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Question

Consciousness

Answer 1

Consciousness refers to that subjective, first person experience of ‘knowing’ something in the moment.

Consciousness invariably involves being conscious of something, and there is no consciousness without an object.

Objects of consciousness include any of the various sights, sounds, tastes, smells, or bodily sensations arising through stimulation of the sense organs; and internally generated mental objects such as thoughts, memories, emotions, and hedonic feelings.
The ability to recall and report depends entirely on consciousness. However, the inability to recall and report an event does not imply absence of consciousness.
The vast majority of conscious experiences fade quickly from memory.

The Moments of Consciousness and Mind-System models conceptualize consciousness as a “place” within the mind where information exchange happens. Although thinking of consciousness as a locus or place is useful in simpler theoretical models of the mind, the idea is, in the end, problematic. Therefore, as such models evolve, the final conception of consciousness is not as a place, but simply as the process of information exchange, based on the shared receptivity of unconscious sub-minds. Shared receptivity and information exchange analogous to consciousness happen at every level in the mind-system.

However, only information exchange processes occurring at the highest level in the mind-system are experienced subjectively, available for recall and report, and therefore conscious.

Answer 2

A powerful urge for things to be different than they are. Craving can manifest as desire or aversion.

Answer 3

In meditation, diligence means engaging whole-heartedly in the practice.

Early on, it means actually practicing rather than spending your time on the cushion in planning or daydreaming. In the later Stages, being diligent means remaining vigilantly aware of potential distractions or dullness and maintaining a strong intention to stay focused on the breath. It is a mental state of readiness and engagement that combines vigilance and effort.

Answer 4

Intentionally directed attention.

One of the five meditation factors.

Answer 5

Within the Mind-System model, the discriminating mind is one major part of the unconscious mind. It is the part of the mind where reasoning and analysis occur. It’s also called the “thinking/emotional mind” because it generates affective mental states and emotions as well.

Like other parts of the mind-system, the discriminating mind is composed of many individual sub-minds, a very important one of which is the narrating mind.

Answer 6

This refers to anything—a sound, thought, feeling, etc.—that competes with the meditation object for your attention.

Answer 7

a biased, unconscious mental process focused on negative possible outcomes.
One of the five hindrances.

Opposing meditation factor: sustained attention–this is achieved through consistent effort. Success leads to trust, and doubt disappears.

Answer 8

A lack of mental energy.
There are differing degrees of dullness—from deep sleep or unconsciousness, through strong dullness such as drowsiness, to subtler forms of dullness such as feeling a bit “spaced out.”

Dullness is a form of scattered attention. But unlike distractions, where attention “scatters” to other objects of awareness, dullness scatters attention from the breath to a void in which nothing is perceived at all.

Answer 9

When the mind remains in a state of exclusive attention and mindfulness without any application of vigilance and effort.

Effortlessness happens when you complete Stage Seven and is the Third Milestone, marking your transition from being a skilled to an adept meditator

Answer 10

A non-reactive state in which pleasant and unpleasant experiences no longer evoke craving in the form of desire or aversion.

Equanimity is one of the five characteristics of śamatha.

Answer 11

In psychology, executive functions are higher order cognitive abilities such as regulating behavior, organizing information, inhibiting actions, and other types of activities that require response to novel situations not covered by previously learned behavior.

Within the mind-system, these executive functions involve many different sub-minds interacting through consciousness to arrive at a working consensus about behavior.

Answer 12

The ability to select and maintain a specific object or objects of attention in the face of distracting or competing stimuli.

In meditation, this means you can focus on the meditation object to the exclusion of everything else. Attention no longer alternates back and forth from the breath to distractions in the background.

Also called single-pointed attention.

Answer 13

Attention or awareness that is directed toward external objects such as sights, smells, or bodily sensations.

Answer 14

Awareness that is directed toward external objects such as sights, smells, or bodily sensations.

Answer 15

This refers to the totality of sensory and mental objects present in consciousness during a given time interval.

