Mindfulness of Postures and of Actions ![[go to toc]](../../images/scrollup.gif)
Following mindfulness of breathing, the next exercise
prescribed in the Satipatthana Sutta is the development of the
same clear awareness towards one's daily actions. Thus the Buddha
continues:
And further, monks, a monk knows when he is going "I am
going"; he knows when he is standing "I am
standing"; he knows when he is sitting "I am
sitting"; he knows when he is lying down "I am lying
down"; or just as his body is disposed so he knows it.
And further, monks, a monk, in going forward and back,
applies clear comprehension; in looking straight on and looking
away, he applies clear comprehension; in bending and in
stretching, he applies clear comprehension; in wearing robes and
carrying the bowl, he applies clear comprehension; in eating,
drinking, chewing and savoring, he applies clear comprehension;
in attending to the calls of nature, he applies clear
comprehension; in walking, in standing, in sitting, in falling
asleep, in walking, in speaking and in keeping silence, he
applies clear comprehension.
Here we note a similarity between early Buddhism and Zen. Or as
the Zen master would say: "In walking, just walk. In sitting,
just sit. Above all, don't wobble."
Usually while dressing, eating, working, etc., we act on habit
and give little attention to our physical actions. Our minds are
preoccupied with a variety of other concerns. In Satipatthana,
however, the practitioner devotes himself entirely to the
situation at hand. Persons interested in meditation are often
heard to complain, "But I don't have time to meditate."
However, the form of mindfulness we are now discussing can be
practiced at all times and in all situations regardless of one's
occupation or social and religious commitments.
As with breathing meditation, the primary intent of this
discipline is to prepare one's mind for advanced stages of
psychological development. However, a valuable by-product is that
it can greatly increase one's proficiency at physical skills. In
Japan, Zen practitioners have utilized it to achieve mastery in
swordsmanship, archery, and judo. The Buddha himself is quoted:
"Mindfulness, I declare, O monks, is helpful
everywhere."24
And again:
Whosoever, monks, has cultivated and regularly practiced
mindfulness of the body, to whatever state realizable by direct
knowledge he may bend his mind for reaching it by direct
knowledge, he will then acquire proficiency in that very field.25
For one engaged in strict monastic training, mindfulness of
actions becomes a more formalized practice. Breathing and walking
meditations often are alternated for periods of about thirty
minutes each. In walking the monk paces slowly along a level
stretch of ground and directs his attention fully to the movement
of each foot, thinking: "lift" — "forward"
— "down" — "lift" — "forward"
— "down." This alternation of breathing and walking
practice may last sixteen hours each day for a period of six or
more weeks.
Repulsiveness, Material Components, and Cemetery Meditations
The last of the body meditations are designed to overcome one's
narcissistic infatuation for one's own body, to abandon
unrealistic desires for immortality, and to destroy sensual lust.
To achieve these ends two principles are employed. First is
vividly and repeatedly impressing upon one's mind the temporary,
changing, and compounded nature of the body. Secondly one
establishes and persistently reinforces a series of negative
associations to the usually sensual features of the body. This
latter process employs the same principles as behavior therapy and
Pavlovian conditioning. However, Satipatthana differs from
Pavlovian and behavior therapy in that the conditioning is
established by the meditator himself instead of an external agent.
Thus the Satipatthana Sutta continues:
And further, monks, a monk reflects on this very body
enveloped by the skin and full of manifold impurity, from the
soles up, and from the top of the head hair down, thinking thus:
"There are in this body hair of the head, hair of the body,
nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidney, heart,
liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, gorge,
feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease,
saliva, nasal mucus, synovial fluid, urine."
Just as if there were a double-mouthed provision bag full of
various kinds of grain such as hill paddy, paddy, green gram,
cow-peas, sesamum, and husked rice, and a man with sound eyes,
having opened that bag, were to take stock of the contents thus:
"This is hill paddy, this is paddy, this is green gram,
this is cow-pea, this is sesamum, this is husked rice."
