|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THE WAY OF NON-ATTACHMENT
Buddhist mediation is directed towards cleansing the heart and mind of all disturbing influences known as "impurities". It is a disciplined process initiated by cultivating such positive qualities as friendliness or loving-kindness, compassion or fellow-feeling, sympathetic joy over the success of others, and equanimity towards the vicissitudes of life, so as to maintain equilibrium and tranquility or peace of mind. Its practice develops contemplation within mental calmness, but with insight which realizes truth and enlightens the way to perfect emancipation.The Practice of Insight Meditation by DHIRAVAMSA APPENDIX The Principles of Vipassana Meditation The Vipassana method entails gaining knowledge by direct observation which brings about self-reliance and mental poise. There are six phases to this process, the cultivation of mindfulness, the overcoming of sorrow and grief, the ending of suffering or unsatisfactoriness, the entering of the path and the clear comprehension of mental processes. These are also called right views or total understanding which purify the path to ultimate knowledge, or right perseverance for reaching the goal of ultimate truth or Nirvana. Contemplation and insight work together, their growth being promoted simultaneously. To fulfill the intentions of this way of meditation, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness are used. Mindfulness or awareness of: Let us consider these four foundations in some detail: MINDFULNESS OF THE BODY is exercised by noting the movements of the abdomen caused by breathing. On inhaling, the abdomen rises; on exhaling, it falls. You mentally watch these movements and, from time too tome, become aware of differences in the breathing rhythm. Breaths may become deep or shallow, slower or quicker, following natural tendencies which should not be influenced in any way. It is important to keep the body erect and the mind alert, keenly observant and as motionless as possible. You should sit comfortably but without leaning or lying back, otherwise sleep may intervene. The hands should be place in the lap in a relaxed manner, and the eyes closed. The body should be balanced and upright, but not tense or stiff. Rigidity and slackness are to be avoided as extremes, for Buddhism is the Middle Way. Presence of mind is now the theme and the attention should rest on the up and down movement of the abdomen. Whenever the mind drifts or follow a random thought, acknowledge it and come back to the rising and falling movements. To maintain awareness of these as they present themselves, you may acknowledge each stage by mentally remarking, "rising... falling... rising... falling..." in time with the actual movement. Mindfulness amounts to keeping up with the present. Real life is neither in the past or in the future, but in the present moment only. While doing anything, you should learn to live in the action, not in the idea or in the imagination. During this exercise you should observe which is longer, the in or the out breath, or which is more noticeable, the rise or fall of the abdomen. If you cannot see it clearly, you should continue to be acutely attentive of the rhythmic process of breathing, remaining aware of the entire body. As one gains mastery over this exercise, the body becomes relaxed and the breathing gentle. You will feel very peaceful and undisturbed by events either within the mind or outside. The mind at such a time has not need of notions of self or soul. There is no sense of self-activity, only an objective awareness of passing phenomena and their related conditions. One can now understand how the rise and fall of the abdomen and the whole body come into being and pass away from moment to moment. With this realization, knowledge is born, insight reveals the light of truth. With such awareness, you may live happily and independently in a world which is confused and complex. The perfected man is the finest of all beings; but isolated in this personality and ego, he is among the worst. In the ordinary human state there already exists the potentiality and capacity to reach perfection, but if these inherent qualities are not practiced man may easily sink into inferior mental and physical states, becoming a danger to himself and to others. You should try to perform all bodily movements and postures mindfully at all time. Clearly comprehending what you are doing every moment. For example, while walking, you should pay attention to the movements in as much detail as you can observe with clarity. The object at this stage is to maintain clear comprehension of the body, whatever it is engaged in. The aim is to hold the attention steady on each event as it happens, but not to follow it with imagination. One thing at a time is essential; the aim is lost if one does one thing while thinking of another. It is important to avoid the notion of "I" in connection with these observations; hence you should note, for example, "sitting", but never "I am sitting". (The fact of sitting is observable, but no one can prove that there is an "I" doing it!) Vipassana meditation is much more objective than the casual onlooker may think. Accordingly, the idea of self is lost in the increased awareness of the "here-and-now?" Conversely, the moment you become conscious of yourself, you cease to be objectively aware. Self-consciousness is a hindrance to true understanding. Moreover, the function of Vipassana is to point out clearly and precisely that no self or unchanging soul can