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Reading Recommendation: Minding Closely
sova
delocalized fractyllic harmonizing Veteran
Friends, lovers, country-men-and-women,
Dharma brothers are sisters, newcomers, old friends, and casual visitors, Good Tidings!
Recently a friend introduced me to a book called Minding Closely
I could praise this book endlessly, and have only just begun going through it,
Instead, I will just share some of its content and perhaps you will be motivated enough to locate a copy.
As always, I think it's very important to seek out your own materials, voices that resonate well with you. However, I have found this book incomparably helpful, profound, and straightforward thusfar; since some of the discussions we have on this site lead me to believe that many community members here would benefit from such a text, here is a slice:
From the Introduction:
Balancing Theory and Practice
As we did in the retreat in 2008, we will begin here by developing the ability to be grounded and relaxed, a process of stabilizing and clarifying the mind. Mindfulness is a foundation for all other kinds of meditation. The practices we will explore do not require any religious beliefs; they can by used by atheists or by devout, fundamentalist followers of any religion -- anyone who would like to improve attentional balance. Our supporting techniques will include the development of universally valued qualities of the heart: loving-kindness, compassion, and empathy. Developing an open heart is a worthy goal for any human being, regardless of creed or philosophy.
...
From Vipashyana: Achieving Insight through Mindfulness
Historically, the Buddha himself started with the development of samadhi, but then he moved on. Bear in mind that his world was well populated with contemplatives. Many were wandering ascetics, who were often countercultural figures, living on one meal a day and devoting themselves to the pursuit of truth. With so much competition, how did Buddha Shakyamuni distinguish himself over the others of his era? Of course there are many reasons, but from a contemplative's perspective, he stands out because he refused to take samadhi itself as the goal.
The Buddha's greatest innovation was to assert that the practice of samadhi -- single-pointed concentration with highly refined attention, which enables very subtle states of consciousness that transcend the physical senses and lead to states of equanimity and bliss -- only temporarily suspends the mental afflictions (Sanskrit: kleshas). Instead, the Buddha sought lasting freedom. Standing upon the shoulders of the contemplative giants of his era, the young Siddartha Gautama developed and refined his samadhi, but then he purposefully applied this stable, clear, and highly focused instrument to an experiential investigation. By closely inspecting his own mind, his body, and the relationships among mind, body, and environment, he founded the genre of meditation for cultivating insight, or vipashyana.
As the Buddha formulated it, insight practice begins with a solid foundation in ethics and a wholesome, noninjurious way of life. Upon this basis, the attention is refined into a reliable tool for investigation and employed to probe the ultimate nature of reality, with the mind at the very center of experiential reality.
--
The book is subtitled "The Four Applications of Mindfulness" (of body, feeling, mental states, and allphenomena) ... he talks a lot about how it is a scientific inquiry into the nature of things, and gives wonderful meditations on developing a stable mental acuity that is profitable in all aspects of life. I believe I will be using this book for many years to come, and I sincerely wish those of you who are still reading check out some excerpts you can find online, or check it out from the library, or obtain your own personal copy.
Much love my friends! Stay smiley and be sure to relax.
Dharma brothers are sisters, newcomers, old friends, and casual visitors, Good Tidings!
Recently a friend introduced me to a book called Minding Closely
I could praise this book endlessly, and have only just begun going through it,
Instead, I will just share some of its content and perhaps you will be motivated enough to locate a copy.
As always, I think it's very important to seek out your own materials, voices that resonate well with you. However, I have found this book incomparably helpful, profound, and straightforward thusfar; since some of the discussions we have on this site lead me to believe that many community members here would benefit from such a text, here is a slice:
From the Introduction:
Balancing Theory and Practice
As we did in the retreat in 2008, we will begin here by developing the ability to be grounded and relaxed, a process of stabilizing and clarifying the mind. Mindfulness is a foundation for all other kinds of meditation. The practices we will explore do not require any religious beliefs; they can by used by atheists or by devout, fundamentalist followers of any religion -- anyone who would like to improve attentional balance. Our supporting techniques will include the development of universally valued qualities of the heart: loving-kindness, compassion, and empathy. Developing an open heart is a worthy goal for any human being, regardless of creed or philosophy.
...
From Vipashyana: Achieving Insight through Mindfulness
Historically, the Buddha himself started with the development of samadhi, but then he moved on. Bear in mind that his world was well populated with contemplatives. Many were wandering ascetics, who were often countercultural figures, living on one meal a day and devoting themselves to the pursuit of truth. With so much competition, how did Buddha Shakyamuni distinguish himself over the others of his era? Of course there are many reasons, but from a contemplative's perspective, he stands out because he refused to take samadhi itself as the goal.
The Buddha's greatest innovation was to assert that the practice of samadhi -- single-pointed concentration with highly refined attention, which enables very subtle states of consciousness that transcend the physical senses and lead to states of equanimity and bliss -- only temporarily suspends the mental afflictions (Sanskrit: kleshas). Instead, the Buddha sought lasting freedom. Standing upon the shoulders of the contemplative giants of his era, the young Siddartha Gautama developed and refined his samadhi, but then he purposefully applied this stable, clear, and highly focused instrument to an experiential investigation. By closely inspecting his own mind, his body, and the relationships among mind, body, and environment, he founded the genre of meditation for cultivating insight, or vipashyana.
As the Buddha formulated it, insight practice begins with a solid foundation in ethics and a wholesome, noninjurious way of life. Upon this basis, the attention is refined into a reliable tool for investigation and employed to probe the ultimate nature of reality, with the mind at the very center of experiential reality.
--
The book is subtitled "The Four Applications of Mindfulness" (of body, feeling, mental states, and allphenomena) ... he talks a lot about how it is a scientific inquiry into the nature of things, and gives wonderful meditations on developing a stable mental acuity that is profitable in all aspects of life. I believe I will be using this book for many years to come, and I sincerely wish those of you who are still reading check out some excerpts you can find online, or check it out from the library, or obtain your own personal copy.
Much love my friends! Stay smiley and be sure to relax.
0
Comments
His practice instructions seemed pretty solid, but don't go to him for theory. If you really want a Tibetan take on the theory, try Ken McLeod.