Just so, monks, a monk reflects on this very body, enveloped by
the skin and full of manifold impurity, from the soles up, and
from the top of the head hair down, thinking thus: "There
are in this body hair of the head, hair of the body, nails,
teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidney, heart, liver,
diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, gorge, feces,
bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva,
nasal mucus, synovial fluid, urine."
And further, monks, a monk reflects on this very body however
it be placed or disposed, by way of the material elements:
"There are in this body the element of earth, the element
of water, the element of fire (caloricity), the element of
air."
Just as if, monks, a clever cow-butcher or his apprentice,
having slaughtered a cow and divided it into portions, should be
sitting at the junction of four high roads, in the same way, a
monk reflects on this very body, as it is placed or disposed, by
way of the material elements: "There are in this body the
elements of earth, water, fire and air."
This last paragraph is explained in the Visuddhimagga:
Just as the butcher, while feeding the cow, bringing it to
the shambles, keeping it tied up after bringing it there,
slaughtering it, and seeing it slaughtered and dead, does not
lose the perception "cow" so long as he has not carved
it up and divided it into parts; but when he has divided it up
and is sitting there he loses the perception "cow" and
the perception "meat" occurs; he does not think
"I am selling cow" or "They are carrying cow
away," but rather he thinks "I am selling meat"
or "They are carrying meat away"; so too this monk,
while still a foolish ordinary person — both formerly as a
layman and as one gone forth into homelessness — , does not
lose the perception "living being" or "man"
or "person" so long as he does not, by resolution of
the compact into elements, review this body, however placed,
however disposed, as consisting of elements. But when he does
review it as consisting of elements, he loses the perception
"living being" and his mind establishes itself upon
elements.26
The last of the body meditations are the nine cemetery
meditations. Numbers 1, 2, 5, and 9 respectively are quoted here.
The remaining five are similar and deal with intermediate stages
of decomposition:
And further, monks, as if a monk sees a body dead, one, two
or three days, swollen, blue and festering, thrown in the
charnel ground, he then applies this perception to his own body
thus: "Verily, also my own body is of the same nature; such
it will become and will not escape it."
And further, monks, as if a monk sees a body thrown in the
charnel ground, being eaten by crows, hawks, vultures, dogs,
jackals or by different kinds of worms, he then applies this
perception to his own body thus: "Verily, also my own body
is of the same nature; such it will become and will not escape
it."
And further, monks, as if a monk sees a body thrown in the
charnel ground and reduced to a skeleton without flesh and
blood, held together by the tendons...
And further, monks, as if a monk sees a body thrown in the
charnel ground and reduced to bones, gone rotten and become
dust, he then applies this perception to his own body thus:
"Verily, also my own body is of the same nature; such it
will become and will not escape it."
Similar meditations on the digestion and decomposition of food
are listed in other sections of the Pali scriptures for the
purpose of freeing the practitioner from undue cravings for food:
When a monk devotes himself to this perception of
repulsiveness in nutriment, his mind retreats, retracts and
recoils from craving for flavors. He nourishes himself with
nutriment without vanity...27
While these meditations are intended to eliminate passion and
craving they carry the risk of making one morbid and depressed.
Therefore the Buddha recommended:
If in the contemplation of the body, bodily agitation, or
mental lassitude or distraction should arise in the meditator,
then he should turn his mind to a gladdening subject. Having
done so, joy will arise in him.28
A cartoon in an American medical magazine shows four senior
medical students standing together. Three are engaged in active
conversation. Only the remaining one turns his head to take notice
of a pretty nurse. The caption beneath the cartoon reads:
"Guess which one has not done twelve pelvic
examinations today." It is doubtful that many persons outside
of the medical profession will appreciate the meaning, but to
medical students and interns it speaks a reality. During his
months of training in obstetrics and gynecology the medical
trainee must spend many hours engaged in examining and handling
the most repulsive aspects of female genitals. As a result he
finds the female body becoming less attractive and his sexual
urges diminishing. During my own years as a medical student and
intern, this observation was repeatedly confirmed by the comments
of my co-workers, both married and single. As we have seen, the
same principle is utilized in the sections of the Discourse on
repulsiveness and the cemetery meditations.
