Taming the Mind and Heart (Part 2)

Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Buddhist Publication Society

Meditation (#LightBoxFF/Tierney Gearon's Instagram Family Album/time.com)

  

The Gradual Training

SEE PART 1

..."It is possible, Brahmin, to lay down a gradual training, a gradual doing, a gradual practice with respect to this Dharma and discipline.

 

"Brahmin, even a skilled trainer of horses, having taken on a beautiful thoroughbred, first of all gets it used to the training with respect to wearing the bit. Then one gets it used to a further training -- even so, Brahmin, the Tathagata [the Buddha referring to himself], having taken on a person to be tamed, first of all offers the discipline thus:

 

Virtue

The Buddha as a mountain in China: Leshan, Sichuan Province (Qasimism/flickr)

 
"'Come, meditator [monastic or intensive lay meditator], be virtuous in habit, live controlled by the control of the Obligations [training rules, Code of Discipline, Patimokkha], endowed with [proper] behavior and method, seeing peril in even the slightest fault and, undertaking them, train yourself in the rules of training.'

"As soon, Brahmin, as the meditator is of virtuous habit, controlled by the control of the Obligations, endowed with [right] behavior and method, and seeing peril in the slightest fault and, undertaking them, trains oneself in the rules of training, the Tathagata offers further discipline saying:

Sense-control

"Bhikkave, this is the path of practice."

"'Come, meditator, be guarded at the doors of the sense-organs: Having seen a material shape with the eye, do not be entranced with the general appearance, do not be entranced with the detail.

"'For if one dwells with the organ of sight uncontrolled, covetousness and dejection, unwholesome, unskillful states of mind [heart], may flow in.

"'So fare along controlling it, guard the organ of sight, achieve control over the organ of sight. Having heard a sound with the ear... Having smelled a fragrance with the nose... Having savored a taste with the tongue... Having felt a touch with the body... Having cognized a mental [heart] state with the mind [heart], do not be entranced with the detail.

"'For if one dwells with the organ of mind uncontrolled, covetousness and dejection, unwholesome, unskillful states of mind, may flow in. So fare along controlling it; guard the organ of mind [the mind-door, the heart, the seat of consciousness, of knowing], achieve control over the organ of mind.'
 
Moderation in eating

Strawberry-flavored processed cereal or strawberries? Tough choice (portalsmag.com)

  

Learning to avoid extremes

"As soon, Brahmin, as a meditator is guarded at the doors of the sense-organs, the Tathagata offers further discipline, saying: 'Come, meditator, be moderate in eating.

"'Take food while reflecting carefully, not for fun or indulgence or personal charm or beautification, but taking just enough for maintaining this body and keeping it going, for keeping it unharmed, for furthering the supreme-life [the "Brahma-faring," the purified and undistracted spiritual lifestyle of a celibate recluse], with the thought: Thus will I crush out an old [painful] feeling, and I will not allow a new [painful, or attachment-inducing, or sleep-producing] feeling to arise, and then there will be for me subsistence and blamelessness and abiding in comfort.'

Vigilance

The Buddha reclining in the "lion's posture," as he did during his final nirvana, seen here in golden robes in Theravada Burma's Chauk Htat Gyi shrine (myanmartours.us).

 

"As soon, Brahmin, as a meditator is moderate in eating, the Tathagata offers further discipline, saying: 'Come, meditator, dwell intent on vigilance: During the day while pacing up and down, while sitting down, cleanse the mind [heart] of obstructive mental states.

 

Lion Posture, resting sleep-free (elwetritsche)

"During the middle watch of the night, lie down on the right side in the lion posture, foot resting on foot, mindful, clearly conscious [clearly comprehending], reflecting on the thought of getting up again'. During the last watch of the night, when you have arisen, while pacing up and down, while sitting down, cleanse the mind of obstructive mental states.'

Mindfulness and clear consciousness

Having tamed the mind, the Buddha reflects ("Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds," REM Pub. Ltd.)

  .

I'm going to do it at work (AA)

"As soon, Brahmin, as a meditator is intent on vigilance, the Tathagata offers further discipline, saying:
 
'Come, meditator, be possessed of mindfulness [bare awareness] and clear consciousness, acting with clear consciousness whether you are approaching or departing, acting with clear consciousness whether you are looking ahead or looking around, acting with clear consciousness whether you are bending in or stretching out [the arms], acting with clear consciousness whether you are carrying the outer robe, the bowl or robe, acting with clear consciousness whether you are eating, drinking, munching, savoring, acting with clear consciousness whether you are responding to the calls of nature, acting with clear consciousness whether you are walking, standing, sitting, asleep, awake, talking, or remaining silent.'

