Mindfulness

The four postures

 The Buddha taught us emphatically in the four main postures of the body: standing, sitting, lying down and walking (DN 22, MN 10). He encouraged us to focus all these postures mindfully and clearly.

When a meditator develops these four postures, he should always observe his small activities of his or her body namely going forward, returning, looking a head, looking  way, flexing and extending his or her limbs, wearing his robe or her clothes, carrying his out robe and bowl, eating, drinking, consuming food ,and tasting, defecating or urinating, walking, standing, falling asleep, walking up, keeping silent, etc. When he or she abides thus diligent, ardent and mindful, his or her memories and intentions based on the household life are given up or abandoned. That is how a bikkhu develops his mindfulness of the body.

Of them, I shall stress developing mindfulness on walking meditation.  At the time of the Buddha, there were a lot of monks and nuns who obtained the stages of enlightenment while on walking meditation named cankama in Pali. When a meditator develops concentration and wisdom by sitting posture too long, he or she may feel dull, tense and sleepy.  He or she cannot focus and concentrate his or her mind well but is easily distracted.

In such situations, do something anew and try standing and walking meditation. If a meditator walks very mindfully and carefully, focusing the six parts of the step:

1.      Lifting of the foot,

2.      Raising of the toes,

3.      Pushing the foot forward,

4.      Dropping it down,

5.      Touching it,

6.      And pressing it.

At this stage, he can go on to develop his concentration stronger and stronger. Then he will meditate on the form, the foot, and the bodily form. When he reaches this kind of the concentration, he will observe the movements of the body. What he knows and realizes is just the movements of the foot and the bodily form. As a result, he feels lightness of the whole body, as if walking the air, and as if being lifted off into the sky. He is discovering and experiencing the excellent meditation experiences at this circumstance. He will like it, feel satisfied, even get attached to these experiences that he may consider that this sensation is Nibbana (the cessation of  suffering). Actually those are not Nibbana but the defilements of meditation. If he continue to contemplate realizing they are always changeable (Udayabhaya nana) and they are disgusting (Bibbida nana) and enlighten (Magga nana). He gains the real Nibbana. To gain it, he should follow the the guideline as the Buddha said in Bhaddekaratta Sutta;

‘The past should not be followed and the future should be not sought. What is the past is gone, and the future has not come. But whosoever sees clearly the present movement of the HERE and NOW, knows that which is unshakable, will live is a still, unmoving state of mind.’

If he realizes the wisdom of the vipassan, the Buddha admired him in Dhammapad as the following:

"Better a single day of life seeing the reality of arising and passing away than a hundred years of the existence remaining blind to it."

Now I want to reveal the five benefits of walking meditation (AN111, 29);

1. Developing endurance for walking distances:

It brings about the benefit of walking distances. At the time of the Buddha, most people used to travel by foot. The Buddha himself would regularly proceed wandering from a location to another one to walk up to sixteen kilometers a day. He taught us that walking meditation that can provide us to result the physical fitness and developing for walking distances.

Good for striving

2. The second benefit of walking meditation is generation of striving especially to defeat drowsiness. While practicing sitting meditation, one may feel the tranquil states but is a bit too tranquil without awareness. Then one starts nodding and snoring. When developing walking meditation, one finds the method that can counter and overpower the tendencies of sloth and torpor.

Good for health

The Buddha said that walking meditation brought about good health as the third benefit. It is important for everyone to reach one’s goal. The following factors are needed by meditators:

1.      Confidence in the Triple Gems: Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

2.      Good health.

3.      Straight mind.

4.      Perseverance for contemplation.

5.      Realize the arising and passing reality.

According to these guidelines,   good health includes as the second important factor to gain Ariyahood (the level of saint hood). Walking meditation is good for a physical and mental health. When we walk every time, we should be aware of the process of walking, sitting, etc., instead of just walking , sitting, sleeping, and so on . We should not let our mind wander off thinking of other things.

Good for digestion

The fourth benefit of walking meditation leads to the digestion. It is particularly important a monk who takes one meal a day. A heavy meal brings about drowsiness, because right after partaking of a meal, blood circulates toward the stomach and away from the brain. So every meditator should do a few hours of walking meditation to get rid of sleepiness and help the digestion.