Other aspects of scientific and medical training can produce
results similar to those sought in the latter three body
meditations. Chemistry, biochemistry, and histology foster an
objective way of viewing the body which is virtually identical to
the contemplation of elements. Anatomy, of course, is similar to
the contemplation of repulsiveness. And in hospital training the
persistent encounter with old age, debilitation, and death
continuously reinforces the words of the cemetery meditations:
"Verily, also my own body is of the same nature; such it will
become and will not escape it." Similarly, in order to
acquire a vivid mental image of the cemetery meditations, Buddhist
monks occasionally visit graveyards to behold corpses in various
stages of decay.29
However, such experiences bear fruit only if one takes advantage
of them and avoids the temptation to ignore and forget.
Discursive Meditations
Successful application of the Satipatthana meditations requires
developed concentration, which in turn necessitates many hours of
practice. There are, however, a variety of discursive meditations
and related practices which the lay devotee can utilize to notable
advantage. Some of these are not meditations in the strict sense
of the word and are commonplace in virtually all religions.
A hymn, a poem, a passage from the Dhamma, or a passage from
any inspiring literature can temporarily elevate the mind and
serve to cultivate wholesome feelings. Many Buddhists make a habit
of setting aside a few minutes each day to reflect upon the
Teaching or to either read or recite from memory some favored
passage of the Dhammapada. For some, similar benefits may be
gained from an evening stroll, a period of solitude in forest or
desert, or a pause for contemplative relaxation in the midst of a
hurried day. These latter three serve the added advantage of
allowing one to reflect upon one's values and reappraise oneself.
Perhaps the most popular discursive meditation practiced by
Theravadin Buddhists is the meditation on love (metta). It
is often recited in the morning in order to create a wholesome
mood for the rest of the day.30
There are several versions, one of which is as follows:
My mind is temporarily pure, free from all impurities; free
from lust, hatred and ignorance; free from all evil thoughts.
My mind is pure and clean. Like a polished mirror is my
stainless mind.
As a clean and empty vessel is filled with pure water I now
fill my clean heart and pure mind with peaceful and sublime
thoughts of boundless love, overflowing compassion, sympathetic
joy, and perfect equanimity.
I have now washed my mind and heart of anger, ill will,
cruelty, violence, jealousy, envy, passion, and aversion.
May I be well and happy!
May I be free from suffering, disease, grief, worry, and
anger!
May I be strong, self-confident, healthy, and peaceful!
Now I charge every particle of my system, from head to foot,
with thoughts of boundless love and compassion. I am the
embodiment of love and compassion. My whole body is saturated
with love and compassion. I am a stronghold, a fortress of love
and compassion.
What I have gained I now give unto others.
Think of all your near and dear ones at home, individually or
collectively, and fill them with thoughts of loving-kindness and
wish them peace and happiness, repeating, "May all beings
be well and happy!" Then think of all seen and unseen
beings, living near and far, men, women, animals and all living
beings, in the East, West, North, South, above and below, and
radiate boundless loving-kindness, without any enmity or
obstruction, towards all, irrespective of class, creed, color or
sex.
Think that all are your brothers and sisters, fellow-beings
in the ocean of life. You identify yourself with all. You are
one with all.
Repeat ten times — May all be well and happy — and
wish them all peace and happiness.31
Another useful meditation for laymen is as follows:
May I be generous and helpful!
May I be well-disciplined and refined in manners!
May I be pure and clean in all my dealings!
May my thoughts, words and deeds be pure!
May I not be selfish and self-possessive but selfless and
disinterested!
May I be able to sacrifice my pleasures for the sake of others!
May I be wise and be able to see things as they truly are!
May I see the light of Truth and lead others from darkness to
light!
May I be enlightened and be able to enlighten others!
May I be able to give the benefit of my knowledge to others!
May I be energetic, vigorous, and persevering!
May I strive diligently until I achieve my goal!
May I be fearless in facing dangers and courageously surmount
all obstacles!
