NobleStrategyEssaysontheBuddhistPath

b y

ThanissaroBhikkhu

1999f o r f r e e d i s t r i b u t i o n

seeTermsofUse

IntroductionViews.

TheessaysinthisbookpresentviewsonbasicelementsintheBuddhistpaththeattitudes,concepts,andpracticesthatleadtototalfreedomforthemind. If the views are right, they themselves formpart of the path.Thus, in learninghowtomakebestuseof theseessays, its important tounderstandhowviewsfunctioninbringingaboutfreedom.

Anycorrect statementabout thepath is apartof rightview.Andyetthegoalof thepathtotal freedomincludes freedomfromattachmenttoallviews.Thismeansthatrightviewsdontstandattheendofthepath.Inotherwords,wedontpracticethepathsimplytoarriveatrightview.Andyetwe cant follow thepathwithoutmakinguse of right views. Sorightviewsaretoolsstrategiestoahigherend.Theyareuniqueinthattheir approach to reality leads ultimately to their own transcendence.They aremeant to spark the sortof inquiry that takes themindbeyondthem.Their efficacy iswhatproves their truth.Their integrity inaction,combinedwiththeworthinessoftheiroutcome,iswhatmakesthemasstrategiesnoble.

So the essays collected here are intended as aids to this program ofnoblestrategy.Thereismuchmoretothisprogramthancanbecontainedinthisoranyotherbook.Afterall,rightviewisonlypartofthepath.Butmyhopeisthattheseessayswillhelpgetyoustartedontherightpathtofreedom,andthatthepointstheyraisewillproveusefulalongtheway.

***Theessayscollectedherewerewrittenoverthecourseofthelast four

years.Someofthemhaveappeared,inearlierincarnations,inTricycle:TheBuddhistReview and Insight. Iwould like to thank themanypeoplewhohave offered suggestions for their improvement, in particular JaneYudelman,MaryTalbot,ClarkStrand,RuthStiles,LarryRosenberg, JohnMurphy,KarenKing,Bok-LimKim,GilFronsdal,DavidCole,JohnBullitt,andStephenAichele.Maytheyallhaveashareinthehappinessatwhichthisbookisaimed.

ThanissaroBhikkhuMettaForestMonasteryAugust,1999

AffirmingtheTruthsoftheHeartThe Buddh i s t Teach ing s on S amvega & Pasada

Alife-affirmingBuddhismthatteachesustofindhappinessbyopeningtotherichnessofoureverydaylives.

ThatswhatwewantorsoweretoldbythepeoplewhotrytosellusamainstreamlinedBuddhism.Butisitwhatweneed?AndisitBuddhism?

ThinkbackforamomentonthestoryoftheyoungPrinceSiddharthaand his first encounters with aging, illness, death, and a wanderingcontemplative. Its one of themost accessible chapters in the Buddhisttradition, largely because of the direct, true-to-the-heart quality of theyoungprincesemotions.Hesawaging, illness,anddeathasanabsoluteterror,andpinnedallhishopesonthecontemplativeforestlifeashisonlyescape.AsAsvaghosa,thegreatBuddhistpoet,depictsthestory,theyoungprincehadno lackof friendsand familymemberswhotried to talkhimoutof thoseperceptions, andAsvaghosawaswise enough to show theirlife-affirmingadviceinaveryappealinglight.Still,theprincerealizedthatifheweretogiveintotheiradvice,hewouldbebetrayinghisheart.Onlyby remaining true tohishonest emotionswasheable to embarkon thepaththatledawayfromtheordinaryvaluesofhissocietyandtowardanunsurpassedAwakeningintotheDeathless.

This ishardlya life-affirming story in theordinary senseof the term,but it does affirm somethingmore important than life: the truth of theheart when it aspires to a happiness absolutely pure. The power of thisaspirationdepends on two emotions, called in Pali samvega and pasada.Veryfewofushaveheardofthem,buttheyretheemotionsmostbasictotheBuddhisttradition.NotonlydidtheyinspiretheyoungprinceinhisquestforAwakening,butevenafterhebecametheBuddhaheadvisedhisfollowers to cultivate themonadailybasis. In fact, thewayhehandledtheseemotionsissodistinctivethatitmaybeoneofthemostimportantcontributionshisteachingshavetooffertoAmericanculturetoday.

Samvega was what the young Prince Siddhartha felt on his first

exposuretoaging,illness,anddeath.Itsahardwordtotranslatebecauseitcoverssuchacomplexrangeatleastthreeclustersoffeelingsatonce:the oppressive sense of shock, dismay, and alienation that come withrealizing the futility andmeaninglessness of life as itsnormally lived; achastening senseof ourown complacency and foolishness inhaving letourselveslivesoblindly;andananxioussenseofurgencyintryingtofindawayoutof themeaningless cycle.This is a clusterof feelingsweveallexperienced at one time or another in the process of growing up, but Idont know of a single English term that adequately covers all three. Itwouldbeusefultohavesuchaterm,andmaybethatsreasonenoughforsimplyadoptingthewordsamvegaintoourlanguage.

But more than providing a useful term, Buddhism also offers aneffectivestrategyfordealingwiththefeelingsbehinditfeelingsthatourownculturefindsthreateningandhandlesverypoorly.Ours,ofcourse,isnottheonlyculturethreatenedbyfeelingsofsamvega.IntheSiddharthastory,thefathersreactiontotheyoungprincesdiscoverystandsforthewaymostculturestrytodealwiththesefeelings:Hetriedtoconvincetheprincethathisstandardsforhappinesswereimpossiblyhigh,atthesametimetryingtodistracthimwithrelationshipsandeverysensualpleasureimaginable.Toputitsimply,thestrategywastogettheprincetolowerhisaimsandtofindsatisfactioninahappinessthatwaslessthanabsoluteandnotespeciallypure.

If the young prince were living in America today, the father wouldhaveothertoolsfordealingwiththeprincesdissatisfaction,butthebasicstrategywouldbeessentiallythesame.Wecaneasilyimaginehimtakingtheprince to a religious counselorwhowould teachhim tobelieve thatGodscreationisbasicallygoodandnottofocusonanyaspectsoflifethatwould cast doubt on that belief. Or he might take him to apsychotherapist who would treat feelings of samvega as an inability toaccept reality. If talking therapies didnt get results, the therapistwouldprobably prescribe mood-altering drugs to dull the feeling out of theyoungmanssystemsothathecouldbecomeaproductive,well-adjustedmemberofsociety.

Ifthefatherwerereallyuponcurrenttrends,hemightfindaDharmateacher who would counsel the prince to find happiness in lifes little

miraculouspleasuresacupoftea,awalkinthewoods,socialactivism,easinganotherpersonspain.Nevermind that these formsofhappinesswouldstillbecutshortbyaging,illness,anddeath,hewouldbetold.Thepresent moment is all we have, so we should try to appreciate thebittersweet opportunity of relishing but not holding on to brief joys astheypass.

Itsunlikelythatthelion-heartedprinceweknowfromthestorywouldtaketoanyofthiswell-meantadvice.Hedseeitaspropagandaforalifeofquietdesperation,askinghimtobeatraitortohisheart.Butifhefoundnosolacefromthesesources,whereinoursocietywouldhego?UnliketheIndia of his time, we dont have any well-established, socially acceptedalternatives to being economically productivemembers of society. Evenour contemplative religious orders are prized for their ability to providebread,honey,andwineforthemarketplace.Sotheprincewouldprobablyfindnoalternativebuttojointhedriftersanddropouts,theradicalsandrevolutionaries,thesubsistencehuntersandsurvivalistsconsignedtothesocialfringe.

Hed discovermany fineminds and sensitive spirits in these groups,butnoaccumulatedbodyofprovenandprofoundalternativewisdomtodrawon.SomeonemightgivehimabookbyThoreauorMuir,but theirwritings would offer him no satisfactory analysis of aging, illness, anddeath,andnorecommendationsforhowtogobeyondthem.Andbecausetheres hardly any safety net for people on the fringe, hed findhimselfputtingan inordinateamountofhis energy into issuesofbasic survival,withlittletimeorenergyleftovertofindhisownsolutiontotheproblemof samvega.Hewould endupdisappearing,his Buddhahood abortedperhapsintheUtahcanyoncountry,perhapsinaYukonforestwithouttrace.

Fortunately forus,however, theprincewasborn ina society thatdidprovidesupportandrespectforitsdropouts.Thiswaswhatgavehimtheopportunitytofindasolutiontotheproblemofsamvegathatdidjusticetothetruthsofhisheart.

ThefirststepinthatsolutionissymbolizedintheSiddharthastorybytheprincesreactiontothefourthpersonhesawonhistravelsoutsideofthe palace: the wandering forest contemplative. The emotion he felt at

this point is termed pasada, another complex set of feelings usuallytranslated as clarity and serene confidence. Its what keeps samvegafromturningintodespair. Intheprincescase,hegainedaclearsenseofhis predicament and of theway out of it, leading to something beyondaging,illness,anddeath,atthesametimefeelingconfidentthatthewaywouldwork.

As the earlyBuddhist teachings freely admit, thepredicament is thatthecycleofbirth,aging,anddeathismeaningless.Theydonttrytodenythisfactandsodontaskustobedishonestwithourselvesortocloseoureyestoreality.Asoneteacherhasputit,theBuddhistrecognitionofthereality of suffering so important that suffering is honored as the firstnoble truth is a gift, in that it confirmsourmost sensitive anddirectexperience of things, an experience that many other traditions try todeny.

Fromthere,theearlyteachingsaskustobecomeevenmoresensitive,tothepointwhereweseethatthetruecauseofsufferingisnotoutthereinsocietyor someoutsidebeingbut inhere, in the cravingpresent ineachindividualmind.Theythenconfirmthatthereisanendtosuffering,areleasefromthecycle.Andtheyshowthewaytothatrelease, throughdevelopingnoblequalitiesalreadylatentinthemindtothepointwherethey cast craving aside and open onto Deathlessness. Thus thepredicamenthasapracticalsolution,asolutionwithinthepowersofeveryhumanbeing.

ItsalsoasolutionopentocriticalscrutinyandtestinganindicationofhowconfidenttheBuddhawasinthesolutionhefoundtotheproblemof samvega. This is one of the aspects of authentic Buddhism thatmostattractspeoplewhoaretiredofbeingtoldthattheyshouldtrytodenytheinsightsthatinspiredtheirsenseofsamvegainthefirstplace.

Infact,earlyBuddhismisnotonlyconfidentthatitcanhandlefeelingsof samvega but its also one of the few religions that actively cultivatesthem to a radical extent. Its solution to the problems of life demand somuchdedicatedeffort thatonly strong samvegawillkeep thepracticingBuddhist from slipping back into his or her old ways. Hence therecommendation that all Buddhists, both men and women, lay orordained,shouldreflectdailyonthefactsofaging,illness,separation,and

deathtodevelopfeelingsofsamvegaandonthepowerofonesownactions,totakesamvegaonestepfurther,topasada.

For people whose sense of samvega is so strong that they want toabandonanysocialtiesthatpreventthemfromfollowingthepathtotheendofsuffering,Buddhismoffersbothalong-provenbodyofwisdomforthem to draw from, as well as a safety net: the monastic sangha, aninstitutionthatenablesthemtoleavelaysocietywithouthavingtowastetimeworryingaboutbasicsurvival.Forthosewhocantleavetheirsocialties, Buddhist teaching offers a way to live in the world without beingovercome by the world, following a life of generosity, virtue, andmeditationtostrengthenthenoblequalitiesofthemindthatwillleadtotheendofsuffering.

