you arrive, "arriving". When, in your thoughts, you meet a person, note "meeting". Should you speak to him or her, "speaking". If you imaginarily argue with that person, note "arguing". If you envision or imagine a light or colour, be sure to note "seeing". A mental vision must be noted on each occurrence of its appearance until it passes away. On noting once or twice the mind usually stops wandering, then the exercise of noting “rising, falling” should be continued.
"If there is then nothing in particular to be noted, the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling” should be reverted to."
When you advance in your practice, every occasion of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching should be noted as “seeing, seeing", "hearing, hearing”, “smelling, smelling”, “tasting, tasting "touching, touching".
"Contemplation should start at the moment you wake up. Since you are a beginner, it may not be possible yet for you to start contemplating at the very first moment of wakefulness. But you should start with it when you remember that you are to contemplate. For example, if on awakening you reflect on something, you should become aware of the fact and begin your contemplation by a mental note, "reflecting". Then proceed with the contemplation of rising and falling. When getting up from the bed, mindfulness should be directed to every detail of the body's activity. Each movement of the hands, legs and rump must be performed in complete awareness. Do you intend to get out of bed? If so, note "intending". If you prepare to move the body into position for rising, note "preparing". As you slowly rise, "rising". Should you remain sitting for any length of time, revert to contemplating the abdominal movements."
(The source of the above excerpts: Satipaṭṭhāna Vipassanā, Insight through Mindfulness; written by a contemporary Burmese monk, The Venerable Mahāsi Sayādaw. And also from his Manual of Insight, 5th chapter.)
3, Attaining a meditative state of mind
The above described basic practice is a way to attain a meditative state of mind. With practice, your concentration and mindfulness become stronger, the mind becomes able to focus attention for a longer period of time and doesn't lose mindfulness (awareness, comprehension, contemplation of experience), that is distractions, sense desire and unwholesome states subside. You will notice that the mind gets still, free from verbal chatter, and aware. That is where true meditation starts (jhana in Pali, dhyana in Sanskrit).
You go through stages (8 stages), where your mind gets freed from thinking and becomes joyful, then more and more calm and peaceful, eventually it reaches imperturbable tranquility, free from sensations both pleasant and unpleasant, and takes equanimously whatever experience, phenomena arises ("neutrality").
You will notice that at every time of noting, there is always a pair, the object (materiality, rūpa) and the mind which knows the object (mentality, nāma). The two elements of materiality (e.g. rising or falling movements of the abdomen) and mentality (=knowing) are linked up in pairs and their arising or disappearance coincides. You can also notice conditionality ("cause and effect"): there is no experience if there is no object, and also there is no experience if the mind does not go toward the object.
Then, your awareness becomes sharper than ever, you feel as if space is expanding, then you notice phenomena arising and passing away continuously one after the other (this is "impermanence"). As soon as you place your attention on some aspect of your experience, it disappears. You also notice the impersonal nature of this process, it just happens by itself and you are not in control of it ("not-self"). The sense of the body disappears; all that is left is a series of apparently disconnected individual sensations. And because phenomena continuously arise and disappear, it is unsatisfactory and not attractive at all ("suffering"). So you get disenchanted with it and wish it to cease.
If you keep contemplating, then, you will notice that less and less phenomena arise. The empty space between arising phenomena is where emptiness, nothingness is. If you focus on this emptiness, you will reach a state where it may seem unclear whether you are awake or asleep. And there could be a point when it seemed that all phenomena ceased and awareness was gone for a short time. It is a glimpse into liberation from suffering (nibbana in Pali, nirvana in Sanskrit).
The above described practice is included in the Noble Eightfold path, which is the Buddhist way of life, the way leading to the cessation of suffering. The eight factors aim at promoting and perfecting the three essentials of Buddhist training and discipline: namely: Ethical Conduct 'sila' (includes right conduct, speech and livelihood); Mental Discipline 'samadhi' (includes right effort, mindfulness and concentration); and Wisdom 'panna' (includes right view and intention). The whole teaching of the Buddha deals with this Path. He explained it in different ways and in different words to different people, according to the stage of their development and capacity. It is self-discipline in body, speech and mind, self-development and self-purification.
A true complete practice starts with taking the 5 or 8 precepts: avoiding bodily misbehaviors such as killing and hurting sentient beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, and taking intoxicants; and verbal precepts such as no Lying or deception, Harsh speech, Divisive speech or slander, and Idle chatter; topped with right livelihood. These are the pillars of morality (sila), which is built on the conception of universal love and compassion for all living beings.
☆ The End ☆
!!! NEXT STEP: the practice of wholesome, right speech: Compassionate communication: the end of conflicts and unhappiness
☆
An excellent explanation of the complete Buddhist practice, by a contemporary monk, can be found at the Youtube channel of Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu:
> How mindfulness creates understanding
> Practical application of the Noble Eightfold Path
> His book: How To Meditate: A Beginner's Guide to Peace, by Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu, 52pages. (Free distribution)
☆
Suggested readings and talks:
>Tibetan Buddhist monk TEDtalk: The habits of happiness
>What the Buddha Taught, by Theravadin Walpola Rahula, is a widely used introductory book on Buddhism for non-Buddhists
>Wings to Awakening, An Anthology from the Pali Canon by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff). The wings of awakening
> New research on Perception!! TEDtalk: Psychosis: Bending reality to see around the corners
>Pali Canon, DN 2 Samaññaphala Sutta: The Fruits of the Contemplative Life, (This discourse is one of the masterpieces of the Pali canon. At heart, it is a comprehensive portrait of the Buddhist path of training, illustrating each stage of the training with vivid similes. It also provides one of the most detailed accounts in the Sutta Pitaka of the Buddhist community's code of ethical behavior.)
☆
I wish you peace, happiness and freedom from suffering.