May I be able to serve others to the best of my ability!
May I be ever patient!
May I be able to bear and forbear the wrongs of others!
May I ever be tolerant and see the good and beautiful in all!
May I ever be truthful and honest!
May I ever be kind, friendly, and compassionate!
May I be able to regard all as my brothers and sisters and be
one with all!
May I ever be calm, serene, unruffled, and peaceful!
May I gain a balanced mind!
May I have perfect equanimity!32
In the mind of a devout Buddhist, Gotama Buddha symbolizes the
embodiment of one's highest spiritual ideals. Consequently, the
Buddha is often taken as a meditation subject.
As long as (the meditator) recollects the special qualities
of the Buddha in this way, "For this and this reason the
Blessed One is accomplished,... for this and this reason he is
blessed," then on that occasion his mind is not obsessed by
greed, or obsessed by hate, or obsessed by delusion; his mind
has rectitude on that occasion, being inspired by the Perfect
One.33
When a noble disciple contemplates upon the Enlightened One,
at that time his mind is not enwrapped by lust nor by hatred nor
by delusion and at that time his mind is rightly directed
towards the Tathagata. And with a rightly directed mind the
noble disciple gains enthusiasm for the goal, enthusiasm for the
Dhamma, gains the delight derived from the Dhamma. In him thus
delighted, joy arises; to one joyfully minded, body and mind
become calm; calmed in body and mind, he feels at ease; and if
at ease, the mind finds concentration.34
The hazard in meditating on the Buddha, however, is that the
unsophisticated meditator may not be aware of the psychological
reasons for this exercise. In such a case the practice is likely
to become a devotional one similar to those of non-Buddhist
religions.
Mindfulness of Feelings, Consciousness, and Mental Objects
Some time ago I became acquainted with a Caucasian Buddhist who
for several years had made a daily practice of meditating on love.
He confided that he had chosen this meditation subject because he
was prone to frequent outbreaks of anger and chronic resentment; a
"hate problem" he termed it. But despite years of
meditation, the hatred had not diminished; the meditation had
failed. Why? As our acquaintance broadened the answer became
apparent. My friend had several poorly-concealed intellectual and
emotional deficiencies. He never once revealed that he
acknowledged these; on the contrary, he displayed frequent
attempts to bolster his self-image. Such attempts were invariably
doomed to frustration, especially when his accomplishments and
social poise were contrasted with those of others. By reacting
with anger towards others he avoided the unpleasantry of looking
at himself. In other words, his anger was a psychological defense
through which he sought to maintain an illusion of self-esteem.
Thus unconsciously he did not wish to relinquish his anger. To do
so would be too painful, and to attack the anger by meditating on
love was futile, for anger was only a symptom. The real problem
lay much deeper.
To cure such hatred requires three things. First one must
become aware of the existence of one's inadequacies and their
accompanying humiliations; in other words, what is unconscious
must become conscious. Second one must totally confront such
unpleasant feelings and acknowledge them in their entirety. And
finally one must relinquish the egotistical desire for
self-exaltation. This last requirement is best achieved by
objectively analyzing the illusion of self and gaining full
appreciation for the changing and compounded nature of the
personality. In other words, one must acquire insight of both
types discussed above under the goals of meditation. How can this
be achieved?
Awareness of unconscious feelings is rarely obtained through
logical deductions or rational explanations. A person who harbors
these feelings will either refuse to believe what he is told or
will come to accept it only as so much factual information devoid
of emotional significance. An excellent illustration is the case
of a forty-year-old woman who sought psychiatric help for severe
feelings of fear, guilt, and depression. On examining her case it
became apparent that her problem was largely due to repressed
feelings of hatred for her mother, a very dominating and selfish
woman. After much discussion the patient finally deduced that she
indeed did hate her mother, and for the next two months she spoke
knowingly and learnedly about her repressed hatred and resultant
symptoms. Yet she improved not one bit. Then one day she entered
the office shaking with rage and cried, "God, I hate that
witch!" There was never a more vivid example of the
difference between knowing and experiencing. Improvement quickly
followed.