be found anywhere. All events and all things are mutually conditioned or inter-related. As this arises, so does that; or, without this, that cannot be. Or again, this ceases because of that and, without that, it would not have ceased. The Buddhist sees these as the formulae of existence and without that, it would not have ceased. The Buddhist sees these as the formulae or existence and not-existence. The idea of a fixed rate of time is, like concepts of self- soul, merely mind-made. Their existence endures only so long as ultimate truth is not realized. MINDFULNESS OF FEELINGS. Each kind of feeling should be mentally acknowledged the moment it arises. When you are affected by a feeling of pleasure, for example, it should be immediately contemplated as "This is a feeling of pleasure". So, too, you should make a mental note of unpleasant feelings or indifferent feelings. You should try to look at the feeling rather as a gate-keeper might watch people going in and out. Furthermore, you should observe how the feeling has arisen and how it passed. With practice, you will begin truly to comprehend all kinds of feelings until it becomes easy to keep them in check and prevent them from agitating the mind. It is only when feelings steal upon us unaware that we are in danger of being overcome and perhaps enslaved, but as soon as we see them for what they are, they cease to master us. This leads to insight into feelings with the eye of Wisdom through which true knowledge is born; although feelings exist since they arise and pass away, there is reality no self to do the feeling. You will become aware that they are passing events; such is their true nature. MINDFULNESS OF MIND AND ITS STATES. When there is a state of lust in the mind, you should be aware of it or of its absence. Similarly, you should notice objectively when the mind is in a sate of hatred, delusion, mental steadiness or the lack of them, and (after adequate practice) the liberated and unliberated states of mind. The appearance and disappearance of thoughts, emotions and sentiments or any state which affects the mind, must be noted mindfully, recognized and understood when they occur. By knowing all the mental states, you come to the understanding that "There are only thoughts of processes of thinking, but there is no evidence that any thinker exists. Thought arises because of certain conditions; when the conditions cease, so does the thought, and that is all there is to it." When the mind is properly developed it brings about happiness and bliss, but if neglected it runs into endless trouble, for the wavering mind is weak and ineffective. For this reason the wise train their minds as thoroughly as horse-trainers do their horses. The natural state of the mind would be pure, but it is defiled by the intrusions of sense-impressions. The practice of mindfulness is intended to prevent any further poisoning of the mind and to remove impurities which have so far invaded it. The mind which is truly cleaned of obstructive mental states is like a bright mirror. MINDFULNESS OF MENTAL CONTENTS, which completes the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, means contemplating the Way of Enlightenment as shown by the Buddha-Dharma. To help the meditator learn to see his psychosomatic make-up, the teaching emphasises the study of the five following mental objects; bull awareness of which is the goal of the practice: The Five Hindrances, The Five Aggregates of Attachment, The Six Internal and External Spheres of Senses, The Seven Factors of Enlightenment, The Four Noble Truths. THE FIVE HINDRANCES which obstruct mental culture are: 1 Sensuous Desire means craving for sensual pleasures which are experienced through the eyes, nose, tongue and touch. This hindrance also includes the craving for passions such as envy, jealousy, possessiveness, pride, arrogance and conceit. Desire through the sensations is comparable according to the Buddha's teaching to a bowl of water with colouring matter. Even with good eyesight a man would see little through the water. If the water were agitated (likening it to the passions), the mirror-like effect would be distorted, as is the mind which is swayed by sense attractions. In meditation practice, whenever sensuous desire arises, either through sensual objects or because of mental defilement's, one should immediately become mindful of the fact, contemplating it with the acknowledgment: "This is a sensuous desire" and observing it with bare attention. Then one reflects on how the desire arose and how it is relinquished or put down, and furthermore, how it is not to arise in the future. Through this teaching, we learn to recognize things as they truly are, seeing how they arise and cease, ow to keep them in check and how to prevent their re-arising. From repeated practice and constant observation, experience is gained to free one from sensuous desires and other mental impurities. To understand profound truth the mind must be unimpeded by any such distorting influences. When this clarity is achieved, no image is mistaken for reality, and no thought or concept substituted for it. 2 Ill-will in all its forms, from mild hostility to sheer hatred, is another hindrance t mental attainment. It acts as a barrier to good-will, friendliness and benevolence, and to a calm and balanced state of mind. Ill-will, therefore, obstructs the growth of wisdom, distorting one's view and hindering the mind from discovering the truth of any situation. If you get angry during a discussion you fail to present your case to the best advantage. Reasoning and the ability to communicate depend on controlled thought which is free from anger and agitation. Ill-will could therefore be compared to a bowl of water about to boil; its surface will not produce a reflection. 