16 Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration

How to make use of the mind

Recent research in medicine, in experimental psychology and what is still called parapsychology has thrown some light on the nature of mind and its position in the world. During the last forty years the conviction has steadily grown among medical men that very many causes of disease, organic as well as functional, are directly caused by mental states. The body becomes ill because the mind is controlling it either secretly wants to make it ill, or else because it is in such a state of agitation that it cannot prevent the body from sickness.

Whatever its physical nature, resistance to disease is unquestionable correlated with the psychological condition of the patient. That even so grossly ‘physical’ a complaint as dental caries may be due to mental causes was maintained in paper read before the American Dental Congress in 1937. The author pointed out that children living on a perfectly satisfactory diet may still suffer from dental decay. In such cases, investigation generally shows that the child’s life at home or at school is in some was unsatisfactory. The teeth decay because their owner is under mental strain.

Mind not only makes one sick, it also cures. An optimistic patient has more change of getting well than a patient who is worried and unhappy. The recorded instances of faith healing include cases in which even organic diseases were cured almost instantaneously.

The Buddha exhorts us to cultivate the Arousing of Mindfulness for our own and others’ protection.

Forbearance, harmlessness, lowing kindness and compassion are virtues through which one brings protection and security to others. None of these virtues can be cultivated without mindfulness. The person who is mindful is conscious of his thoughts, words and acts.

Right mindfulness guards a man from deviating from the path of righteousness and encourages him to do that which is good. Thus through arousing mindfulness, repeated practice, by frequent occupation with it, one protects oneself and others. Buddhas says:

“No enemy can harm one so much as one’s

own thoughts of craving, thoughts of hate,

thoughts of jealousy and so on.”

When Nakulapita, who was old, weak and ailing, approached the master to pay his respects and hear something to his cheer and comfort, the Buddha say;

“It is true that you are weak and ailing. For a person carrying this body about, to claim but a moment’s health would be foolish. For this reason, thus you should train yourself; Though my body is sick, my mind should not be sick. Thus you must train yourself”.

Man who does not know how to adjust his mind according to circumstances would be like a corpse in a coffin.

Just as in the law of electricity, the Law of Mind knows nothing but to work according to the law of its action. The Law of electricity will unintentionally and impersonally kill the person who grasps a naked power wire just as readily as it will flood his home with light. Just as the one who grasps the naked wire is asking for or attracting death, because he is doing the thing which in a law of the universe cannot bring him anything but death, so the one who allows himself to be saturated with destructive thought is attracting destructive manifestation.

  

141 Whereas in the theistic traditions all  intention is given to God because understanding his wishes can result in being saved, in Buddhism all attention is given to the mind, because it is the medium through which everything is comprehended, interpreted and understood. To tame the mind is to tame the world. Santideva puts it very well when he says:        

Tigers and lions,     

Elephants, bears and snakes,     

Hell-beings,     

Demons and monsters,       

All these are mastered     

By mastering the mind,     

And by subduing the mine alone,     

All these things are subdued,       

Because it is from the mind     

That all fears and sorrows come.     

This has been taught     

By the Truth Speaker.       

Enemies are as measureless as the sky.     

How can I conquer them all?     

But if I destroy my anger     

The idea of 'enemy' is destroyed.       

There is not enough leather     

To cover the whole earth,     

But by wearing leather sandals,     

I thereby cover the whole earth.       

In the same way, external circumstances     

Cannot be guarded my mind,     

But if I guarded my mind,     

What other protection do I need?   

In many of his discourses, the Buddha emphasizes the same important point.                                           

For one who is a learner and who has not yet come to mastery of mind, but who dwells aspiring for peace from bonds, making it a matter concerning himself, I know of no other thing so helpful as giving close attention to the mind.       

By defilement of mind, beings are defiled;     

By purification of mind, beings are purified.       

I know not of any other single thing so unworkable as the undeveloped mind. Indeed, the undeveloped mind is an unworkable thing. I know not of any other single thing so workable as the developed mind. Indeed, the developed mind is a workable thing.   

142 When we are born, we come into the world with a mind already influenced by the mental habits of the past life - mental habits that might have been developed over a long time and might be difficult to change or modify. As we grow and develop in the present life, our parents and teachers teach us how we should act, but they give us little or no instruction about how to control or develop our mind. Consequently, while our outer life might be orderly, our inner life, our mind, might be a disorganized and untidy mess. If lasting happiness is to be attained, the undisciplined mind must be controlled and modified. As the Buddha says:        

Wonderful it is to train the mind.     

So swiftly moving, seizing whatever it wants.     

Good it is to have a well-trained mind.     

For a well-trained minds brings happiness.       

Difficult to detect and very subtle,     

The mind seizes whatever it wants.     

So let a wise man guard his mind,     

For a guarded mind brings happiness.         

Taming and guarding the mind in Buddhism is done through meditation. The word which is usually translated as meditation is bhavana which literally means ‘cultivation’ or ‘development’. Thus in the Buddhist sense, true meditation is a dynamic process of first disciplining, then understanding and finally freeing the mind.                                