The symbiotic relationship designed for these two branches of theBuddhist parisa, or community, guarantees that each will benefit fromcontact with the other. The support of the laity guarantees that themonasticswillnotneedtobeoverlyconcernedaboutfood,clothing,andshelter; the gratitude that the monastics inevitably feel for the freely-offeredgenerosityofthelaityhelpstokeepthemfromturningintomisfitsandmisanthropes.Atthesametime,contactwiththemonasticshelpsthelaity foster the proper perspective on life that nurtures the energy ofsamvega and pasada they need to keep from becoming dulled andnumbedbythematerialisticpropagandaofthemainstreameconomy.

So the Buddhist attitude toward life cultivates samvega a clearacceptanceofthemeaninglessnessofthecycleofbirth,aging,anddeath and develops it into pasada: a confident path to the Deathless. Thatpathincludesnotonlytime-provenguidance,butalsoasocialinstitutionthat nurtures it and keeps it alive. These are all things that our societydesperately needs. Its a shame that, in our current efforts atmainstreaming Buddhism, they are aspects of the Buddhist traditionusually ignored. We keep forgetting that one source of Buddhismsstrengthisitsabilitytokeeponefootoutofthemainstream,andthatthetraditionalmetaphor for thepractice is that it crossesover the stream tothe further shore.My hope is thatwewill begin calling these things tomindand taking themtoheart, so that inourdrive to findaBuddhismthatsells,wedontendupsellingourselvesshort.

KarmaKarmaisoneofthosewordswedonttranslate.ItsbasicmeaningissimpleenoughactionbutbecauseoftheweighttheBuddhasteachingsgiveto the role of action, the Sanskrit word karma packs in so manyimplicationsthattheEnglishwordactioncantcarryallitsluggage.Thisiswhywevesimplyairliftedtheoriginalwordintoourvocabulary.

But when we try unpacking the connotations the word carries nowthatithasarrivedineverydayusage,wefindthatmostofitsluggagehasgotten mixed up in transit. In the eyes of most Americans, karmafunctionslikefatebadfate,atthat:aninexplicable,unchangeableforcecoming out of our past, forwhichwe are somehow vaguely responsibleandpowerlesstofight.Iguessitsjustmykarma,Iveheardpeoplesighwhenbad fortune strikeswith such force that they seeno alternative toresignedacceptance.Thefatalismimplicitinthisstatementisonereasonwhysomanyofusarerepelledbytheconceptofkarma,foritsoundslikethe kind of callous myth-making that can justify almost any kind ofsuffering or injustice in the status quo: If hes poor, its because of hiskarma.Ifshesbeenraped,itsbecauseofherkarma.Fromthisitseemsa short step to saying that he or she deserves to suffer, and so doesntdeserveourhelp.

Thismisperceptioncomes fromthe fact that theBuddhistconceptofkarmacametotheWestatthesametimeasnon-Buddhistconcepts,andsoendedupwithsomeoftheirluggage.AlthoughmanyAsianconceptsofkarmaarefatalistic,theearlyBuddhistconceptwasnotfatalisticatall.Infact,ifwelookcloselyatearlyBuddhistideasofkarma,wellfindthattheygive even less importance to myths about the past than most modernAmericansdo.

For the early Buddhists, karma was non-linear and complex. OtherIndianschoolsbelievedthatkarmaoperatedinasimplestraightline,withactions from the past influencing the present, and present actionsinfluencing the future. As a result, they saw little room for free will.Buddhists,however,sawthatkarmaactsinmultiplefeedbackloops,with

the presentmoment being shaped both by past and by present actions;present actions shape not only the future but also the present.Furthermore,presentactionsneednotbedeterminedbypastactions. Inotherwords,thereisfreewill,althoughitsrangeissomewhatdictatedbythepast.Thenatureofthisfreedomissymbolizedinanimageusedbytheearly Buddhists: flowing water. Sometimes the flow from the past is sostrongthatlittlecanbedoneexcepttostandfast,buttherearealsotimeswhentheflowisgentleenoughtobedivertedinalmostanydirection.

So, instead of promoting resigned powerlessness, the early Buddhistnotionofkarma focusedon the liberatingpotentialofwhat themind isdoingwitheverymoment.Whoyouarewhatyoucomefromisnotanywhere near as important as themindsmotives for what it is doingrightnow.Eventhoughthepastmayaccountformanyoftheinequalitieswe see in life,ourmeasureashumanbeings isnot thehandwevebeendealt,forthathandcanchangeatanymoment.Wetakeourownmeasurebyhowwellweplaythehandwevegot.Ifyouresuffering,youtrynottocontinue the unskillful mental habits that would keep that particularkarmic feedback going. If you see that other people are suffering, andyoure inapositiontohelp,youfocusnotontheirkarmicpastbutyourkarmicopportunityinthepresent:Somedayyoumayfindyourselfinthesamepredicamentthattheyreinnow,soheresyouropportunitytoactinthewayyoudlikethemtoacttowardyouwhenthatdaycomes.

This belief that ones dignity is measured, not by ones past, but byones present actions, flew right in the face of the Indian traditions ofcaste-basedhierarchies,andexplainswhyearlyBuddhistshadsuchafielddaypokingfunatthepretensionsandmythologyofthebrahmans.AstheBuddhapointedout,abrahmancouldbeasuperiorpersonnotbecausehecame out of a brahman womb, but only if he acted with truly skillfulintentions.

WereadtheearlyBuddhistattacksonthecastesystem,andasidefromtheiranti-racist implications,theyoftenstrikeusasquaint.Whatwefailtorealizeisthattheystrikerightattheheartofourmythsaboutourownpast:ourobsessionwithdefiningwhoweareintermsofwherewecomefrom our race, ethnic heritage, gender, socio-economic background,sexual preference our modern tribes. We put inordinate amounts of

energy intocreatingandmaintainingthemythologyofourtribesothatwe can take vicarious pride in our tribes good name. Even when webecome Buddhists, the tribe comes first. We demand a Buddhism thathonorsourmyths.

From the standpoint of karma, though, where we come from is oldkarma, over which we have no control. What we are is a nebulousconceptatbestandperniciousatworst,whenweuseittofindexcusesfor acting on unskillful motives. The worth of a tribe lies only in theskillful actionsof its individualmembers.Evenwhen thosegoodpeoplebelong toour tribe, their goodkarma is theirs,notours.And,of course,everytribehasitsbadmembers,whichmeansthatthemythologyofthetribe is a fragile thing. To hang onto anything fragile requires a largeinvestmentofpassion,aversion,anddelusion,leadinginevitablytomoreunskillfulactionsonintothefuture.

SotheBuddhistteachingsonkarma,farfrombeingaquaintrelicfromthepast,areadirectchallengetoabasicthrustandbasicflawinourculture. Only when we abandon our obsession with finding vicariouspride in our tribal past, and can take actual pride in the motives thatunderlie our present actions, can we say that the word karma, in itsBuddhistsense,hasrecovereditsluggage.Andwhenweopentheluggage,well find that its brought us a gift: the gift we give ourselves and oneanotherwhenwedropourmythsaboutwhoweare,andcan insteadbehonest aboutwhatwere doingwith eachmoment at the same timemakingtheefforttodoitright.

TheRoadtoNirvanaIsPavedwithSkillfulIntentions

Theresanoldsayingthattheroadtohellispavedwithgoodintentions,butthatsnotreallythecase.Theroadtohellispavedwithintentionsthatare careless, lustful, ormean.Good intentions in proportion to theirtruegoodness tend towardheavensofpleasure. Sowhydo theyhavesuch a bad reputation? For threemain reasons.One is thatnot all goodintentionsareespeciallyskillful.Eventhoughtheymeanwell,theycanbemisguidedandinappropriatefortheoccasion,thusresultinginpainandregret.Asecondreasonisthatweoftenmisunderstandthequalityofourown intentions.Wemaymistake amixed intention for a good one, forinstance, and thusgetdisappointedwhen it givesmixed results.A thirdreasonisthatweeasilymisreadthewayintentionsyieldtheirresultsaswhenthepainfulresultsofabadintentioninthepastobscuretheresultsofagoodintentioninthepresent,andyetweblameourpresentintentionfor the pain. All these reasons, acting together, lead us to becomedisillusionedwiththepotentialofgoodintentions.Asaresult,weeithergrow cynical about them or else simply abandon the care and patienceneededtoperfectthem.

One of the Buddhas most penetrating discoveries is that ourintentions are the main factors shaping our lives and that they can bemasteredasaskill.Ifwesubjectthemtothesamequalitiesofmindfulness,persistence, and discernment involved in developing any skill, we canperfectthemtothepointwheretheywill leadtonoregretsordamagingresults in any given situation; ultimately, they can lead us to the truestpossiblehappiness.Totrainourintentionsinthisway,though,requiresadeep level of self-awareness. Why is that? If you look carefully at thereasonsforourdisillusionmentwithgoodintentions,youllfindthattheyallcomedowntodelusion:delusioninhowweformulateourintentions,delusion in how we perceive our intentions, and delusion in how weattendtotheirresults.AstheBuddhatellsus,delusionisoneofthethreemain roots for unskillful mental habits, the other two being greed and

aversion.Theseunskillfulrootslieentangledwithskillfulrootsstatesofmind that are free of greed, aversion, and delusion in the soil of theuntrainedheart.Ifwecantisolateanddiguptheunskillfulroots,wecanneverbefullysureofourintentions.Evenwhenaskillfulintentionseemsforemostinthemind,theunskillfulrootscanquicklysendupshootsthatblindusastowhatsactuallygoingon.

If we were to sketch this state of affairs, the picture would looksomethinglikethis:Thestraightroadtohellispavedwithbadintentions,someofwhichmaylookgoodtoacasualglance.Roadspavedwithgoodintentions,leadingtoheavensofpleasuresomeofthemquiteskillfulbranchoffoneithersideoftheway,butall toooftentheyget lost inanunderbrush of unskillfulness andwe find ourselves back on the road tohell.TheBuddhasdiscoverywasthatifwenourishtheskillfulroots,theycan grow and effectively block the road to hell; if we cut away theunderbrush of unskillfulness and dig out its roots, we can develop ourgood intentions tohigherandhigher levelsof skilluntilultimately theybringus toahappiness totallyunlimited,beyondany furtherneed forapath.

Themostbasicstepinthisprocessistomakesurethatwestayofftheroad to hell. We do this through the practice of generosity and virtue,consciously replacing unskillful intentions with more skillful ones. Wethen refine our intentions even further throughmeditation, digging upthe roots of greed, aversion, and delusion to prevent them frominfluencingthechoicesshapingourlives.Greedandangeraresometimeseasytodetect,butdelusionbyitsverynatureisobscure.Whenweredeluded,wedontknowweredeluded.Thatswhymeditationhastofocuson strengthening and quickening our powers of mindfulness andalertness: so thatwe can catch sight of delusion and uproot it before ittakesoverourminds.

