Zen Meditation - The Noble Eightfold Path to Life's Awakening Part 2

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Right Mindfulness

The purpose is to truly understand life and its truths, bringing genuine benefits to one's existence. Because human mental quality is the highest among all beings, humans have the ability to comprehend the truth of life, purify themselves, and eliminate afflictions. The meditation in Southern Theravada Buddhism differs from all other methods because it greatly emphasizes the practice of right mindfulness. Therefore, right mindfulness is crucial in the Noble Eightfold Path.

Ordinary people's minds are often fixated on the five sensual desires—form, sound, smell, taste, and touch—thus they are often bound by sensual objects. Practicing right mindfulness means frequently focusing the mind on the four foundations of mindfulness—body, feelings, mind, and dharmas—which can increase wisdom.

The practice of right mindfulness involves being aware of the four aspects: body, feelings, mind, and dharmas. Through increased awareness, one naturally gains more understanding. The truth of life need not be sought externally; life's phenomena and principles are within one's own body and mind. If one can gain experiential wisdom of this, various afflictions such as greed, anger, delusion, ignorance, craving, confusion, and attachment will gradually diminish and eventually be completely eliminated.

(1) Mindfulness of the Body

If we can be mindful of our physical actions and speech, we can naturally improve our bodily and verbal karma. Further observation with mindfulness allows us to personally experience the value of good deeds and confirm that they bring happiness to ourselves and others.

Being mindful of the body's impermanence—impermanence is the truth of the body, and we need not avoid this fact. Observing impermanence can counteract "self-grasping" and various attachments. When attachment begins to diminish, one can personally experience the liberation and freedom that comes from "letting go." At the same time, one realizes that "pride and self-centeredness" are indeed burdens in life. Additionally, being mindful of the body's impermanence helps people understand the preciousness of time, thus cherishing it and diligently practicing.

Being mindful of the body's breathing—mindfulness of inhalation and exhalation. We can use breathing to cultivate right mindfulness—the ability to maintain continuous awareness; cultivate right concentration—the ability to focus on one object and live in the present moment; cultivate wisdom—as breathing continues and changes, it allows us to perceive the truth of life's impermanence and insubstantiality.

Being mindful of the body's various impurities—cultivating an objective and comprehensive ability to observe things. The body has attractive aspects as well as repulsive ones. When we no longer observe the body according to our preferences or in a biased way, it becomes easy to know that every part of the body is full of impurities and repulsiveness. This can counteract self-love and attachment to the bodies of the opposite sex.

(2) Mindfulness of Feelings

Being mindful of current feelings and their arising and passing away cultivates our continuous awareness and uses these feelings to help us dwell in the present moment.

Being mindful of feelings arising from unwholesome and wholesome actions—we can observe the feelings that arise in our inner world when we perform unwholesome actions due to greed, anger, and delusion; observe the feelings when we perform wholesome actions such as giving, observing precepts, following the law, showing compassion to beings, having right view and right understanding, and when our body and mind settle down. Through this, we can personally experience what truly constitutes life's value and meaning.

Being mindful of how we treat feelings—observe whether we further generate emotions like anger, tension, sadness, or worry due to unpleasant feelings; whether we develop attachment or constantly pursue pleasant feelings due to pleasant feelings, or become distressed because we can still grasp pleasant feelings; observe whether we can reduce being swayed by feelings, returning them to "feelings are just feelings."

A characteristic of ordinary people is the lifelong pursuit of pleasant feelings and aversion to unpleasant ones. Buddhism calls this pursuit of pleasant feelings and aversion to unpleasant ones "love" or "craving." Craving causes suffering and is the driving force of the cycle of birth and death.

(3) Mindfulness of the Mind

Being mindful of the arising and passing away of thoughts.

Being mindful of the current state of the mind—when one's mind is bound by greed, anger, or delusion, be aware that the mind is bound by these; when one's mind is liberated from greed, anger, or delusion, be aware that the mind is liberated from these. Further observation with mindfulness can lead to a deeper understanding that greed, anger, and delusion are sources of suffering; the more intense one's greed, anger, and delusion, the more intense their suffering. It also helps understand that humans have the ability to reduce or even completely eliminate greed, anger, and delusion, deeply developing the wisdom of liberation.

(4) Mindfulness of Dharmas

The Pali word for "dharma" has meanings including "correct, thing, rules of things, objects of the mind faculty, Buddhist teachings, social laws," etc. In the Pali text "Mahasatipatthana Sutta," when mentioning mindfulness of dharmas, it lists Buddhist teachings including the Five Hindrances, Five Aggregates, Twelve Sense Bases, Ten Fetters, Seven Factors of Enlightenment, Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path.

Mindfulness of the Five Hindrances—when the Five Hindrances arise, know they have arisen; when they have not arisen, know they have not arisen. Furthermore, observe how they arise in one's mind and under what circumstances they arise; observe how to prevent them from arising in one's mind and even how to completely eliminate them. Through such practice, we will gain a deeper understanding of the Five Hindrances; because of this increased understanding, we can comprehend their disadvantages and how to counteract them.

Mindfulness of the Five Aggregates—the Five Aggregates are an analysis of life, with "aggregate" meaning "compound." Life is composed of five groups of compounds—form (body), feeling, perception (impression, concept), formation (motivation, intention), and consciousness. The analysis of the Five Aggregates is merely a further division of consciousness into four different mental functions: feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness. Mindfulness of the Five Aggregates involves observing the three real characteristics of life: impermanence, suffering, and non-self. Impermanence refers to the constant change and lack of permanence in each of the Five Aggregates, our lives, and all worldly phenomena. Suffering refers to the imperfection, incompleteness, and affliction inherent in each of the Five Aggregates, our lives, and all worldly phenomena. Non-self refers to the lack of inherent existence or absolute control in each of the Five Aggregates, our lives, and all worldly phenomena. These three characteristics are the true nature of all life and all worldly phenomena, but ordinary people, due to delusion and confusion, never wish to face this fact. Even if a few people face this fact, they lack the correct method to thoroughly resolve life's suffering. When we begin to be mindful of the three characteristics of the Five Aggregates, our various cravings and attachments begin to weaken; self-centeredness diminishes; and various life afflictions also start to lessen. As this observation gradually matures, we can deeply understand that this practice method is the correct direction for eliminating suffering; only through such practice can birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress be completely ceased.

