OBJECT OF MEDITATION and the THE OBSERVING MIND

Follow the Dharma to Practice Dharma

The practice of meditation follows the Sutra and the Buddhas teaching. Satipatthana Sutra: To practice insight, mindfulnessbased meditation, in daily 4 postures (standing, walking, sitting, and lying), contemplate body/mind, or 5 aggregates

ardently, mindfully, with clear comprehension.

Following the Dharma

Contemplate body/mind, or five aggregates.. Ardently (faith with energy/effort), Mindfully (mindfulness embedding in concentration) With Clear Comprehension (Awareness, Insight/Wisdom) Application Dharma is a way of life (In daily 4 postures), to achieve happiness from the end of suffering.

MEDITATION OBJECTS

Object of Meditation
can be:
-- Body/Mind

or -- 5 aggregates

Processes

Rupa/Nama, or Physical and Mental Phenomena occur at six body-sensor doorways.

There are 40 kinds of objects to choose from, according to VM (Commentary on the Path of Purification) Disk Symbol Mantra Recollection Citation Buddha Images (Pure Land practice) Metta / Loving-Kindness Breathing 4 Primary Elements * Add the spouse in daily life as 41st object.

The chosen object serves as a tool to train the mind. The nature of the object will determine the direction of meditation. --Tranquility (Samatha)-- if the nature is stagnant, still. --Insight (Vipassana)-- if the nature is dynamic, changing all of the time.

*Meditation is a skill of mental training.

Whatever is present in the mind is the object of meditation/awareness.

THE OBSERVING MIND

What Is Mind?
* Mind

is the forerunner; it plays a key role in meditation.

* Mind is not a thing, but a mere process of change--an activity/event.

* Mind is like an X-Ray-- invisible but functional. It always goes after the object and strives to know the object. It moves so fast that the naked eye cannot see its activity.
Awareness is the only way to detect mental activity.

The object is not important. The Observing Mind is more important.

The Mind is working in the background, working to be aware (awareness). If the observing process is done with the right attitude, the object will be the right object (the object of awareness). * The most important thing to remember when you are meditating is to have the Right Attitude.

RIGHT ATTITUDE:

The Four-No Ground Rules of Meditation:

No Expectations

No Judgments
No Complaints

No Comparisons

Relationship Between Subject and Object

The Uncertainty Principle

(Discovered in the 1940s)
Any phenomena is not a (state of) phenomena before the observation; it just represents an infinite number of uncertainty states (in a set field).

Simply by observing, the uncertainty field collapses, and becomes an observable state of phenomena. The outcome of the observation depends upon the mental state of the observer. Meditation Principle: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. (Practice of this basic principle started in 4th century BC)

*Meditation is participatory observation. What you are looking at responds to the process of looking/observation. What you are looking at is you! It just reflects your own state of mind.

How you look determines what you will see.

Right Attitude in Meditation is the key to a successful meditation practice! This is mindfulness-based meditation, or Insight Meditation.

How To Practice Mindfulness-Based Meditation (Vipassana) Practice mindfully, being fully aware of what is happening in the present moment. This nurtures the Insight and Wisdom attained through a spiritual awakening.

Dharma is a way of life! In the end, meditation is learning how to use the power of Nature.

End Part I

The Mental Attitude of Meditation

Meditation is a skill of mental training, experienced on the path of a flowing waterway. Water = * The (Observing) Mind Water State = * Mental State * Mental Attitude to meditation * Mental Factor * Quality of Mind

Water Current = Consciousness, Awareness, to know the object. There are three levels of current: Surface Current = Conscious mental activity, action Under Current = Subconscious, Resulting Consciousness, Karmic Force Underground Current = Life Continuum, Karmic Potential, The Mind beyond death, The flow of the mind at deep sleep, without dreaming.

MENTAL STATES Wholesome, Skillful States: 5 Mental Faculties, (like clear water) Faith Energy/Effort Mindfulness Concentration Insight/Wisdom

Unwholesome, unskillful States: 5 Hindrances, (like muddy water) Sense Desires (Craving) Aversion Doubt (Delusion) Agitated Mind Sleeping/Lazy Mind

The Three Modes of Awareness

Five body senses coupled with the thinking brain-- Conceptual Insight
Bare Awareness-- Intuitive Sixth Sense @ Minddoor (beyond concepts) * Pure Awareness-- from the power of nature Knowing. Not based on any body sensors. Enlightened Noble Person.

Awareness Is: The knowing function of consciousness, from the act of consciousness. It is the only way to detect mental activity.