20111203 art of attention & white lotus sutra chapter 7

Updated Mar 2010

加拿大佛教會湛山精舍　

禪修學佛入門 Introduction to

Buddhism and Meditation2011/12/03

Buddhist Association of CanadaCham Shan Temple

Updated Mar 2010

Buddhist Association of CanadaCham Shan Temple

ná mó fó tuó南無佛陀

Namo Buddha

ná mó dá mó 南無達摩

Namo Dharma

ná mó sēng qié南無僧伽

Namo Sangha

加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

Buddhist Association of Canada

1. Attention to the Body – All forms, four elements, six doors, postures, movements.

2. Attention to Feelings or Sensations – Pleasant, unpleasant or neutral, be aware of primary feeling vs. emotional experience.

3. Attention to the Consciousness and Mind-States – Knowing of anything, moment-to-moment awareness, alertness, layers of cause and conditions, arising and passing away of each mind-states.

4. Attention to the Mental Content – Register the “things” in the mind i.e. thoughts, ideas, concepts without commentary.

Four Spheres of Attention



Samatha – Serenity meditation uses techniques of fixing on a single object to produce one-pointedness; practice mantras, respiration or contemplation.

Vipassana – Awareness meditation, paying close attention to predominant object with moment-to-moment awareness; lead to insight knowledge.

Make appropriate adjustments of these two modes during meditation.

Too tense during insight meditation, switch to serenity meditation.

Too drowsy during serenity meditation, switch to insight meditation to invigorate the mind.

Two Modes of Meditation “Samatha and Vipassana”



1. Not to control the practice – Have a flowing receptivity to the experience without controlling it.

2. Discipline in meditation is not to imposing your will to control the practice.

3. Just follow the directions and persistently apply the instructions with sensitivity and alertness.

4. Develop skills without controlling or interfering with the experience.

5. Not to be reactive or judgmental by cultivating qualities of acceptance, empathy and let go.

6. To be successful in self-managing your meditation practice, you need to study the “Three-Fold Strategy of Practice.

The Nature of “Arts of Attention”



1. Restraint of behaviors in order to harmonize relationshipsa. Five Precepts

b. Ten Virtuous Actions

c. Four Persuasion

2. Recollectedness/full awareness for developing the meditative art of focusinga. Right Effort

b. Right Mindfulness

c. Right Concentration

3. Discernment (ability to see the truth) and Insighta. All conditional things are impermanent,

b. The physical world can’t bring lasting satisfaction. (Nirvana is peace.)

c. All phenomena are without self (non-self)

Three-Fold Strategy of Practice



• Expressed

Restrain your behaviors in a situation where “anger” arises, thus not giving it a chance to be expressed.

• Manifest

As soon as “anger” surfaces in the mind as negative thoughts, use serenity meditation technique to calm the anger in the mind.

• Dormant

It is only through insight meditation where the ego-illusion is seen at its true source, as the notion of “me”, that the “anger” at the dormant level can be seen with the possibility of eradicating it at its source.

Anger in Three Stratified Layers of the Mind



Those who see worldly life as an obstacle to Dharma see no Dharma in everyday actions.

They have not discovered that there are no everyday actions outside of Dharma.

- Eihei Dogen

Awareness of Daily Activities



• Train yourself to develop deepen and continuous awareness on all activities.

• Continuity arises through full attention to movements, actions, feelings or mind-states.

• Daily activities: domestic chores, eating, cleaning, brushing teeth.

• Establish the habit – requires perseverance.

• Using a trigger as a reminder.

• Observe and record without making judgments.

Awareness of Daily Activities



Gratitude, optimism, zest, curiosity, full attention to daily activities, and the ability to love and be loved are the characteristics that most closely relate to life satisfaction. Take one characteristic at a time and work on it.

Life Satisfaction



www.ChamShanTemple.org

www.shengguangshi.blogspot.com

[email protected] Shi 釋聖光Tom Cheung 張相棠Kam Cheung 張仁勤Dennis A. Yap 葉普智

Questions and Comments 討論



yuàn xiāo sān zhàng zhū fán năo

願消三障諸煩惱We wish to rid ourselves of the three hindrances and all klesas.

yuàn dé zhì huì zhēn míng lĭao

願得智慧真明了We wish to gain wisdom and real understanding.

pŭ yuàn zuì zhàng xī xiāo chú

普願罪障悉消除 We wish all sinful hindrances to be totally eradicated.

shì shì cháng xíng pú sà dào

世世常行菩薩道In one life after another we always follow Bodhisattvas’ paths.

回向Parinamana (Transfer of Merit)

20111203 art of attention & white lotus sutra chapter 7

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