From: https://youtube.com/watch?v=V2WpSdC37R0

Context: Throughout this transcript, Bhante Vimalaramsi is the speaker unless otherwise indicated.

[Music]

okay there are four noble truths

so today we're going to read

from majamenekaya 10

the sati patana suta

the foundations of

mindfulness

thus have i heard on one occasion the

blessed one was living in the kuru

country

where there was a town of the kurus

named kama sadhama

kama sadhama is

where modern-day delhi is

there he addressed the beku's thus

bhikkhu's venerable sir they replied

the blessed one said this

because this is the direct path for the

purification of beings

for the surmounting of sorrow and

lamentation

for the disappearance of pain and grief

for the attainment of the true way

for the realization of

namely the four foundations of

mindfulness

when he says this is a direct path

what he's saying is that taking this

path leads to one thing and one thing

only which is

nibana

we talk about the four foundations of

mindfulness this is often discussed in a

lot of different places but

the four foundations of mindfulness sati

patana

it can mean foundations of mindfulness

or it could also mean in which

places in which mindfulness is

established

in other words we have four of them we

have the body we have feelings

we have mind and we have

what's known as mind objects or

phenomena

what are the four

hirabikus a beku

abides contemplating the body as a body

ardent

fully aware and mindful

having put away covetousness and grief

for the world

he abides contemplating feelings as

feelings

ardent fully aware and mindful

having put away covetousness and grief

for the world

he abides contemplating mind as mind

ardent fully aware and mindful

having put away covetousness and grief

for the

world he abides contemplating mind

objects as mind objects

ardent fully aware and mindful

having put away covetousness and grief

for the world

so these are the four the body

feeling

mind and mind objects

fully aware and mindful ardent fully

aware and mindful

so these three they mean one and the

same thing in some ways and different

things in different ways and we'll

discuss that

contemplating the word

contemplating that denotes that we have

to investigate we have to analyze we

have to think about

but i would say that that's not the case

you're not contemplating anything

you're observing

observing things as they are as they

come into your field of mind's vision

not trying to control this or that not

trying to figure out what's going on not

trying to investigate in the sense of

the word investigate

just aware of what is present and aware

of what is not present that is

when you recognize

that is the first step of the six hours

when you recognize

that's when you bring up mindfulness

you have recognized what is aware of

what is present and you recognize what

is not present

when your mind is distracted you have

recognized mind is distracted

and that the mind is no longer on its

object in meditation you don't have to

further investigate beyond that what is

the cause of this distraction where did

this distraction come from why am i

distracted what kind of distraction is

it

mind is distracted that's all you need

to know

and then you use the rest of right

effort to come back to your object

you recognize

you release your attention from it

you relax

you re-smile

and you return

and you repeat whenever you get

distracted

so having put away covetousness and

grief for the world

having put away covetousness and grief

for the world

covetousness here is

sensual desire

sensual craving

and grief here

is aversion

ill will

irritation

being upset by something

you have let go of those

when you are mindful when you become

mindful

recognizing that there is present a

hindrance

and then by doing so

you are cutting off that flow of

covetousness cutting off

that flow of grief

cutting off that flow of

sensual desire and of aversion

and how bikus does abiku abide

contemplating the body as a body

so now this is one of the first ways

that the buddha talks about when

contemplating when observing body as

body

when understanding body as body when

being aware of body as body

so this is the first step which is

mindfulness of breathing first of all

let's clear up one thing

the way the buddha has described the

four foundations of mindfulness

are not steps

they are different ways in which the

mind becomes mindful of something can be

mindful of the body can be mindful of

feeling could be mindful of mind can be

mindful of phenomena depending upon

where the mind's attention moves

we talk about mindfulness as remembering

to observe how mind's attention moves

from one thing to the other

we're going to break that apart and

understand it even deeper as we progress

but understand all we are doing is

observing mind is now paying attention

to a bodily feeling mind is now paying

attention to a mental feeling mind is

not paying attention to mind being in

this state of mind

or mind is paying attention to that

there is present a hindrance and so on

so that's all it's not like you have to

first be mindful of the body and they

then be mindful of the mind or the

feeling and then be mindful of mind and

then be mindful of mind objects the

buddha is just listing them out

from order of what is coarse all the way

to what is subtle

so it's not a step-by-step process it's

just categorizing it for your

understanding

so what he's talking about here are

different ways in which the mind becomes

mindful of body

the different ways in which mind becomes

mindful

of feeling

mind becomes mindful of mind and of

phenomena

so in one case there's mindfulness of

breathing

and how bikus does abiku abide

contemplating the body as a body

here ibiku gone to the forest or to the

root of a tree or to an empty hut sits

down

having folded his legs crosswise set his

body erect and established mindfulness

in front of him

ever mindful he breathes in

mindful he breathes out

breathing in long he understands i

breathe in long

or breathing out long he understands i

breathe out long breathing in short he

understands i breathe in short

or breathing out short he understands i

breathe out short

he trains thus i shall breathe in

experiencing the whole body

he trains thus i shall breathe out

experiencing the whole body

he trains thus i shall breathe in

tranquilizing the bodily formations

he trains thus i shall breathe out

tranquilizing the bodily formations

just as a skilled lathe operator or his

apprentice

when making a long turn understands i

make a long turn or when making a short

turn understands i make a short turn

so too breathing in long ebiku

understands i breathe in long and so on

and he thus strains i shall train i

shall breathe in or breathe out

tranquilizing the bodily formations

nowhere here does it say that

the

the person the one who's meditating is

controlling the breath

no way here does it say anything about

observing

the breath in such a way that you're

focusing here on the nostril or just

below the nostril

doesn't say anything about that

just observing how breath is happening

and in that process breathing in you

relax in that process breathing out you

relax so when you're relaxing what you

are doing is tranquilizing bodily

formations

but you're also tranquilizing in turn

mental formations

the reason being is because there's an

intention to relax

that intention is mental

and so you're relaxing body and mind

both

so there's nothing about controlling the

breath here it's just observing what is

happening

now this is a type of meditation object

but this is not the type of meditation

object you are doing

we are working with the brahmaviharas

so make sure

that you don't

mix

and mingle

the breath with loving-kindness

loving-kindness is one thing the

brahma-viharas is one thing

and

the breathing practice is another

for the purpose of this retreat for the

purpose of this practice we use the

brahmavihara's why

because it feels good

it feels good naturally

it uplifts the mind naturally

it allows the mind to feel and hone in

on something that feels pleasant

that helps you to get into jhana

that helps you to experience a mind that

is collected

a mind gets more collected with things

that are more pleasurable more pleasant

this is why the buddha talks about the

many kinds of feeling

there are up to 108 different types of

feeling and in some cases they have to

do with the mind or in some cases they

have to do with the body a bodily

experiences

but jhana the experience of jhana is a

pleasant feeling beyond sensual

pleasures

the brahmaviharas

also

are mental

pleasant experiences beyond the sense

pleasures

the feeling of loving kindness feels

good and because of that the mind wants

to stay with it and it stays with it for

longer periods of time

so this mindfulness of breathing is one

way of understanding body as body

but it's not the practice we're doing

right now but just for the purposes of

understanding here it is

and so then he talks about the insight

about this he says

in this way he abides contemplating the

body as a body internally

or he abides contemplating the body as a

body externally

or he abides contemplating the body as a

body both internally and externally

so what is internally

it's your own body observing how the

body is

internally

externally

observing other bodies

observing how