This example is typical of many psychiatric case histories. One
sees patients who speak in the most erudite manner about Freud and
Jung and adeptly employ psychiatric terminology. Yet this
intellectual verbiage is often a subtle defense against facing
their true feelings. Conversely, many unsophisticated and
unlearned patients are quick to achieve insight and make rapid
progress. Consequently, the skillful psychiatrist makes limited
use of technical jargon and theoretical concepts. He asks
questions often but answers few. This same technique is employed
in Burmese and Zen meditation centers. The student is discouraged
from making philosophical inquiries and is told: "Pursue your
meditation, and soon you will see."35
You may, Ananda, also keep in mind this marvellous and
wonderful quality of the Tathagata (the Buddha): knowingly arise
feelings in the Tathagata, knowingly they continue, knowingly
they cease; knowingly arise perceptions in the Tathagata,
knowingly they continue, knowingly they cease; knowingly arise
thoughts in the Tathagata, knowingly they continue, knowingly
they cease. This, Ananda, you may also keep in mind as a
marvellous and wonderful quality of the Tathagata.36
In his earlier years Sigmund Freud experimented with hypnosis.
He found it a useful tool in revealing unconscious feelings and
conflicts to the therapist, but it was of little value to
the patient. The reason was that hypnotic trance precluded the
patient from consciously confronting and resolving his problems.
Therefore, Freud abandoned hypnosis in preference to the now
standard procedures of psychiatry and psycho-analysis. These same
findings and conclusions have often been repeated by later
researchers and clinicians. Similarly, the Buddha rejected the use
of trance states so common in yogic practice and developed a means
by which people can acquire insight without the aid of a therapist
or psychedelic drugs. Two approaches are employed.
The easier approach to insight is one which both monks and
laymen can use regardless of meditative development. It consists
in developing the habit of reflecting on one's feelings from time
to time and detecting the motives which produce seemingly
spontaneous words and deeds. "Why did I say that?"
"Why am I tense when I meet so and so?" "I find
myself disliking such and such a character in this novel. Why is
that? Of whom does he remind me?"
For those who have progressed in the breathing meditation or
made similar progress at quieting the mind, unconscious feelings
become more readily accessible. As one begins to shut out sensory
distractions and halt discursive thinking, more subtle sensations
come into awareness. At first there may be only a vague feeling of
anxiety, some unexplained sense of guilt, or a feeling of anger.
Without recourse to verbal whys or hows and avoiding any
speculative conjecture the meditator directs full attention to the
feeling alone. He brings only the feeling itself into full
awareness and allows no interfering thoughts, though later he will
benefit by reflecting on it in a contemplative manner. It is at
this point that repressed memories and emotional conflicts may
come into awareness. Here also, meditation can be potentially
dangerous for those whose personality structures are loosely
constituted or who have repressed emotional problems of severe
intensity. Usually, however, in these latter instances one's
unconscious defenses will intervene and the meditator will
terminate the practice because he feels anxious, or "can't
concentrate," or "just quit because I felt like
it."
Thus the last three sections of the Satipatthana Sutta read as
follows:
Mindfulness of feelings — the second of the four
foundations of mindfulness:
Herein, monks, a monk when experiencing a pleasant feeling
knows, "I experience a pleasant feeling"; when
experiencing a painful feeling, he knows, "I experience a
painful feeling"; when experiencing a neutral feeling, he
knows, "I experience a neutral feeling...
Mindfulness of consciousness — the third of the four
foundations of mindfulness:
Herein, monks, a monk knows the consciousness with lust, as
with lust; the consciousness without lust, as without lust; the
consciousness with hate, as with hate; the consciousness without
hate, as without hate; the consciousness with ignorance, as with
ignorance; the consciousness without ignorance, as without
ignorance; the shrunken (i.e., rigid and indolent) state of
consciousness as the shrunken state; the distracted (i.e.,
restless) state of consciousness as the distracted state; the
developed state of consciousness as the developed state; the
undeveloped state of consciousness as the undeveloped state...
