The Buddha and his Noble Path By Venerable Nanissara

The Buddha and his Noble Path
By Venerable Nanissara

The most important discourse ever given by the Buddha on mental development or mental culture (meditation), is called 'The Setting up of Mindfulness' (Satipatthana Sutta). The ways of insight meditation are given in this discourse. The discourse is divided into four main sections. The first section deals with our body (kaya); the second with our feeling or sensations (vedana); the third with the mind (citta), and the fourth with various moral and intellectual subjects (dhamma). It should be clearly borne in mind that whatever the form of 'meditation' may be, the essential thing is mindfulness, meaning awareness, attention and observation.

One of the most well known, popular and practical examples of meditation connected with the body is called the mindfulness or awareness of in and out breathing. For this meditation only, a particular and definite posture is prescribed in the text. For other forms of meditation given in this course you may sit, stand, walk or lie down, as you like. But for cultivating mindfulness of in and out breathing, one should sit according to the text-'cross-legged position, keeping the body erect and mind alert'. Place the right hand over the left hand. Eyes must be closed. Easterners generally sit cross-legged with body erect. They sit placing the right foot on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh. This is the full lotus position. Sometimes they sit in the half position, that is, by simply placing the right foot on the left thigh or left foot on the right thigh. When the triangle position is assumed, the whole body is well balanced. But sitting cross-legged is not practical and easy for westerners. Those who find the cross-legged posture too difficult may sit comfortably in a chair or any other support sufficiently high enough to rest the legs on the floor or ground.

Assume any posture that is comfortably to you, keeping the back reasonably straight.

Your hands should be placed comfortably on your lap, and the right hand must be on the left. You must close your eyes. Keep the body still and steady, relaxed and easy, without being stiff, strained, cramped, shackled or bent over. 

Thus, seated in a convenient posture, at a quiet place, you should establish mindfulness. You should pay attention to the meditation object being mindful and alert, fixing the awareness on the tip of your nose. Breath in and out as usual without any effort or strain. Do not control or force the breath in any way, merely stay attentive to the coming of breath-in and the going of breath-out; let your mind be aware and vigilant of your breathing in and out. When you breathe you sometimes take deep breaths, sometimes not. This does not matter at all. Breathe normally and naturally. The only thing is that when you take deep breaths you should be aware whether they are long or short, in or out. In other words, your mind should be so fully concentrated on your breathing-that you are aware of its natural movements and changes. The important thing is not to move very often. Forget other things-your surroundings, your environment. Do not open your eyes and look at anything. It is very important to be patient.

Patience means staying in a state of balance, regardless of what is happening in the body. Stay easy, relaxed and alert. If we have a patient mind, all things will unfold in a natural and organic way. Being patient through all these experiences will help us to keep the mind in balance. Another thing for deepening meditation is silence. Much of the energy that is conserved by not talking can be used for the development of awareness and mindfulness. As with the meditation practice itself, silence, too, should be easy and relaxed. By keeping silent, the whole range of mental and physical activity will become extremely clear. Verbal silence makes possible a deeper silence of mind. Try to cultivate a sense of aloneness. To do this, it is helpful to suspend preconceptions about yourselves, about relationships, about other people. At the time of meditation, take time to experience yourself deeply. When we understand ourselves, then relationships become easy and meaningful. Concentrated efforts during the meditation on the development of moment-to-moment mindfulness will be directed towards one goal; the mind will become powerful and penetrating. During the meditation become very mindful of and notice carefully all your movements. The meditation deepens through the continuity of awareness.

When you are seated in a suitable place and in a suitable posture, you should establish mindfulness. You must pay attention to the meditation object, being mindful and alert, fixing the mind on breathing in and out. The in-breath and out-breath a group or a heap or a collection of physical phenomena. When you contemplate or observe or investigate in the body with mindfulness and knowledge, you can experience four material qualities. They are the elements of extension (earth); cohesion (water); heat (fire) and motion (air). When you stand up, your feet are touching the ground or floor. 

When you sit, the lower parts of your body are touching the carpet or floor. When you sleep, some parts of your body are touching the bed. There are many touchable parts on your body. Whenever you touch any part of your body with anything, you can experience the four qualities of elements.

Sometimes the touch will be soft or hard-this is the element of extension. Sometimes you will touch fluid with your body-this is the element of cohesion.

Sometimes you will touch something hot or cold with your body-this is the element of heat. Sometimes you will touch air, wind or inflation of matter with your body-this is the element of motion (air). The material elements of our bodies are called 'great' because of their distributive power and constructive power. Our bodies are constituted of these four great primary elements. The earth, the sun, the moon, the planets and the stars are the same. It is these very elements, experienced in our body.

The power of these elements is enormous. For a short period of time, the elements are in some kind of balance. Not realising the tremendous destructive power inherent in them, when they begin to get out of balance, they cause decay, the dissolution of the body, great pain and death.

There is also pain of the mind-depression, despair, anxiety, worry, anger, hatred, fear, lust, greed, desire, grief, sorrow, dissatisfaction, jealousy, separation from beloved ones, association with hated persons, etc, that cause suffering in the mind-body or mental-body.

How long will we remain ensnared in this cycle of rebirth and death, the suffering of this endless hurrying on, driven by ignorance and craving? Every morning we have to wake up and go day and night, looking for sense-objects. We are subject to colours, sounds, smell, tastes, touches, thoughts and sensations in endless repetition. 

You go throughout the day, you sleep at night and you wake up to be exposed to the same sense-objects, sensations and thoughts, over and over again.

Therefore, we have to give full attention, full-mindedness to the mental-body. We must observe the flow of sensation, feelings, thinking, knowing, etc. Whatever appears and disappears from moment to moment in the mental-body or material-body, you must examine the real thing carefully; observe with mindfulness; investigate with knowledge. When you do so constantly, the three characteristics of material-body and mental-body will become evident in your knowledge, that is to say you will see or know the three signs of mind and matter. 

They are always changing, not everlasting, and they are impermanent, suffering and egoless (soulless). After distinguishing these as materiality and mentality, you should contemplate these three characteristics to develop successive knowledge of insight until enlightenment is attained and absolute truth-nibbana is realized.

This is insight meditation which leads to insight wisdom, purification, higher supramundane wisdom, final liberation, real happiness, ultimate peace, cessation of suffering, absolute truth-nibbana.

Concentration meditation is the mental state of one-pointedness. It leads to mystic power and supernatural power. Insight meditation is the knowledge of wisdom, which penetrates the three characteristics of mind and matter. It leads to the highest wisdom, enlightenment, noble truth, absolute truth-nibbana.

In conclusion, the great benefit of mindfulness on breathing in and out should be understood as the basic condition for the perfection of clear vision, final liberation and purification of the mind. For this had been said by the Buddha, 'Bhikkhus, mindfulness of breathing, when developed and much practised, perfects the four foundations of mindfulness. The four foundations of mindfulness when developed and much practised, perfect the seven enlightenment factors, and the seven enlightenment factors when developed and much practised lead to clear vision and liberation'.

So, I wish fervently as follows-may all you brothers and sisters, who are willing to enjoy cessation of suffering, pain, sorrow and lamentation try and practise the foundation of mindfulness that gives real happiness, peace and cessation of all forms of suffering.

-By Venerable Nanissara, Myanmar

Sitagu Vihara, Sagaing Hills, Sagaing, Myanmar
{SD}

Source:
https://www.vridhamma.org/research/The-Buddha-and-His-Noble-Path