this body and another body is

similar

in terms of the way it functions

internally and externally

so you're observing how body is just

body there's no

sense of self there you're just seeing

body as body the arising and passing

away of body which is the next insight

or else he abides understanding in the

body its nature of arising

or he abides understanding in the body

its nature of vanishing

or he abides understanding in the body

its nature of both arising and vanishing

what is he seeing here

he's seeing dependent origination

he's seeing how the body arises

dependent upon factors and when you take

away those factors the body ceases

what is the body dependent upon

there are few things the body is

dependent upon

but primarily in the understanding of

the context of craving in the context of

the body in the context of consciousness

and so on the body is dependent upon

food

you need food in order for the body to

survive

you need a consciousness for the body to

be dependent on that consciousness to

move and to understand

so when you take away that the body

vanishes the body disappears the body

passes away

so what are you looking at you are

seeing that everything is dependently

arisen

in relation to the body

the body being dependently arisen is

impermanent so you are seeing

impermanence right there and then seeing

impermanence you realize that the body

is not worth holding on to as a self

because holding on to it

when the body changes if the body

experiences something pleasant or

unpleasant or neutral

it keeps changing

so expecting the body to be the same

is a fool's errand

because the body is always changing

even on the microscopic level of the

body is always changing

so if the body is always changing how

can you take that as self

how can you take it personal

it's arising and passing away dependent

upon causes and conditions

that's dependent upon the weather that's

dependent upon food that's dependent

upon hydration that's dependent on so

many different things

in relation to the body

so having seen this the mind becomes

equanimous

and so that's where the buddha says

or else mindful

or else mindfulness that there is body

is established in him to the extent

necessary for bare knowledge and

mindfulness

in other words

there is the bear awareness that is

seeing things as they are here is

present this body

in this state

having equanimity

that equanimity means that you are not

affected one way or the other you're not

taking personal the body that causes you

to experience

pleasant experiences which then you

crave for

and you get pulled in that direction

or causes you painful experiences

which then you crave you have aversion

towards

and then that causes you

to have resistance and tighten up the

mind even further

or just simply identify with the body

when it's neutral

so this is equanimity seeing the body as

it is

and he abides independent not clinging

to anything in the world that is how

abiku abides contemplating the body as a

body

he abides independent not clinging to

anything in the world

not clinging to anything in the world

that means

not identifying with anything in the

world not taking it personally

seeing the body as not self

again because when walking

ebiku understands i am walking

when standing he understands i am

standing

when sitting he understands i am sitting

when lying down he understands i am

lying down

or he understands accordingly however

his body is disposed

whenever they use the word understand

or whenever they use the word

full awareness

it comes from the pali word word

sampaguyana

some prageyana means

clear comprehension that's it just

observing just comprehending what is

happening in that moment

it's not trying to say okay while i'm

walking i'm paying attention to how i'm

walking

while i'm standing i'm not paying

attention i'm paying attention to how

i'm standing

full awareness has to do with

certain factors

there's full awareness of the intention

behind standing

full awareness of the intention behind

walking

full attention full awareness behind of

the intention

behind sitting or lying down or whatever

it might be

so this full awareness is seeing

intention and seeing intention as being

impersonal

intention is not you

it's not your intention

it's not the intention that arises

because of you

the intention arises dependent upon

contact dependent upon what is arising

through the links of dependent

origination

we're going to go into dependent

origination tomorrow

in full swing but this is starting to

help you understand

how mindfulness

allows you to observe

or remember to observe

how a mind's attention moves from one

thing to the other this is seeing

dependent origination

because when you observe how your mind's

attention moves you're seeing it moved

dependent upon this condition

so when we're talking about he

understands when he is sitting that he

is sitting and so on and so forth

they're talking about full awareness not

of the postures themselves

but full awareness of understanding the

impersonal nature of these processes

there is also the full awareness

of the experience itself just okay fine

here i am sitting

but for the purposes of this retreat

in the context and setting of this

retreat there is a third understanding

of the full awareness

and that is the full awareness of your

object of meditation

when you sit down do you have loving

kindness when you stand up do you have

loving kindness

when you lie down do you have loving

kindness

when you're walking do you have loving

kindness

this is full awareness this is

understanding

and finally the fourth understanding of

full awareness comes through wisdom

through natural insight that arises

dependent upon

your experiences through the jaundice

and after cessation which is the links

of dependent origination

understanding fully how dependent

origination arises

and it's not about investigating

interdependent origination

it's about seeing it as it comes about

there's no investigation process going

on here at all there's no analytical

process here going on at all it's all

just observing just observing like a

pure scientist

everything that comes together that's it

and the insights arise based on that

observation

insights do not arise dependent upon

reflection dependent upon thinking about

things

an insight

by the very nature of it is like a

eureka moment

it's a light bulb that turns on

it just arises because you see it you

see it for yourself

you're not

contemplating it reflecting it and all

of these other things

you're actually seeing it as it actually

is

and so in this way he abides

contemplating the body as a body

internally externally both internally

and externally and he abides independent

not clinging to anything in the world

that too is how beku abides

contemplating the body as a body

internally seeing yourself walking

externally seeing others walking

observing how the walking process

happens

observing how you sit down observing how

you lie down observing how you stand up

but not just for the purpose of becoming

collected around that

understanding where the intention arose

when you when you stood up understanding

when the intention arose when you sat

down

is it your intention

or did the intention arise as a series

of causes and conditions as a result of

a series of causes and conditions

so you have to let go of this idea that

this intention is yours

let go of this idea that this intention

comes from a sense of self

intention here

is

not self

intention here is dependent upon causes

and conditions

and so now we get into full awareness

again because ibiku is one who acts in

full awareness

when going forward and returning who

acts in full awareness when looking

ahead and looking away who acts in full

awareness when flexing and extending his

limbs who acts in full awareness when

wearing his robes and carrying his outer

robe and bowl who acts in full awareness

when eating drinking consuming food and

tasting

who acts in full awareness when

defecating and urinating who acts in

full awareness when walking standing

sitting falling asleep waking up talking

and keeping silent

in this way he abides contemplating the

body as a body internally

externally and both internally and

externally and he abides independent not

clinging to anything in the world

that too is how ebeku abides

contemplating the body as a body

so in everything that you do for the

purpose of this retreat

walking sitting

eating your food

hopefully keeping silent and not talking

and anything else that you're doing

where is your mind

what is it thinking about or is it

thinking about something or is it with

its object of meditation

where is your mind when you are eating

your food

see when we talk about mindfully eating

what does that mean

are you tasting your food are you paying

attention to

are you noting down how many times you

thought about this thought as the as the

fork you know landed on the food and

then went into your mouth and you

started tasting things

it's not about that

it's about staying with your object of

meditation

so we talk about the four kinds of full

awareness

in the practice that we're doing we're

talking about the third which is in

relation

to staying with your objective

meditation

and so mindfulness

here

is the full awareness of that object

and then mindfulness is also

seeing that your mind is no longer on

the object