TheBuddhasmostbasicmeditationinstructionsforrefiningintentionstart, not on the cushion, but with the activity of daily life. They arecontainedinadiscoursetohisyoungson,Rahula,andattacktheCatch-22ofdelusionthroughtwoapproaches.Thefirst iswhattheearlyBuddhisttexts call appropriate attention the ability to ask yourself the rightquestions,questions thatcut straight to thecausesofpleasureandpain,

withoutentanglingthemindinneedlessconfusion.Thesecondapproachisfriendshipwithadmirablepeopleassociatingwithandlearningfrompeople who are virtuous, generous, and wise. These two factors, theBuddhasaid,arethemosthelpful internalandexternalaidsforapersonfollowingthepath.

In essence, theBuddha toldRahula to usehis actions as amirror forreflectingthequalityofhismind.Eachtimebeforeheactedandhereactingcoversanyactioninthought,word,ordeedhewastoreflectontheresultheexpectedfromtheactionandaskhimself:Isthisgoingtoleadtoharmformyselfandothers,ornot?Ifitwasgoingtobeharmful,he shouldnt do it. If it looked harmless, he could go ahead and act.However, the Buddha cautioned Rahula, he shouldnt blindly trust hisexpectations.Whilehewasintheprocessofacting,heshouldaskhimselfif therewereanyunexpectedbadconsequencesarising. If therewere,heshould stop. If there werent, he could continue his action to the end.Even then, though, the jobof reflectionwasnt finished.He should alsonotice the actual short- and long-termconsequencesof the action. If anactioninwordordeedendedupcausingharm,thenheshouldinformafellow-practitioner on the path and listen to that persons advice. If themistakenactionwaspurelyanactofthemind,thenheshoulddevelopasenseofshameanddisgusttowardthatkindofthought.Inbothcases,heshould resolve never to make the samemistake again. If, however, thelong-termconsequencesof theoriginal actionwereharmless,he shouldtakejoyinbeingontherightpathandcontinuehistraining.

From this we can see that the essential approach for uncoveringdelusionisthefamiliarprincipleoflearningfromourownmistakes.Theway the Buddha formulates this principle, though, has importantimplications,foritdemandsqualitiesofself-honestyandmaturityinareaswhere they are normally hard to find: our evaluation of our ownintentionsandoftheresultsofouractions.

Aschildrenwelearntobedishonestaboutour intentionssimplyasamatterofsurvival:Ididntmeantodoit,Icouldnthelpit,Iwasjustswingingmyarmandhegotintheway.Afterawhile,webegintobelieveourownexcusesanddontliketoadmittoourselveswhenourintentionsare less than noble. Thus we get into the habit of not articulating our

intentions when faced with a choice, of refusing to consider theconsequencesofourintentions,andinmanycasesofdenyingthatwehadachoicetobeginwith.Thisishowaddictivebehaviorstarts,andunskillfulintentionsaregivenfreerein.

Asimilardynamicsurroundsourreactionstotheconsequencesofouractions.WestartlearningdenialatanearlyageItwasntmyfault,Itwas already brokenwhen I lay down on it and then internalize theprocess, as a way of preserving our self-image, to the point where itbecomes our second nature to turn a blind eye to the impact of ourmistakes.

As the Buddha points out, the end of suffering requires that weabandoncravingandignorance,butifwecantbehonestwithourselvesaboutourintentions,howcanweperceivecravingintimetoabandonit?Ifwecantfaceuptotheprincipleofcauseandeffectinouractions,howwill we ever overcome ignorance? Ignorance is caused less by a lack ofinformation than by a lack of self-awareness and self-honesty. Tounderstandthenobletruthsrequiresthatwebetruthfulwithourselvesinpreciselytheareaswhereself-honestyismostdifficult.

It also requires maturity. As we examine our intentions, we need tolearnhowtosaynotounskillfulmotives inawaythats firmenoughtokeepthemincheckbutnotsofirmthatitdrivesthemundergroundintosubconsciousrepression.Wecanlearntoseethemindasacommittee:thefact thatunworthy impulsesareproposedbymembersof thecommitteedoesnt mean that we are unworthy. We dont have to assumeresponsibilityforeverythingthatgetsbroughttothecommitteefloor.Ourresponsibilityliesinsteadinourpowertoadoptorvetothemotion.

At the same time, we should be adult enough to admit that ourhabitual or spontaneous impulses are not always trustworthy firstthought is not always best thought and thatwhatwe feel like doingnowmaynotgiveresultsthatwillbepleasanttofeelatalaterdate.AstheBuddhasaid,therearefourcoursesofactionthatmaybeopentousatanyparticulartime:onethatwewanttodoandwillgivegoodresults;onethatwedontwanttodoandwillgivebadresults;onethatwewanttodobutwillgivebadresults;andonethatwedontwanttodobutwillgivegoodresults.Thefirsttwoareno-brainers.Wedontneedmuchintelligenceto

dothefirstandavoidthesecond.Themeasureofourtrueintelligenceliesinhowwehandlethelasttwochoices.

Examiningtheresultsofouractionsrequiresmaturityaswell:amaturerealizationthatself-esteemcantbebasedonalwaysbeingright,andthattheres nothing demeaning or degrading in admitting amistake.We allcome from a state of delusion even the Buddha was coming fromdelusionashesoughtAwakeningsoitsonlynaturalthattherewillbemistakes. Our human dignity lies in our ability to recognize thosemistakes, to resolve not to repeat them, and to stick to that resolution.This in turn requires that we not be debilitated by feelings of guilt orremorseoverourerrors.AstheBuddhastates,feelingsofguiltcantundoapasterror,andtheycandeprivethemindofthestrengthitneedstokeepfrom repeating old mistakes. This is why he recommends an emotiondifferent from guilt shame although his use of the word impliessomething totally unlike the sense of unworthiness we often associatewith the term. Remember that both the Buddha and Rahula weremembersofthenoblewarriorclass,aclasswithastrongsenseofitsownhonoranddignity.AndnoticethattheBuddhatellsRahulatoseehispastmistakes,nothimself,asshameful.ThisimpliesthatitsbeneathRahulasdignitytoactinwaysthatarelessthanhonorable.Thefactthathecanseehisactionsasshamefulisasignofhishonorandisalsoasignthathellbeablenottorepeatthem.Thissenseofhonoriswhatunderliesamature,healthy,andproductivesenseofshame.

Atfirstglance,wemightthinkthatcontinualself-reflectionofthissortwould add further complications to our lives when they already seemmorethancomplicatedenough,butinfacttheBuddhasinstructionsareanattempt to strip thequestions inourmindsdown to themostusefulessentials. He explicitly warns against taking on too many questions,particularly those that leadnowhereandtieusup inknots:WhoamI?AmIbasicallyagoodperson?Anunworthyperson?Instead,hetellsustofocusonourintentionssothatwecanseehowtheyshapeourlife,andtomastertheprocessesofcauseandeffectsothattheycanshapeourlifeinincreasingly better ways. This is the way every great artist or craftsmandevelopsmasteryandskill.

Theemphasisontheintentionsbehindouractionsandtheirresulting

consequences also carries over from daily life onto themeditation seat,providingourmeditationwiththeproperfocus.Inexaminingouractionsin terms of cause and effect, skillful and unskillful, we are alreadybeginningtolookatexperienceinlinewiththetwosetsofvariablesthatmakeupthefournobletruths:theoriginationofstress(unskillfulcause),thepathtothecessationofstress(skillfulcause),stress(unskillfuleffect),and the cessation of stress (skillful effect). The way the Buddharecommended thatRahula judge the resultsofhis actionsbothwhiledoingthemandaftertheyaredoneechoestheinsightthatformedtheheart of his Awakening: that intentions have results both in theimmediatepresentandovertime.

Whenwe look at thepresentmoment from thisperspective,we findthat our experience of the present doesnt just happen. Instead, its aproductofourinvolvementintermsofpresentintentions,theresultsof present intentions, and the results of past intentions in whichpresent intentionsare themost important factor.Themorewe focusonthat involvement, themore we can bring it out of the half-light of thesubconsciousandintothefull lightofawareness.Therewecantrainourintentions, through conscious trial and error, to be even more skillful,enablingustolessenourexperienceofsufferingandpaininthepresent.This is how skillful intentions pave the road tomental health andwellbeingintheordinaryworldofourlives.

Asweworkatdevelopingourintentionstoevenhigherlevelsofskill,we find that themost consummate intentions are those that center themind securely in a clear awareness of the present. As we use them tobecomemoreandmorefamiliarwiththepresent,wecometoseethatallpresent intentions, no matter how skillful, are inherently burdensome.The only way out of this burden is to allow the unraveling of theintentions that provide the weave for our present experience. Thisprovides an opening to the dimension of unlimited freedom that liesbeyondthem.Thatshowskillful intentionspavetheroadallthewaytothe edge of nirvana. And from there, the path like that of birdsthroughspacecantbetraced.

TheHealingPowerofthePreceptsTheBuddhawaslikeadoctor,treatingthespiritualillsofthehumanrace.Thepathofpracticehe taughtwas like a courseof therapy for sufferinghearts and minds. This way of understanding the Buddha and histeachings dates back to the earliest texts, and yet is also very current.Buddhistmeditationpracticeisoftenadvertisedasaformofhealing,andquite a few psychotherapists now recommend that their patients trymeditationaspartoftheirtreatment.

After several years of teaching and practicingmeditation as therapy,however, many of us have found that meditation on its own is notenough. In my own experience, I have found that Western meditatorstend tobeafflictedmorewitha certaingrimnessand lackof self-esteemthan any Asians I have ever taught. Their psyches are so wounded bymodern civilization that they lack the resilience andpersistenceneededbeforeconcentrationand insightpracticescanbegenuinely therapeutic.Other teachershavenotedthisproblemaswelland,asa result,manyofthemhavedecidedthattheBuddhistpathisinsufficientforourparticularneeds. To make up for this insufficiency they have experimented withways of supplementing meditation practice, combining it with suchthings as myth, poetry, psychotherapy, social activism, sweat lodges,mourningrituals,andevendrumming.Theproblem,though,maynotbethat there is anything lacking in the Buddhist path, but thatwe simplyhaventbeenfollowingtheBuddhasfullcourseoftherapy.

TheBuddhaspathconsistednotonlyofmindfulness,concentration,andinsightpractices,butalsoofvirtue,beginningwiththefiveprecepts.In fact, the precepts constitute the first step in the path. There is atendency in theWest todismiss the fivepreceptsasSunday-school rulesboundtooldculturalnormsthatnolongerapplytoourmodernsociety,butthismissestherolethattheBuddhaintendedforthem:Theyarepartofacourseoftherapyforwoundedminds.Inparticular,theyareaimedatcuringtwoailmentsthatunderlielowself-esteem:regretanddenial.

Whenouractionsdontmeasureup tocertainstandardsofbehavior,

weeither(1)regrettheactionsor(2)engageinoneoftwokindsofdenial,either(a)denyingthatouractionsdidinfacthappenor(b)denyingthatthe standards of measurement are really valid. These reactions are likewoundsinthemind.Regretisanopenwound,tendertothetouch,whiledenialislikehardened,twistedscartissuearoundatenderspot.Whenthemind iswounded in theseways, it cant settle down comfortably in thepresent,for it findsitselfrestingonraw,exposedfleshorcalcifiedknots.Evenwhen its forced to stay in the present, its there only in a tensed,contortedandpartialway,andsotheinsightsitgainstendtobecontortedandpartialaswell.Onlyifthemindisfreeofwoundsandscarscanitbeexpectedtosettledowncomfortablyandfreelyinthepresent,andtogiverisetoundistorteddiscernment.