3 Sloth and Torpor, which occur through mental lethargy rather than bodily fatigue are connected with rigidity of mind, depression and indolence. When the mind becomes rigid and inert, it is very difficult to exercise clear-headedness, and one feels discourage. In the metaphor of the bowl of wager, its surface is overgrown with water plants. Sloth or sluggishness weaken the attention and contemplation, whilst torpor or drowsiness leads to day-dreaming. 4 Flurry and Worry which work against the development of calmness and insight, disquiet the mind. The restless mind tends to worry, and this vicious circle can only be broken by acknowledging the presence of the hindrance, observing it mindfully and by reflecting on the futility of letting it continue. Until this is done, you cannot resume your aim. Restlessness and worry take over the mind when peace of mind is lost. Here, the bowl of water has been ruffled by the wind and made to swirl. The remedy lies in learning not to worry, for valuable time is wasted in meditation. The best answer is to plan what action is necessary to rectify the matter, then to shelve the plan until the appropriate time come. With the hindrance mindfully removed, attention is again turned to the subject for meditation. Success in any walk of life never comes through worry but by paying heed to whatever has to be done. 5 Sceptical Doubt usually arises in the absence of knowledge or through lack of information. The moment one sees and understands, doubt disappears completely. In matters of faith, the Buddhist may have doubt as to his beliefs, about the path and its fulfillment, about former lifetimes or whatever. It is good to begin with doubts or reservations; what begins with certainty often ends up in doubt, for that initial doubt acts as a challenge to a questing mind. Such doubt encourages investigation of the facts and a search for the truth underlying them. When one perceives reality through ones own investigation doubt is removed. So a healthy scepticism is useful. On the other hand, the hindrance of sceptical doubt implies an innate bias which prevents investigation, a form of doubt which does not want to know. If this condition is very strong, little can be done until the impermanence of life has wrought its inevitable changes and opportunity knocks once more. THE FIVE AGGREGATES OF ATTACHMENT may be likened to groups or bundles of energy which make up the human being. They consist of five groups which together amount to life or existence. What we call a person or individual is nothing more than these five aggregates, one physical and four mental. When these five cease to function together, there is no trace of "I" or "me" and the being has ceased to exist. 1 In the aggregate of material form there are the four great elements, namely, the elements of extension (symbolized by the term "earth"), the element of cohesion (the symbolic "water"), the element of motion (the symbolic "air") and the element of heat (the symbolic "fire"). Derived from these are twenty-four secondary phenomena (not considered in detail here) which add up to physical existence, both internal and external. 2 The aggregate of sensations. In this group are all our feelings and sensations. In Buddhist psychology, feelings are either pleasant or unpleasant in connection with the body or the mind. Apart from these, there is only indifference. They exist by contact through the five senses and through mental contact with ideas and concepts. 3 The aggregate of perceptions is similarly divided into sex corresponding sense-channels, which permit recognition of objects through seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and thinking. It is noteworthy that Insight meditation enables the meditator to be objective about thought processes and to include them as sense objects and not as perceivers of the five other senses. 4 The fourth aggregate of mental formations includes the virtuous and the vicious qualities which operate in shaping the mind for good or ill. A man with a mind conditioned to virtuous habits will "naturally" act, speak and think with good intentions; whereas the man with an evil trend of mind will produce malevolence. Qualities such as mindfulness, steadiness of mind, intelligence, wisdom, confidence, energy, tranquillity, friendliness, compassion, sympathetic joy at others; success, happiness, welfare, and so on, are contained in the one term "virtuous principles of mind". The opposites to these, qualities which are ignoble, coarse, cruel, unwholesome and unprofitable in a spiritual sense, comprise the "vicious principles of mind". Because of this particular group our minds are sometimes constructive and unselfish in their function, whilst at other times they lend themselves to destructive or base activities. According to Buddhism it is said "One performs good or bad deeds voluntarily". Hence all willful actions, including speech and thought, proceed from volitions in this group. 