Mindfulness of mental objects — the fourth of the four
foundations of mindfulness:
Herein, monks, when sense-desire is present, a monk knows,
"There is sense-desire in me," or when sense-desire is
not present, he knows, "There is no sense-desire in
me." He knows how the arising of the non-arisen
sense-desire comes to be; he knows how the abandoning of the
arisen sense-desire comes to be; and he knows how the
non-arising in the future of the abandoned sense-desire comes to
be.
When anger is present, he knows, "There is anger in
me."... (as above for sense-desire)... When sloth and
torpor are present... When agitation and worry are present...
When doubt is present... (as above)."
Herein, monks, when the enlightenment-factor of mindfulness
is present, the monk knows, "The enlightenment-factor of
mindfulness is in me," or when the enlightenment-factor of
mindfulness is absent, he knows, "The enlightenment-factor
of mindfulness is not in me"; and he knows how the arising
of the non-arisen enlightenment-factor of mindfulness comes to
be; and how the perfection in the development of the arisen
enlightenment-factor of mindfulness comes to be.
This paragraph on mindfulness is then repeated in the same
wording for the remaining six enlightenment-factors, i.e.,
investigation of reality, energy, happiness, tranquillity,
concentration, and equanimity. These seven bear the title
"enlightenment-factors" as they are said to be the
essential states for the realization of Nibbana.
Leaving the Satipatthana Sutta for a moment, we note another of
the Buddha's sayings:
"Is there a way, monks, by which a monk without recourse
to faith, to cherished opinions, to tradition, to specious
reasoning, to the approval of views pondered upon, may declare
the Final Knowledge (of Sainthood)?... There is such a way, O
monks. And which is it? Herein, monks, a monk has seen a form
with his eyes, and if greed, hate or delusion are in him, he
knows: 'There is in me greed, hate, delusion'; and if greed,
hate or delusion are not in him, he knows: 'There is no greed,
hate, delusion in me.' Further, monks, a monk has heard a sound,
smelled an odor, tasted a flavor, felt a tactile sensation,
cognized a mental object (idea), and if greed, hate or delusion
are in him, he knows: 'There is in me greed, hate, delusion';
and if greed, hate or delusion are not in him, he knows: 'There
is in me no greed, hate, delusion.' And if he thus knows, O
monks, are these ideas such as to be known by recourse to faith,
to cherished opinions, to tradition, to specious reasoning, to
the approval of views pondered upon?"
"Certainly not, Lord."
"Are these not rather ideas to be known after wisely
realizing them by experience?"
"That is so, Lord."
"This, monks, is a way by which a monk, without recourse
to faith, to cherished opinions, to tradition, to specious
reasoning, to the approval of views pondered upon, may declare
the Final Knowledge (of Sainthood)."37
Thus far we have discussed how one achieves insight as the
first step towards eliminating unwholesome feelings and
motivations. Following insight one must totally confront these
newly discovered feelings and acknowledge them fully and
impartially. One must see their true nature devoid of any
emotional reactions (such as guilt or craving) and devoid of
preconceived notions about their good or evil qualities. In other
words, complete attention is focused on the feeling itself in
order that one may examine it objectively in its naked reality,
free of any cultural and personal assumptions as to its
desirability. This achievement results from the Satipatthana
practices described above.38
As an example, in a typical case of anger one is cognizant of
being angry, yet a much greater amount of attention is directed
outward. Most typically the angry mind quickly perceives and
dwells upon the objectionable and offensive features of some other
person (or persons). And in so doing indignation, resentment, and
anger increase. These objectionable features of the other person
may be fancied, exaggerated, or real, but in any case, were it not
for the anger such preoccupations would not have arisen. The
Buddhist approach is to turn attention to the real problem — the
anger. One reflects, "I am angry."... "I am doing
this because I am angry."... "I am having these thoughts
because I am angry." In so doing one avoids dwelling on
alleged injustices, etc., and thereby does not intensify the
hatred. This reflection continues, "This is anger."...