so recognizing that you are no longer on

the object

that's the first step

then you use the rest of right effort

you release your attention from that

distraction that took you away from the

object

you relax the tension and tightness that

is the craving or resistance in relation

to that distraction

you come back to the smile

that anchors you back to the loving

kindness

and you return back to your object now

that object can be

it could be

loving kindness it could be compassion

it could be

joy it could be equanimity it could be

quiet mind it could be forgiveness

whatever it is that's the object

so pay attention to that how often are

you with your object of meditation

if you have to talk like let's say

you're doing your your whatever it is in

the kitchen and you have to talk are you

talking just for the sake of talking in

order to instruct what's going on or to

communicate or are imbuing it with

loving-kindness

how often are you with loving-kindness

out of the day

how often can you stay with

loving-kindness out of the day

every time you stay with your object you

are in a meditative state

you are practicing right effort

right mindfulness and right

collectedness

because the practice when it comes to

the meditation to bhavana to mental

development

encompass encompasses these three

right effort right mindfulness right

collectiveness

these three go around each other always

all the time

fine you got distracted no big deal what

did you do to get out of that

distraction what did you do to come back

to your object

you use right effort you use the six r's

coming back you have also utilized

mindfulness coming back the mind

collects itself around its object of

meditation

now when we talk about collectedness

what does that mean a mind that is

collected

we talk about staying on your object and

meditation right

for some people that means they have to

be super concentrated but here we're not

talking about that

you know expanding on the simile of the

egg we talk about you know

keeping hold of the egg

right

you're just holding on to it you're just

staying with it

if you become super

you know concentrated what happens

you constrict your mind

and now

your mind becomes an omelette

it becomes scrambled

right so you need a light touch here you

need an open

light

awareness with your object

stay with it stay around your object

you know for some of you who might be

parents or some of you who've ever done

babysitting and let's say or taking care

of uh you know relatives or kids or

whatever

let's say you take them to the park

and they go around in the playground and

they're they're they're playing and

they're doing their stuff

while you're talking to a friend or

while you're doing this or that

hopefully

you still have some awareness of where

that child is

this is the meditation

you have

full awareness you're staying with your

object

even if thoughts come they come and go

in the background

your mind is staying with the object

your mind is staying with that child

there's always that one eye always

looking what's going on so staying there

right

when you get distracted

where you're no longer on your object

that's when you 6r

you recognize oh i got distracted

release the it release the attention to

that distraction

relax the tightness and tension

re-smile come back to the smile

anchor it to the loving kindness or

whatever the object is and return back

to the object

and repeat anytime you're distracted

now the next part is what's known as the

foulness meditation the asuba practices

so you don't have to do this practice

but this is a practice that is sort of

like prescribed for people who have a

lot of lust a lot of bodily lust

again because eb reviews this same body

up

from the soles of the feet down

from the top of the hair

bounded by skin

as full of many kinds of impurities thus

in this body there are head hairs

body hairs

nails teeth skin flesh sinews bones bone

marrow kidneys heart

liver diaphragm spleen lungs intestines

mesentery contents of the stomach feces

bile phlegm

pus

blood sweat fat tears grease spittle

snot oil of the joints and urine

how lustful is that

how beautiful is that

just as though there were a bag with an

opening at both ends

full of many sorts of grain such as hill

rice

red rice beans peas

millet and white rice

and a man with good eyes were to open it

and review it thus

this is hill rice this is red rice

these are beans these are peas

this is millet this is white rice

so too a beak reviews the same body in

the same way

so in other words

in this practice the mind is just

contemplating the body or understanding

the body by seeing all the different

elements of the body in terms of

the organs

the skin

the hairs

the joints all of the things that are

there in the body when you start to see

that it's like you take the body

like a bag of skin and you you turn it

inside out and see all of these things

so now you no longer have lust for these

bodily feelings you no longer have lust

for seeing a beautiful person in front

of you because you realize

that they're all comprised of all of

these things in the body

so now the lust for the body starts to

dissipate so this is a prescription

prescriptive meditation for people

who have

bodily lust

and so in this way he abides

contemplating the body as a body

internally

externally and both internally and

externally

and he abides independent not clinging

to anything in the world

that too is how ebiku abides

contemplating the body as a body

again because ibiku

reviews the same body however it is

placed however disposed

by way of elements thus in this body

there is there are the earth element the

water element the fire element and the

air element

just as though a skilled butcher or his

apprentice had killed a cow

and was seated at the crossroads with it

cut up into pieces

so too ibiku reviews this same body

by way of elements thus

in this body there are the earth element

the water element the fire element and

the air element

so when we talk about the elements we

can refer to them as

seeing this body made up of different

molecules

different states of matter

the earth element is the solid state of

matter

the water element is the liquid state of

matter the air element is the gaseous

state of matter and the fire element is

the heat the temperature of the body the

plasma state of matter

the plasma in terms of heat and fire

energy not in terms of the blood

so you see that the body is just made up

of molecules and once you start to see

this how do you take that personally

you realize that these same molecules

that make up the earth element or

whatever is

solid is the same as this body

whatever is the external water element

that is liquid is the same as what is

part of this body

likewise with the air likewise with heat

or fire

so you stop taking this body personally

you start to realize that it's made up

of tiny molecules and atoms

seeing this you realize that this body

arises and passes away dependent upon

inputs

you know so the cells change and decay

according to inputs

the atoms the atomic structure of the

body changes however minutely it

continues to change

so you see the impermanent nature of

this body

seeing the impermanent nature you stop

taking it as self

you stop taking it personally

and so in this way he abides

contemplating the body as a body

internally externally and both

internally and externally and he abides

independent not clinging to anything in

this world

that too is how dikku abides

contemplating the body as a body

finally the nine charnel ground

contemplations

again because as though he were to see a

corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground

one two or three days dead bloated livid

and oozing matter

a biku compares the same body with it

thus

this body too is of the same nature it

will be like that it is not exempt from

that fate

if you guys ever have a chance to go to

india

and if you ever have a chance to go to

benaras or varanasi

there's a lot of charnel grounds over

there

and you can see different kinds of

dead corpses corpses

and you can see them in different states

you can see them bloated you can see

them green you can see them gray you

could see them oozing you could see them

in different kinds of ways

and then you can see how they become

into skeletons

and you realize that this body is just

the body

you realize that it's just made up of

this meat this flesh and bones

right and you stop taking it personally

and more importantly you realize that

the same nature of that body that's

there that corpse

is the same as this body one day this

body too will decay

one day this body too will meet its

expiry date

and then it too

will decompose

it too will turn into rancid flesh

it too will turn into a skeleton

and so on

so it is

it's nothing

we're all just walking corpses

we're not zombies

but in terms of this body that's what it

is

they're just premature

corpses in this way he abides

contemplating the body as a body

internally externally and both

internally and externally

and he abides independent not clinging

to anything in the world

that too is how ebiku abides

contemplating the body as a body

again as though he were to see a corpse

thrown aside in a charnel ground being

devoured by crows hawks vultures dogs

jackals or various kinds of worms

ibiku compares this same body with it

thus

