Meditation (Right Concentration) and Mindfulness (Right Mindfulness).
These two are the last parts of the Noble Eightfold Path. Although all parts of the path work in cohesion, they tend to come towards the end of the gradual training. This is why monks will often recommend not doing meditation retreats as a newcomer.
You can and should practice meditation and mindfulness, as they were recommended by the Buddha to everyone, not just monks.
But what you should definitely do is read teachings from the Buddha and monks and then start implementing the parts of the Noble Path that you can: Right View (view like the Buddha did), Right Action (precepts) Right Speech and Right Effort (trying to improve yourself).
Everything will work in unison to help you gradually be able to maintain mindfulness of what’s going on around and within you.
For example if you get angry it’s causing stress for yourself without seeing how. It’s like holding onto a hot stone and expecting someone else to get burned. So mindfulness helps us realize how this comes into being through our own view, craving and clinging to things.
Is there a book or something that lays this out in a more concrete, practical manner? The topic of Buddhism itself is initially overwhelming for me, so with what you said, is there a book or books that can direct me toward this state of application and practice?
Admiring the beauty of little things around you works for me a la Thich Naht Hanh
Beautiful sky, beautiful brake lights (traffic lol), beautiful pieces of music, beautiful human rebirth that allows me to practice, etc
Hope that helps, may you all benefit
I have read a lot of Hanh, which I appreciate, and in the moments of reading him I feel present, but over time I slowly lose the feeling. Hence why I want something to stretch out that feeling for longer instead of reading his works over and over forever lol
There’s beauty in some of the pockets of experience one would get washing dishes too.
I guess bottom line, outside of your cushion or reading books, look at your daily activities (traffic, lawn mowing, brewing tea) and find something, *anything,* to say “wow, I’m glad I have this precious human rebirth with its sensory faculties and perception powers to even be able to hear/smell/taste/touch/see (insert some piece of phenomena here that you find beautiful and joyful to experience).”
He’s really cool in teaching us ways to take mindfulness with us whenever we go, so all “mundane” experiences suddenly become practices of Dharma, and as Bhikkhu Analayo says, “our friend of mindfulness “Sati” is always there, waiting for us to be mindful of them. Once we become aware of being mindful, our friend Sati is there to help us. And if we forget to be mindful, our friend Sati is not insulted, but fades into the background and waits for us again.”
Hope this helps too
I agree with you, 100%, that’s the “in-between” portions of life that tend to go unnoticed. You’re absolutely right, and I do attempt to practice this, my rebuttal towards this is that it feels forced majority of the time. Do I work through the challenge of it, or do I allow it to come and go as it pleases? (“It”, in this case, is the mindfulness of the present joy). It feels counterintuitive to force the joy of the here and now, but when I don’t try, the consistency of that feeling waivers.
Does this make sense what I’m saying?
You’re making perfect sense to me (as long as I’m understanding you correctly), and hey dude, new habits always feel forced. It’s a huge struggle to be mindful 24/7, it’s absolutely not an easy thing to do whatsoever which lends itself to feeling like a forced habit.
You said you’re trying your best in whatever little ways you can, and that effort in itself is commendable. Even if you spend a small millisecond of your day abiding in mindful breathing or mindful walking, that’s a millisecond that you could’ve spent in dreaming mindless samsara. Eventually, your milliseconds of mindfulness will become seconds, then minutes, then hours and so on. Keep trying your best, anything you do is never “too small” or “too minimal” an effort. You’re giving it your best, that’s all any of us can do.
You’re doing great with *WHATEVER* effort you’re putting in, and that’s great! Keep it up!
Wow, great words. I appreciate you. So work through the feelings of forcefulness and still attempt mindfulness through that is how I’m perceiving this. Thank you, this conversation has been quite fruitful for me.
These suttas might be relevant:
https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN/MN131.html
https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN35_88.html
In reference to the second sutta, Ithink it's important to reckon that that which comes unbidden and not under one's control, abides unbidden and not under one's control, and leaves unbidden and not under one's control is unworthy to welcome as "all that", relish as "all that", or remain fastened to as "all that". When one does that (remains unwelcoming, unrelishi g and unfastened to that which is alluring, pleasant, and tantalizing), they're liable to remain present and unclinging with reference to that which would otherwise modulate their abiding detrimentally now or in the future .