Mindfulness of the Twelve Sense Bases—the Twelve Sense Bases are another perspective for analyzing worldly life and phenomena. They are divided into six internal bases—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind; and six external bases—form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects, totaling twelve things. Their relationships are as follows:

Form (visual object) - Eye (visual function)

Sound (auditory object) - Ear (auditory function)

Smell (olfactory object) - Nose (olfactory function)

Taste (gustatory object) - Tongue (gustatory function)

Touch (tactile object) - Body (tactile function)

Mental objects (thought objects) - Mind (thinking function)

The entire universe with its myriad phenomena, various beings of different forms, and diverse worldly environments can be summarized internally as eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, and externally as form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects. Therefore, observing the Twelve Sense Bases can help us understand where greed, anger, and delusion arise from, and know where to focus our efforts in counteracting them. Because the arising of greed, anger, and delusion is related to the six sense faculties contacting the six sense objects, counteracting them does not mean avoiding external objects or thoughts, but facing environments, thoughts, and the internal six bases with right mindfulness and right understanding. Various favorable and unfavorable external conditions, various arising and ceasing thoughts, and the impermanence, suffering, and non-self nature of the internal six bases should be seen as they truly are—arising and passing away. Being able to realize this point, one will not cling tightly to these things and will not be bound by them, thus attaining coolness and freedom in life.

Mindfulness of the Ten Fetters—the Ten Fetters are ten bindings that keep beings cycling through birth and death in the world. They are divided into "five lower fetters—identity view, attachment to rites and rituals, doubt, sensual desire, and ill will" and "five higher fetters—craving for form realms, craving for formless realms, conceit, restlessness, and ignorance."

Five Lower Fetters—five fetters that bind beings to the desire realm.

Identity View—divided into "eternalism" and "annihilationism." Believing that there is an eternal "self" or "soul" in life is eternalism; believing that after death everything ceases to exist, like a lamp being extinguished, is annihilationism. Both eternalism and annihilationism are extreme views of life that cannot comprehensively and correctly understand life. Buddhism points out that both body and mind are constantly changing but continue based on causal conditions. Understanding this point will eliminate both eternalism and annihilationism, thus breaking the fetter of identity view.

Attachment to Rites and Rituals—here, "rites" refers to practice, and "attachment" means clinging, which is stubbornly clinging to incorrect methods of practice. If one can approach one's religious teachings and practice with an objective, open, knowledge-seeking, and evidence-seeking attitude, one will break the fetter of attachment to rites and rituals.

Doubt—doubt about the Four Noble Truths. If one can have right understanding and right view of the Four Noble Truths, one can break the fetter of doubt.

Sensual Desire—attachment to form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects. Practicing the Noble Eightfold Path can counteract the fetters of sensual desire and ill will. To completely eliminate sensual desire and ill will, one must rely on the help of meditation and wisdom.

Ill Will—anger, resentment, hostility, etc.

Five Higher Fetters—five fetters that bind beings to the form and formless realms.

Craving for Form Realms—attachment to the form realms.

Craving for Formless Realms—attachment to the formless realms.

Conceit—self-centeredness; attachment to self; attachment to things belonging to oneself.

Restlessness—mental fluctuations and instability.

Ignorance—lack of personal realization of the Four Noble Truths.

In Southern Theravada Buddhism, noble ones are divided into four levels from low to high: Stream-enterer, Once-returner, Non-returner, and Arahant. They become various levels of noble ones based on which fetters they have weakened or eliminated.

Mindfulness of the Ten Fetters—understanding that the Ten Fetters are things that bind people and beginning to counteract them. Observing which fetters one can weaken or eliminate helps one know one's progress in practicing the Noble Eightfold Path.

Mindfulness of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment—observing how these seven factors of practice benefit one's mind; observing how to cultivate these seven abilities; observing how to apply the Seven Factors of Enlightenment to keep our minds in a good state. Through these practices, we will keep our minds in a balanced, stable, powerful, and clear state.

Mindfulness of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path—the Four Noble Truths are the truths of life; we can observe suffering, its origin, cessation, and the path in life; we can also gradually deepen our understanding of the Four Noble Truths through practicing the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha encouraged his disciples to practice with an objective, open, knowledge-seeking, and evidence-seeking attitude. Through such learning, we gradually deepen our realization of the Four Noble Truths and understand how the Noble Eightfold Path differs from other worldly religious practices. The Noble Eightfold Path is a way of life, a way to correctly understand life, highly purify life, and enable people to thoroughly rid themselves of sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress.

Right Concentration

Right Concentration in the Noble Eightfold Path mainly refers to the four levels of concentration: first jhana, second jhana, third jhana, and fourth jhana. Because they correspond to the Four Noble Truths, they are called Right Concentration.

Right Concentration is the last factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, and like other right factors, it involves practical yet profound practices. If a bhikkhu fully practices all eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path, he can eliminate all fetters and attain Arahantship.

Although lay people practice part-time, they can also follow the content of each right factor to practice to the best of their ability, thereby living a happy, meaningful, purified life that leads to enlightenment and liberation.