Good for sustaining concentration

The fifth prioritized benefit of walking meditation is the concentration.  The concentration that is developed through walking meditation sustains itself for a long time. Maintaining this kind of concentration becomes less difficult and relevant especially during this modern age of materialism. Unlike sitting meditation, when we practice this form of meditation, there is a lot of sensory activities, such as our eyes has to kept to open in order to walk mindfully on the way.

Conclusion

When we practice meditation through sitting, standing, and lying down, we can cultivate our concentration easily because there are not as many objects as there are during walking meditation. Whereas if we have developed the concentration only in sitting posture, it is not harder to maintain that state of  concentration because we have never developed in another postures such as the movement of the body etc. Therefore, walking meditation can provide to develop strength, clarity of mind and other active meditations.

Actually walking meditation includes mindfulness on the body that it is suitable for ones who are the lustful in nature.

Foulness of the bodily parts

It means the parts of the body that a meditator should reflect to reduce his defilements namely lust, craving, hatred, delusion, and so on, that brings good health – both physically and mentally.

A monk or a meditator reflects and surveys on his very body up from the soles of the feet to the crown, and down from the crown to the toes and finds it wrapped up by skin and containing various kinds of unclean things. The body constitutes a head, hairs, body-hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, gorge, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, skin-oil, saliva, mucus, fluid in the joints, and urine. A man with good eyesight takes out the various contents of sack one after another knowing that, "This is wheat, this is rice, mung beans, kidney beans, sesame seeds, this husked rice, and so on."  Similarly, a monk, too, reflects on his very body from the soles of the feet up to his crown, and down from the crown to the toes and discovers that his body is covered up with skin, and contains various kinds of unclean things. And he knows, "This very body of mine is made up of hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, gorge, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, skin-oil, saliva, mucus, fluid in the joints, and urine." As he remains thus heedful, ardent, resolute, any memories and resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.

Elements

A monk or a meditator contemplates, "This very body of mine — however, it stands, and however it is disposed— contains the earth property, the liquid property, the fire property, the wind property, and the space property." Just as a skilled butcher or his apprentice, having killed a cow, would sit at a crossroads cutting it up into pieces, a monk contemplates, "This very body of mine — however it stands, however it is disposed — contains the earth property, the liquid property, the fire property, the wind property, and the space property." As he remains thus heedful, ardent, resolute, any memories and resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.

Like, a corpse abandoned in a charnel ground some one-day, two days, or three days ago, becomes bloated, livid, and festering, a monk applies it to his very body, "This body of mine, too, is of such nature, such is its future, such its unavoidable fate…"

A corpse abandoned in a charnel ground is being picked at by crows, vultures, hawks, dogs, hyenas, and various other creatures and rip apart its parts - such as, fleshes, blood, tendons, bones - such as shin, thigh, hip, back, rib, breast, shoulder, neck, jaw, tooth, skull bones as white as conch shell - and scatter over everywhere. These piles of bones decompose and turn into dust particles, and so on.  Similarly, a monk, too, reflects, "This very body of mine, too, is of such nature, such is its future, and such is its unavoidable fate."

As he remains thus heedful, ardent, resolute, any memories and resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.

The Four Jhanas

First Jhana

Furthermore, quite secluded from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental qualities, one enters and remains in the first jhana: rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought and evaluation. This rapturous bliss arisen from withdrawal, permeates, pervades, suffuses, and fills the meditator's body. Like, a skilled bath-man or his apprentice would put bath powder into a brass basin and knead it together, sprinkle it repeatedly with water, so that the ball of bath powder — saturated, moisture-laden — would not drip, the rapture and pleasure born of withdrawal permeates the body of a monk. There is nothing of his entire body not pervaded by this rapture and pleasure. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, any memories and resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.

Second Jhana

With the stilling of directed thoughts and evaluations, a monk or a meditator enters and remains in the second jhana: rapture and pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought and evaluation — internal assurance. This rapture permeates, pervades, suffuses, and fills his very body. A lake with spring-water that wells up from within, and does not have an inflowing streams from the east, west, north, or south, or repeated rainfalls, yet a cool fountain water that springs up from within the lake would permeate, pervade, suffuse, and fill its coolness in every space and corner of the lake. Similarly, the rapture and pleasure born of composure permeates the body of a monk. There is nothing of his entire body not pervaded by such rapture. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, any memories and resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.