143 There are many different techniques of meditation, some taught by the Buddha, some developed by later teachers, but they can all be placed under one of the two headings, the first being Perfect Concentration (samma samdhi). The word ‘samdhi’ means to collect or to bring together, and refers to the concentrating or unifying of the mind. The Buddha's female disciple Dhammadina defines concentration like this :        

Any unification of mind is concentration.  

Buddhaghosa defines it in these words:       

What is concentration ? It is the centering of consciousness and its concomitant evenly and completely on a single point.  

We can see from this that concentration is an attempt to stop the usual scanning movement of the attention by fixing it on a single point. When this is done, both the body and the mind tend to become still and calm, and thus meditation techniques that can be categorized as Perfect Concentration are also often called calming techniques (samatha bhavana).  

144 The second heading that meditation can be placed under is Perfect Mindfulness (samma sati),  the word ‘sati’ meaning remembrance, awareness or mindfulness. The well-known monk Nyanaponika calls mindfulness in its most basic form bare attention and defines it as:       

...the clear and single-minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us, at the successive moments of perception. It is called "bare" because it attends to the bare facts of a perception without reacting to them by deed, speech or mental comment.       

Mindfulness is therefore a passive but alert observing by the mind of itself and of the experience.  The distorting influence of prejudices, preconceived ideas, likes and dislikes is minimized when there is mindfulness, and increasingly, one is able to perceive things as they really are. Thus reality is seen directly. Because of this, techniques that can be categorized as Right Mindfulness are also called insight techniques (vipassana bhavana).

145 Although it is not absolutely essential to calm and concentrate the mind before trying to develop mindfulness, most people will benefit by taking this course. But it is important to understand that there is an element of mindfulness in concentration and an element of concentration in mindfulness, and that as one practises, develops and matures, the two ‘occur together’ (yaganadha) and reinforce each other.        

In the Discourse on the Fruits of the Meditative Life (Samannaohala Sutta), the Buddha describes in detail all the steps of Meditation practice and attainment, therefore rather than look at Perfect Concentration and Perfect Mindfulness separately, we will examine these last two steps on the Eightfold Path within the context of this discourse.     

146 Preparations

Before we begin meditation, we must have faith (saddha) and we must be prepared to practised the Five Precepts (panca sila), both of which must be examined previously. The value of virtue for meditation cannot be over-estimated because virtuous leads to the happiness of being blameless (anavajjasukha), and as the Buddha says many times: “the mind of one who is happy becomes  concentrated” (sukhino cittam samadhiyanti).

Having established these things well, the next important preliminary to meditation is guarding the sense doors (indriya samvara). The sense organs are always on the lookout for something to be stimulated by. If we always surrender to the demands of the senses or actively seek out stimulation, both the body and the mind will be in a constant state of restlessness. And trying to get satisfaction by stimulating the senses is, the Buddha says, like a dog trying to relieve its hunger by chewing on a dry bone. Also, the mind's ability to comprehend and understand clearly is hindered when it is agitated. As the Subasitaratnakhosa says:         

Even careful judgement fails,      

The mind stumbles, wisdom is destroyed      

And one's firmness crumbles,      

When the mind is poisoned by sense pleasures.     

Avoiding excitation and stimulation of the senses gradually leads the mind to quieten down, which will in turn make the practice of meditation considerably easier. This can be done by avoiding intercourse with loud and noisy people, by not frequenting shows, parties, movies and other such places and simply by spending time being quiet rather than always seeking out someone to talk to, or something to keep us occupied or entertained. When the sense doors are guarded, we begin to experience what the Buddha calls the happiness of being undisturbed (avyaseksukha), and as we said before, “the mind that is happy becomes concentrated.”      

147 Now we are really to actually start meditating. First, we must find a suitable place to practise in. Somewhere we can be alone and where we are not likely to be disturbed is best. The best time to meditate depends on circumstances and individual preferences. For some, early in the morning  when the environment is quiet and when one is rested after a good night's sleep is best; for others, towards the end of the day might prove to be more suitable.

Having found the right place, we go there and ‘sit down with the legs crossed and the body straight’. We can sit in a variety of ways, but perhaps the best way is to sit on the floor with a pillow under the buttocks, with the legs folded, the hands nested in the lap, and with a straight back.      

148 Mindfulness of Breathing       

The most basic Buddhist meditation is mindfulness of breathing (anapana sati). This simple but effective technique induces relaxation, develops mental discipline and leads to concentration. Describing its advantages the Buddha says:        

          This intent concentration on in-and-out breathing,

if cultivated and developed, is something peaceful

and excellent, something perfect in itself and a

pleasant way of living also. Not only that, it dispels

evil unskilled thoughts that have arisen and makes

them vanish in a moment. It is just as when, in the

last month of the hot season, the dust and dirt fly

up and suddenly a great rain lays it and makes it

settle in a moment.              

