The Sutra
Full Awareness
Please add the following clear comprehension of suitability to your practice of clear comprehension of purpose. This exercise completes the discussion of the four Clear Comprehensions.
Clear Comprehension of Suitability
Even if an action is clearly coming from a skillful intention, we still need to consider whether it is “suitable” given time and place considerations. For example, we may want to meditate but one of our family members really needs our attention. The intention to meditate is clearly skillful, but is out of harmony with our current set of circumstances.
To override our situational limitations, would create disharmony and ultimately failure to achieve our spiritual goals. Another example concerns our speech. We can say something that is true, but we need to decide whether it will be useful and appropriate to say at that time.
The first step is recognizing our intention or motivation for a specific action. The next step is to ask ourselves what the potential outcome of what we are about to do may be.
As you include this contemplation into your practice, please take note of how often and on what occasions are you finding an activity to be on purpose but not suitable.
As always, please continue with your formal sitting practice.
Clear comprehension of the Scope (Domain) of our Meditation Practice
This comprehension refers to extending the scope of our mindful awareness into each nook and cranny of our lives. It means approaching each activity with the question, “How can I use this present moment to further my spiritual awakening?”
Unless we work to penetrate every aspect of our lives with the light of awareness, there will be areas that will remain hidden even after years of practicing the traditional forms of meditation.
These areas “behind closed doors” may include our eating habits, sexual behaviors, fantasies, gossiping, and so forth. We may be using these dark areas to avoid dealing with our issues or to find ways to escape from our everyday problems.
Another interpretation of this clear comprehension is to be aware of each phase of any activity in which we are engaged. For example, if we are going to the bathroom to get washed, we are aware of walking into the room. When we lift the hand to turn on the water we are aware of lifting the hand. As we turn the faucet we are aware of turning. When we lower the body to the sink, we are aware of lowering. When we see the water coming out we are aware of seeing the water. When we feel the water on our face, we are aware of the sensation of the wetness or temperature, and so forth. This level of mindfulness needs to be introduced into each of our activities.
A third interpretation is that the scope of our practice is the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: mindfulness of the body, the feelings, states of mind, and mental objects. This entire year of training is dedicated to increasing the scope of our practice to include all Four Foundations.
Step by step the practice of mindfulness should absorb all activities of body, speech and mind, so that ultimately, our practice will never be abandoned. The aim is to have our life become one with our practice, and that our practice becomes our life.
Consistently ask yourself prior to engaging in any activity (especially those that have been typically avoided), “How can I use this present moment to further my spiritual awakening?”
While engaged in the activity we ask, “Am I being mindful right now?” (By asking the question we are actually introducing mindfulness into the activity.)
After the activity is over we can ask ourselves, “Was I truly mindful during that activity?”
In addition, we can introduce mindfulness into each phase of any activity in which we are engaged.
If we engage in a movement where we discovered that we were not being mindful, it is effective for mindfulness training to repeat that movement mindfully. This is a very powerful exercise. Watch how this process increases your ability to be mindful.
It is important that the answers do not create judgments. We are only trying to wake up to the reality of our lives and to slowly but surely make our life our practice.
SATIPATTHANA SUTRA
MINDFULNESS OF THE BODY #9
The Sutra
Full Awareness (con’t.)
Clear Comprehension without Delusion
This meditation practice involves recognizing the true nature of our moment to moment experience. Of all our distorted views, the most difficult to eradicate is the belief in a permanent self that is in control of our lives. Clear Comprehension without Delusion works to eliminate this deep-seated misperception and replace it with the realization of selflessness.
Clear Comprehension without Delusion is the direct realization that both in and behind the functions performed through Clear Comprehension of Purpose, Suitability, and the Scope of Practice, there is no abiding personality, self, ego soul, or any such permanent entity. With this Contemplation we will be confronted with the greatest inner opposition or resistance. With repeated practice our sense of equanimity expands and the deep insight into selflessness becomes quite transparent.
When selflessness is realized and the tight vice-like grip of “I” and Mine” loosens, a deep sense of serene joy is experienced. With the growing awareness of the impersonal nature of the causes and conditions that motivate behavior, we see the end of suffering and the possibility of spiritual freedom on the horizon.
We need to keep in mind that within there is no self that acts, and outside, there is no self affected by the action. This is at the core of the Buddha’s teachings and is the most decisive realization for the actual deliverance from suffering. Therefore, we need to practice this contemplation at all times and in every situation (please see practices below.)