Some of the objects in the field of conscious awareness are objects of attention, the rest are objects of peripheral awareness.

Answer 16

These are innate and universal psychological predispositions:

- worldly desire
- aversion
- laziness and lethargy
- agitation due to worry and remorse
- doubt

Every problem in meditation can be traced back to one or some combination of these hindrances.

Answer 17

A concept developed by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi that describes a state of absorption that includes a feeling of being alert, in effortless control, unselfconscious, and being at the peak of our abilities.

Both the sense of time and emotional problems seem to disappear, and there is an exhilarating feeling of transcendence.

Flow states in meditation are called jhāna, or meditative absorption.

Answer 18

A technique for increasing interest and engagement with the breath during meditation.

Consists of identifying specific events in the breath cycle, as well as all of the distinct sensations in the course of each in- and out-breath. By creating a challenge, and therefore creating more interest in the events of the breath cycle, this type of in-close investigation helps to counter the natural tendency for attention to shift. The result is longer periods of sustained attention.

Answer 19

Forgetting means you forget the meditation object, as well as your intention to focus on the breath.

Forgetting is caused by distraction. Some distracting thought, feeling, sound, etc. succeeds in capturing attention. This leads to the meditation object first slipping into the background, then totally disappearing from the field of conscious awareness. When this happens, the intention to observe the breath has been forgotten as well.

Answer 20

Pīti is a Pali term that means joy.

In the context of meditation, it’s often translated as ecstasy, delight, or rapture.

The “grades of pīti” refer to five different levels in the developmental process that culminates in physical pliancy and meditative joy.

Answer 21

When some mental or sensory object becomes the primary focus of attention and pushes the meditation object into the background but not out of awareness.

See also alternating attention.

Answer 22

Feelings of pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral.

Every moment of consciousness is associated with one of these three hedonic feelings.

Answer 23

An inner light that often occurs with the pacification of the visual sense. Sometimes referred to as nimitta, which, once stable, can be used as a meditation object to enter jhāna.

Answer 24

Refers to the ordinary, highly conceptual appearance of the meditation object.

A beginning meditator does not experience the actual sensations of the breath so much as ideas associated with the breath, such as “in-breath” or “out-breath,” which are in turn constructed from concepts such as air, nose, direction, etc.

Answer 25

Insight refers to profound intuitive realizations, different from intellectual knowledge, that radically transform our understanding of ourselves and our relationship to the world.

Insight is triggered by specific Insight experiences that penetrate the veil of appearances, allowing us to see things as they really are. Although these Insight-generating experiences can arise at any Stage, their likelihood increases greatly with each successive Stage.

The most important of these are Insights into: impermanence, emptiness, the nature of suffering, the causal interdependence of all phenomena, and the illusion of the separate Self or no-Self.

Answer 26

An experience that challenges our assumptions and expectations in a way that forces us to reassess and revise our intuitive understanding of how things really are.

Insight experiences can occur both in meditation and in the course of daily life. Potential Insight experiences are often ignored, dismissed, or rationalized away.

As you progress through the Stages, potential Insight experiences become more frequent and more powerful. At the same time, you are less likely to disregard them, so they are more likely to give rise to actual Insight.

Answer 27

With regard to perception, the subjective force or power of a perceptual experience.

Intensity reflects the interest or importance associated with the perceived object. In meditation, intensity is closely related to vividness and clarity, all three of which derive from an increased power of mindfulness.

However, a perception can be very intense even though the information it’s based on is neither vivid nor clear, as in mistaking a rope for a snake.

Answer 28

A determination to act in a certain way for the purpose of achieving a particular end or goal. Such action may be mental or physical.

Intention underlies every movement of the mind, whether or not that movement results in overt speech or action.

In the Moments of Consciousness model, intention is present in every perceiving mind moment. The Mind-System model distinguishes between conscious intentions and unconscious intentions.

Answer 29

The ability to consciously decide what to pay attention to. Directed attention is one of five meditation factors.