Thisiswherethefivepreceptscomein:Theyaredesignedtohealthesewounds and scars. Healthy self-esteem comes from living up to a set ofstandardsthatarepractical,clear-cut,humane,andworthyofrespect;thefivepreceptsareformulatedinsuchawaythattheyprovidejustsuchasetofstandards.

Practical:Thestandardssetbythepreceptsaresimplenointentionalkilling,stealing,havingillicitsex,lying,ortakingintoxicants.Itsentirelypossible to live in line with these standards. Not always easy orconvenient, but always possible. I have seen efforts to translate theprecepts into standards that sound more lofty or noble taking thesecondprecept,forexample,tomeannoabuseoftheplanetsresourcesbuteventhepeoplewhoreformulatethepreceptsinthiswayadmitthatitis impossible to live up to them. Anyone who has dealt withpsychologicallydamagedpeopleknowsthatveryoftenthedamagecomesfromhavingbeenpresentedwith impossible standards to liveby. If youcangivepeoplestandardsthattakealittleeffortandmindfulness,butarepossibletomeet,theirself-esteemsoarsdramaticallyastheydiscoverthattheyareactuallycapableofmeetingthosestandards.Theycanthenfacemoredemandingtaskswithconfidence.

Clear-cut: Theprecepts are formulatedwithno ifs, ands,orbuts.Thismeans that they give very clear guidance,with no room forwaffling orless-than-honestrationalizations.Anactioneitherfitsinwiththepreceptsor it doesnt. Again, standards of this sort are very healthy to live by.

Anyone who has raised children has found that, although they maycomplain about hard and fast rules, they actually feelmore securewiththem than with rules that are vague and always open to negotiation.Clear-cutrulesdontallowforunspokenagendastocomesneakinginthebackdoorofthemind.If,forexample,thepreceptagainstkillingallowedyoutokilllivingbeingswhentheirpresenceisinconvenient,thatwouldplaceyour convenienceonahigher level thanyour compassion for life.Convenience would become your unspoken standard and as we allknow, unspoken standards provide huge tracts of fertile ground forhypocrisyanddenial togrow. If,however, you stickby the standardsoftheprecepts,thenastheBuddhasays,youareprovidingunlimitedsafetyfor the livesofall.Therearenoconditionsunderwhichyouwould takethelivesofanylivingbeings,nomatterhowinconvenienttheymightbe.Intermsoftheotherprecepts,youareprovidingunlimitedsafetyfortheirpossessionsandsexuality,andunlimitedtruthfulnessandmindfulnessinyour communication with them. When you find that you can trustyourself inmatters like these, you gain an undeniably healthy sense ofself-respect.

Humane: The precepts are humane both to the personwho observesthemandtothepeopleaffectedbyhisorheractions.Ifyouobservethem,youarealigningyourselfwiththedoctrineofkarma,whichteachesthatthemostimportantpowersshapingyourexperienceoftheworldaretheintentional thoughts, words, and deeds you choose in the presentmoment.Thismeansthatyouarenotinsignificant.Everytimeyoutakeachoiceathome,atwork,atplayyouareexercisingyourpowerintheon-goingfashioningoftheworld.Atthesametime,thisprincipleallowsyoutomeasureyourselfintermsthatareentirelyunderyourcontrol:yourintentional actions in the present moment. In other words, they dontforce you to measure yourself in terms of your looks, strength, brains,financialprowess,or anyother criteria thatdepend lessonyourpresentkarma than they do on karma from the past. Also, they dont play onfeelings of guilt or force you to bemoan your past lapses. Instead, theyfocus your attention on the ever-present possibility of living up to yourstandardsinthehereandnow.Ifyouarelivingwithpeoplewhoobservethe precepts, you find that your dealingswith them are not a cause for

mistrust or fear. They regard your desire for happiness as akin to theirs.Theirworthas individualsdoesnotdependonsituationsinwhichtherehave tobewinnersand losers.Whenthey talkaboutdeveloping loving-kindnessandmindfulnessintheirmeditation,youseeitreflectedintheiractions. Inthiswaytheprecepts fosternotonlyhealthy individuals,butalso a healthy society a society inwhich the self-respect andmutualrespectarenotatodds.

Worthyofrespect:Whenyouadoptasetofstandards,itisimportanttoknowwhose standards they are and to seewhere those standards comefrom,forineffectyouarejoiningtheirgroup,lookingfortheirapproval,andacceptingtheircriteriaforrightandwrong.Inthiscase,youcouldntaskforabettergrouptojoin:theBuddhaandhisnobledisciples.Thefiveprecepts are called standards appealing to the noble ones. Fromwhatthe texts tell us of the noble ones, they are not people who acceptstandardssimplyonthebasisofpopularity.Theyhaveputtheir livesonthelinetoseewhatleadstotruehappiness,andhaveseenforthemselves,for example, that all lying is pathological, and that any sexoutsideof astable, committed relationship isunsafeatany speed.Otherpeoplemaynotrespectyouforlivingbythefiveprecepts,butnobleonesdo,andtheirrespectisworthmorethanthatofanyoneelseintheworld.

Now,manypeoplefinditcoldcomforttojoinsuchanabstractgroup,especiallywhentheyhavenotyetmetanynobleonesinperson.Itshardto be good-hearted and generouswhen the society immediately aroundyou openly laughs at those qualities and values such things as sexualprowess or predatory business skills instead. This is where Buddhistcommunities can come in. It would be very useful if Buddhist groupswouldopenlypartwayswith the prevailing amoral tenor of our cultureandletitbeknowninakindlywaythattheyvaluegoodheartednessandrestraintamongtheirmembers.Indoingso,theywouldprovideahealthyenvironmentforthefull-scaleadoptionoftheBuddhascourseoftherapy:thepracticeofconcentrationanddiscernmentinalifeofvirtuousaction.Where we have such environments, we find that meditation needs nomythormake-believetosupportit,becauseitisbasedontherealityofawell-livedlife.Youcanlookatthestandardsbywhichyoulive,andthenbreatheinandoutcomfortablynotasafloweroramountain,butasa

full-fledged,responsiblehumanbeing.Forthatswhatyouare.

RightSpeechAsmyteacheroncesaid,Ifyoucantcontrolyourmouth,theresnowayyou can hope to control your mind. This is why right speech is soimportantinday-to-daypractice.

Rightspeech,explained innegativeterms,meansavoidingfourtypesofharmfulspeech:lies(wordsspokenwiththeintentofmisrepresentingthe truth); divisive speech (spoken with the intent of creating riftsbetweenpeople);harshspeech(spokenwiththeintentofhurtinganotherpersons feelings); and idle chatter (spokenwithnopurposeful intent atall).

Notice the focus on intent: this iswhere the practice of right speechintersectswith the trainingof themind.Beforeyou speak,you focusonwhy you want to speak. This helps get you in touch with all themachinationstakingplaceinthecommitteeofvoicesrunningyourmind.If you see any unskillful motives lurking behind the committeesdecisions,youvetothem.Asaresult,youbecomemoreawareofyourself,morehonestwithyourself,morefirmwithyourself.Youalsosaveyourselffrom saying things that youll later regret. In this way you strengthenqualities of mind that will be helpful in meditation, at the same timeavoidinganypotentiallypainfulmemories thatwouldget in thewayofbeingattentivetothepresentmomentwhenthetimecomestomeditate.

In positive terms, right speech means speaking in ways that aretrustworthy,harmonious, comforting, andworth taking toheart.Whenyoumake a practice of these positive forms of right speech, yourwordsbecomeagifttoothers.Inresponse,otherpeoplewillstartlisteningmoretowhatyousay,andwillbemorelikelytorespondinkind.Thisgivesyoua sense of the power of your actions: the way you act in the presentmomentdoesshapetheworldofyourexperience.Youdontneedtobeavictimofpastevents.

Formanyofus,themostdifficultpartofpracticingrightspeechliesinhowweexpressoursenseofhumor.EspeciallyhereinAmerica,wereusedtogettinglaughswithexaggeration,sarcasm,groupstereotypes,andpure

sillinessallclassicexamplesofwrongspeech.Ifpeoplegetusedtothesesortsofcarelesshumor,theystoplisteningcarefullytowhatwesay.Inthisway,wecheapenourowndiscourse.Actually,theresenoughironyinthestate of theworld that we dont need to exaggerate or be sarcastic. Thegreatesthumorists are theoneswho simplymakeus lookdirectly at thewaythingsare.

Expressingourhumor inwaysthataretruthful,useful,andwisemayrequire thought and effort, butwhenwemaster this sort ofwitwe findthat the effort iswell spent.Weve sharpened our ownminds andhaveimproved our verbal environment. In this way, even our jokes becomepartofourpractice:anopportunitytodeveloppositivequalitiesofmindandtooffersomethingofintelligentvaluetothepeoplearoundus.

Sopaycloseattentiontowhatyousayandtowhyyousayit.Whenyoudo,youlldiscoverthatanopenmouthdoesnthavetobeamistake.

TradingCandyforGoldRenunc ia t i on a s a Sk i l l

BuddhismtakesafamiliarAmericanprinciplethepursuitofhappiness and inserts two important qualifiers. Thehappiness it aims at is true:ultimate, unchanging, and undeceitful. Its pursuit of that happiness isserious,notinagrimsense,butdedicated,disciplined,andwillingtomakeintelligentsacrifices.

What sort of sacrifices are intelligent? The Buddhist answer to thisquestion resonates with another American principle: an intelligentsacrifice is any inwhich you gain a greater happiness by letting go of alesserone,inthesamewayyoudgiveupabagofcandyifofferedapoundof gold in exchange. In other words, an intelligent sacrifice is like aprofitabletrade.ThisanalogyisanancientoneintheBuddhisttradition.Illmakeatrade,oneoftheBuddhasdisciplesoncesaid,agingfortheAgeless, burning for the Unbound: the highest peace, the unexcelledsafetyfrombondage.

Theres something in all of us that would rather not give things up.Wedprefer tokeep the candyand get thegold.Butmaturity teachesusthat we cant have everything, that to indulge in one pleasure ofteninvolvesdenyingourselvesanother,perhapsbetter,one.Thusweneedtoestablishclearprioritiesforinvestingourlimitedtimeandenergieswheretheyllgivethemostlastingreturns.

Thatmeansgivingtopprioritytothemind.Materialthingsandsocialrelationshipsareunstableandeasilyaffectedbyforcesbeyondourcontrol,so the happiness they offer is fleeting and undependable. But the well-beingofawell-trainedmindcansurviveevenaging,illness,anddeath.Totrainthemind,though,requirestimeandenergy.Thisisonereasonwhythe pursuit of true happiness demands that we sacrifice some of ourexternalpleasures.

Sacrificingexternalpleasuresalso freesusof thementalburdens thatholdingonto themoften entails.A famous story in theCanon tells of a

formerkingwho, afterbecomingamonk, satdownat the footof a treeand exclaimed, What bliss!What bliss! His fellowmonks thought hewaspiningforthepleasureshehadenjoyedasking,buthelaterexplainedtotheBuddhaexactlywhatblisshehadinmind:

Before... I had guards posted within and without the royalapartments, within and without the city, within and without thecountryside. But even though I was thus guarded, thus protected, Idwelledinfearagitated,distrustful,andafraid.Butnow,ongoingalonetoaforest,tothefootofatree,ortoanemptydwelling,Idwellwithoutfear,unagitated, confident, andunafraidunconcerned,unruffled,mywantssatisfied,withmymindlikeawilddeer.