Sitting in a comfortable position and closing the eyes, attention is focused on the in-and-out movement of the breath. Counting (ganana) the breath from one to thirty will help prevent the attention from straying. Another thing that will help is trying to keep the body still. But when the attention does stray either to external distractions like noises or internal distractions like thoughts, daydreams, memories or bodily irritations or discomfort - we should patiently and gently return to counting. It is this continual bringing the attention back that will guarantee success. Our resolution should be:        

Formerly this mind wandered as it liked,      

Wherever it wished and according to its pleasure.      

But today I will master it with attentiveness      

As a trainer masters an elephant with a hook.     

149 How long should we meditate for ? To start with, we should practise mindfulness of breathing for fifteen minutes at least once a day, extending the time by five minutes each week until we reach forty-five minutes. Then we should meditate for forty-five minutes each until we get to the stage where even though the attention may stray, we are able to notice its wanderings quickly and return it to the breath with a minimum of effort.       

Because we have probably never before attempted to discipline the mind, and because its habit patterns are probably well established, we are bound to encounter difficulties and obstacles, at least in the beginning. The most obvious of these will be thoughts that stubbornly pull our attention away from the breath.

The Buddha suggests five ways of dealing with such thoughts - displacement, consideration of their disadvantages, paradoxical intention, non-interference and suppression.         

One who is intent on developing higher thought should attend to five things from time to time. What five?          

If, while attending to something, evil unskilful thoughts associated with greed, hatred and delusion should arise, then one should attend instead to something that is skilful.           

Then these evil unskilful thoughts will subside and the mind will be steady, calmed, one-pointed and concentrated. It is just as if a carpenter or his apprentice might knock out, drive out, draw out a large peg with a small one.         

If, while attending to something that is skilled, evil unskilled thoughts associated with greed, hatred and delusion still arise, then one should ponder the disadvantages of those thoughts, thinking: “Truly, these thoughts are unskilled, blame-worthy and conducive to suffering.”

Then those evil unskilled thoughts will subside and the mind will be steady, calm, one-pointed and concentrated. It is just as if a well-dressed young man or woman, on having the carcase of a snake, a dog or a human being hung around his or her neck, would be repelled, ashamed and disgusted.         

If however, while pondering the disadvantages of these thoughts, evil unskilful thoughts associated with greed, hatred and delusion still arise, then one should forget about them, pay them no attention. Then those evil unskilful  thoughts will subside and the mind will be steady, calm, one-pointed and concentrated. It is just as if a man with sight might shut his eyes or turn away in order to avoid seeing something.         

But if, while trying to forget about and pay no attention to those thoughts, evil unskilled thoughts associated with greed, hatred and delusion still arise, then one should allow them to settle.       

Then those evil unskilful thoughts will subside and the mind will be steady, calm, one-pointed and concentrated. It is just as if a man, finding no reason for running, walks; then finding no reason for walking, stands; then finding no reason for standing, sits down; then finding no reason for sitting, lies down. Thus he goes from a strenuous posture to a more relaxed one.         

But if, while allowing those thoughts to settle, evil unskilful thoughts associated with greed, hatred and delusion still arise, then, with teeth clenched and tongue pressed against the palate one should restrain, subdue and suppress the mind with the mind.                               

Then those evil unskilful thoughts will subside and the mind will be steady, calm, one-pointed and concentrated. It is just as if a strong man should hold down a weaker one by seizing his head and shoulders.         

One who does these things is called a master of the pathways of thought. The thought he wants to think, he thinks; the thought he does not want to think, he does not think. He has cut off craving, removed the fetters, mastered pride and put an end to suffering.  

150 At times, apparently unusual things can happen during meditation that might distract us by giving rise to anxiety or curiosity. While being straight, the body might feel as if it is leaning to one side, the hands or some other part of the body might feel as if they have disappeared, there might be unusual sensations on the body, or a brilliant light might appear in the mind. These and other phenomena that may happen to us are only tricks the mind conjures up in order to distract us; all of them are harmless, and all of them will simply disappear if they are ignored.

Another thing that sometimes happens, particularly if our meditation is going well, and which can give rise to anxiety, is that the breath becomes so shallow that it can no longer be perceived. When we realize that the breath seems to have stopped, we might be startled. However, we only need to remind ourselves that the breath has not stopped and indeed cannot stop, and that it has only become soft and shallow because the body, being very relaxed, needs only a little oxygen.  

Another common problem meditators have is numbness or discomfort in the legs. As the discomfort is usually only mild and will soon disappear as our legs become used to being bent, it is best to simply ignore the discomfort. However, if the discomfort continues or intensifies into pain, it might be good to experiment with different posture.

What must be understood, though, is that any posture will be uncomfortable for a while and if keep on moving or adjusting our legs for every little irritation, the discomfort will certainly continue. When it becomes easier to keep attention on the breath, counting can be dropped and one can focus attention on the movement of the breath.