5 The last aggregate which attaches us unwittingly to this life of impermanence is that of consciousness. Like sensations and perceptions consciousness is of six kinds, related to the five senses and to the mind. It is not consciousness that recognizes objects which present themselves to the five physical-based senses or to the mind-based sense. Consciousness functions simply by being aware of the presence of an object (or by attracting the attention). For example, a stray thought may distract the attention from listening to a lecture. And insect-bite may do the same thing through body-consciousness. Consciousness thus establishes contact with the sense-objects through the sense-bases and with mind objects through the mind-base, and arises very rapidly at any sense-door when certain conditions are combined, but is never able to contact two simultaneously. The stage of recognizing any object is the function of perceptions, the third group. In meditation practice by the method of mindfulness, you just observe and watch an aggregate as instructed, noting how it arises, how it functions and then fades away again. These three phases in the case of each group should be directly known by insight developed through meditation. This is full awareness. THE SIX INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SPHERES OF THE SENSES have evolved to perceive ideas and thoughts. Without these it would be impossible to know what is happening in the world or in one's own mind. Consequently, contact between matter and mind is lost if any of these cease to function for any reason. Since there are six senses whereby contact can take place, we have twelve spheres wherein they function. Six of these are internal and six external: eye-base, ear-base, and the other four, including mind-base, comprise the six internal spheres of the senses; whilst the six forms of objects corresponding to these are called the external spheres of the senses, meaning that they provide the stimuli which arouse their respective internal spheres. Thus visible forms come into contact with the eye-base, sounds with the ear-base, odours with the nose- base, tastes with the tongue-base, tangible things with the body as their basis of contact, and thoughts or ideas that make themselves felt in the mind. The result of this contact between the eternal and internal spheres of each of the six senses are: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and thinking. It is these that attach us to the wheel of life with its unsatisfactory impermanence and selflessness. These letters include ideas of soul or self longings, aversions, delusions, conceit, restlessness and anxiety. They attach us not only to this world but also to the refined (astral) world and non-material (mental) world, in a condition of uncertainty. There are three stages of insight meditation: First, you should give just bare attention to seeing, hearing, thinking, etc., merely acknowledging it. This has the effect of checking the flow of random thoughts, associations of ideas, and mental conversations. Because of long established habits, determined practice is needed to check these digressions for more than a few seconds at first, but it can be done and it soon proves beneficial. By pausing and observing with detachment the facts of any situation, correct judgment and a suitable solution are obtained. The second stage of meditation occurs when you have become watchful of one of the six senses; it consists of contemplation of the respective sense-base and sense object involved while noting any fetter or attraction or aversion which may encumber the unenlightened mind. Full awareness of these conditions is the aim of this stage. Thirdly, one should come to know and understand clearly the fetters or bonds which arise through the six internal and external sense-spheres, noting how they arise, manifest and then pass away. Contemplation at this stage will reveal to you how to relinquish them and how to prevent their re-arising in future. This way leads to the conquest of "self" and the mastery of life. THE SEVEN FACTORS OF ENLIGHTENMENT are considered essential in the Vipassana method to cultivate and develop day by day, as they facilitate the way to the final goal. Even partial development of these will bring harmony to daily life. Gradually you will become less disturbed and less liable to suffer the vicissitudes of an everchanging illusive world. Here is a brief outline of the seven factors which open the way to enlightenment: 1 Mindfulness is the essential starting point for all contemplative effort. It is applied to the physical and mental activities already described. With constant mindfulness one can promote the doing of good, avoid evil, and purify the mind of all obstructing tendencies and influences. 'Mindfulness leads to the Deathless Path' said the Buddha. 2 Investigation of truth embraces every means for seeking out ultimate truth. It begins with reflection upon what is spiritually profitable or unprofitable, what is right or wrong, thus leading to the realization of truth and untruth. Investigation of truth based on the four foundations of mindfulness enables one to enjoy all things impartially. 3 Energy is to be directed with strong determination to the working out and fulfillment of the goal. 4 Rapture means serene enjoyment with blissful enthusiasm of mind. 5 Tranquility refers to complete relaxation of body and mind. 6 Concentration (in the sense of an undisturbed and unscattered state of mind) is required to unify the mind or bring it to stability and steadiness. In effect, the mind becomes wholly aware of that it is without straying. 