A third reason for sacrificing external pleasures is that in pursuingsomepleasuressuchasouraddictions toeye-candy, ear-candy,nose-,tongue-, and body-candy we foster qualities of greed, anger, anddelusionthatactivelyblock thequalitiesneeded for innerpeace.Even ifwehadallthetimeandenergyintheworld,thepursuitofthesepleasureswouldleadusfurtherandfurtherawayfromthegoal.TheyarespelledoutinthepathfactorcalledRightResolve:theresolvetoforegoanypleasuresinvolving sensual passion, ill will, and harmfulness. Sensual passioncoversnotonlysexualdesire,butalsoanyhankeringforthepleasuresofthesenses thatdisrupts thepeaceof themind.Illwillcoversanywishfor suffering, either for oneself or for others. And harmfulness is anyactivity thatwouldbring that suffering about.Of these three categories,thelasttwoaretheeasiesttoseeasworthabandoning.Theyrenotalwayseasytoabandon,perhaps,buttheresolvetoabandonthemisobviouslyagoodthing.Thefirstresolve,thoughtorenouncesensualpassionisdifficulteventomake,tosaynothingoffollowingitthrough.

Part of our resistance to this resolve is universally human. Peopleeverywhere relish their passions. Even the Buddha admitted to hisdisciplesthat,whenhesetoutonthepathofpractice,hisheartdidntleapat the ideaof renouncingsensualpassion,didnt see itasofferingpeace.ButanaddedpartofourresistancetorenunciationispeculiartoWesternculture. Modern pop psychology teaches that the only alternative to ahealthy indulgence of our sensual passions is an unhealthy, fearfulrepression.Yetbothofthesealternativesarebasedonfear:repression,ona

fear ofwhat thepassionmightdowhen expressedor even allowed intoconsciousness;indulgence,onafearofdeprivationandoftheunder-the-bed monster the passion might become if resisted and drivenunderground.Bothalternativesplaceseriouslimitationsonthemind.TheBuddha, aware of the drawbacks of both, had the imagination to find athird alternative: a fearless, skillful approach that avoids the dangers ofeitherside.

Tounderstandhisapproach,though,wehavetoseehowRightResolverelates to other parts of theBuddhist path, inparticularRightView andRight Concentration. In the formal analysis of the path, Right ResolvebuildsonRightView;initsmostskillfulmanifestation,itfunctionsasthedirected thought and evaluation that bring the mind to RightConcentration. Right View provides a skillful understanding of sensualpleasures and passions, so that our approach to the problemdoesnt gooff-target;RightConcentrationprovidesaninnerstabilityandblisssothatwe can clearly see the roots of passion and at the same time not feardeprivationattheprospectofpullingthemout.

There are two levels toRightView, focusing (1) on the results of ouractions inthenarrativeofour livesand(2)onthe issuesofstressanditscessation within the mind. The first level points out the drawbacks ofsensual passion: sensual pleasures are fleeting, unstable, and stressful;passionforthemliesattherootofmanyoftheillsoflife,rangingfromthehardshipsofgainingandmaintainingwealth,toquarrelswithinfamiliesandwarsbetweennations.ThislevelofRightViewpreparesustoseetheindulgenceof sensualpassionasaproblem.The second levelviewingthings in terms of the four noble truths shows us how to solve thisproblem in our approach to the presentmoment. It points out that therootoftheproblemliesnotinthepleasuresbutinthepassion,forpassioninvolves attachment, and any attachment for pleasures based onconditionsleadsinevitablytostressandsuffering,inthatallconditionedphenomena are subject to change. In fact, our attachment to sensualpassiontendstobestrongerandmoreconstantthanourattachmentstoparticularpleasures.Thisattachmentiswhathastoberenounced.

How is this done? By bringing it out into the open. Both sides ofsensual attachment as habitual patterns from the past and our

willingness to give into them again in the present are based onmisunderstanding and fear.As theBuddhapointedout, sensual passiondependsonaberrantperceptions:weprojectnotionsof constancy, ease,beauty, and self onto things that are actually inconstant, stressful,unattractive, and not-self. These misperceptions apply both to ourpassionsandtotheirobjects.Weperceivetheexpressionofoursensualityas something appealing, a deep expression of our self-identity offeringlastingpleasure;weseetheobjectsofourpassionasenduringandalluringenough, as lying enough under our control, to provide us with asatisfactionthatwontturnintoitsopposite.Actually,noneofthisisthecase,andyetweblindlybelieveourprojectionsbecausethepowerofourpassionate attachments has us too intimidated to look them straight intheeye.Theirspecialeffectsthuskeepusdazzledanddeceived.Aslongaswe deal only in indulgence and repression, attachment can continueoperatingfreelyinthedarkofthesub-conscious.Butwhenweconsciouslyresistit,ithastocometothesurface,articulatingitsthreats,demands,andrationalizations.Soeventhoughsensualpleasuresarentevil,wehavetosystematicallyforegothemasawayofdrawingtheagendasofattachmentout into the open. This is how skillful renunciation serves as a learningtool,unearthinglatentagendasthatbothindulgenceandrepressiontendtokeepunderground.

At the same time, we need to provide the mind with strategies towithstandthoseagendasandtocutthroughthemoncetheyappear.ThisiswhereRightConcentrationcomes in.Asa skillful formof indulgence,Right Concentration suffuses the body with a non-sensual rapture andpleasure that can help counteract any sense of deprivation in resistingsensual passions. In other words, it provides higher pleasures morelasting and refined as a reward for abandoning attachment to lowerones.Atthesametimeitgivesusthestablebasisweneedsoasnottobeblown away by the assaults of our thwarted attachments. This stabilityalso steadies themindfulness and alertness we need to see through themisperceptionsanddelusionsthatunderliesensualpassion.Andoncethemind can see through the processes of projection, perception, andmisperceptionto thegreater senseof freedomthatcomeswhentheyaretranscended,thebasisforsensualpassionisgone.

At this stage, we can then turn to analyze our attachment to thepleasuresofRightConcentration.Whenourunderstanding is complete,weabandonallneedforattachmentofanysort,andthusmeetwiththepuregoldofafreedomsototalthatitcantbedescribed.

Thequestion remains:howdoes this strategyof skillful renunciationand skillful indulgence translate into everyday practice? People whoordain as monastics take vows of celibacy and are expected to workconstantlyatrenouncingsensualpassion,butformanypeoplethisisnota viable option. The Buddha thus recommended that his lay followersobserveday-longperiodsoftemporaryrenunciation.Fourdaysoutofeachmonthtraditionallyonthenew-,full-,andhalf-moondaystheycantake the eight precepts, which add the following observances to thestandard five: celibacy, no food after noon, no watching of shows, nolistening to music, no use of perfumes and cosmetics, and no use ofluxuriousseatsandbeds.Thepurposeoftheseaddedprecepts is toplacereasonablerestraintsonall fiveof thesenses.Theday is thendevotedtolistening to the Dhamma, to clarify Right View; and to practicingmeditation, to strengthen Right Concentration. Although the modernwork-week can make the lunar scheduling of these day-long retreatsimpractical,therearewaystheycanbeintegratedintoweekendsorotherdaysofffromwork.Inthisway,anyoneinterestedcan,atregularintervals,tradethecaresandcomplexitiesofeverydaylifeforthechancetomasterrenunciationasa skill integral to the seriouspursuitofhappiness in thetruestsenseoftheword.

Andisntthatanintelligenttrade?

AGuidedMeditationSitcomfortablyerect,without leaningforwardorbackward, leftorright.Closeyoureyesandthinkthoughtsofgoodwill.Thoughtsofgoodwillgofirsttoyourself,becauseifyoucantthinkgoodwillforyourselfifyoucant feel a sinceredesire for yourownhappiness theresnowayyoucantrulywishforthehappinessofothers.Sojusttellyourself,MayIfindtrue happiness. Remind yourself that true happiness is something thatcomes fromwithin, so this isnota selfishdesire. In fact, ifyoufindanddevelop the resources forhappinesswithinyou, youre able to radiate itout to other people. Its a happiness that doesnt depend on takinganythingawayfromanyoneelse.

Sonowspreadgoodwilltootherpeople.First,peoplewhoareclosetoyourheartyourfamily,yourparents,yourveryclosefriends:Maytheyfind true happiness, as well. Then spread those thoughts out in everwideningcircles:peopleyouknowwell,peopleyoudontknowsowell,peopleyoulike,peopleyouknowandareneutralabout,andevenpeopleyoudontlike.Dontlettherebeanylimitationsonyourgoodwill,forifthereare,therewillbelimitationsonyourmind.Nowspreadthoughtsofgoodwilltopeopleyoudontevenknowandnotjustpeople;alllivingbeings of all kinds in all directions: east,west, north, south, above, andbelow,outtoinfinity.Maytheyfindtruehappiness,too.

Then bring your thoughts back to the present. If you want truehappiness,youhavetofinditinthepresent,forthepastisgoneandthefutureisanuncertainty.Soyouhavetodigdownintothepresent.Whatdoyouhaverighthere?Youvegotthebody,sittinghereandbreathing.And youve got themind, thinking and aware. So bring all these thingstogether. Think about the breath and then be aware of the breath as itcomes in and goes out. Keeping your thoughts directed to the breath:thatsmindfulness.Beingawareofthebreathasitcomesinandout:thatsalertness.Keepthose twoaspectsof themindtogether. Ifyouwant,youcanuseameditationwordtostrengthenyourmindfulness.TryBuddho,whichmeansawake.Thinkbud-with the in-breath,dhowith the

out.Try to breathe as comfortably as possible. A very concrete way of

learninghowtoprovideforyourownhappinessintheimmediatepresentandatthesametime,strengtheningyouralertnessistoletyourselfbreathe in a way thats comfortable. Experiment to see what kind ofbreathing feels best for the body rightnow. Itmight be long breathing,shortbreathing; in long,out short;or in short,out long.Heavyor light,fast or slow, shallow or deep. Once you find a rhythm that feelscomfortable, staywith it for awhile.Learn to savor the sensationof thebreathing.Generallyspeaking,thesmootherthetextureofthebreath,thebetter.Thinkofthebreath,notsimplyastheaircominginandoutofthelungs, but as the entire energy flow that courses through thebodywitheachin-and-outbreath.Besensitivetothetextureofthatenergyflow.Youmayfindthatthebodychangesafterawhile.Onerhythmortexturemayfeelrightforawhile,andthensomethingelsewillfeelmorecomfortable.Learnhowtolistenandrespondtowhatthebodyistellingyourightnow.Whatkindofbreathenergydoes itneed?Howcanyoubestprovide forthatneed?Ifyoufeeltired,trytobreatheinawaythatenergizesthebody.Ifyoufeeltense,trytobreatheinawaythatsrelaxing.

Ifyourmindwandersoff,gentlybringitrightback.Ifitwandersofftentimes, ahundred times, bring it back ten times, ahundred times.Dontgive in. This quality is called ardency. In other words, as soon as yourealizethatthemindhasslippedaway,youbringitrightback.Youdontspendtimeaimlesslysniffingattheflowers,lookingatthesky,orlisteningto the birds. Youve got work to do: work in learning how to breathecomfortably,howtoletthemindsettledowninagoodspacehereinthepresentmoment.