this body too is of the same nature it

will be like that it is not exempt from

that fate

that too is how ebiku abides

contemplating the body as a body

again as though he were to see a corpse

thrown aside in eternal ground a

skeleton with flesh and blood held

together with sinews a fleshless

skeleton smeared with blood held

together with sinews

a skeleton without flesh and blood held

together with sinew so these are the

different stages of decay

of the body

disconnected bones scattered in all

direction

hear a hand bone here a foot bone here a

shin bone here a thigh bone here a hip

bone here a backbone here a rib bone

here a breast bone here an arm bone here

a shoulder bone here a neck bone here a

jaw bone here a tooth hear the skull

so what is your self which which of

these bones is yourself

is it just bones

what's it

hebeku compares

this same body with it thus

this body too is of the same nature it

will be like that it is not exempt from

that fate

that too is how ebiku abides

contemplating the body as a body

again as though he wore to see a corpse

thrown aside in eternal ground

bones bleached white

the color of shells

bones heaped up

bones made more than a year old rotted

and crumbled to dust a beaker compares

the same body with it thus

this body too is of the same nature

it will be like that it is not exempt

from that fate

in this way he abides contemplating the

body as a body internally or he abides

contemplating the body as a body

externally or he abides contemplating

the body as a body both internally and

externally

or else he abides contemplating in the

body

its nature of arising

or hereby it's

contemplating in the body its nature of

vanishing

or hereby it's contemplating in the body

its nature of both arising and vanishing

or else mindfulness mindfulness that

there is a body is simply established in

him

to the extent necessary for bear

knowledge and mindfulness

and he abides independent not clinging

to anything in the world

and that that too is how ebiku abides

contemplating the body as a body

now we will get into feeling into vedana

and how because

does it abide contemplating feeling as

feelings

here when feeling a pleasant feeling

ibiku understands i feel a pleasant

feeling

when feeling a painful feeling he

understands i feel a painful feeling

when feeling a neither painful nor

pleasant feeling he understands i feel a

neither painful nor pleasant feeling

when feeling a

worldly pleasant feeling he understands

i feel a worldly pleasant feeling

when feeling an unworldly pleasant

feeling he understands

i feel an unworldly pleasant feeling

when feeling a worldly painful feeling

he understands

i feel a worldly painful feeling

when feeling an unworldly painful

feeling he understands

i feel an unworldly painful feeling

when feeling

a worldly neither painful nor pleasant

feeling he understands

i feel a worldly neither painful nor

pleasant feeling

when feeling an unworldly neither

painful nor pleasant feeling he

understands

i feel an unworldly neither painful nor

pleasant feeling so we'll take this

apart

when we talk about feeling

we're talking about vedana

feeling is any experience that is felt

so that could be any experience that you

have and that feeling can be pleasant

painful or neutral

so a pleasant feeling is a pleasant

experience seeing something that makes

you happy makes the mind uplifted

a painful feeling could be a bodily

painful feeling

or mental painful feeling

something that makes you feel

aversion or can make you feel aversion

but generally a pla unpleasant

or painful feeling is just a painful

feeling

when we talk about dependent origination

tomorrow we will talk about how a

pleasant feeling or an unpleasant

feeling or a neutral feeling

brings up what's known as underlying

tendencies

and these underlying tendencies if clung

to if grasped out can give rise to

full-blown craving or aversion or

identification with the process

which then which can ultimately lead to

suffering if not recognized and released

and relaxed

so when we talk about a worldly pleasant

feeling what do they mean by that a

worldly pleasant feeling

any pleasant feeling born of the five

physical senses

seeing something beautiful

is a worldly pleasant feeling

hearing a beautiful symphony

that's a worldly pleasant feeling

smelling a

very beautiful fragrance that's a

worldly pleasant feeling

tasting some scrumptious food

that's a worldly pleasant feeling

feeling the warmth of the fire on a very

bitter cold night

that's a worldly pleasant feeling

nothing wrong with any of those pleasant

feelings they're just

pleasant feelings

but as soon as you see them and say i

want more of that as soon as you cling

to it as soon as you grasp to it and how

do you know if you're grasping to it

take it away

how do you react

when you are in a bitter cold morning

and you turn on

the shower and it's nice and warm in

there

steaming hot

you feel pleasant it's a pleasant

feeling

suddenly the hot water goes out and it's

cold

how do you

react you get attached to it and by

getting attached to it does it cause

further craving and finally aversion

when that feeling changes

so this is a worldly pleasant feeling

what about a worldly unpleasant feeling

what happens there

it could be back pain it could be

shoulder pain when you're meditating

that's just an unpleasant feeling

but how do you react to that feeling do

you take it personally and say i wish

this feeling would stop

i wish i could do something about this

back pain if there's something you can

do you make adjustments

sit in a more comfortable position do

whatever you can to get more comfortable

but what about if you're meditating and

you met your sid is really good and then

you hear somebody coughing

disturbs your meditation

that's an unpleasant feeling

or somebody is walking around

or somebody's

turning on the lawnmower outside

or there's a fly in here just buzzing

around your head

that can be a distracting experience so

that's an unpleasant worldly feeling

so how do you choose to deal with it

do you see it for what it actually is

just an experience just a feeling

and so

if you notice that the mind starts to

get irritated by it

starts to get upset by it

starts to wish it wasn't this way

recognize that

release your attention from that

relax the tightness and tension

come back to the smile

resume return back to your object

and then repeat whenever you get

distracted again that's it

so what about a

worldly

neutral feeling a worldly neither

painful

nor pleasant feeling what would that be

[Laughter]

yeah it could be but you barely notice

it but it's more like uh indifference

you don't really notice it doesn't make

a difference to you

but indifference has this quality of

wanting to just

ignore it

so

this is the opposite spec this is the

opposite side of what is known as

equanimity indifference

is a sense of apathy

sense of

don't care could care less or couldn't

care less or whatever it is

so that kind of apathy

is a worldly

neutral feeling

it does have a tinge of aversion if you

still act upon it and try to push things

away but just at the onset of it it's

just neutral

and so now he says he understands i feel

an unworldly pleasant feeling

what could that be

jhana

it could be loving kindness it could be

compassion

it could be joy

it could be any of the factors of the

janus

when we talk about the world when the

buddha talks about the world he says

this world is understood through these

sense spaces

but beyond that is the mind the mind

has nothing to do with the sense

pleasures

it's a mental experience so an unworldly

pleasant feeling

is jhana is being in meditation

what is an unworldly painful feeling

what do you six are how do you six are

why do you use xr

hindrances

craving

aversion

restlessness

slot intorpor

doubt

these bring about a unworldly unpleasant

feeling

what about a unworldly neither painful

nor pleasant feeling

equanimity

when you have equanimity you are not

pulled in one direction or the other

your mind is filled with

balance

clarity

calmness

just

here present right here as

as things are

not affected one way or the other

this is an unworldly neither painful nor

pleasant feeling

so here when we're talking about

mindfulness when you're talking about

full awareness

you're just aware okay

here is present a hindrance or you're

aware okay here is present equanimity or

you're aware okay here is present a fly

buzzing around

whatever it is

okay here is present

uh you know this john factor i'm feeling

joy i'm feeling happiness i'm feeling

tranquility whatever it is

but the key here is not to get attached

to any of these things

not to resist any of these things

seeing as they are and so in this way

he abides contemplating feelings as

feelings

internally or he abides

contemplating feelings

as feelings externally

or he abides contemplating feelings as

feelings both internally and externally

internally is for yourself

externally as feelings

of others

how others are experiencing things

or else he abides contemplating in

feelings their nature of arising or or

he abides contemplating in feelings

their nature of vanishing

or he abides contemplating in feelings

their nature of both arising and

vanishing

how do you understand the impermanence

of feelings

are feelings permanent or impermanent

why are they impermanent

[Laughter]

