[Zen] What is Right Awareness ... ???

[Bhikkhu Samahita]

Friends:   What is this Fundamental Right Awareness ? The Noble Eightfold Way, leading to Nibbāna, is simply this: Right View, Right Motivation, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Awareness, & Right Concentration. But what is Right Awareness ?                   The 4-fold Definition of Right Awareness: 1: The Awareness of the Body merely as a transient & compounded Form.. 2: The Awareness of Feelings just as assigned & passing emotional Responses.. 3: The Awareness of Mind only as a group of habituated & temporary Moods.. 4: The Awareness of Phenomena simply as momentary & constructed Mental States.. Right awareness is of these 4, while being alert, clearly comprehending & mindful, thereby putting away longing towards & aversion against anything in this world...!!!                   The Characterization of Right Awareness: Awareness of presence of wrong view & right view, is Right Awareness! Awareness of presence of wrong motivation & right motivation, is Right Awareness! Awareness of presence of wrong speech & right speech, is Right Awareness! Awareness of presence of wrong action & right action, is Right Awareness! Awareness of presence of wrong livelihood & right livelihood, is Right Awareness! Awareness of presence of wrong effort & right effort, is Right Awareness! Awareness of presence of wrong awareness & right awareness, is Right Awareness! Awareness of presence of wrong concentration & right concentration, is Right Awareness!                   The Explanation of Acute Awareness & Clear Comprehension: When inhaling & exhaling long, one notices this & is fully aware of just that.. When inhaling & exhaling short, one notices this & is fully aware of just that.. One trains thus: 'I will breathe in & out clearly comprehending the entire body.' One trains thus: 'I will breathe in & out calming the breath & any bodily activity.' When walking, one notices, is aware of & clearly comprehends, that one is walking. When standing, one notices, is aware of & clearly comprehends, that one is standing. When sitting, one notices, is aware of & clearly comprehends, that one is sitting down. When lying down, one notices, is aware of & clearly comprehends, that one is lying down. Going forward one notices, is aware of & clearly comprehends, that one is going forward. When returning one notices, is aware of & clearly comprehends, that one is returning. When looking in front or back, one is notices, & is clearly aware of, what one is doing. When bending and stretching one notices, & clearly comprehends, what one is doing. When lifting or carrying a thing one knows, & is fully aware of, that this is one doing. When eating, drinking, chewing and savouring, one is aware of & comprehends just that. When passing excrement or urine one notes, is aware of & clearly comprehends exactly that. When falling asleep and waking up, when speaking or keeping silence, one notices, is aware of, knows & understands exactly that & clearly comprehends, that this is, what one is doing now... Continuous awareness of purpose, suitability, domain and nature of one's current behaviour! Whether mental, verbal or bodily: Such is right awareness & clear comprehension...                   The Function of Right Awareness & it's associates: Thus knowing right & wrong awareness as right & wrong awareness, is right view. Exchanging wrong awareness with right awareness is right effort. Right awareness has the function of observing, noticing, remembering & knowing the reality that neither any body, nor any form, nor any feeling, nor any mentality, nor any phenomena, nor any mental state is truly attractive, lasting, satisfying or even personal... All phenomena are momentary: They pass away at the moment of their occurrence! Nothing is permanent, everything is in a state of flux: Arising & ceasing, emerging & vanishing, coming and going, again & again & again & again & ever again...!!!                   The Blessed Buddha once said: Friends, this is the only direct way to the mental purification of beings, to the overcoming of sorrow & frustration, to the elimination of pain & misery, to the acquisition of the right method, to the realization of Nibbāna, that is: this establishing of these Four Foundations of Awareness...!!!                 Awareness is a Mountain of Advantage...!!! Further study of Buddhist Right Awareness (Samma-Sati): Root texts by the Buddha: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Buddha-Direct/message/6053 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Buddha-Direct/message/6051 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Buddha-Direct/message/6049 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/samyutta/index.html#Satipatthana Studies, anthologies and commentaries: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/samma-sati.html http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/modern/thanissaro/wings/2b.html http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bps/misc/wayof.html http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bps/wheels/wheel370.html http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bps/wheels/wheel019.html A Complete reference on Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization: http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=209540  ________________________________________________________  PS: Please include the word Samahita in any request, since then  will my automatic mail filters pick it up and I will see it & respond!  Bhikkhu Samāhita, Sri Lanka.  Friendship is the Greatest ...  Let there be Calm Free Bliss !!!  http://groups.msn.com/DirectDhamma  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Buddha-Direct  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/What_Buddha_Said  Dhamma-Questions sent to my email are quite Welcome. 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