Whenthebreathstartsfeelingcomfortable,youcanstartexploringitinotherareasofthebody.Ifyousimplystaywiththecomfortablebreathin a narrow range, youll tend to doze off. So consciously expand yourawareness.Agoodplacetofocusfirstisrightaroundthenavel.Locatethatpart of the body in your awareness:where is it right now?Thennotice:how does it feel there as you breathe in? How does it feel when youbreathe out?Watch it for a couple of breaths, and notice if theres anysenseof tensionor tightness inthatpartof thebody,eitherwiththe in-

breathorwiththeout-breath.Isittensingupasyoubreathein?Areyouholdingonto the tensionasyoubreatheout?Areyouputting toomuchforceon theout-breath? Ifyoucatchyourselfdoinganyof these things,justrelax.Thinkofthattensiondissolvingawayinthesensationofthein-breath,thesensationoftheout-breath.Ifyouwant,youcanthinkofthebreath energy coming into the body right there at the navel, workingthroughanytensionortightnessthatyoumightfeelthere...

Then move your awareness to the right to the lower right-handcornerofyourabdomenandfollowthesamethreestepsthere:1)locatethatgeneralpartof thebody inyourawareness;2)noticehowit feelsasyou breathe in, how it feels as you breathe out; and 3) if you sense anytension or tightness in the breath, just let it relax ... Now move yourawarenesstotheleft,tothelowerleft-handcornerofyourabdomen,andfollowthesamethreestepsthere.

Nowmove your awareness up to the solar plexus ... and then to theright,totherightflank...totheleftflank...tothemiddleofthechest...Afterawhilemoveuptothebaseofthethroat...andthentothemiddleofthehead.Beverycarefulwiththebreathenergyinthehead.Thinkofitvery gently coming in, not only through the nose but also through theeyes, the ears, down from the top of the head, in from the back of theneck,verygentlyworkingthroughandlooseningupanytensionyoumayfeel, say, aroundyour jaws, thebackof yourneck, aroundyour eyes, oraroundyourface...

Fromthereyoucanmoveyourattentiongraduallydowntheback,outthe legs, to the tips of the toes, the spaces between the toes. As before,focus on a particular part of the body, notice how it feels with the in-breath and out-breath, relax any sensation of tension or tightness youmightfeelthere,sothatthebreathenergycanflowmorefreely,andthenmoveonuntilyouvereachedthetipsofthetoes.Thenrepeattheprocess,beginningatthebackoftheneckandgoingdowntheshoulders,throughthearms,pastyourwrists,andoutthroughyourfingers.

Youcanrepeatthissurveyofthebodyasmanytimesasyoulikeuntilthemindfeelsreadytosettledown.

Then let your attention return to any spot in thebodywhere it feelsmostnaturallysettledandcentered.Simplyletyourattentionrestthere,at

one with the breath. At the same time let the range of your awarenessspreadoutsothat it fillstheentirebody, likethelightofacandleinthemiddle of a room: the candle flame is in one spot, but its light fills theentire room. Or like a spider on a web: the spiders in one spot, but itknows thewholeweb. Be keenonmaintaining that broadened sense ofawareness.Youll find that it tends to shrink, likeaballoonwitha smallhole in it, so keep broadening its range, thinking whole body, wholebody,breathinthewholebody,fromthetopoftheheaddownintothetipsofthetoes.Thinkofthebreathenergycominginandoutofthebodythrougheverypore.Makeapointofstayingwiththiscentered,broadenedawarenessaslongasyoucan.Theresnothingelseyouhavetothinkaboutright now, nowhere else to go, nothing else to do. Just stay with thiscentered,broadenedawarenessofthepresent...

Whenthetimecomestoleavemeditation,remindyourselfthattheresa skill to leaving. In other words, you dont just jump right out. Myteacher,AjaanFuang,oncesaidthatwhenmostpeoplemeditate,itsasiftheyre climbing a ladder up to the second story of a building: step-by-step-by-step,rung-by-rung,slowlyuptheladder.Butassoonastheygettothe second story, they jump out thewindow.Dont let yourself be thatway.Thinkofhowmucheffortwentintogettingyourselfcentered.Dontthrowitaway.

Thefirststepinleavingistospreadthoughtsofgoodwilloncemoretoall the people around you. Then, before you open your eyes, remindyourselfthateventhoughyouregoingtohaveyoureyesopen,youwantyourattentiontostaycenteredinthebody,atthebreath.Trytomaintainthat center as long as you can, as you get up, walk around, talk, listen,whatever. Inotherwords, the skillof leavingmeditation lies in learninghownottoleaveit,regardlessofwhateverelseyoumaybedoing.Actfromthat sense of being centered. If you can keep themind centered in thisway, youll have a standard against which you can measure itsmovements,itsreactionstotheeventsarounditandwithinit.Onlywhenyouhaveasolidcenterlikethiscanyougaininsightintothemovementsofthemind.

ThePathofConcentration&MindfulnessMany people tell us that the Buddha taught two different types ofmeditation mindfulness meditation and concentration meditation.Mindfulnessmeditation,theysay,isthedirectpath,whileconcentrationpracticeisthescenicroutethatyoutakeatyourownriskbecauseitsveryeasytogetcaughtthereandyoumaynevergetout.Butwhenyouactuallylook atwhat theBuddha taught,henever separates these twopractices.Theyarebothpartsofasinglewhole.Everytimeheexplainsmindfulnessanditsplaceinthepath,hemakesitclearthatthepurposeofmindfulnesspractice is to leadthemind intoastateofRightConcentrationtogetthemindtosettledownandtofindaplacewhereitcanreallyfeelstable,athome,whereitcanlookatthingssteadilyandseethemforwhattheyare.

Part of the two practices issue centers on how we understand thewordjhana,whichisasynonymforRightConcentration.Manyofushaveheard that jhana is a very intense trance-like state that requires intensestaring and shutting out the rest of the world. It sounds nothing likemindfulness at all. But if you look in the Canon where the Buddhadescribes jhana, thats not the kind of state hes talking about. To be injhanaistobeabsorbed,verypleasurably, inthesenseofthewholebodyaltogether.A verybroad senseof awareness fills the entirebody.Oneofthe images the Buddha used to describe this state is that of a personkneadingwater into dough so that thewater permeates throughout theflour. Another is a lake in which a cool spring comes welling up andsuffusestheentirelake.

Now,whenyourewiththebodyasawhole,youreverymuchinthepresentmoment.Yourerightthereallthetime.AstheBuddhasays,thefourthjhanainwhichthebodyisfilledwithbrightawarenessisthepointwheremindfulness and equanimitybecomepure. So there shouldbenoproblem in combiningmindfulness practicewith thewhole-bodyawareness that gets very settled and still. In fact, the Buddha himselfcombines them in his description of the first four steps of breath

meditation: (1) being aware of long breathing, (2) being aware of shortbreathing, (3) being aware of the whole body as you breathe in andbreatheout,andthen(4)calmingthesensationofthebreathwithinthebody.This,asthetextstellus,isbasicmindfulnesspractice.Itsalsoabasicconcentration practice. Youre getting into the first jhana RightConcentrationrightthere,atthesametimethatyourepracticingRightMindfulness.

To see how Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration help eachother in the practice, we can look at the three stages of mindfulnesspracticegivenintheFoundationsofMindfulnessSutta.Takethebodyasanexample.Thefirststageistokeepfocusedonthebodyinandofitself,putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world.What thismeansistakingthebodyasabodywithoutthinkingaboutitintermsofwhat itmeansorwhat it cando in theworld. It couldbeeithergoodorbadlooking.Itcouldbestrongorweak.Itcouldbeagileorclumsyallthe issues we tend to worry about whenwe think about ourselves. TheBuddhasaystoputthoseissuesaside.

Justbewiththebodyinandofitself,sittingrighthere.Youcloseyoureyeswhatdoyouhave?Theresthesensationofbodinessthatyouresitting with. Thats your frame of reference. Try to stay with it. Keepbringingthemindbacktothissenseofthebodyuntilitgetsthemessageandbegins to settledown. In thebeginningof thepracticeyou find themindgoingouttograspthisorthat,soyounoteitenoughtotellittoletgo, return to the body, and hold on there. Then it goes out to graspsomethingelse,soyoutellittoletgo,comeback,andlatchontothebodyagain.Eventually,though,youreachapointwhereyoucanactuallygraspholdofthebreathandyoudontletgo,okay?Youkeepholdingontoit.From that point on, whatever else that happens to come into yourawareness is like something coming up and brushing the back of yourhand. You dont have to note it. You stay with the body as your basicframeofreference.Otherthingscomeandgo,youreawareofthem,butyoudontdrop thebreathandgograspingafter them.This iswhenyoureallyhaveestablishedthebodyasasolidframeofreference.

Asyoudothis,youdevelopthreequalitiesofmind.Oneismindfulness(sati). The term mindfulness means being able to remember, to keep

something in mind. In the case of establishing the body as a frame ofreference,itmeansbeingabletorememberwhereyouresupposedtobewith the body and you dont let yourself forget. The second quality,alertness(sampajaa),meansbeingawareofwhatisactuallygoingoninthepresent.Areyouwiththebody?Areyouwiththebreath?Isthebreathcomfortable? Simply notice whats actually happening in the presentmoment. We tend to confuse mindfulness with alertness, but actuallytheyaretwoseparatethings:mindfulnessmeansbeingabletorememberwhereyouwant tokeepyourawareness; alertnessmeansbeingawareofwhatsactuallyhappening.Thethirdquality,ardency(atappa),meanstwothings.One, if you realize that themindhaswanderedoff, youbring itright back. Immediately. You dont let it wander around, sniffing theflowers.Two,whenthemindiswithitsproperframeofreference,ardencymeanstryingtobeassensitiveaspossibletowhatsgoingonnot justdrifting in thepresentmoment, but really trying topenetratemore andmoreintothesubtledetailsofwhatsactuallyhappeningwiththebreathorthemind.

When you have these three qualities focused on the body in and ofitself,youcanthelpbutsettledownandgetreallycomfortablewiththebody in the present moment. Thats when youre ready for the secondstage in the practice, which is described as being aware of thephenomenonoforiginationandthephenomenonofpassingaway.Thisisastagewhereyouretryingtounderstandcauseandeffectastheyhappenin the present. In terms of concentration practice, once youve got themindtosettledown,youwanttounderstandtheinteractionofcauseandeffectintheprocessofconcentrationsothatyoucangetittosettledownmore solidly for longer periods of time in all sorts of situations, on thecushionandoff.Todothis,youhavetolearnabouthowthingsariseandpass away in the mind, not by simply watching them, but by actuallygettinginvolvedintheirarisingandpassingaway.

You can see this in the Buddhas instructions for dealing with thehindrances.Inthefirststage,hesaystobeawareofthehindrancesastheycome and go. Some people think that this is an exercise in choicelessawareness,whereyoudonttrytowillthemindinanydirection,whereyou simply sit andwatchwilly-nilly whatever comes into themind. In

actualpractice,though,themindisntyetreadyforthat.Whatyouneedat this stage is a fixedpointof reference forevaluating theevents in themind, justaswhenyoure trying togauge themotionofclouds throughthesky:Youneedtochooseafixedpointlikearoofgableoralightpoleatwhichtostaresothatyoucangetasenseofwhichdirectionandhowfast the clouds are moving. The same with the coming and going ofsensual desire, ill will, etc., in themind: You have to try tomaintain afixedreferencepointforthemindlikethebreathifyouwanttobereallysensitivetowhentherearehindrancesinthemindgettinginthewayofyourreferencepointandwhentherearenot.