feeling is dependent upon contact when

we talk about contact we're talking

about

when you see something

it's the photons

bouncing off of something and then

hitting

the retina

that receives the information and there

is feeling

you close your eyes

and the photons no longer hit your

retina so you're no longer seeing it

when you're hearing music or when you're

hearing whatever it is

it's the sound waves the vibrations

hitting whatever part of the ear

receives that information

that contact then gives rise to the

feeling of hearing

cover your ears

and you stop hearing that

so

contact

gives rise to feeling

take away contact feeling goes away

whatever is dependently arisen remember

this whatever is dependently arisen

is bound to be impermanent

because you take away the conditions

that feeling no longer exists

and so whatever is dependently risen is

impermanent

therefore not worth holding on to

because holding on to it will cause

suffering liable to cause suffering

and so it should not be seen as me mine

or myself it should be understood as

being impersonal

you have a very deep understanding of

this

in infinite consciousness yesterday you

watched the video about

the janus

and the formless realms

and in one of them in infinite

consciousness

you experience the arising and passing

away of consciousness

you experience the arising and passing

away of eye consciousness your

consciousness however it is that you

might experience you might see the

flickering you might hear clicking you

might experience other things

you are seeing for yourself how things

arise and pass away dependent upon

causes and conditions

you're seeing the impermanent nature of

all conditioned things

seeing that you realize that this is

tiresome there's no controller here i

can't control the flickering i can't

control the clicking it's just happening

because of the series of causes and

conditions

seeing this you don't hold on to

anything and you realize there's no

controller here so you stop taking it

personally

what happens then you give it gives rise

to equanimity

at the level of nothingness

so seeing and understanding things as

dependently arisen

therefore conditioned or another way of

understanding is everything that is

conditioned is impermanent

this perception this understanding

not the contemplation of it

not the practice of trying to

investigate it just seeing just

observing understanding it as it happens

that leads to the understanding of

suffering of dukkha

then that leads to the understanding of

anata the impersonal nature of things

seeing this the mind becomes quiet

the mind experiences

equanimity

experiencing equanimity

the mind then has disenchantment

this enchantment is where the mind is

like teflon

everything just glides through the mind

not holding on to anything

you get to a point in your meditation

where you're starting to see the

percolations

of thoughts and these are formations

these are samskaras or sankharas

and you're starting to understand how

thoughts are dependently arisen

so you you say i've seen this before you

have total equanimity and therefore you

don't get caught up in that

and there's a level of just

disenchantment okay fine whatever

and then that leads to dispassion

this dispassion is like you are in a

bubble

being in that bubble nothing affects you

completely detached from everything

so when that happens the mind is utterly

quiet

utterly still

and at some point

it ceases

and so there is cessation

now this isn't and this is not an

experience or a process that you can

control

this is not a process that you can

say okay here it is

give me an ibana

right there and then

it arises when it arises it happens when

it happens

when the causes and conditions are right

for equanimity to arise it will happen

you just have to be present

your attention has to be there

i've said this before i could save you

guys two hours by just telling you two

things

observe

and six are

observe your object and meditation stay

with your object in meditation when

you're off your object of meditation

six are come back stay with the object

of meditation

observe like you're observing a movie

just watch the movie see how things

unfold

this gives you clarity this gives you

wisdom this gives you insights

the tranquility part is being collected

the wisdom and insight

is observing

just being aware just being present

and so then you get the ultimate insight

into dependent origination you see

things as they are when they arise

so if you just observe stay with your

object that's all you got to do

notice you got distracted

no big deal don't beat yourself up for

it

6r okay come back

now you're back and you're staying with

your object continue

it will unfold it's a natural process

that unfolds

or else mindfulness that there is

feeling is simply established in him to

the extent necessary for bear knowledge

and mindfulness

so just aware okay here is a pleasant

feeling here is a where i am aware or

the mind is aware

that there is now present loving

kindness or there is now present

equanimity are now there is quiet mind

whatever it is

and he abides independent

not clinging to anything in the world

this is a word you heard when bhante was

talking about the janus independent

not attached to anything

not clinging to anything not identifying

with anything seeing things as they are

okay this is what it is fine

that is how a biku contemplates feeling

abides contemplating feeling as feeling

now we will talk about mind

and how because does a b crew abide

contemplating mind as mind

here ebiku understands mind affected by

lust as mind affected by lust

mind unaffected by lust as mind

unaffected by lust

he understands mind affected by hate as

mind affected by hate

and mind unaffected by hate as mind

unaffected by hate

he understands mind affected by delusion

as mind affected by delusion

and mind unaffected by delusion as mined

unaffected by delusion

so when they say he abides contemplating

mind as mind

what they're talking about is just

perceiving just understanding

what is present in the mind

is there present in the mind lust

is there present in the mind craving

when you recognize the mind is holding

on to something you recognize there is

present craving

when you notice the mind is irritated by

something you recognize the mind is

irritated by something

when you notice that the mind is taking

something personal you notice you

recognize oh i'm taking this personal

when you notice that the mind is free of

that craving when you relax and you come

back

you notice your mind is now free of that

craving

or free of that irritation

or free of taking something personal

that's it

greed hatred delusion what are they

greed craving hatred

aversion

delusion

personalizing things

taking things personal identifying with

them

he understands contracted mind as

contracted mind and distracted mind as

distracted mind

so contracted mind

what kind of mind will that be

this is slot interpret

a mind that is dull

distracted mind

what would that be

restlessness

a mind that has restlessness or even

doubt perplexity

you see another way of understanding

doubt is a mind that is distracted

because when we see the understanding of

the hindrance of doubt we understand

that it is

it has no confidence in what is

wholesome and unwholesome

it's unaware of states unaware of

wholesome states

confused is another way of understanding

it confused of what is right and wrong

confused of what is wholesome and

unwholesome

so when there is this whole bombardment

of thoughts arising there can arise

doubt not sure where the mind is right

now

but as soon as you recognize you have

cut off that

and then you release your attention from

that relax

the tightness and tension

come back to the smile come back to your

object

repeat whenever necessary

he understands exalted mind as exalted

mind and unexalted mind as unexalted

mind what is an exalted mind

a mind in jhana

a mind that is

staying with its object with in jhana

what is an unexalted mind

a mind that is not in jhana

he understands

surpassed mind as surpassed mind

and unsurpassed mind as unsurpassed mind

what is surpassed mind

infinite space infinite consciousness

nothingness neither perception or

non-perception

what is unsurpassed mind

not being in these states

he understands collected mind as

collected mind and uncollected mind as

uncollected mind so a collected mind

means

a mind that is with its object

uncollected

distracted no longer on its object of

meditation

so every time you do the six hours

you're already understanding what your

state of mind is

you don't have to investigate you don't

have to think about oh what kind of

distraction is present in my mind

you just have to realize okay mind is

distracted okay mind is no longer on its

object

okay mind is uncollected

and then come back

and now you understand mind is being

collected you understand mind is being