7 Equanimity is the last essential factor of enlightenment. With this you are not merely tranquil but your mind, although still receptive and alert, is freely detached from any event or influence within or without. To fulfill these seven factors it is necessary to be constantly aware of each as existing or not existing in yourself. When any one of them arises for the first time, it should be clearly observed. Furthermore, you should be clearly aware of each coming to full development. By being fully aware and ever mindful of these factors, you cannot fail to tread the path to its final goal of liberation. THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS are the Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of its Origin, the Noble Truth of its Cessation, and the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering. These four truths are considered as the foundations of Buddhism, and the whole teachings of the Buddha are derived from them. Briefly, the Buddha taught us only one thing, suffering and its cessation. According to reality, we shall see that all living beings are only concerned with suffering, and how to put an end to it. But nowadays people tend to overlook this essential fact. The teaching dealing with suffering is positively life-affirming. You must be prepared to face any problem in your lifetime, without fear and with self-confidence. For this reason, suffering does not deny the existence of joy and laughter. This teaching stresses the evils of life in order to counteract man's natural inclination to dwell on the pleasant and ignore or forget everything disagreeable. The teaching of suffering is a reminder that while at any given moment one may be enjoying what we call happiness, there are incalculable numbers of sentient beings in misery. Birth is suffering, decay is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering. Association with the unlovely is suffering; separation from the lovely is also suffering. In short, the five aggregates of attachment are all liable to suffering. "Suffering" is the translation of dukkha, which literally means "ugliness", "emptiness" and "voidness". It is so-called "ugliness" as it is the foundation of so many troubles and dangers. And because it is an ego-entity, grasped and maintained by the unwise, it is called "emptiness" and "voidness". In ultimate reality, all things have three characteristics: impermanence, suffering or unsatisfactoriness, and impersonality or phenomenality. Everything is subject to change, and when open clings to such things, one has to suffer from their transience. On the other hand, by under-standing the reality of all things, you can become free from misery and sorrow. In the spirit of this truth, you are taught to accept suffering as joyful and creative. For it is not something to be ignored, but to be understood clearly and precisely. The noble truth of the cause of suffering recognizes that craving gives rise to rebirth and is connected with pleasure and lust; finding gratification here there and everywhere. There are three kinds – sensual craving, craving for becoming and craving for non-becoming. Generated by the contact of the sense-organs with objects, sensual craving is sixfold in number. It consists of pleasurable sights, sounds, odours, tastes, tactile objects and ideas or thoughts. Craving for becoming embraces the sensual sphere, the sphere of fine material, and the formless sphere. Craving for nonbecoming is associated with wrong view, which is the belief that nothing remains conditioned after death. This is considered erroneous because it does not respect the law of mental conditionality. In the formula of dependent origination, we find that the process of all suffering originates thus: from conditioned ignorance arise karma-formation: from these – consciousness; then mind and body from which arise the sixfold sense-base; this gives rise to contact, then to feeling, and so to craving. Through conditioned craving arises clinging; from this arises the process of becoming, then rebirth. Through conditioned rebirth arise decay, sorrow, lamentation, pain grief and despair. Craving, being rooted in ignorance of the true nature of existence, is the cause of suffering. Once you realise this truth complete iradication of suffering is assured. The third truth discovered by the Buddha is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering. This is the final goal of life. After the attainment of supreme enlightenment, the Buddha exclaimed: "Through many a birth is Samsara (the round of re-birth and death) I wandered, seeking but not finding the builder of this house. Miserable indeed is repeated birth. O house-builder (craving), now you are unmasked. No house (body) shall be built again. All your rafters (passions) are broken, your ridge pole (ignorance) is shattered. The mind has reached the state of non-conditionally. The ceasing of all forms of craving has been achieved". According to the teaching of conditioned genesis in the reverse order, the process of the cessation of all suffering takes place thus: through complete cessation of ignorance, karma-formations become extinguished. Through their cessation consciousness becomes extinguished. Thus through these connections the mind and body, the sixfold sense-base, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, the process of becoming, rebirth, decay and death, as well as sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief and despair all subsequently become extinguished. The meaning here is that apart from pointing out the first two truths, the third, non-conditionality of the state is also shown. As long as the mind is defiled by a passions and rooted in ignorance, so will beings be destined to sink into suffering, becoming reborn and dying in the cycle of existence. With the destruction of all defilements, the mind is purified and