Manjusri’s teaching: Mindfulness

Week of Sept 26, 2004 – Manjusri’s teaching: Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the second key to the attainment of Wisdom. As faith is the core for all BuddhistpracticeBuddhist practice, mindfulness is the key to all Buddhist practices and Dharma Doors. No matter which Buddhist practice a person undertakes, mindfulness must be present for any realization to occur. Mindfulness consists of three elements:

1) Awareness
2) Skillfulness
3) Wholeheartedness

How does one develop mindfulness?

1) By increasing awareness – by– by being aware of what one is doing at all times. During meditation, although one’s focusone’s focus is on the counting of the breath, yet one should be aware of the length of the breathing, the rising and falling offalling of one’s wandering thoughts, and the changes taking place in one’s body, e.g., hot, cold, tense, etc.... One does not consciously think about those things yet we have to bring our awareness to them. That is not a beginner’s stage; one has to learn how to apply awareness through practice, practice and more practice. Awareness requires a lot of life energy, and life energy is accumulated with the performance of good merits. See how everything is interrelated?

2) By increasing skillfulness – be skillful in what one is doing. During meditation, how should one sit so that one can sit longer, has less body pain, attains better concentration etc…? A teacher can only tell you what to do. You have to search and find out how to do it well and do it skillfully on your own. That again requires practice, practice and more practice. Awareness and skillfulness are inseparable; the difference is just in terms of emphasis.

3) By putting one’s heart into what one is doing. During meditation, if you heart is not in it ,it, you will not advance much. It is rather difficult to explain. An easier example is the transfer of merits. If your heart is not in it while you are saying the transfer phrases, there is little merit or power in the transfer. When you put you heart into what you are doing, there is life energy emanating from your actions.

For our meditation practice, the key to mindfulness is simply:

Focus your mind on one object,
Let your mind be at peace and undisturbed,
If your mind is carried away by your wandering thoughts,
Bring your mind back to the original focused object.

What is life energy and owhow does one accumulate it, will be the topic of another Dharma talk.

All these categorizations are just man-made peripheries. Do not take my word for it; explore what mindfulness is all about on you own! Keep on and practice, practice and practice!