exalted you understand mind as being

surpassed or in other words you

understand mind is on its object you

understand mind is in jhana or you

understand mind is an infinite space or

infinite consciousness or whatever it

might be

he understands liberated mind as

liberated mind

and unliberated mind as unliberated mind

liberated mind

now

the commentaries talk about liberated

mind as understanding that the mind is

in a certain kind of genre

and that's valid to an extent because

jhana is also temporary liberation

the reason being

is that the jhana is liberated or the

mind when it's in jhana is liberated

from the hindrances

there are no hindrances present

but there's another understanding of

this

if and when you guys have some kind of

an experience

where there is an attainment let's say

right you have to understand for your

own mind is the mind liberated from this

fetter or not

or what is left to be done

so is the mind actually achieving sort

of is the mind actually achieving

sacrifice

is the mind

having any kind of doubt about the

buddha dharma sangha is the mind having

any kind of self-view is the mind having

any kind of clinging to rights and

rituals with the idea that they will

take them to nibana

or is the mind liberated from those

things

does the mind still have sensual craving

or is it liberated from that does the

mind still have aversion or is it

liberated from that this is another way

of understanding

what is a liberated mind and an

unliberated mind

in this way he abides contemplating mind

as mind internally or he abides

contemplating mind as mind externally or

he abides contemplating mind as mind

both internally and externally

so here again you see your own mind or

you see another person's mind or you see

your mind and the other person's mind

you see that they all work the same

doesn't matter what part of the world

you're from all minds work

essentially in a similar manner

all minds experience craving all minds

experience irritation

all minds experience slot and purple all

minds experience

whatever it might be

this is why you're able to communicate

what you are experiencing and another

person

fully understands what you're saying

because such an experience is

to an extent universal

sure maybe the shades of it might be

different but you're still able to

experience it

or else he abides contemplating in mind

its nature of arising or he contemplates

or he by its contemplating in mind its

nature of vanishing

or he abides contemplating in mind its

nature of both arising and vanishing

so when he talks about this he's talking

about

mind that is dependently arisen

now

the word mind here is translated from

the pali word chitta

chitta is synonymous with the word

vinyana

means consciousness

consciousness independent origination is

dependently arisen

it arises dependent upon the arising of

formations

and it arises dependent upon nama rupa

mentality materiality

so if it's dependently arisen you

understand consciousness or mind to be

impermanent

and therefore you understand it to be

impersonal because you understand taking

it personally will cause you suffering

because it is liable to change

all the time

the buddha talked about chitta in such a

way he said there is

it is very difficult

to bring up a simile

that can

fully help you comprehend the speed at

which mind arises and passes away

he's talked about it in terms of picture

shows

you know when you turn the picture

around in the light and you see the

arising of different images

so in modern day that would be movies

arising and passing away of different

frames individual frames

you know at a certain frame rate you

start to see the movement of that movie

same way with mind

so seeing that you understand that it is

there's no control there it's just

happening

so any thoughts that arise just they're

not yours they just come come because of

some contact some kind of causes and

conditions

contemplating this or understanding this

rather

you don't take it personally whatever

thought happens to arise

it will pass away

let it drift on by don't hold on to it

or else mindfulness that there is mind

is simply established in him to the

extent necessary for bear knowledge and

mindfulness

and he abides independent not clinging

to anything in this world

that is how ibiku abides contemplating

mind as mind

now we will talk about dhammas damas or

mind objects or phenomena

and how bikus does abiku abide

contemplating mind objects as mind

objects

here he abides contemplating mind

objects as mind objects

in terms of the five hindrances

and how does abiku abide contemplating

mind objects as mind objects in terms of

the five hindrances

here there being sensual desire in him

ibiku understands there is sensual

desire in me

or there being no sensual desire in him

he understands there is no sensual

desire in me

and he also understands how there comes

to be the arising of honor risen sensual

desire and how there comes to be the

abandoning of a risen sensual desire and

how there comes to be the future

non-arising of abandoned sensual desire

so

here he's talking about the five

hindrances

now he talks about

okay there is present sensual desire

this is recognizing

there is no longer any present sensual

desire once you have let go of it it's

no longer present how do you let go of

it so he talks about he says

and he also understands how there comes

to be the arising of unarisen sensual

desire

so here is the first right effort to

recognize the arising of unarisen desire

sensual desire

having recognized it you cut it off

that flow no longer flows that sensual

desire no longer flows

having then released your attention from

it and relaxed

he then comes to understand the

abandoning of a risen

sensual desire

and how and

how there comes to be the future

non-arising of abandoned sensual desire

when you re-smile

you then generate a wholesome state of

mind

this is the third right effort

having done that you then come back to

your object of meditation

you maintain

that wholesome state of mind

and so that is the fourth right effort

the four right efforts

recognizing when an unarisen unwholesome

state arises

abandoning the arisen unwholesome state

generating a wholesome state and then

maintaining a wholesome state

when you do the six hours

you are exercising right effort

and when we say right effort doesn't

mean you have to push you have to make a

determined striving you have to make an

exertion

it's as simple as oh here's present a

hindrance okay

release your attention

relax

recognizing that there was a hindrance

that's the first right effort abandoning

it by releasing and relaxing that's the

second right effort

generating a wholesome state

by coming back to the smile that's the

third right effort

returning back to your object staying

with it that's the forthright effort

and you repeat whenever necessary

likewise there being ill will in him

they are being slot and torpor in him

there being restlessness and remorse in

him there being doubt in him ibiku

understands there is doubt in me

or there is restlessness in me or slot

interpreter or ill will whatever it

might be

or there being no ill will there being

no slot intorper there being no

restlessness there being no doubt

he understands these hindrances are not

present

and he understands how there comes to be

the arising of unarisen hindrances

and how there comes to be the abandoning

of arisen hindrances

and how there comes to be the future

non-arising of abandoned hindrances

in this way he abides contemplating mind

objects as mind objects internally or he

abides contemplating mind objects as

mind objects externally or he abides

contemplating mind objects as mind

objects both internally and externally

or else he abides contemplating in mind

objects their nature of arising or he

abides contemplating in mind objects

their nature of vanishing

or he abides contemplating in mind

objects their nature of both rising and

vanishing

or else mindfulness that there are mind

objects is simply established in him

to the extent necessary for bare

knowledge and mindfulness

and he abides independent not clinging

to anything in the world

this is how ubiku abides contemplating

mind objects as mind objects in terms of

the five hindrances

again because ibiku abides contemplating

mind objects as mind objects in terms of

the five aggregates affected by craving

and clinging

how does ebiku abide contemplating mind

objects as mind objects in terms of the

five aggregates affected by craving and

clinging

here ibiku understands such is material

form

such its origin such its disappearance

such as feeling such its form such its

disappearance

such is perception such its origin such

its disappearance

such are formations such their origin

such their disappearance

such as consciousness such its origin

such its disappearance

so the five aggregates

we have form feeling perception

formations and consciousness

