Against The Stream

I'll be going through 'The 7 Factors of Awakening' in depth over the next few weeks. Today I’ll talk about the 2nd Factor: Investigation.

The 7 Factors of Awakening; Mindfulness, Investigation, Effort, Joy & Rapture, Tranquillity, Focus|Concentration, Equanimity.

The practice mindfulness; of seeing and moving, of thoughts arising and passing, while keeping in mind and training our minds to understand these three central aspects of reality:

- Absolutely everything both internal and external is impermanent.

- Due to impermanence things are unreliable, uncertain, unsatisfactory.

- The more that we see clearly, the more we see that this body is not who we are; not self. Our mindless thoughts emotions are not so personal.

The practice mindfulness; of seeing and moving, of thoughts arising and passing, while keeping in mind and training our minds to understand these three central aspects of reality:

- Absolutely everything both internal and external is impermanent.

- Due to impermanence things are unreliable, uncertain, unsatisfactory.

- The more that we see clearly, the more we see that this body is not who we are; not self. Our mindless thoughts emotions are not so personal.

I'll be going through 'The 7 Factors of Awakening' in depth over the next few weeks:

The 7 Factors of Awakening

Mindfulness

Investigation

Effort

Joy & Rapture

Tranquillity

Focus|Concentration

Equanimity

Today I’ll talk about the 1st Factor: Mindfulness; an awareness of the present moment, coming back to the here and now.

Often our core meditation practice here tends to be a mindfulness based present time awareness, development of wisdom is 80 or 90% of the meditation instructions that I give.

But I do believe – and practice in my own life – a lot of loving kindness and forgiveness and compassion (we did forgiveness a couple weeks ago). We call these the heart practices. I believe these are perhaps equally as important.

My sense is that, and I get this sense from looking at the eightfold path, when the Buddha says, “here's the path to awakening”, he doesn't teach lovingkindness he teaches mindfulness. The meditation instructions that he gives are the four foundations of mindfulness and then the concentration practice of entering jhana: gathering the attention so deeply and precisely and then opening to mindfulness in order to see clearly.

And, it's part of mindfulness to develop compassion. We bring mindfulness; present time awareness to our pain, and then we develop more tolerance for pain and more friendliness and more compassion towards pain.

Often our core meditation practice here tends to be a mindfulness based present time awareness, development of wisdom is 80 or 90% of the meditation instructions that I give.

But I do believe – and practice in my own life – a lot of loving kindness and forgiveness and compassion (we did forgiveness a couple weeks ago). We call these the heart practices. I believe these are perhaps equally as important.

My sense is that, and I get this sense from looking at the eightfold path, when the Buddha says, “here's the path to awakening”, he doesn't teach lovingkindness he teaches mindfulness. The meditation instructions that he gives are the four foundations of mindfulness and then the concentration practice of entering jhana: gathering the attention so deeply and precisely and then opening to mindfulness in order to see clearly.

And, it's part of mindfulness to develop compassion. We bring mindfulness; present time awareness to our pain, and then we develop more tolerance for pain and more friendliness and more compassion towards pain.

Rachael Savage at Rebel Saints Meditation Society, Seattle. Sunday morning Dharma talk followed by a 30-minute guided meditation.

In response to the California wildfires, Noah reflects on Buddha’s advice to the group of fire worshippers who became some of the earliest members of the sangha.

In response to the California wildfires, Noah reflects on Buddha’s advice to the group of fire worshippers who became some of the earliest members of the sangha.

It is possible to forgive ourselves completely and still lives with a mind that judges and criticizes and remembers the pain of the past, and maybe even still gets a bit resentful at times. It is possible to forgive others. No matter what they have done. No one is unforgivable. But, there are unforgivable things, actions.

I think that forgiveness is not only possible; to forgive ourselves and to forgive others, and to ask for forgiveness and to make amends when we have caused harm. Not only forgiveness internally through the meditative training of the heart and mind, but I also believe in direct amends; of actually talking to people and apologizing, asking for forgiveness and taking responsibility.

And not only is it possible, I believe that it's necessary. Necessary if our goal is happiness. If our goal is freedom from suffering. If our goal is to have a life of ease and well-being and contentment and you want to be comfortable in your own skin, in your own mind, and your own heart, then forgiveness is going to be necessary.