Suppose that anger is interferingwithyour concentration. Insteadofgettinginvolvedintheanger,youtrysimplytobeawareofwhenitsthereandwhenitsnot.Youlookattheangerasaneventinandofitselfasitcomes,asitgoes.Butyoudontstopthere.Thenextstepasyourestillworking at focusing on the breath is recognizing how anger can bemadetogoaway.Sometimessimplywatchingit isenoughtomakeitgoaway;sometimesitsnot,andyouhavetodealwithitinotherways,suchasarguingwiththereasoningbehindtheangerorremindingyourselfofthedrawbacksofanger. In thecourseofdealingwith it,youhave togetyour hands dirty. Youve got to try and figure out why the anger iscoming, why its going, how you can get it out of there, because yourealize that its anunskillful state.And this requires that you improvise.Experiment.Youvegottochaseyouregoandimpatienceoutofthewaysothatyoucanhavethespacetomakemistakesandlearnfromthem,sothat you can develop a skill in dealing with the anger. Its not just aquestionofhatingtheangerandtryingtopushitaway,orof lovingtheanger andwelcoming it. These approachesmay give results in the shortrun,but in the long run theyrenot especially skillful.Whats called forhereistheabilitytoseewhattheangeriscomposedof;howcanyoutakeitapart.

One technique I like tousewhenanger is present andyoure in asituationwhereyoudontimmediatelyhavetoreacttopeopleissimplytoaskyourselfinagood-naturedway,Okay,whyareyouangry?Listentowhat themindhas to say.Thenpursue thematter: Butwhyareyouangry at that? Of course, Im angry. After all... Well, why are you

angry at that? If you keep this up, the mind will eventually admit tosomethingstupid,liketheassumptionthatpeopleshouldntbethatwayeventhoughtheyblatantlyarethatwayorthatpeopleshouldactinlinewith your standards, orwhatever themind is so embarrassed aboutthatittriestohidefromyou.Butfinally,ifyoukeepprobing,itllfessup.Yougainalotofunderstandingoftheangerthatway,andthiscanreallyweakenitspoweroveryou.

In terms of the positive qualities like mindfulness, serenity, andconcentration, its a similar sort of thing. First, youre aware of whentheyre there and when theyre not, and then you realize that whentheyre there itsmuchnicer thanwhentheyrenot.Soyou try to figureouthow they come, how they go. You do this by consciously trying tomaintain that state of mindfulness and concentration. If youre reallyobservantandthisiswhatitsallabout,beingobservantyoubegintoseethatthereareskillfulwaysofmaintainingthestatewithoutgettingalltied up in failure or success in doing it, without letting the desire for asettledstateofmindactuallygetinthewayofthemindssettlingdown.Youdowanttosucceed,butyouneedabalancedattitudetowardfailureandsuccess so thatyoucan learn fromthem.Nobodyskeepingscoreortakinggrades.Youreheretounderstandforyourownsake.Sothisprocessofdevelopingyour foundationofmindfulnessordevelopingyour frameofreferenceisnotjustwatching.Itsmoreaparticipationintheprocessofarisingandpassingawayactuallyplayingwiththeprocesssothatyoucanlearnfromexperiencehowcauseandeffectworkinthemind.

Once, when I was in college, I wrote home complaining about thefood,andmymothersentmea JuliaChildcookbook. Inthebookwasasection on dealingwith eggs inwhich she said that the sign of a reallygoodcook isknowingeggs.Andso I tookaneggout.Youcanwatchaneggyoucanlearncertainthingsjustbywatchingit,butyoudontlearnverymuch.Tolearnabouteggsyouhavetoputtheminapanandtrytomake something out of them. If you do this long enough you begin tounderstand that there are variations in eggs, and there are certainwaysthat they react to heat and ways that they react to oil or butter orwhatever. And so by actually workingwith the egg and trying tomakesomethingoutofit,youreallycometounderstandeggs.Itssimilarwith

clay:youreallydontknowclayuntilyoubecomeapotterandactuallytrytomakesomethingoutoftheclay.

And its the same with the mind: unless you actually try to makesomething out of themind, try to get amental state going and keep itgoing, you dont really know your own mind. You dont know theprocessesofcauseandeffectwithinthemind.Therehastobeafactorofactualparticipationintheprocess.Thatwayyoucanunderstandit.Thisallcomesdowntobeingobservantanddevelopingaskill.Theessenceofdevelopingaskillmeanstwothings.One,youreawareofasituationasitisgivenand,two,youreawareofwhatyouputintoit.WhentheBuddhatalks about causation, he says that every situation is shaped from twodirections the causes coming in from the past and the causes youreputting into the present. Youneed to be sensitive to both. If you arentsensitivetowhatyoureputtingintoasituation,youllneverdevelopanykindof skill.As youre awareofwhat youredoing, you also look at theresults.Ifsomethingisntright,yougobackandchangewhatyouvedonekeepingatthisuntilyougettheresultsyouwant.Andintheprocess,youlearnagreatdealfromtheclay,theeggs,orwhateveryouretryingtodealwithskillfully.

The same holds true with the mind. Of course, you could learnsomethingaboutthemindbytryingtogetitintoanysortofastate,butforthepurposeofdevelopingreallypenetratinginsight,astateofstable,balanced, mindful concentration is the best kind of souffl or pot youwanttomakewiththemind.Thefactorsofpleasure,ease,andsometimeseven rapture that arisewhen themind really settlesdownhelpyou staycomfortablyinthepresentmoment,withalowcenterofgravity.Oncethemind is firmly settled there, you have something to look at for a longperiod of time so that you can see what itsmade up of. In the typicalunbalancedstateofthemind,thingsareappearinganddisappearingtoofastforyoutonoticethemclearly.ButastheBuddhanotes,whenyougetreallyskilledat jhana,youcanstepbackabitandreallyseewhatyouvegot. You can see, say, where theres an element of attachment, wheretheresanelementofstress,orevenwheretheresinconstancywithinyourbalanced state. This is where you begin to gain insight, as you see thenatural cleavage lines among the different factors of the mind, and in

particular, the cleavage line between awareness and the objects ofawareness.

Another advantage to thismindful, concentrated state is that as youfeelmoreandmoreathomeinit,youbegintorealizethatitspossibletohavehappinessandpleasureinlifewithoutdependingonthingsoutsideof yourselfpeople, relationships, approval fromothers, or any of theissues thatcomefrombeingpartof theworld.This realizationhelpspryloose your attachments to things outside. Some people are afraid ofgetting attached to a stateof calm,but actually, its very important thatyougetattachedhere,sothatyoubegintosettledownandbegintoundoyourother attachments.Onlywhen this attachment to calm is theonlyoneleftdoyoubeginworkonlooseningitupaswell.

Stillanotherreasonwhysolidconcentrationisnecessaryforinsightisthatwhendiscernmentcomes to themind, thebasic lesson itwill teachyouisthatyouvebeenstupid.Youveheldontothingseventhoughdeepdown inside you should have known better. Now, try telling that topeople when theyre hungry and tired. Theyll come right back with,Youre stupid, too, and thats the end of the discussion.Nothing getsaccomplished. But if you talk to someonewho has had a fullmeal andfeelsrested,youcanbroachallkindsoftopicswithoutriskingafight.Itsthesamewiththemind.Whenithasbeenwellfedwiththeraptureandease coming from concentration, its ready to learn. It can accept yourcriticismswithoutfeelingthreatenedorabused.

So. This is the role that concentration practice plays in this secondstageofmindfulnesspractice:Itgivesyousomethingtoplaywith,askilltodevelopsoyoucanbegintounderstandthefactorsofcauseandeffectwithinthemind.Youbegintosee themindas justa fluxofcauseswiththeireffectscomingbackatyou.Your ideasarepartof this fluxofcauseandeffect,youremotions,yoursenseofwhoyouare.Thisinsightbeginstoloosenyourattachmentstothewholeprocess.

What finally happens is that the mind reaches a third level ofmindfulness practice where the mind comes to a state of perfectequilibriumwhere youve developed this state of concentration, thisstate of equilibrium to the pointwhere youdont have to put anythingmoreintoit.IntheFoundationsofMindfulnessSuttathisisdescribedas

simplybeingawareifyouareusingthebodyasyourframeofreference,being aware that There is a body, just enough for knowledge andmindfulness,withoutbeingattachedtoanythingintheworld.Othertextscallthisthestateofnon-fashioning.Themindreachesthepointwhereyoubegintorealizethatallcausalprocessesinthemindincludingtheprocesses of concentration and insight are like tar babies. If you likethem,yougetstuck;ifyoudontlikethem,yougetstuck.Sowhatareyougoing to do? You have to get to the point where youre not reallycontributing anything more to the present moment. You unravel yourparticipationinit.Thatswhenthingsopenupinthemind.

Many people want to jump right in and begin at this level of notadding anything to the presentmoment, but it doesnt work that way.Youcantbesensitivetothesubtlethingsthemindishabituallyaddingtothepresentuntilyouveconsciouslytriedtoalterwhatyoureadding.Asyougetmoreandmoreskilled,yougetmoresensitivetothesubtlethingsyoudidntrealizeyouweredoing.Youreachapointofdisenchantment,whereyourealizethatthemostskillfulwayofdealingwiththepresentistostripawayalllevelsofparticipationthatcauseeventheslightestbitofstress in themind.You startdismantling the levelsofparticipation thatyoulearnedinthesecondstageofthepractice,tothepointwherethingsreachequilibriumontheirown,wherethereslettinggoandrelease.

So its important to realize that there are these three stages tomindfulness practice, and to understand the role that deliberateconcentrationpracticeplaysintakingyouthroughthefirsttwo.Withoutaiming at Right Concentration, you cant develop the skills needed forunderstandingthemindforitsintheprocessofmasteringtheskillofmindful concentration that true insight arises. Just as you dont reallyunderstand a herd of cattle until youve successfully herded them learningfromallyourfailuresalongthewayyoucantgetasenseofallthe cause-and-effect currents running through the mind until youvelearned from your failures and successes in getting them to gather in astateofconcentratedmindfulnessandmindfulconcentration.Andonlywhen youve really understood and mastered these currents thecurrents of craving that cause suffering and stress, and the currents ofmindfulnessandconcentrationthatformthePathcanyouletthemgo

andfindfreedomfromthem.

