Monday, February 24, 2020

Buddhist meditation: mindful serenity

Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Ananda (DBM), Joel Wachbrit, Ellie Askew, Wisdom Quarterly



Sit with it. With what? With whatever arises. Notice it. Label it dispassionately, disinterestedly, without getting caught up in "subject-object fixations," as Pema Chodron calls them.

What is "objective" reality while sitting? We don't know. What is subjective reality? That we know.

Who will perfect wisdom? Prajna Paramita
We react to what we think is objective. That's our subjective interpretation, ultimately unreal, based on our mental fabrications (sankhara) and storehouse of cognitions.

Witness how mind arises -- resisting and swatting at the unpleasant, grasping at and clinging to whatever's pleasant, and being bored by (spacing out, falling asleep, dissociating from) anything neither-pleasant-nor-painful (neutral).

This is mindfulness meditation. Detach a little. It's impersonal anyway. Combined with serenity, such meditating leads to bliss (piti), which is beyond all sensuality and effervescent/energizing like levitating. Watch it without attachment until equanimity manifests.

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