Saturday, November 25, 2006

Mindfulness and Peace... Mindfulness IS Peace

A Teaching on Mindfulness

There is a Buddhist teaching on mindfulness from the fourth section of the Samyutta Nikaya, called the Malunkiyaputta Sutta. The sutta is a story of a hermit who traveled thousands of miles to meet the Buddha.

The Buddha has an exceptional way of teaching in a manner that was suited to each student 'like an arrow meeting its target'. His teaching for Bahiya, the hermit, was:

In reference to the seen, there will be only the seen.
In reference to the heard, only the heard.
In reference to the cognized, only the cognized.

This teaching is the teaching of how to end of suffering.

The causes of suffering are what cause loss of mindfulness.

When we are distracted by 'endearing charms' of people, sounds, aromas, flavors, material possessions, thoughts and ideas, or wanting to be someone other than who we are, 'passion grips the heart and fills us with clinging desire'. The mind is distracted by desire (for what we want) and dissatisfaction (with what we don't want) and so we suffer.

The Buddha teaches:

They who dwell mindfully, retain mindfulness, do not cling, just observe what they see without reaction and proceed mindfully will not grasp for things, and will therefore not suffer.

When we are mindful of our situation, without wanting more than what is, we find peace.

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