"It is real; it is intense."... "It is a
feeling."... "It has no reality outside of my own
consciousness."... "Like all feelings, it will soon
diminish."... "I experience it but am not compelled to
act on it." With practice one finds that though anger still
arises, its effect is diminished. Its influence is no longer as
strong. In the case of painful emotions, such as humiliation, it
is advantageous to also reflect, "This is most
painful."... "I do not like it; but I can confront
it."... "I can endure it."... "Even though it
is unpleasant, I can tolerate it." In instances of greed and
passion it is often fruitful to consider "Is this truly
pleasurable?"... "Is it rewarding?"... "Am I
now happy?"
It should be noted that this important technique can also be
employed in the course of daily living without unusual powers of
concentration or formal meditation practice.
In the words of the Buddha:
There are three kinds of feeling, O monks: pleasant feeling,
unpleasant feeling, and neutral feeling. For the full
understanding of these three kinds of feelings, O monks, the
four foundations of mindfulness should be cultivated.39
In pleasant feelings, monks, the inclination to greed should
be given up; in unpleasant feelings the inclination to aversion
should be given up; in neutral feelings the inclination to
ignorance should be given up. If a monk has given up in pleasant
feelings the inclination to greed, in unpleasant feelings the
inclination to aversion, and in neutral feelings the inclination
to ignorance, then he is called one who is free of (unsalutary)
inclinations, one who sees clearly. He has cut off cravings,
sundered the fetters, and through the destruction of conceit,
has made an end of suffering.
If one feels joy, but knows not feeling's nature,
Bent towards greed, he will not find deliverance.
If one feels pain, but knows not feeling's nature,
Bent towards hate, he will not find deliverance.
And even neutral feeling which as peaceful
The Lord of Wisdom has proclaimed,
If, in attachment, he should cling to it, this
Will not set free him from the round of ill.
But if a monk is ardent and does not neglect
To practice mindfulness and comprehension clear,
The nature of all feelings will he penetrate.
And having done so, in this very life
Will he be free from cankers, from all taints.
Mature in knowledge, firm in Dhamma's ways,
When once his life-span ends, his body breaks,
All measure and concepts will be transcended.40
After getting rid of sensual cravings and after uncovering,
confronting, and relinquishing unwholesome emotions, there remains
only one fetter to be resolved. This is narcissism, the
infatuation for one's self, which results in egotism, and an
endless quest for social recognition and self-exaltation.
Perpetuating this fetter is the illusion that one has a true or
unchanging self, the "real me." In reality there is no
such entity; instead there are only feelings, sensations, and
emotions, and once we gain full appreciation of this fact, once it
becomes a living reality to us, narcissism diminishes. Among the
Buddha's teachings are numerous passages like the following:
There is no corporeality, no feeling, no perception, no
mental formations, no consciousness that is permanent, enduring
and lasting, and that, not subject to any change, will eternally
remain the same. If there existed such an ego that is permanent,
enduring and lasting, and not subject to any change, then the
holy life leading to the complete extinction of suffering will
not be possible.41
Better it would be to consider the body as the ego rather
than the mind. And why? Because this body may last for ten,
twenty, thirty, forty or fifty years, even for a hundred years
and more. But that which is called "mind, consciousness,
thinking," arises continuously, during day and night, as
one thing, and as something different again it vanishes.42
Such statements, however, are merely philosophical arguments
through which one may intellectually accept this fact. Only by
experiencing it as a living reality and by an impartial analysis
of the self do we relinquish egotism. Thus in the Satipatthana
Sutta, after each of the six body meditations and after each of
the meditations on feeling, consciousness, and mental objects, the
following passage occurs. (Quoted here is the section on feelings.
The words "body," "consciousness," and
"mental objects" are substituted for the word
"feelings" in their respective sections of the sutta.)
Thus he lives contemplating feelings in himself, or he lives
contemplating feelings in other persons, or he lives
contemplating feelings both in himself and in others. He lives
contemplating origination-factors in feelings, or he lives
contemplating dissolution-factors in feelings, or he lives
contemplating origination-and-dissolution factors in feelings.
