6 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 5 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 9 dance with one’s taste, and at the same time, it cannot be limited to a set of techniques applied only in privileged moments of a day, then how is it related to that wholeness of human life? In other words, how can we keep mindfulness in daily life and make it a lifestyle rather than a technique? Or more precisely: What is the connection between the formal and informal practice from your point of view? Your question, “How can we keep mindfulness in daily life and make it a lifestyle rather than a technique?”, that’s a good question. If you find the answer, please let me know! We call meditation “a practice”, and there is good reason for that. I think, we all approach practices with a limited understanding of how practices work, how our own minds work, or really what we need to know so that we can stop suffering. The teachers I have studied with, encourage us to investigate, experiment and to a certain extent “play around with” various techniques and practices. But we always need to be truthful about the results we are getting from those experiments. My primary teacher, when somebody asks him, how they should practice with a particular technique, usually answers, “Give it a try and pay attention to the results.” “Paying attention to the results” gives us opportunities to make adjustments, for self-knowledge to arise, for a real understanding of what works for us (not just following somebody else’s instructions). It is in this way that the mindfulness practice takes hold, as we need to pay attention to how our practices effect every aspect of our lives. It can almost become a game, or we become detectives spying on our minds. There are several points of intersection between Buddhism and classical Yoga (unlike the so-called postural yoga and other non-traditional practices presented as yogic by their promoters). Dhyāna is one of them. In the classical Yoga-darsana of Patañjali, dhyāna is the seventh stage or anga of Yoga. The Chinese Chanor Chana, and JapaneseZenor Zenna– concepts central for the Chan or Zen branches of Buddhism come from the same Sanskrit root as dhyāna. Following the doctrine of Pāli Canon (Sutta Pitaka), Theravada tradition distinguishes between the four rūpa dhyānas (Pa. jhāna). The very principle of the Yoga-darsana is defined inYoga Sutras of Patañjali as “Yoga is the inhibition of the fluctuations of consciousness/ mind” (Sa. “yogaś-citta-vr̥tti-nirodhaḥ”; I.2), and “[t]hen the Seer is recognized as such” (Sa. “tadādraṣṭuḥ-svarūpe-‘vasthānam”; I.3). By the means of virtue and concentration discontinuity of conscious acts, as well as dim consciousness are eliminated, and permanent continuity of consciousness along with integration of all cognitive acts with/in consciousness is established. In Buddhism, concentration on breath (Pa. ānāpānasati; Sa. ānāpānasmrti) is considered to be the basic method of concentration. By anchoring the attention on breath, one is gradually becoming aware of one’s own psycho-mental processes and contents manifested in the fluctuation of thoughts, psycho-mental states, and finally psycho-mental patterns as impermanent, i.e. as appearing and disappearing. Later on, other methods and techniques may come into play. Is this the reason mindfulness is so stressed by many Buddhist teachers nowadays? One of my favorite teachings is the Seven Factors of Awakening. The classical approach starts with the development of mindfulness. One way I look at this is, at first, we try to be mindful, but we fail (and that is why we are paying attention to results). So, we ask, “Why wasn’t I able to be mindful?” This question is the awaking of the second factor – investigation. By investigating “why”, we might learn more about our habits and patterns, both positive and negative, which then allow us to approachmindfulness with more clarity, understanding and hopefully we are able get better results. When we bring investigation into the practice, this naturally leads to more energy in the practice – more interest and more fun. This energy then leads to the arising of joy. At this point, there can be a tendency to turn our attention to the joy and stop doing the practices that lead to the arising of the joy (mindfulness,
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