Overcoming of the Five Hindrances

There are many techniques: pick one; do it.

"As soon, Brahmin, as one is possessed of mindfulness and clear consciousness [comprehension], the Tathagata offers further discipline, saying: 'Come, meditator, choose a remote dwelling in a forest, at the foot of a tree, on a mountain slope, in a glen, a hill cave, a cemetery [charnel ground], a woodland grove, in the open, or on a heap of straw.'

"On returning from alms-gathering after the meal, the meditator sits down crosslegged, holding the back erect, having made mindfulness rise up in front. And getting rid of covetousness for the world, one dwells with a mind [a heart] devoid of covetousness, as one cleanses the mind of covetousness.
 
"Getting rid of the taint of ill-will, one dwells benevolent in mind. Compassionate and merciful towards all creatures and beings, one cleanses the mind of ill-will.

"Getting rid of sloth and torpor, one dwells [energetically and vigilantly]. Perceiving the light [an apparent reference to a nimitta, the meditator's "counterpart sign," an inner light that arises in the mind's eye], mindful and clearly conscious one cleanses the mind of sloth and torpor.

"Getting rid of restlessness and worry [stress and remorse, hyperactivity and misgivings], one dwells calmly. The mind inwardly tranquil, one cleanses the mind of restlessness and worry.

"Getting rid of doubt, one dwells having crossed over doubts. Unperplexed as to which states are skillful [kusala, also translated as beneficial, salutary, profitable, or karmically-wholesome], one cleanses the mind of doubt.

Meditative Absorptions (jhanas)

The walls of a Buddhist temple at Borobudur, Java, Indonesia (TrevThompson/flickr)

 

This is the way to wisdom (A)

"By ridding the mind [heart] of these Five Hindrances [see The Five Hindrances and Their Conquest, Wheel No. 26], which are defilements of the mind and deleterious to intuitive wisdom, aloof from coarse pleasures of the senses, aloof from unskillful states of mind, one enters and abides in the first meditation [the first "absorption," the first jhana], which is accompanied by initial and sustained attention, is born of aloofness [mental and physical withdrawal] and is rapturous and joyful.

"Overcoming initial and sustained attention, one's mind subjectively tranquilized and fixed on a single point [usually the subtle breath at the nostril which has, by concentration on it, transformed and become the nimitta], one enters and abides in the second meditation, which is free of [the effort of] initial and sustained attention, is born of concentration [collectedness] and is rapturous and joyful.
 

It can be done, I can do it! (Han La Suave)

"By the fading out of rapture [to something more subtle and blissful], one dwells with equanimity, attentive and clearly conscious, and experiences in one's person that joy of which the noble ones [ariyans, according to the Path of Purification, those who have reached the noble attainments, the stages of enlightenment] say: 'Joyful lives one who has equanimity and is mindful.' And one enters and abides in the third meditation.

"By getting rid of anguish, by the going down of one's former pleasures and sorrows [by overcoming the bliss of the preceding absorptions, a supersensual pleasure that now feels coarse by comparison, and one moves to something subtler], one enters and abides in the fourth meditation, which has neither anguish nor joy, and which is entirely purified by equanimity and mindfulness [and singlepointedness of mind].
 
"Brahmin, such is my instruction for those meditators [female and male lay practitioners, nuns, or monks] who are learners [those in training] who, perfection being not yet attained, dwell longing for the incomparable security from all bonds [liberation, emancipation, freedom, nirvana].

"But as for those meditators who are perfected ones [arhats], the cankers destroyed, who have lived the [Brahma-faring] life, done what was to be done, shed the burden, attained to the goal themselves, the fetters of becoming utterly destroyed, and who are freed by perfect profound knowledge [wisdom] -- these things conduce both to their abiding in ease here and now as well as to their mindfulness and clear consciousness."
 
Does everyone make it?

Doing it in Sweden (yogameditation.com)

When this had been said, the Brahmin Ganaka-Moggallana said to the [Buddha]:
 
"Now, on being exhorted thus and instructed thus by the good Gotama, do all of the good Gotama's disciples attain the unchanging goal [accanta-nittha, accanta can also mean "utmost, culminating, supreme"] -- nirvana, or do some not attain it?"
 
"Brahmin, some of my disciples, on being exhorted and instructed in this way by me, attain the unchanging goal -- nirvana. Some do not attain it."
 

I have a childlike question. - Ask it, Brahmin.

"What is the cause, good Gotama, what is the reason that -- since nirvana does exist, since the way leading to nirvana exists, and since the good Gotama exists as adviser -- some of the good Gotama's disciples on being exhorted and instructed in this way by the good Gotama, attain the unchanging goal -- nirvana -- but some do not attain it?" More