Issue

17th Issue (September, 2010)

The Applications of Right Mindfulness

Wong Weng Hon

Introduction

Gotama Buddha expounded in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN.10) thus,”There is one way for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrows and grieves, for the going down of sufferings and miseries, for winning the right path, for realizing Nibbāna, that is the Four Applications of Mindfulness (Cattāro Satipaṭṭhāna).”

The afore utterance of Exalted Gotama Buddha mirrors that the Buddhist practice of the Four Application of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness are able to achieve a multitude of interconnected factors of Enlightenment or Gnosis

Purification of Beings

Firstly, Right Mindfulness (Sammā Sati) is a way (ñāya) to purify the mind of a sentient being by annihilating the self-centric ego of grasping in terms of ‘ This is I; This is Mine; This belongs to me.’ The annihilation of the self-centric ego is followed by the eradication of greed, hatred and delusion. Devoid of greed, hatred and delusion, the wise does not transgress the Precepts. Non-transgression of the Precepts is the cessation of evil doings (akusala kamma-s) and the avoidance from the abuse of satan.

Overcoming Suffering

Secondly, the cessation of volitional actions (kamma-s) help a Buddhist Gnostic overcome the suffering of sorrows and grieves due to the false mind directed and empowered by the self-centric ego of grasping upon the five aggregates as “This is I; This is Mine; This belongs to me”.

Right Path

Thirdly, the purification of a sentient being due to the application Right Mindfulness perfects the development and self-cultivation of the entire Noble Eight Fold Path. The Noble Eight Fold Path consists of Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Efforts, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Right View is the intuitive discernment of the Three Universal Characteristics of Existence (Ti-lakkhaṇa-s) . The Three Universal Characteristics are Impermanence (Anicca), Non-self (Anattā) and Suffering (Dukkha). Impermanence refers to the multiplicity of appearances of all phenomena. Non-self refers to the Unity sustaining the multiplicity of all phenomena or the cosmos in relation to the operation of the Law of Dependent Co-arising (Paṭiccasamuppāda).

Right Conduct

Right View conditions Right Thought. Right Thought is the pure mental consciousness free from self-centric ego. The purified mind of a Buddhist Gnostic is the power of Equanimity. The power of Equanimity is the non-discriminative Wisdom (Paññā) of insight (vipassanā) into the illusiveness and unreality of the multiplicity of the empirical world. Right Thought of non-discriminative wisdom produces Right Mindfulness. In dependence upon Right Mindfulness, there arise Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Efforts and Right Concentration. Therefore, it is evident that Right Mindfulness is the central practice of Buddhism. The Buddhist central practice of Right Mindfulness is guided by Right View and Right Thought. Right Mindfulness produces the fruits of right external conduct of Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Efforts and Right Concentration. Right Concentration is the intrinsic Awareness of the Buddha-nature of Anattā in Man and the skillful execution of non-volitional actions (kiriyā-s). Non-volitional actions rooted in pure, infinite human consciousness is the supramundane Way of execution of the Noble Eight Fold Path. This Supreme Way leads to the realization of Nibbāna. Nibbāna is the complete appeasement of the human mind that obliterates human greed, hatred, conceit, pride and delusion called the perverse insanity of Man.

Intrinsic Awareness

 Nibbāna is the liberated state of human mind in which the Reality of the human personality and the world is discerned by the Self-Awakened person. A Self-Awakened person is characterized by the intrinsic Awareness beyond thought of judgmental reasoning. He is able to know and see clearly the eternal dynamic Reality of Anattā of process becoming of the unity of contigent causes and conditions. The Truth of Anattā transcends space and time. Right Mindfulness of complete intrinsic Awareness is reflected from the wisdom of living only in the present moment of here and now without cutting off the illusive past and future moments practically. However, they are transcended spiritually. The Wise of Mindfulness discerns lucidly the ultimate Reality of Deathlessness or Eternity of the dynamic process becoming. This Process Reality of Anattā is empty of the tritemporal existence of the past, present and future elements (dhammas).