understanding when form arises how does

form arise form arises its origin of

arising is through food

the body is made up this body is made up

of food

it's made up made up of nutrition all

kinds of nutrients these are the

nutrients that we're talking about

how does it disappear it disappears when

life is gone from it and there is no

more present any life energy in it

feeling is dependent upon contact

perception is also dependent upon

contact because feeling is the

experience

perception allows you to understand what

it is that you are experiencing

feeling allows you to know that there is

present this experience okay i am seeing

this green

leaf knowing that it is a leaf and that

it is green is perception

being able to recognize what it is that

you are seeing is perception

so when contact arises

that is the eye

so the photon hits

or bounces off of that green leaf comes

into the retina and now you see there is

a seeing of the green leaf

knowing that that is a leaf and that it

is green is the perception tied to the

feeling

so these are dependent upon contact take

away the contact i close my eyes i don't

see the green leaf

feeling has disappeared

or the perception as well has

disappeared

formations formations arise dependent

upon contact they also arise dependent

upon ignorance they also arise dependent

upon intention

intention is what drives forward

formations formations we will talk about

when we talk about dependent origination

but but just understand they too are

dependently arisen

so

when formations are dependently risen

they are also impermanent and therefore

they are to be seen as not me not mine

not myself

consciousness arises dependent upon

formations

consciousness also is dependent upon

mind and body mentality materiality for

it to flow

take away those there is no

consciousness

so now you also see how consciousness is

also impermanent

is also not liable

or rather is liable to suffering and

therefore not worth holding on to

and therefore not to be seen as me mine

or myself

now affected by craving and clinging

what is that part

affected by craving and clinging meaning

that you are identifying

with

one or more of these five aggregates

you're seeing in some way or another

that form

or feeling or perception or formations

or consciousness is me

or it's mine

or i am them or they are separate to me

or whatever it might be

again because ibiku contemplates or

abides contemplating mind objects as

mind objects in terms of the six

internal

and external bases

and how does abiku abide contemplating

mind objects

as mind objects in terms of the six

internal and external bases

here ibiku understands the i that's the

internal he understands forms that's the

external he understands the fetter that

arises dependent on both

so there is the eye and there is the

form

i see

the green leaf

the eye is the internal the green leaf

is the form the external the fetter

between the two what is that

the craving

the craving for the identification

process with it

likewise he also understands how there

comes to be a rising of the unarisened

fetter and how there comes to be the

abandoning of the arizona feder and how

there comes to be the future non-arising

of the abandoned fetter again the four

right efforts

okay i'm seeing the green leaf i want

that green leaf i'm grasping at it i

recognize the desire for the sensual

desire

i release my attention from that relax

the tightness and tension

by recognizing that i understand that

there is present this

fetter

by releasing and relaxing i abandoned

that fetter

by then re-smiling or bringing up a

wholesome state and staying with it

i generate a wholesome state and

maintain that wholesome state of mind

likewise he understands the year he

understands sounds he understands the

nose he understands odors he understands

the tongue he understands flavors he

understands the body he understands

tangibles he understands the mind he

understands mind objects and he

understands the feather that arises

dependent on both

the internal and the external sense

basis

and he also understands how there comes

to be the arising of the unarisened

fetter how there comes to be the

abandoning of the irvison fetter and how

there comes to be the future non-arising

of the abandoned fetter

in this way he abides contemplating mind

objects as mind objects

internally externally and both

internally and externally and he abides

independent not clinging to anything in

the world

that is how eb crew abides contemplating

mind objects as mind objects in terms of

the six internal and external bases

again because eb crew abides

contemplating mind objects as mind

objects in terms of the seven

enlightenment factors

and how does abiku abide contemplating

mind objects as mind objects in terms of

the seven enlightenment factors

here there being mindfulness or there

being the mindfulness enlightenment

factor in him

a bq understands there is the

mindfulness enlightenment factor in me

or there being no mindfulness

enlightenment factor in him he

understands there is no mindfulness

enlightenment factor in me

and he also understands how there comes

to be the arising of the unarisen

mindfulness enlightenment factor or how

the arisen mindfulness enlightenment

factor comes to fulfillment by

development

there being the investigation of states

enlightenment factor in him there being

the energy enlightenment factor in him

there being the rapture enlightenment or

joy enlightenment factor in him there

being the tranquility enlightenment

factor in him there being the

collectedness enlightened factor in him

there being the equanimity enlightenment

factor in him ebiku understands there is

this enlightenment factor in me

or there being no

enlightenment factor in him he

understands there is no enlightenment

factor in me

and he also understands how there comes

to be the arising of the unarisen

enlightenment factor and how the arisen

enlightenment factor comes to

fulfillment by development so let's

break this apart

there is a way of understanding

mindfulness which is or rather the

enlightenment factors

in a linear fashion

mindfulness leads to investigation of

states investigation of states leads to

energy

energy leads to joy joy leads to

tranquility tranquility leads to

collectedness and collectedness leads to

equanimity

there is a way to activate these

enlightenment factors

when the mind is in samadhi when the

mind is collected

there comes to be these enlightenment

factors

when you are in a state of jhana

there is the non-presence of the five

hindrance

hindrances

but there is the presence of the

enlightenment factors

the enlightenment factors can also be

seen in some way as antidotes for the

five hindrances

for restlessness you can have

tranquility or equanimity

for doubt you have investigation of

states

now

the word investigation of states

doesn't mean that you're trying to

analyze what is present and what is not

present it's just knowing

the same way as feeling is the

experience and perception

is the labeling of what it is that

experience

so seeing a green leaf

and then knowing that it is a green leaf

seeing is the feeling

knowing that it is a green leaf is the

perception

in the same way

mindfulness

is knowing that the mind is

in this state

or mindfulness is knowing that the mind

is no longer in this state

the perception the knowing that it is no

longer in that state so mindfulness is

aware that the mind has moved

remembering to observe how mind's

attention moves

it has moved somewhere

now your mind is gone from an

undistracted or collected state to a

distracted state

knowing that the mind is distracted is

the investigation of states

but not knowing it is doubt

doubt is here

the

misunderstanding or not understanding at

all

or what is present in the mind because

it is completely here and there

it is perplexed it has no idea what is

going on

but the investigation of states

is knowing what is present understanding

what is present this is why i call

investigation of states as understanding

in that moment what is present

this is an antidote for doubt

with sensual craving with sensual desire

equanimity can be an antidote but also

joy can be an antidote because that joy

is not a joy dependent upon sensual

experiences

when you experience a greater joy which

is the mental joy the joy factor

or the joy factor of jhana

then you feel

or the mind is inclined

towards that experience of joy and it

forgets about this lesser joy of sensual

desire

so this is another antidote for sensual

desire

so with slot intorpur what do you need

for slot interpreter energy

what is energy that is effort

again that's not striving that's not

pushing that's not exertion just six

houring that brings up and balances the

energy and lets go of the slot

interpreter

so now when you get into quiet mind

what's going to happen when you get into

quiet mind

there is a feeling of boredom

that boredom can translate as