Third Jhana

With the fading of rapture, a monk or a meditator remains in a state of equipoise, mindful, and alert, and senses pleasure with the body. By then a meditator has already entered into in the third jhana. This is declared by the Noble Ones as a state of equanimity and mindfulness or the state of pleasant abiding. This pleasantness permeates, pervades, suffuses, and fills up a monk or meditator's body. In a pond of lotuses, some of the lotuses that sprout and grow in the water, remain immersed in the water and grows within the water, are permeated, pervaded, suffused, filled with coolness of the water from their roots to their tips, and there would be no areas in those lotuses not pervaded by the coolness of the water. Similarly, a monk or a meditator is permeated, pervaded by this pleasant rapture. There is nothing of his entire body not pervaded by this. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, any memories and resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.

Fourth Jhana

With the abandoning of pleasure and pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation and distress — a monk or a meditator enters and remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity and mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain. He sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. Just as if a man were sitting covered from head to foot with a white cloth so that there would be no part of his body to which the white cloth did not extend; even so, the monk sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. There is nothing of his entire body not pervaded by this pure and bright awareness. And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, any memories and resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers and settles inwardly, grows unified and centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.

Progress through mindfulness of the body

"Monks, whoever develops and pursues mindfulness immersed in the body encompasses whatever skillful qualities are on the side of clear knowing. Just as whoever pervades the great ocean with his awareness encompasses whatever rivulets flow down into the ocean, in the same way, whoever develops and pursues mindfulness immersed in the body encompasses whatever skillful qualities are on the side of clear knowing."

"In whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued, Mara gains entry, Mara gains a foothold."

"Suppose that a man were to throw a heavy stone ball into a pile of wet clay. What do you think, monks — would the heavy stone ball gain entry into the pile of wet clay?"

"Yes, Your Most Venerable One."

"In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued, Mara gains entry, Mara gains a foothold."

"Now, suppose that there were a dry, sapless piece of timber, and a man were to come along with an upper fire-stick, thinking, 'I'll light a fire. I'll produce heat.' What do you think — would he be able to light a fire and produce heat by rubbing the upper fire-stick in the dry, sapless piece of timber?"

"Yes, Your Most Venerable One."

"In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued, Mara gains entry, Mara gains a foothold."

"Now, suppose that there were an empty, hollow water-pot set on a stand, and a man were to come along carrying a load of water. What do you think — would he get a place to put his water?"

"Yes, Your Most Venerable One."

"In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is not developed, not pursued, Mara gains entry, Mara gains a foothold."

"Now, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Mara gains no entry, Mara gains no foothold. Suppose that a man were to throw a ball of string against a door panel made entirely of heartwood. What do you think — would that light ball of string gain entry into that door panel made entirely of heartwood?"

"No, Your Most Venerable One."

"In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Mara gains no entry, Mara gains no foothold."

"Now, suppose that there were a wet, sappy piece of timber, and a man were to come along with an upper fire-stick, thinking, 'I'll light a fire. I'll produce heat.' What do you think — would he be able to light a fire and produce heat by rubbing the upper fire-stick in the wet, sappy piece of timber?"

"No, Your Most Venerable One."

"In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Mara gains no entry, Mara gains no foothold."

"Now, suppose that there were a water-pot set on a stand, full of water up to the brim so that crows could drink out of it, and men were to come along carrying a load of water. What do you think — would he get a place to put his water?"

"No, Your Most Venerable One."

"In the same way, in whomever mindfulness immersed in the body is developed, is pursued, Mara gains no entry, Mara gains no foothold."

An Opening to the Higher Knowledge

"When anyone has developed and pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the six higher knowledges he turns his mind to, knows and realizes, he can witness them for himself whenever there is an opening."

"Suppose that there were a water jar, set on a stand, brimful of water so that a crow could drink from it. If a strong man were to tip it in any way at all, would water spill out?"

"Yes, Your Most Venerable One."

"In the same way, when anyone has developed and pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the six higher knowledges he turns his mind to, knows and realizes, he can witness them for himself whenever there is an opening."