Four Applications

Right Mindfulness of intrinsic Awareness is to be wisely executed through the application of Four Foundations of Mindfulness. They include mindfulness of the body, mindfulness of the feelings, mindfulness of the mental objects and mindfulness of all phenomena. Gotama Buddha instructs that the right mindfulness of the body is that the body is impermanent and selfless. The body is impermanent because it is changeable. It is selfless because it does not exist independently. Right Mindfulness is also applied to the human feelings, mental objects and all phenomena in terms of Impermanence (Anicca) and Selflessness (Anattā). The purpose seeing impermanence is to realize the permanence of Anattā. In Reality, Anicca and Anattā co-exist. When the Mindful One skillfully and wisely permit these two paradoxes to co-exist, this the perfection of Wisdom is walking the Middle Path. The doctrine of Middle Path awakens us to the bipolar Truth that Phenomena of the conventional truth and the Principle of ultimate Truth co-exist and interpenetrate. Secular life and spiritual life are not mutually exclusive. They are reciprocal and complementary – the unity of the opposites (parallel to Chinese classical philosophy: Unity of Yin and Yang).

Impermanence and Non-self

Gotama Buddha instructs us on Right Mindfulness thus: The body is impermanent and selfless, let go your egoistic self of clinging. The feelings are impermanent and selfless, let go …………. .The mental objects are impermanent and selfless, let go …………… . All phenomena are impermanent and selfless, let ego…………… . Letting ego of the body, feelings, mental objects and all phenomena does not connote that their existences are denied. Letting ego means relinquishing our attachment to or aversion towards the illusive multiplicity of the empirical world to avert object reification or idolatry and mental obsession. They are to be discarded only mentally but not physically. The body, feelings, mental objects and all phenomena are necessary for the function of human perceptions and emotions to live and communicate humanly and conventionally in the mundane world. They certainly exist relatively but not the way that sentient beings think they exist.

Conclusion

Suffering occurs because the sentient beings are confused with what they perceive. The Gnostics perceive them as they are really are. They are able to let go grasping or clinging due to Right View of Truth penetration. Right Mindfulness of intrinsic Awareness of Self (Self= Non-self) to live in the world but not of the world . We are to live like a lotus flower that has penetrated the sullied mud and sullied water, and has sprung forth and above the sullied water unsullied. The Wise has gone forth from this shore to the other shore and beyond.

The pragmatic value of Right Mindfulness of complete clear Awareness is to arrive at spirituality maturity – the fullness of manhood in terms of wisdom and compassion. Character perfection is actualized by the Absolute Awareness of Right Mindfulness. Right Mindfulness is perfect heedfulness not to plunge into the state of mind of a sentient being. It is the state of the Buddha-mind of Anattā Consciousness. A sentient being is characterized by his or her attā (inidvidual or self) consciousness. Such carnal consciousness is the selfishness of self-centredness. A Self-Awakened One is characterized by Anattā Consciousness.

Anattā Consciousness is the Right Mindfulness of clear Awareness of the eternal Reality of the systemic Whole. The Whole is the dependently co-arisen interdependent and necessary interconnected existence among all things and beings. Right Mindfulness is the central practice of Buddhism because it consummates the entire Noble Eight Fold Path to avoid evils, do good and purify the mind.

References:

1. The Collection of the Middle Length Sayings, Vol. I (Majjhima Nikāya). Trans.Horner,I.B. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 1995
2. he Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Dῑgha Nikāya.Trans. Walshe, Maurice. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1995.
3. Dhammananda, K.Sri. The Dhamampada. K.L: Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society 1992.
4. Tolle, Eckhart, Oneness with Life. New York: Dutton Group, 2008
5. Kalupahan, David J., A Hostory of Buddhist Philosophy: Continuities and Discontinuities . Dehli: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited,1994.
6. The Satipatthana Vipassana Meditation: A Collection of Basic Mindfulness Exercise from the Writings of Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw Agga Maha Pandita. Collated Jinavamsa. K.L/Penang: Unknown Publisher.