Meditation: A Way Of Awakening

Venerable Ajahn Sucitto - Meditation: A Way of Awakening:

Theory: Embodiment

Just as someone who mentally encompasses the great ocean will include in that all the rivers that run into the ocean, so…whoever develops mindfulness directed to the body will include in that all the skilful states that support supreme understanding. [Ang, Ones, 11]
We can sit, stand, walk or even lie down to meditate. Meditation centres on mindfulness, the views and efforts that support it, and the skills and deepening that it allows. Mindfulness is a form of concentration, whereby one's attention is sustained on an object – such as breathing – or in terms of a theme – such as kindness. It’s the ability to bear a certain object or theme in mind. In the practice of meditation, mindfulness is trained and strengthened, so that we can bear in mind even moods or energies that are normally underlying and escape our attention. This is valuable, because however far below the surface, it is in the underlying strata of the mind that a lot of our strengths and beauty, as well as negative tendencies, lie. To delve into and clean up this level takes practice and patient effort. For a start, it means determining to put aside other topics for the period of the meditation. Almost certainly, one will remember various things one had to do, or to drift off into speculation or fantasies about the future or the past. This is captivating – but, in terms of meditation at least, a waste of time that could have been used for steadying the mind and deepening understanding.
However, even when we know this, the mind can still slip away at the speed of a thought and without giving a moment’s notice. This means that we have to choose something useful to bear in mind – and to put some effort into staying with it – in order to keep to the fore an object or theme that supports clear, empathic, or stabilising states of mind. One of the fundamental ways of bringing the mind into the present moment is to focus on the bodily sense. The bodily sense – the sensations and energies that manifest in the body – is something immediate that we can contemplate. These bodily senses give us ground and balance. They give us the sense of being where we are. Although this may seem basic and obvious, a lot of the time we are not grounded in where we really are, but ‘out there’ in a world of changing circumstance and reactions to that, without a central reference.
Using mindfulness of the body as a centring reference is a good all-round standard for everyone. It’s solid and obvious. And not only does embodiment provide us with a reliable place to be, but it is the source of the facts that govern our life – pleasure and pain, sensitivity and vulnerability, and the rhythms of nature that makes us hungry and tired. The heart is affected and the mind creates its basic strategies in relationship to these rhythms of nature.
The body carries, and can be relieved from, the circumstantial stresses and tension of daily life. If the body feels relaxed and bright, then the mind and heart settle readily; if it’s numb, slack or tense, it is difficult to find the energy that is needed for meditation. Conversely, when we find a balanced bodily state and meditate on that, energy is restored to the whole system, and we can feel positive and enriched. If attention can be gathered into this bodily sense, it is withheld from preparing for the variables of the future and the past, juggling duties and inclinations, or gripped with concerns over oneself and others. This withholding allows attention to settle into a more peaceful balance in the present.
Good posture plays a big part in that process, because it gives the mind something to apply itself to and develop skills around. And it also puts the body into a position wherein its energies tend to circulate in a bright and calm way. The ‘good’ of good posture is not about an outward appearance; it’s that which remedies stagnation or tension. However, the balanced alertness of good posture doesn't come around through bodily effort alone. It is a matter of settling the body into balance with a steady and sensitive attitude. The patience and care with which we develop good posture is a development for the mind in its own right: rather than forcing ourselves to sit up straight, we're learning to massage, give, and relax our attention to attune to a poised alertness.
A moment-by-moment application is needed. And this is done through a ‘bringing to mind’ (vitakka) of the meditation topic. This generally entails a degree of thought or at least of thoughtfulness. Bringing to mind is backed up by ‘resonating’ (vicara) which is the thoughtful listening, sampling and evaluation of what has been brought to mind. Vitakka points and vicara handles and ‘gets the sense’ of what is being pointed to. The first is like picking up an apple; the second is admiring it, turning it around and appreciating it. When these are in place, what arises is a quality of awareness that is clear, stable and receptive: mindfulness and full awareness.
The right kind of effort in respect of bearing something in mind is the persistent and calm attention that focuses and keeps returning to the chosen object. With this understanding, we learn to moderate between massive efforts of will, which may have short-term benefits but be unsustainable in the long run, and a gentler and encouraging persistence, which sometimes needs to be fired up to deal with tenacious mental habits.
Upright mind supports upright body and vice versa; the tone is one of balance. This tonality unifies all Buddhist cultivation – which includes ethical standards and compassion, as well as calm and wisdom. All of these take wholesomeness and inner well-being as their keynote and develop it along particular lines. This cultivation shows us that our richest potential arises in accordance with inclinations such as kindness, patience and clear attention. And if we know how to access this potential in our own hearts, then we can act, speak and meditate in ways that bring greater clarity and well-being into our lives. In ourselves we can realise the essence of the Buddha's Awakening