"Suppose there were a rectangular water tank — set on level ground, bounded by dikes — brimful of water so that a crow could drink from it. If a strong man were to loosen the dikes anywhere at all, would water spill out?"

"Yes, Your Most Venerable One."

"In the same way, when anyone has developed and pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the six higher knowledges he turns his mind to know and realize, he can witness them for himself whenever there is an opening."

"Suppose there were a chariot on level ground at four crossroads, harnessed to thoroughbreds, waiting with whips lying ready, so that a skilled driver, a trainer of tamable horses, might mount and — taking the reins with his left hand and the whip with his right — drive out and back, to whatever place and by whichever road he liked; in the same way, when anyone has developed and pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the six higher knowledges he turns his mind to, knows and realizes, he can witness them for himself whenever there is an opening."

Ten Benefits

"Monks, for one in whom mindfulness immersed in the body is cultivated, developed, pursued, handed the reins and taken as a basis, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken, ten benefits can be expected. Which ten?

1)      He conquers displeasure and delight, and displeasure does not conquer him. He remains victorious   over any displeasure that has arisen.

2)      He conquers fear and dread, and fear and dread do not conquer him. He remains victorious over any fear and dread that have arisen.

3)      He is resistant to cold, heat, hunger, thirst, the touch of gadflies and mosquitoes, wind and sun and creeping things; to abusive, hurtful language; he is the sort that can endure bodily feelings that, when they arise, are painful, sharp, stabbing, fierce, distasteful, disagreeable, and deadly.

4)  He can attain at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhanas — heightened mental states providing a pleasant abiding in the here and now.

5)      He wields manifold supernormal powers. Having been one he becomes many; having been many he becomes one. He appears. He vanishes. He goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, and mountains as if through space. He dives in and out of the earth as if it were water. He walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land. Sitting crosslegged he flies through the air like a winged bird. With his hand, he touches and strokes even the sun and moon, so mighty and powerful. He exercises influence with his body even as far as the Brahma worlds.

6)      He hears — by means of the divine ear-element, purified and surpassing the human — both kinds of sounds: divine and human, whether near or far.

7)   He knows the awareness of other beings, other individuals, having encompassed it with his own awareness. He discerns a mind with passion as a mind with passion, and a mind without passion as a mind without passion. He discerns a mind with aversion as a mind with aversion, and a mind without aversion as a mind without aversion. He discerns a mind with delusion as a mind with delusion, and a mind without delusion as a mind without delusion. He discerns a restricted mind as a restricted mind, and a scattered mind as a scattered mind. He discerns an enlarged mind as an enlarged mind, and an unenlarged mind as an unenlarged mind. He discerns an excelled mind as an excelled mind, and an unexcelled mind as an unexcelled mind. He discerns a concentrated mind as a concentrated mind, and an unconcentrated mind as an unconcentrated mind. He discerns a released mind as a released mind, and an unreleased mind as an unreleased mind.

8)      He recollects his manifold past lives (lit: previous homes), i.e., one birth, two births, three births, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred, one thousand, one hundred thousand, many aeons of cosmic contraction, many aeons of cosmic expansion, many aeons of cosmic contraction and expansion, [recollecting], 'There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose here.' Thus he remembers his manifold past lives in their modes and details.

9)      He sees — by means of the divine eyes, purified and surpassing the human — beings passing away and re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate in accordance with their kamma: 'These beings — who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech, and mind, who reviled the noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views — with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. But these beings — who were endowed with good conduct of body, speech, and mind, who did not revile the noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views — with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the good destinations, in the heavenly world.

10)  Through the ending of the mental effluents, he remains in the effluent-free awareness-release and discernment-release, having known and made them manifest for himself right in the here and now.

"Monks, for one in whom mindfulness immersed in the body is cultivated, developed, pursued, handed the reins and taken as a basis, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken, these ten benefits can be expected."

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed One's words.