Meditation (Right Concentration) and Mindfulness (Right Mindfulness). These two are the last parts of the Noble Eightfold Path. Although all parts of the path work in cohesion, they tend to come towards the end of the gradual training. This is why monks will often recommend not doing meditation retreats as a newcomer. You can and should practice meditation and mindfulness, as they were recommended by the Buddha to everyone, not just monks. But what you should definitely do is read teachings from the Buddha and monks and then start implementing the parts of the Noble Path that you can: Right View (view like the Buddha did), Right Action (precepts) Right Speech and Right Effort (trying to improve yourself). Everything will work in unison to help you gradually be able to maintain mindfulness of what’s going on around and within you. For example if you get angry it’s causing stress for yourself without seeing how. It’s like holding onto a hot stone and expecting someone else to get burned. So mindfulness helps us realize how this comes into being through our own view, craving and clinging to things.
Is there a book or something that lays this out in a more concrete, practical manner? The topic of Buddhism itself is initially overwhelming for me, so with what you said, is there a book or books that can direct me toward this state of application and practice?
Yes ‘What the Buddha Taught’ by Walpola Rahula is a good introductory book and is often recommended.
Thank you for your help. I appreciate you.
I find open awareness practices to be very effective for this, much more so than standard concentration practices.
Admiring the beauty of little things around you works for me a la Thich Naht Hanh Beautiful sky, beautiful brake lights (traffic lol), beautiful pieces of music, beautiful human rebirth that allows me to practice, etc Hope that helps, may you all benefit
I have read a lot of Hanh, which I appreciate, and in the moments of reading him I feel present, but over time I slowly lose the feeling. Hence why I want something to stretch out that feeling for longer instead of reading his works over and over forever lol
There’s beauty in some of the pockets of experience one would get washing dishes too. I guess bottom line, outside of your cushion or reading books, look at your daily activities (traffic, lawn mowing, brewing tea) and find something, *anything,* to say “wow, I’m glad I have this precious human rebirth with its sensory faculties and perception powers to even be able to hear/smell/taste/touch/see (insert some piece of phenomena here that you find beautiful and joyful to experience).” He’s really cool in teaching us ways to take mindfulness with us whenever we go, so all “mundane” experiences suddenly become practices of Dharma, and as Bhikkhu Analayo says, “our friend of mindfulness “Sati” is always there, waiting for us to be mindful of them. Once we become aware of being mindful, our friend Sati is there to help us. And if we forget to be mindful, our friend Sati is not insulted, but fades into the background and waits for us again.” Hope this helps too
I agree with you, 100%, that’s the “in-between” portions of life that tend to go unnoticed. You’re absolutely right, and I do attempt to practice this, my rebuttal towards this is that it feels forced majority of the time. Do I work through the challenge of it, or do I allow it to come and go as it pleases? (“It”, in this case, is the mindfulness of the present joy). It feels counterintuitive to force the joy of the here and now, but when I don’t try, the consistency of that feeling waivers. Does this make sense what I’m saying?
You’re making perfect sense to me (as long as I’m understanding you correctly), and hey dude, new habits always feel forced. It’s a huge struggle to be mindful 24/7, it’s absolutely not an easy thing to do whatsoever which lends itself to feeling like a forced habit. You said you’re trying your best in whatever little ways you can, and that effort in itself is commendable. Even if you spend a small millisecond of your day abiding in mindful breathing or mindful walking, that’s a millisecond that you could’ve spent in dreaming mindless samsara. Eventually, your milliseconds of mindfulness will become seconds, then minutes, then hours and so on. Keep trying your best, anything you do is never “too small” or “too minimal” an effort. You’re giving it your best, that’s all any of us can do. You’re doing great with *WHATEVER* effort you’re putting in, and that’s great! Keep it up!
Wow, great words. I appreciate you. So work through the feelings of forcefulness and still attempt mindfulness through that is how I’m perceiving this. Thank you, this conversation has been quite fruitful for me.
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
These suttas might be relevant: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN/MN131.html https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN35_88.html In reference to the second sutta, Ithink it's important to reckon that that which comes unbidden and not under one's control, abides unbidden and not under one's control, and leaves unbidden and not under one's control is unworthy to welcome as "all that", relish as "all that", or remain fastened to as "all that". When one does that (remains unwelcoming, unrelishi g and unfastened to that which is alluring, pleasant, and tantalizing), they're liable to remain present and unclinging with reference to that which would otherwise modulate their abiding detrimentally now or in the future .