Outlines for Mindfulness Meditation & the Four Noble Truths

Transcription

1 Nalanda Four Year Program Class 1: Foundations of Self-Healing & Contemplative Life Outlines for Mindfulness Meditation & the Four Noble Truths Dr. Miles Neale Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science

2 Mindfulness Meditation Outlines Six Conditions for Meditation - Master Kamalashila (8 th century CE) 1. Seek a Conducive Environment for Meditation 2. Live Simply with Few Needs 3. Be Satisfied with What You Have 4. Avoid Being Too Busy 5. Maintain an Ethical Way of Life 6. Renounce Hedonistic (Pleasure-driven) Pursuits Seven Point Vairochana Posture - Master Kamalashila (8 th century CE) 1. Legs crossed full or half lotus or whatever is comfortable 2. Hands in gesture (mudra) or resting on the lap or on the knees 3. Back sitting on a high cushion tilt the pelvis forward and keep spine erect 4. Shoulders spread open evenly, do not hunch or slouch 5. Head and Neck chin slightly lowered 6. Mouth tip of the tongue touching the palate 7. Eyes slightly open gazing past the tip of the nose or closed Five Points of Mindfulness Practice Dr. Neale 1. Motivation and Aspiration - attain virtue, achieve liberation, free others 2. Point of Focus - single point, breath, visual object, sound, theme, etc 3. Breathing - few deep, then natural rythem 4. Returning to Focus - with attitude of discipline and patience 5. Dedication - offer fruits of practice to self and others welfare Four Foundations of Mindfulness - Satiphatthana sutta of the Buddha 1. Breath and Body tips of nostrils, heart center, or abdomen 2. Sensations pleasant, unpleasant, neutral and the reactivity towards each 3. Mind the quality of awareness: dull and drowsy, agitated and restless, calm and stable, clear and vivid 4. Consciousness contents of mind, the objects of the six-sense: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, thoughts (emotions, memories, fantasies etc.) Five Hindrances and Antidotes - Visudhimagga of Buddhagosha (5 th century) 1. Desire Contemplate mere appearance, impermanence, loathsomeness of the body, decay 2. Aversion Contemplate loving-kindness; Cause and Effect (Karma) 3. Dullness Moderation in eating; move the body; contemplate bright light; Contemplate death 4. Restlessness Count breaths, review meditation ie. Four Noble Truths, associate with the spiritually mature and grounded 5. Doubt develop knowledge of the texts, ask good questions, confidence in one s experience, noble friendship 2

3 The Four Noble Truths Suffering is be understood, its causes to be abandoned, freedom to be realized and the path to be cultivated Meitrya I. DIAGNOSIS: Truth of Suffering Result A. Ordinary Suffering: Birth, Sickness, Old Age and Death B. The Suffering of Change: Temporary happiness is always followed by dissatisfaction and wanting more C. All Pervasive Suffering: The untrained mind and body are afflicted and lead to the biology of stress and the psychology of trauma II. ETIOLOGY: Truth of the Cause of Suffering Cause A. Misperception (Avidya) B. Afflictive Emotions (Klesha) C. Compulsive Action (Karma) III. PROGNOSIS: Truth of Freedom Result A. Suffering (Dukkha) and True Happiness (Sukkha) B. Impermanence (Anicca) C. Selflessness, Emptiness (Anatman, Shunyata) IV. TREATMENT: Truth of the Path to Freedom Cause A. Wisdom (Prajna) B. Meditation (Samadhi) C. Ethics (Shila) 3

4 The Noble Eight-fold Path to Freedom Eight-fold Path Three Higher Trainings Causes of Suffering 1. Right Action 2. Right Speech } Training in Ethics (Shila) } Reactive Actions 3. Right Livelihood 4. Right Effort 5. Right Mindfulness } Training in Meditation (Samadhi) } Afflictive Emotions 6. Right Concentration 7. Right View of Reality } Training in Wisdom (Prajna) } Distorted Perceptions 8. Right Intention Cause & Effect Relationships Within the Four Truths Framework Noble Truths 4 & 2: The Results The Three Trainings as Antidotes to the Three Afflictions: Wisdom (Prajna) counteracts Misperception (Avidya) Meditation (Samadhi) counteracts Afflictive Emotions (Klesha) Ethics (Shila) counteracts Reactive Action (Karma) Noble Truths 3 & 1: The Causes The Three Marks of Existence relate to the Three Types of Suffering: Dukkha (inevitable pain) or Sukkha (real happiness) counteracts Ordinary Suffering Annica (impermanence) counteracts the Suffering of Change. Anatman (selflessness) counteracts All Pervasive Suffering. 4

5 Cycle of Suffering Misperception Avidya Compulsive Life Samsara Afflictive Emotion Klesha Reactive Action Karma Cycle of Freedom Wisdom/Outlook Prajna Concious Life Nirvana Meditation Samadhi Ethics/Lifestyle Shila GAP Recognition & Choice Mindfulness practice develops skills of Recognition and Choice. By creating a gap in awareness between thoughts, feelings and actions, one may resist compulsive habit patterns, consciously choose how to think/feel/act, reinforcing new neural networks and redirect one evolutionary development. 5