THE FOUR APPLICATIONS OF MINDFULNESS doc

THE FOUR APPLICATIONS OF MINDFULNESS [...]... Holiness the Dalai Lama on the four close applications of mindfulness based on the "Wisdom Chapter" of the classic text A Guide to the Bodhisattva ~fay ofLife.'o Most of my sources for this book are from the early Pali Canon and the Theravadin tradition, which has maintained a strong discipline in mindfulness practice I've also included here the highly complementary views of my Tibetan teachers in the Great... in the mudra of meditative equipoise, an element that appears in many Buddhist images The Buddha and other great adepts are often shown with the left hand supporting the right and the tips of the two thumbs touching The left hand symbolizes wisdom, and the right hand symbolizes skillful means, the essence of which is compassion The union of wisdom and compassion is symbolized by the touching of the. .. (1643-172.7), as well as many of their followers well into the nineteenth century-was to see a God's-eye view of reality The founding fathers of science were profoundly religious men, but they were not Taoists, Buddhists, Hindus, or Jews-they were all Christians For them, the pursuit of a scientific understanding of the natural world-God's creation-was a way to know the mind of the Creator The universe was likened... with our environment Mindfulness, the purpose of our expedition in this book, is central to both theory and practice in the traditions of Chan, Zen, and Vajrayana; the four close applications of mindfulness constitute the foundational vipashyana practices common to all schools of Buddhism A Good Heart: Cultivating the Four Immeasurables The third category includes the practices of skillful means, which... thumbs The cultivation of a good heart centers on what are known in Sanskrit as the four sublime abodes (Skt brahmaviharas), often called the four immeasurables: loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity The Mahayana tradition adds the vast intent of the spirit of Introduction s awakening (Skt bodhichitta), the altruistic motivation of a bodhisattva to bring all beings to the state of. .. the cultivation of insight, the author probes deeply into the quintessential nature of the mind itself striking at the very core of duality, in a mere twenty pages This is an ontological probe: What is the relationship between the mind and what appears to the mind? What is the true nature of existence? Complementing these daytime practices are the very potent nighttime practices of lucid dreaming The. .. attached Ultimately, we see all phenomena just as they are, and we approach the ground of enlightenment The Buddha formulated the four dose applications of mindfulness as antidotes to four habitual misunderstandings that are the root of suffering in everyday life: We mistake the aggregation of mental and physical phenomena called the body for the abode of a real sel£ We mistake feelings aroused toward... and arrogance? Is there no possibility of escaping these causes of suffering? One ofthe most extraordinary hypotheses ever formulated, but largely overlooked in the modern world, is the Buddha's Third Noble Truth, which asserts the possibility of the cessation (Pali nirodha) of craving and the freedom from suffering He maintained that our nature is not afflicted to the core A dimension of pure awareness... beneficial ones, along with cultivation of the four close applications of mindfulness and development of samadhi, the mind becomes balanced and healthy-a wellspring of happiness and fulfillment Finally, this balanced, healthy mind is applied to the investigation of reality on the paths of right view and right intention The Buddha strongly encouraged the development of exceptional mental health and balance-far... Introduction THE TEACHINGS on the theory and practice of mindfulness belong co the class of methods for cultivating insight (Skt vipashyana) This book will give you an introduction co the vast theoretical framework and profound motivation of these contemplative inquiries, as well as an experiential caste of their rewards My aspiration is chat you will learn co engage effectively and confidently in a range of mindfulness . practiced. The book focuses on the four close applications of mindfulness, once translated as the four foundations of mindfulness. These four avenues of meditation contain the heart. Holiness the Dalai Lama on the four close applications of mindfulness based on the "Wisdom Chapter" of the classic text A Guide to the Bodhisattva ~fay ofLife.'o Most of. phe- nomena just as they are, and we approach the ground of enlightenment. The Buddha formulated the four dose applications of mindfulness as antidotes to four habitual misunderstandings