OneToolAmongManyThe P la c e o f V ipas sana in Buddh i s t P ra c t i c e

Whatexactlyisvipassana?Almost any book on early Buddhistmeditationwill tell you that the

Buddhataughttwotypesofmeditation:samathaandvipassana.Samatha,whichmeanstranquillity,issaidtobeamethodfosteringstrongstatesofmentalabsorption,called jhana.Vipassana literallyclear-seeing,butmoreoftentranslatedasinsightmeditationissaidtobeamethodusingamodicumof tranquillity to fostermoment-to-momentmindfulness oftheinconstancyofeventsastheyaredirectlyexperiencedinthepresent.This mindfulness creates a sense of dispassion toward all events, thusleading themind to release fromsuffering.These twomethodsarequiteseparate,weretold,andofthetwo,vipassanaisthedistinctiveBuddhistcontribution tomeditative science.Other systems of practice pre-datingtheBuddhaalsotaughtsamatha,buttheBuddhawasthefirsttodiscoverand teach vipassana. Although some Buddhist meditators may practicesamathameditationbefore turning tovipassana, samathapractice isnotreally necessary for the pursuit of Awakening. As ameditative tool, thevipassanamethodissufficientforattainingthegoal.Orsoweretold.

But if you look directly at the Pali discourses the earliest extantsources for our knowledge of the Buddhas teachings youll find thatalthough they do use the word samatha to mean tranquillity, andvipassana to mean clear-seeing, they otherwise confirm none of thereceivedwisdomabout theseterms.Onlyrarelydotheymakeuseof thewordvipassanaasharpcontrasttotheirfrequentuseofthewordjhana.When they depict the Buddha telling his disciples to gomeditate, theyneverquotehimas sayinggodovipassana,butalwaysgodo jhana.And they never equate the word vipassana with any mindfulnesstechniques. In the few instanceswhere theydomentionvipassana, theyalmostalwayspairitwithsamathanotastwoalternativemethods,butastwoqualitiesofmindthatapersonmaygainorbeendowedwith,

and that should be developed together. One simile, for instance (SN35.204), compares samatha and vipassana to a swift pair of messengerswhoenterthecitadelofthebodyviathenobleeightfoldpathandpresenttheir accurate report Unbinding, or nibbana to the consciousnessacting as the citadels commander. Another passage (AN 10.71)recommendsthatanyonewhowishestoputanendtomentaldefilementshould inaddition toperfecting theprinciplesofmoralbehaviorandcultivating seclusion be committed to samatha and endowed withvipassana. This last statement is unremarkable in itself, but the samediscoursealsogives the sameadvice toanyonewhowants tomaster thejhanas: be committed to samatha and endowed with vipassana. Thissuggests that, in the eyes of those who assembled the Pali discourses,samatha,jhana,andvipassanawereallpartofasinglepath.Samathaandvipassanawereusedtogethertomasterjhanaandthenbasedonjhana were developed even further to give rise to the end of mentaldefilementandtobringreleasefromsuffering.Thisisareadingthatfindssupportinotherdiscoursesaswell.

Theresapassage,forinstance,describingthreewaysinwhichsamathaandvipassanacanworktogethertoleadtotheknowledgeofAwakening:either samatha precedes vipassana, vipassana precedes samatha, or theydevelop in tandem (AN 4.170). The wording suggests an image of twooxenpullingacart:oneisplacedbeforetheotherortheyareyokedside-by-side. Another passage (AN 4.94) indicates that if samatha precedesvipassana or vipassana, samatha ones practice is in a state ofimbalance and needs to be rectified. A meditator who has attained ameasureof samatha,butnovipassana intoeventsbasedonheighteneddiscernment (adhipaa-dhamma-vipassana), should question a fellowmeditator who has attained vipassana: How should fabrications(sankhara) be regarded? How should they be investigated? How shouldthey be viewed with insight? and then develop vipassana in line withthat persons instructions. The verbs in these questions regarding,investigating, seeing indicate that theresmore to the process ofdevelopingvipassanathanasimplemindfulnesstechnique.Infact,aswewillseebelow,theseverbsapplyinsteadtoaprocessofskillfulquestioningcalledappropriateattention.

Theoppositecaseameditatorendowedwithameasureofvipassanaintoeventsbasedonheighteneddiscernment,butnosamathashouldquestionsomeonewhohasattainedsamatha:Howshouldthemindbesteadied? How should it be made to settle down? How should it beunified?How should it be concentrated? and then follow thatpersonsinstructions so as to develop samatha. The verbs used here give theimpression that samatha in this context means jhana, for theycorrespond to the verbal formula the mind becomes steady, settlesdown, grows unified and concentrated that the Pali discourses userepeatedly to describe the attainment of jhana. This impression isreinforced when we note that in every case where the discourses areexplicit about the levels of concentration needed for insight to beliberating,thoselevelsarethejhanas.

Once the meditator is endowed with both samatha and vipassana,he/she should make an effort to establish those very same skillfulqualities to a higher degree for the ending of themental fermentations(asava sensual passion, states of being, views, and ignorance). Thiscorrespondstothepathofsamathaandvipassanadevelopingintandem.ApassageinMN149describeshowthiscanhappen.Oneknowsandsees,astheyactuallyare,thesixsensemedia(thefivesensesplustheintellect),theirobjects,consciousnessateachmedium,contactateachmedium,andwhatever is experienced as pleasure, pain, or neither-pleasure-nor-painbasedonthatcontact.Onemaintainsthisawareness insuchawayastostay uninfatuated by any of these things, unattached, unconfused,focusedontheirdrawbacks,abandoninganycravingforthem:thiswouldcountasvipassana.Atthesametimeabandoningphysicalandmentaldisturbances,torments,anddistressesoneexperienceseaseinbodyandmind: this would count as samatha. This practice not only developssamatha and vipassana in tandem, but also brings the 37 Wings toAwakening which include the attainment of jhana to theculminationoftheirdevelopment.

Sotheproperpathisoneinwhichvipassanaandsamathaarebroughtinto balance, each supporting and acting as a check on the other.Vipassana helps keep tranquillity from becoming stagnant and dull.Samathahelpsprevent themanifestationsofaversionsuchasnausea,

dizziness, disorientation, and even total blanking out that can occurwhenthemindistrappedagainstitswillinthepresentmoment.

Fromthisdescriptionitsobviousthatsamathaandvipassanaarenotseparatepathsofpractice,butinsteadarecomplementarywaysofrelatingto thepresentmoment: samathaprovidesa senseofease in thepresent;vipassana, a clear-eyed view of events as they actually occur, in and ofthemselves. Its also obvious why the two qualities need to functiontogether in mastering jhana. As the standard instructions on breathmeditation indicate (MN 118), such a mastery involves three things:gladdening, concentrating, and liberating the mind. Gladdening meansfinding a sense of refreshment and satisfaction in the present.Concentrating means keeping the mind focused on its object, whileliberating means freeing themind from the grosser factorsmaking up alower stageof concentration so as to attain ahigher stage. The first twoactivities are functions of samatha, while the last is a function ofvipassana. All three must function together. If, for example, there isconcentrationandgladdening,withnolettinggo,themindwouldntbeable to refine its concentration at all. The factors that have to beabandonedinraisingthemindfromstagextostageybelongtothesetoffactors that got themind to x in the first place (AN 9.34).Without theabilityclearlytoseementaleventsinthepresent,therewouldbenowayskillfullytoreleasethemindfrompreciselytherightfactorsthattieittoalowerstateofconcentrationandactasdisturbancestoahigherone.If,onthe otherhand, there is simply a letting go of those factors,without anappreciationoforsteadinessinthestillnessthatremains,themindwoulddrop out of jhana altogether. Thus samatha and vipassana must worktogethertobringthemindtorightconcentrationinamasterfulway.

Thequestionarises:ifvipassanafunctionsinthemasteryofjhana,andjhana is not exclusive to Buddhists, then what is Buddhist aboutvipassana?TheansweristhatvipassanaperseisnotexclusivelyBuddhist.What isdistinctlyBuddhist is (1) theextent towhichbothsamathaandvipassana are developed; and (2) theway they are developed i.e., thelineofquestioningusedtofosterthem;and(3)thewaytheyarecombinedwithanarsenalofmeditativetoolstobringthemindtototalrelease.

In MN 73, the Buddha advises a monk who has mastered jhana to

furtherdevelopsamathaandvipassanasoastomastersixcognitiveskills,themostimportantofthembeingthatthroughtheendingofthementalfermentations, one remains in the fermentation-free awareness-releaseand discernment-release, having known and made them manifest foroneself right in thehereandnow.This isadescriptionof theBuddhistgoal. Some commentators have asserted that this release is totally afunctionofvipassana,buttherearediscoursesthatindicateotherwise.

Note that release is twofold: awareness-release and discernment-release. awareness-release occurs when a meditator becomes totallydispassionate toward passion: this is the ultimate function of samatha.Discernment-releaseoccurswhenthereisdispassionforignorance:thisisthe ultimate function of vipassana (AN 2.30). Thus both samatha andvipassanaareinvolvedinthetwofoldnatureofthisrelease.

The Sabbasava Sutta (MN 2) states that ones release can befermentation-freeonly ifoneknowsand sees in termsof appropriateattention (yoniso manasikara). As the discourse shows, appropriateattentionmeansaskingtheproperquestionsaboutphenomena,regardingthemnot in terms of self/other or being/non-being, but in terms of thefournoble truths. In otherwords, insteadof asking Do I exist?Dont Iexist? What am I? one asks about an experience, Is this stress? Theorigination of stress? The cessation of stress? The path leading to thecessation of stress? Because each of these categories entails a duty, theanswertothesequestionsdeterminesacourseofaction:stressshouldbecomprehended, itsoriginationabandoned, itscessationrealized,andthepathtoitscessationdeveloped.

Samatha and vipassana belong to the category of the path and soshould be developed. To develop them, one must apply appropriateattentiontothetaskofcomprehendingstress,whichiscomprisedofthefiveclinging-aggregatesclingingtophysical form, feeling,perception,mentalfabrications,andconsciousness.Applyingappropriateattentiontothese aggregates means viewing them in terms of their drawbacks, asinconstant,stressful,adisease,acancer,anarrow,painful,anaffliction,alien, a dissolution, an emptiness, not-self (SN 22.122). A list ofquestions, distinctive to the Buddha, aids in this approach: Is thisaggregateconstantorinconstant?Andisanythinginconstanteasefulor

stressful?Andisitfittingtoregardwhatisinconstant,stressful,subjecttochangeas:Thisismine.Thisismyself.ThisiswhatIam?(SN22.59).These questions are applied to every instance of the five aggregates,whether past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle,commonorsublime,farornear.Inotherwords,themeditatorasksthesequestionsofallexperiencesinthecosmosofthesixsensemedia.

This line of questioning is part of a strategy leading to a level ofknowledgecalledknowingandseeingthingsastheyactuallyare(yatha-bhuta-ana-dassana),where thingsareunderstood in termsofa fivefoldperspective:theirarising,theirpassingaway,theirdrawbacks,theirallure,andtheescapefromthemtheescape,here,lyingindispassion.

Some commentators have suggested that, in practice, this fivefoldperspectivecanbegained simplyby focusingon thearisingandpassingawayoftheseaggregatesinthepresentmoment;ifonesfocusisrelentlessenough, it will lead naturally to a knowledge of drawbacks, allure, andescape, sufficient for total release.Thetexts,however,dont support thisreading,andpracticalexperiencewouldseemtobackthemup.AsMN101points out, individualmeditatorswill discover that, in some cases, theycandevelopdispassionforaparticularcauseofstresssimplybywatchingitwithequanimity;butinothercases,theywillneedtomakeaconsciousexertion to develop the dispassion that will provide an escape. Thediscourseisvagueperhapsdeliberatelysoastowhichapproachwillworkwhere.Thisissomethingeachmeditatormusttestforhimorherselfinpractice.

TheSabbasa