Before the Buddha became all Bodhi, he did Shamatha and sustained Samadhi. But much like Einstein took Newtonian physics one step further or the Beatles improved on Elvis, the Buddha saw that something good could be made better. The problem with the Jhanas, or Samadhi, or the concentration realms as ultimate practice, thought pre-Buddha Buddha, is that when they end they are over and the world still exists and most of the time it's an irksome schlep.
So the reason we're indebted to Shakyamuni Buddha, is that he developed insight practice as an accompaniment to concentration, and in doing so sorted out the problem with living. And while he said it lots of ways, many would argue that the firmament of Buddhist insight re: life problems is the Three Characteristics (also known as Three Doors, Three Dharma Seals, etc.), which point to our fundamental confusion. The three characteristics are no-self, impermanence and suffering. All phenomena, everything that arises in our experience is non-referential, unstable and unsatisfying. As a result, we, comprised of that un-localized and shifting phenomena, do not exist. That idea YOU had for a screenplay? - Made up of every book you ever read, every movie you ever saw and the 1987 Thanksgiving at Aunt Edna's. YOUR love for asiago? Comprised of DNA and taste buds and current food trends and your upbringing. That dream in which you are a child-doll-elephant ruler in a world of subjects made of matchsticks? Probably the asiago.
In class, Ethan quoted this passage from Daniel Ingram's Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha from his Chapter No Self vs. True Self:
"You see, as all phenomena are observed, they cannot possibly be the observer. Thus, the observer, which is awareness and not any of the phenomena pretending to be it, cannot possibly be a phenomenon and thus is not localized and doesn't exist. This is no-self. However, all of these phenomena are actually us from the point of view of non-duality and interconnectedness, as the illusion of duality is just an illusion. When the illusion of duality permanently collapses in final awakening, all that is left is all of these phenomena, which is True Self, i.e. the lack of a separate self and thus just all of this as it is. Remember however, that no phenomena abide for even an instant, and so are empty of all permanent abiding and this of stable existence." ***
Wrap your mind around that. Or don't. In class many people were trying to clarify the "thing" that is awareness. I was shifting around in my seat, my mind blaring: "It's not a thing. It's not an a. It's movement. It's the movement of the question 'what is awareness?'." I was thinking that's why enlightenment - or really excellent mindfulness - often has river and stream metaphors associated with it. Because what I understand of enlightenment is that it's like finally catching the beat of the most complicated piece of music that ever existed.
But really, although we might be able to understand no-self conceptually, that and a dollar will get us no more than a bag of Taro Chips, snack size at that. Of course we don't "know" what our non-dual unification with awareness will be like - we're not there. So, while goals are fun, you can't have a goal and pay attention to your moment to moment experience at the same time. Thus we must practice. Thus the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. Thus the second part of our class.
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness are:
1. Mindfulness of Body
2. Mindfulness of Feelings
3. Mindfulness of Mind
4. Mindfulness of Phenomena of Mind
We can use these foundations in our insight practice, noting them and examining them in context of the three characteristics. We can start by paying attention to the body and the sensations that arise in the body. We can see how they are not touching at any core of self, how they come and go, and how our body unflaggingly, obsessively and consistently seeks greater satisfaction. Then we move on to our feelings, or as Archarya Adam Lobel mentioned last night, the reactions to our physical experience, and note whether the feeling contains pleasure, pain, indifference or, maybe, as Ethan mentioned: Fear. (Question to fellow practitioners/teachers - do we ever feel indifference? I don't think on deep levels I've ever felt indifference.) Then we can turn our mindfulness onto our thought patterns, seeing how they rise and fall, watching them speed or lag, observing the associations, as well as look at the content of the thoughts. Then we can move onto the fourth foundation, which I think we kind of sort of agreed last night is the whole shebang: body, feelings, mind, content of mind all together.
All that Phenomena
Phenomena.
Phenomona
Manomana.
*** Another great Daniel Ingram quote in MCTCTB No Self vs. True Self***
"Awareness" is not a phenomena, thing or localized in any place that you can't say that duality is true. A duality implies something on both sides, an observer and an observed. However there is no phenomenal observer, so duality does not hold up under careful investigation. Until we have a lot of fundamental insight, the sense that duality is true can be very compelling and can cause all sorts of trouble. We extrapolate false dualities from sensations until we are very highly enlightened.
Thus the word "non-dual" is an inherently paradoxical term, one that confounds reason and even our current experience of reality. If we accept the working hypothesis that non-duality is true, then we will be able to continue to reject both unitive and dualistic experiences as the true answer and continue to work towards awakening. This is probably the most practical application of discussions of no-self and True Self."
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Interesting that I'm about to pull the same quote but go in the other direction. I don't think
"enlightenment is that it's like finally catching the beat of the most complicated piece of music that ever existed."
I think its the simplest and thats why we keep missing it. The complicated part is all that we have to do to take care of the ego.
If you think about it. We're being asked to develop equanimity vs our usual attract, reject and neutral filters. It's those filters that color over what we are experience. Equanimity allows us to remain in awareness and when we feel it. What do we feel?
In class people said they felt a lot of things. I felt fear, why? because it makes me realize like i'm just a grain of sand. one measly grain. All my life, I had this notion that I was "The Grain". So all of a sudden I have the option to a protect that notion of my importance or to let it go (as if it where that easy).
If I protect the notion I start creating all sorts of "important" things to say or do. All sorts of distractions so that I can forget. Yes, forget. I don't want to remember it. I want to go back to the self important time and I want to entertain myself with all the wonderful work that accompanies it. It's exhausting but I convince myself that i'm happy and most importantly safe.
Now if I let go, then I'm just this small dot in a sea of other dots. All the busy work I did was in vain and it make me feel sad. Suddenly I realize that anything can happen. I can die at any moment. That there is no security.
So my heart opens and I feel vulnerable. As I walk down the street I see so many things I hadn't see before. Like the leaves aren't just green. They are shades of green and other color. I notice that a sparrow is starting at me. I notice that my friend just lied to me. I notice the person walking behind me is sad. I notice the woman across the street is really in love with the friend and not the boyfriend. I notice that the dog is happy and feels clean. I notice that the tree is happy and a little thirsty. I notice everything and I'm overwhelmed, happy and sad.
All that noticing and information is effortless. The hard part is not attaching to it because once I do all the noticing is blocked by that attachment.
Does that make sense?
Absolutlely Damaris, that makes lots of sense. I will say that I think mindfulness is complicated yet simple, easy but hard, pedestrian yet infinte, etc. etc. Becuase of the ego. What I mean about catching the beat is that once its caught, you just move. You just dance - and its very simple. But we keep thinking about how we look on the dance floor - who's looking at us - whether we're right or wrong - and we get off the beat. If we surrendured we would just move.
Any modifier will suggest duality, I suppose. I think sometimes I relate to the ease of mindfulness and sometimes I feel its very hard.
In fact about a year ago, I remember being very frustrated with all the "it's so hard!" talk. "It takes so much work!" talk. I felt as though it took no work, and it was just a matter of doing.
On Monday night I had possibly the least mindful interaction I've had in years and I thought, okay, Jules, now, for you, you little interdependent earthlling, now it is about effort.
The rug is pulled out in different directions over and over and over again.
That makes a lot of sense, Damaris!
HEY Paul...... I didn't know you had made a comment when I saw you this afternoon. It was nice meeting you. Best with the ceremony.
@Sarah: I had a great hour reading that and some of your other poems. What a nice project.
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