Mindfulness of feeling

Vedananupassana means a complete method of meditative practice, which contemplates the feeling for development of insight and mindfulness. Generally when practicing at the beginning of sitting meditation, the meditator feels the unpleasant physical sensations as well as mental sensations. The two types of sensation that we should know here:

1.Kayika- vedana

2.Cetasika- vedana

The feeling which arises depend on physical processes are called kayika vedana. The feeling that arises based on mental processes is named cetasika- vedana. Indeed, every feeling or sensation is not physical feeling but mental feeling. Nevertheless sometimes feeling or sensation is generated depending on the physical process, such as unpleasant feeling, which is felt by a meditator when he or she experiences a discomfort in his or her body. He feels it that unpleasant feeling is Kayika- vedana because it arises depending on physical processes. In the beginning of the practice, a meditator usually experiences unpleasant mental and physical sensations.  But whatever sensation he may experience, he must observe it so attentively, energetically, and precisely so that he can realize the real nature of that feeling. The specific and the general sign of the feeling must be thoroughly realized so that he will not be attached to it. It is Vedananupassana satipattha- mindfulness of feeling or sensation. Whenever a feeling occurs, it must be contemplated and noted as it really arises. It is natural for a meditator that he is afraid of unpleasant physical feelings, which he suffers in his meditation practice. But painful sensation which is very clear or subtle to focus is a process that should be feared of. If it is contemplated well, the unpleasant feeling is replaced as the pleasant feeling by focusing it for a long time. But the non-different or equal sensation (upekkha-vedana) which is neither pleasant nor unpleasant is difficult to observe without a good concentration. Then he can realize its true nature – the specific and general nature of feeling. The penetrating wisdom into the nature of that pain sensation will lead the meditator to the higher stage of insight.

Way of focusing mindfully

A meditator should note attentively and precisely. Superficial contemplation may distract his mind from the meditation objects. Therefore, a meditator should observe the present object and live in the present moment. In doing so, he can remove his worries and live happily with present.

Sitting Meditation

When practicing sitting meditation, the body should be balanced. If one sits leaning against a wall or another support one will feel sleepy. Furthermore, one should not sit on very soft and raised cushions because one's body will bend forward and feel sleepy. The cushions were not used by Sariputta and Moggalana.

A meditator should apply his mindfulness to observe and contemplate the objects of meditation:

1)      Breathing in (inhaling)

2)      Breathing out (exhaling)

Let breathing in and breathing out flow as if one is a house owner and this is because one can always contemplate them. Observe the six external sense bases such as visible object (Ruparammana), sound, smell, taste, tangible object, and mental object, whenever they arise. Let the six external senses to arise and watch at them as impermanent external guests because they occur sometimes. Also, contemplate the unwholesome root, internal objects, namely greed (Lobha), hatred (Dosa), and delusion (Hoha), and the wholesome roots, internal objects, such as non-greed (Alobha), non-hatred (Adosa), non-delusion (Amoha). One should at the least observe one of them forever.

A spider lives hidden but so vigilantly at the corner of its web to trap insects and the moment an insect is trapped in its web, it moves so fast to prey on it. Similarly, one must focus on the breathing, and the sensations, in order to realize that mind and matters are changeable, painful and selfless.

Conclusion

Mindfulness meditation is the meditation that brings about the benefits well and quickly in this present life. Hence, we should develop the four types of mindfulness:

1.      Mindfulness of the body

2.      Mindfulness of the feelings

3.      Mindfulness of the consciousness

4.      Mindfulness of the mental objects

Whenever we do outsight meditation (samatha) and insight meditation(Vissana), we should apply mindfulness. It helps to gain both the meditations  easily.

A meditator develops four important aspects as he meditates. They are the recollection of the Enlightened One, the Buddha; the development of loving-kindness; the recollection of the repulsiveness of the body; and the recollection of the death that which protects against internal and external enemies. A meditator should recollect the Buddha in order to free from fear and to flourish the faith (saddha), etc. In Metta Sutta story, the monks who lived in the forest did not develop loving-kindness were bothered by evil demons, who displayed them unseemly sight, horrible sounds, and so on. When the monks developed loving-kindness, they overcame them successfully. To reduce one's lust, craving, and attachment, a meditator should develop recollection on the repulsiveness of the body that opposes the craving, the origin of suffering. He should also recollect the death in order to be aware, mindful, and unforgetful of the good deeds, such as: this is charity (dana), morality (sila) and wisdom (panna). When one performs every good deed by practicing mindfulness meditation, one will obtain the rewards excellently.

Referances:

1. Vipassana Meditation, Saradaw U Janakabhivamsa,Yongon,Burma

2. Majjhimanikaya, Yongon,Burma