Awaken (Seven Factors of Enlightenment)

Alan Watts; Ven. Nyanatiloka, Buddhist Dictionary; Dhr. Seven, A. Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Oh gosh, it's time to wake up! But, then again, what's the rush? (Waking Up Gif - IceGif)

The "Awakened One" (Tokyo National Museum)

In A.X.102, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (sambojjhanga) are said to be the means of attaining the Threefold Wisdom (tevijjā).

They may be attained by means of the Fourfold Setting up of Mindfulness (satipatthāna), as it is said in S.XLVI.1 and explained in MN 118:

(1) "Whenever, O meditators, the meditator dwells contemplating the body (kāya), feeling (vedanā), mind (citta), and mind-objects (dhammā), strenuous, clearly-conscious, mindful, after subduing worldly greed and grief, at such a time one's mindfulness is present and undisturbed; and whenever one's mindfulness is present and undisturbed, at such a time one has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment 'mindfulness' (sati-sambojjhanga), and thus this factor of enlightenment reaches fullest perfection.

(2) "Whenever, while dwelling with mindfulness, one wisely investigates [things, i.e., psycho-physical phenomena], examines and ponders the Dharma... at such a time one has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment 'investigation of the law' (dhamma-vicaya)....

(3) "Whenever, while wisely investigating one's energy is firm and unshaken...at such a time one has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment 'energy' (viriya)....

(4) "Whenever, while firm in energy, there arises supersensual rapture...at such a time one has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment 'rapture' (pīti)....

(5) "Whenever, while enraptured in mind/heart, one's body and mind become composed [congruent]...at such a time one has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment 'tranquility' (passaddhi).

(6) "Whenever, while being composed in body and happy, one's mind becomes still...at such a time one has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment 'stillness' (samādhi, concentration, coherence)....

(7) "Whenever one looks with complete [unbiased] indifference on a mind thus concentrated...at such a time one has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment 'equanimity' (upekkhā). More

• Alan Watts TV Dharma lecture on Silent Mind (YouTube)

Snap out of it! Get aware to awaken to what's real and what's illusory (awareproject.org).