Or his mindfulness is established with the thought,
"Feeling exists," to the extent necessary just for
knowledge and mindfulness, and he lives independent, and clings
to nothing in the world. Thus, monks, a monk lives contemplating
feelings.
In the instance of anger, one would reflect: "This is
anger."... "It is a feeling."... "I do not
identify with it."... "It will eventually be replaced by
another feeling, which in turn will be replaced by still
another."... "I am a composite of various feelings; a
changing aggregate of attitudes, values, and thoughts; no one of
which is permanent."... "There is no eternal I." As
such objectivity and detachment increases, anger diminishes, for
no longer is there an ego to be defended and no self which can be
offended.
Except for a concluding section on the Four Noble Truths (see
above, p.3), we have now discussed all but two portions of the
Satipatthana Sutta. These remaining two are included under the
section on mental objects and are primarily intended to free one
from sensual craving and the illusion of self:
Herein, monks, a monk thinks: "Thus is material form;
thus is the arising of material form; and thus is the
disappearance of material form. Thus is feeling; thus is the
arising of feeling; and thus is the disappearance of feeling.
Thus is perception; thus is the arising of perception; and thus
is the disappearance of perception. Thus are mental formations
(i.e., thoughts); thus is the arising of mental formations; and
thus is the disappearance of mental formations. Thus is
consciousness; thus is the arising of consciousness; and thus is
the disappearance of consciousness."
Herein, monks, a monk knows the eye and visual forms, and the
fetter that arises dependent on both; he knows how the arising
of the non-arisen fetter comes to be; he knows how the
abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be; and he knows how
the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to
be.
This latter passage is repeated five times with "ear and
sound," "nose and smells," "tongue and
flavors," "body and tactual objects," and
"mind and mental objects" respectively substituted where
"eye and visual forms" appears above.
We have thus completed the Satipatthana Sutta. In summary, it
first prescribes mindfulness of breathing as a technique for
quieting the mind and developing concentration. This same
heightened awareness is then developed for all voluntary physical
actions. Next are the meditations on repulsiveness, elements, and
death, which are intended to free one from bodily attachment and
lust; this is done by contemplating the temporary and changing
nature of the body and by developing negative and unpleasant
associations. The remaining three sections enable the practitioner
to become fully aware of his thoughts, feelings, and emotions and
to confront them impartially in their true nature. With each of
these exercises, one also objectively notes that each facet of his
own mind and body is temporary, compounded, and changing, and
therefore there exists no immortal soul, unchanging essence, or
true self.
One important fact should be noted. Neither in the
Satipatthana Sutta nor in any of the other seven steps of the
Eightfold Path is advocated the denial or suppression of feelings.
It is a widely spread and inaccurate belief that Theravada
Buddhism attempts to destroy evil thoughts by forcing them from
the mind. Suppression of undesirable thoughts is advocated in only
a few parts of the Pali Canon and is to be used only in special
cases when other measures fail.43
In southern Asia it is becoming a common practice for both
monks and laymen to enter a meditation center for periods of from
six to twelve weeks. Here one dons the white robe of an upasaka
and is removed from all social contacts and material possessions.
Previous social status and identity soon come to have little
meaning, thus minimizing the effect of established habits and
adaptations and thereby enhancing the opportunities for
personality growth. The food is palatable but bland, and one eats
and sleeps in moderation according to a strict schedule, and even
eating and dressing become routine meditation practices. Virtually
every waking moment is dedicated to meditation. Here progress is
made at a rate impossible to achieve by setting aside an hour or
two in the midst of a busy day. After his stay is over, the layman
returns to family life and continues his daily one-hour practice.
However, not all meditation centers are of high quality. Many are
lax; a few are corrupt, and a few teach unorthodox meditations
which are not truly Buddhist. Thus a person seeking entry should
first make inquiries and would do well to avoid centers which make
an effort to recruit Westerners for the sake of publicity and
prestige. Satipatthana meditation centers exist in North America,
and courses are given in England.
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