restlessness

or you can translate as slot and torpor

you have to balance the mind

mind is saying oh what am i doing here

what's going on i'm thinking about this

i'm thinking about that or

i'm really bored falls asleep

when there's restlessness that means

there's too much energy mind is trying

too hard

so you balance it out by using

collectedness by using tranquility by

using equanimity

when the mind has slot and torpor

there's not enough interest going on

so you bring up the joy you bring up the

energy you bring up a little bit more

collectedness because it's like a camera

lens right

you bring in a little bit more you

tighten up a little bit more

if you're too loose

your mind has slot and torpor if you're

too tight

your mind has restlessness

so just rest just relax

into

the quiet mind

if you're too relaxed and you're not

you're not paying attention

bring a little bit more energy bring in

a little bit more interest in whatever

it is that you're watching

in whatever it is that you're observing

if you're pushing too much and you have

restlessness back off

relax a little bit

right so this is the

balancing that you do using the

enlightenment factors

now as you progress through the jhanas

the first four janas

the enlightened factors become present

and so when we talk about that you see

in the fourth jhana it says that the

mindfulness

the purity of mindfulness due to

equanimity

because not only is

the enlightenment factors or the

different the different factors

happening in a linear fashion but

they're happening in a cyclical faction

as well fashion as well in other words

as the mindfulness leads to

investigation of states the

investigation of states leads to energy

in the energy leads to joy joy leads to

tranquility tranquility leads to

collectiveness collectedness leads to

equanimity the equanimity further

strengthens the mindfulness

so your enlightenment factors become

more deep where they more become

more apparent as you get through each of

the jhanas

now when you are distracted you don't

have enlightenment factors when you are

distracted when there are hindrances

there are no enlightenment factors so

what do you do to bring them back into

alignment

6r

using the 6rs you bring up the

enlightenment factors naturally

when you recognize that the mind is

distracted you have mindfulness and

investigation of states present

because now you're mindful oh i am

distracted and knowing that you are

distracted is the investigation of

states

releasing

your mind from that distraction

is the effort that you put into it

that's the energy

relaxing the tightness intention is the

tranquility factor coming back to the

smile is the joy factor

returning back to your object and

meditation is the collectedness factor

repeating that process without getting

disturbed is the equanimity factor

so when you are six aring when you are

using the six r's to deal with a

distraction

you're also activating and bringing into

balance the enlightenment factors

and so in this way he abides

contemplating mind objects as mind

objects internally externally

and both internally and externally and

he abides independent not clinging to

anything in the world

that is how ibiku abides contemplating

mind objects as mind objects in terms of

the seven enlightenment factors

again because ebiku abides contemplating

mind objects as mind objects in terms of

the four noble truths

and how does abiku abide contemplating

mind objects as mind objects in terms of

the four noble truths

here ebiku understands as it actually is

this is suffering

he understands as it actually is this is

the origin of suffering

he understands as it actually is

this is the cessation of suffering

he understands as it actually is

this is the way leading to the cessation

of suffering these are the four noble

truths

every time you are aware of a hindrance

you are also aware of the first noble

truth of suffering

when you release your attention from

that and relax

you have let go of the second noble

truth of the origin of that hindrance

which is your attention to it

releasing your attention to it

takes away the fuel for that hindrance

and then you relax the tightness and

tension the craving

and you experience the third noble truth

of the cessation of that hindrance

when you relax you experience this

spacious mind

and in that moment you are experiencing

nirvana in that moment you are

experiencing the mundane form of nirodha

the cessation of

suffering and by relaxing

and then coming back to the smile

and staying with your object

you are fulfilling the cultivation of

the fourth noble truth which is the

eightfold path we'll get into the

eightfold path later but the heart of

the eightfold path is right effort

and so the six hours being right effort

allow you to cultivate the eightfold

path allow you to understand

there is present the fourth noble truth

so the six r's not only activate the

enlightenment factors but they also

allow you to see the four noble truths

as and

when they are presently thus

the hindrance is suffering

the attention and craving or resistance

to that is the origin of suffering

release from that relaxing it is

the third noble truth of the cessation

of suffering

and applying the right effort applying

the six hours and coming back

is the fourth noble truth of the way

leading out of suffering

in this way he abides contemplating mind

objects as mind objects internally

or he abides contemplating mind objects

as mind objects externally

or he abides contemplating mind objects

as mind objects both internally and

externally

or else he abides contemplating in mind

objects their nature of arising or he

abides contemplating in mind objects

their nature of vanishing

or he abides contemplating in mind

objects their nature of both arising and

vanishing

or else mindfulness that there are mind

objects is simply established in him

to the extent necessary for bear

knowledge and mindfulness

and he abides independent not clinging

to anything in the world

that is how ibiku abides contemplating

mind objects as mind objects

in terms of the four noble truths

because

if anyone should develop these four

foundations of mindfulness in such a way

now when he says this

he's not talking about them using them

as meditation objects he's just saying

if you can be mindful

if you can use mindfulness to get

collected if you can use right effort to

regain that mindfulness

remembering to observe how your

attention moves having the full

awareness of your object of meditation

this is how you develop and yes okay

fine the mind goes to the body you're

seeing body as body mind goes to mind

object you're seeing that mind object as

mind object but so long as you six are

using right effort

and you're able to regain that

mindfulness and bring it back to the

object of meditation

then that is how you are developing it

if he develops it in such a way for

seven years

one of two fruits could be expected for

him

either final knowledge here and now that

is arahat ship

or if there is a trace of clinging left

non-return meaning becoming an anagami

so there could still be some clinging

let alone seven years because if anyone

should develop these four foundations of

mindfulness in such a way for six years

for five years for four years for three

years for two years for one year

one of two fruits could be expected for

him either final knowledge here and now

or if there is a trace of clinging left

non-return

let alone one year because

if anyone should develop these four

foundations of mindfulness in such a way

for seven months

for six months for five months for four

months for three months

for two months for one month

for half a month

one of two fruits could be expected for

him

either final knowledge here and now or

if there is a trace of clinging left

non-return

let alone half a month because if anyone

should develop these four foundations of

mindfulness in such a way for seven days

how many more days do we have left for

this retreat

one of two fruits could be expected for

him either final knowledge here and now

or if there is a trace of clinging left

non-return

so it was with reference to this that it

was said because

this is the direct path for the

purification of beings

for the surmounting of sorrow and

lamentation

for the disappearance of pain and grief

for the attainment of the true way

for the realization of nibana namely the

four foundations of mindfulness

that is what the blessed one said

the bekus were satisfied and delighted

in the blessed one's words

okay let's share some merit

may suffering ones be suffering free in

a fear-struck fearless be

may the grieving shed all grief and may

all beings find relief

may all beings share this merit that we

have thus acquired for the acquisition

of all kinds of happiness

may beings inhabiting space and earth

devas and nagas of mighty power share

this merit of ours may they long protect

the buddhist dispensation sadhus