freed, and the final aim of life, Nirvana, can be attained. In spirit, the third noble truth is identical with Nirvana, and is different only in name. Nirvana is the end of suffering, the supramundane state in which the highest refuge, unique, perfect purity, security, emancipation, complete peace and freedom from all bonds, can be found. This in not accomplished in one day, or even in a short time; it may not even be attained in one life. This is the reason why we are repeatedly subjected to birth and death in this long Samsara. At this point we shall see that the three nobel truths form a philosophy of life in the light of perfect knowledge, while the last noble truth comprises the practical means leading to the final destination of life. Without this forth truth, the Buddha's teaching would not have been complete, without the right practice the philosophy would be barren and useless. It would be like a blind man describing different colours of flowers without being able to see them. The fourth truth attained by the Buddha is his supreme enlightenment, is the Noble Eightfold path, a method of bringing about the cessation of suffering. Without its practice you cannot achieve the highest aim in life. The Buddha taught that not only is suffering and its cause the universal symptom of existence, but also that there is a way of overcoming and removing it. As a traveller needs a map for his journey, so do we need to follow this path in our journey though life. The Noble Eightfold Path consists of: right view, right thinking, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right contemplation (the world 'right' meaning total, perfect, genuine). 1 Right View is a clear understanding of the true nature of existence which has three main characteristics: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness or instability, and impersonality or phenomenality: this is the precise meaning of the four noble truths as well as the law of karma and rebirth. 2 Right Thinking deals with the thoughts of selfless renunciation, benevolence and compassion, non-violence and harmony. These two phases are the constituents of wisdom. 3 Right Speech is threefold: speech of moral volitions, of gentle words, and complete abstinence from speaking lies, from tale-bearing, harsh words, foolish babble or vain talk. 4 Right Action is of three kinds: action of moral volition, action performed to the best of one's ability, and complete abstinence from the threefold bodily bad action, namely the destruction of life, taking what is not freely given, and sexual misconduct. Instead one should cultivate universal loving-kindness, contentment with one's possessions and wise practice concerning sexual appetite. 5 Right Livelihood means avoidance of the following: gaining one's livelihood by deceit, persuasive words, hints, slandering and eagerly hankering after greater gain in the wrong way. These can be summed up as the constituents of morality. 6 Right Effort consists of four principles: in encouraging the mind to avoid evil thoughts and unwholesome things not yet arisen; in overcoming evil thoughts and unwholesome things already arisen; in arousing and developing wholesome things and good thoughts not yet arisen, and in maintaining wholesome thoughts already arisen, nurturing them to maturity and perfection. When one perseveres, unwaveringly, this practice is called right effort 7 Right Mindfulness is based on contemplation of the body, of the feelings, of states of mind and of mind objects. In practising the first step, which is the breathing exercise, the breathing should be neither long or short, but normal. By mindfulness and constant awareness of the rising and falling of one's abdomen, the breathing becomes gradually improved, becoming smoother, lighter and more gentle, and a smaller amount of oxygen is needed by the brain. At this stage, serenity, calmness and composure of the mind will be achieved. You will obtain inner purity of mind, gaining insight steadily. andy posture or physical action, should be done consciously, not in a a habitual manner. Even keeping silence mindfully is the true spirit of the practice of mindfulness. In the contemplation of one's feelings by way of mindfulness, one sees and knows clearly whether the feeling is pleasant, painful or indifferent. By understanding feelings as they really are at the moment of their occurrence, one can become steadfast, maintaining perfect equilibrium, neither excited nor sad. This is the way leading to mastery of the feelings. To contemplate your state of mind is to watch and observe your emotions closely in order to penetrate their true nature. When each emotion occurs it should be immediately acknowledge: to do more than that is not necessary for the first step. Through awareness of emotions you gradually overpower then and finally gain liberation from them. Contemplation of mind-objects deals with the study of phenomena, both mental and physical, and the investigation of definite groups of the dharma, such as the Five Hindrances, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, the Four Noble Truths, and on. 8 Right Contemplation is the last factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, being based on whole-someness of consciousness, and produced either by calm meditation or insight development. The last three factors, right effort, right mindfulness and right contemplation, can be summed up as the constituents of meditation. Colveyco Reading Room Purchase this book through Amazon.com: The Way of Non-Attachment: The Practice of Insight Meditation |