The actual practice is to recognize the truth of non-self (selflessness) while engaged in every activity.
When walking or going someplace we usually think, “I am walking or going.” When bending we usually think, “I am bending.” When looking we usually think, “I am looking.” When eating, we usually think, “I am eating, and so forth.”
When practicing Clear Comprehension without Delusion, we observe the arising of these actions as the consequence of various causes and conditions and directly realize that this is happening without the need for a self or ego as part of, behind, or in control of what is unfolding.
Further, as the actions are disappearing, we notice that the reason they disappear is because the causes and conditions for their arising are no longer present. We directly see that there is no self that is stopping the actions.
For example, during walking meditation we can examine the act of walking using Clear Comprehension without Delusion. We see that there is an intention in the mind that precedes and instigates the walking. As we raise the heel of the foot we notice that not only is the intention to raise the heel gone, but as we raise the heel, the sensations that were experienced when standing are also no longer present. When the heel is sufficiently raised an intention arises in the mind to stop raising the heel. This is followed by the heel of the foot no longer being raised. Actually, even in the raising of the heel, there are many stages, each with a different set of physical and mental phenomena having nothing at all to do with a self. How many stages can you see?
We can even go deeper to realize (not theorize), that the original intention to raise the heel of the foot itself arose because of other causes and conditions such as the desire to do walking meditation in order to realize selflessness. At no point can an independent and enduring self be found. There are only causes and conditions that arise and pass away from moment to moment.
As far as eating, hunger arises which creates the intention to eat. The hunger arose based upon physiological causes and conditions. The corresponding intention to eat arose to assuage the hunger. The hand is moved to reach for the fork in order to bring food to the mouth. As the food is taken into the mouth and it is swallowed, the hunger begins to dissipate. Throughout each part of the process (and this explanation leaves out hundreds of steps), there are sensations rising and falling away. When the hunger ceases, the intention to stop eating arises to consciousness. There is no self as part of the eating process, behind the eating process, or in control of the eating process.
Sutra
In this way, in regard to the body one abides contemplating the body internally, or one abides contemplating the body externally, or one abides contemplating the body both internally and externally. Or else one abides contemplating the nature of arising in the body, or one abides contemplating the nature of passing away in the body, or abides contemplating the nature of both arising and passing away in the body. Or else mindfulness that “there is a body” is simply established to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and continuous awareness. And one abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world. That is how a bhikkhu in regard to the body abides contemplating the body.
Commentary and Practice
“…one abides contemplating the body internally, or abides contemplating the body externally, or abides contemplating the body both internally and externally…”
Our primary practice is looking at our own experience. However, the Buddha reminds us that it is necessary to expand our view to see how the same things that are true for us are also true for others.
One can also briefly look at other people and intuitively recognize how various causes and conditions are responsible for how they move through their daily activities – that there is no self as part of, behind or in control of their movements.
One can also alternate between looking at oneself while engaged in an activity (e.g., walking, eating, speaking, listening, etc.) to see the selflessness of it, and then shift their perspective to someone else engaged in the same activity realizing, “In the same way that there is no self walking (eating, speaking, etc.) here, there is no self engaged in that activity over there.
“…one abides contemplating the nature of arising in the body, or abides contemplating the nature of passing away in the body, or abides contemplating the nature of both arising and passing away in the body…”
This is the practice of seeing the causes and conditions for the arising and passing away of experiences related to the body.
“…Or else mindfulness that “there is a body” is simply established to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and continuous awareness…”
There is just a body (a physical object with sensations) and intentions (mental objects) and awareness which rise and fall according to various causes and conditions. It is not “my” body and not “my” intentions and not “my” awareness.
“…one abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world…”
The result of the meditation on the Clear Contemplation without Delusion is that the body and mind are not clung to as self. Activities occur through various causes and conditions with no permanent self behind, as part of, or in control of the body or mind.
We can slow down our activities at different times throughout the day to practice Clear Comprehension without Delusion in a very intricate manner.
We can also practice this Clear Comprehension in all of our activities throughout the day but with less specificity.
This very incisive process is one of the causes and conditions for a significant spiritual transformation to occur.
We will be practicing Clear Comprehension without Delusion at many points in the training. Please read the attached exercise on Dependent Origination. This heartwood teaching of the Buddha deals directly with non self.