Answer 30

Attention or awareness that is directed internally on thoughts, feelings, and states and activities of mind.

Although you can turn both attention and awareness introspectively, only introspective awareness can observe states and activities of the mind.

Answer 31

Awareness of thoughts, feelings, and states and activities of mind.

See also metacognitive introspective awareness.

Answer 32

Attention that focuses on mental objects such as thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

Jhāna: Profound states of meditative absorption in which both the focus of attention and mindfulness have become quite refined.

Jhāna is a special kind of flow state achieved only in meditation, a means for accelerating your progress in Stages Six through Ten, and can be used as a vehicle for achieving Insight.

Answer 33

A technique used to strengthen introspective awareness. It entails identifying a distraction with a simple label the moment you realize you are no longer focusing on the breath.

Answer 34

Laziness appears when the cost of an activity seems to outweigh the benefits.
Lethargy manifests as a lack of energy, procrastination, and low motivation.

One of the five hindrances.

Opposing meditation factor: Directed attention–in meditation, "just do it" means directing attention to the meditation object to counter procrastination and loss of mental energy.

Answer 35

The ability of mindfulness to bring about deep psychological and spiritual transformations.

Unlike the more basic and brief application of mindfulness that moderates behavior, the magic of mindfulness begins when you can sustain a more powerful mindfulness for longer periods of time. As a result, you become less habitually reactive and more responsive in everyday life.

In formal meditation practice, sustaining powerful mindfulness can reprogram deep psychological conditioning. Mindfulness can completely transform our most deeply ingrained conceptions about the world and ourselves.

Answer 36

Directed attention, sustained attention, meditative joy, pleasure/happiness, and unification of mind.

Each of these acts as an antidote to one or more of the hindrances, and contributes toward a key goal of meditation: purifying the mind of these powerful facets of our biological programming, and of their negative influences.

Sometimes called “jhāna factors.”

Answer 37

Any object you have intentionally chosen to serve as the focus of your attention during meditation.

The primary meditation object used in this practice is the breath sensations at the nose.

Answer 38

As a part of the body scanning practice, this traditional meditation can help focus observations on bodily sensations.

These elements are:
- earth (solidity and resistance)
- water (cohesion and fluidity)
- fire (heat and cold)
- wind (movement and change)
- space.

Answer 39

States of single-pointed absorption in which both the focus of attention and mindfulness become progressively more and more refined.

As a formal technique, you can start jhāna practice at Stage Six.

Answer 40

A unique joyful state of mind arising from unification of mind in meditation. The greater the unification, the greater the joy.

Joy brings with it feelings of pleasure/happiness. Until it has matured, meditative joy is usually accompanied by experiences of powerful energy currents surging through the body.

Joy arises consistently in Stage Eight, and with increasing unification of mind, becomes the defining characteristic of Stage Nine.

One of the five meditation factors.

Answer 41

Effortlessly sustained stable attention and powerful mindfulness. This is achieved with the complete pacification of the discriminating mind at the end of Stage Seven.

Answer 42

Introspective awareness in which the mind “stands back” and observes its own state and activities—an awareness of the mind itself.

Answer 43

Discrete, serial mental events that constitute conscious experience.

Mind moments are of two types: moments of consciousness, and non-perceiving mind moments.

Each mind moment has certain attributes such as being unitary, possessing a hedonic feeling, and carrying certain amounts of vital energy.

Moments of consciousness also include an object and an intention, whereas non-perceiving mind moments do not.

Answer 44

A sixth sensory category that includes mental objects such as thoughts, emotions, images, and memories.

Answer 45

The third model of mind presented, which is based upon the Yogācāra school of Buddhism.

This model represents the mind as a complex system composed of two major parts: the conscious mind and the unconscious mind.

The conscious mind is the part of our psyche that we experience directly, while the unconscious is the part whose complex “behind the scenes” activities we can only know indirectly through inference and deduction.

Answer 46

Mind-wandering is what happens after you’ve forgotten the meditation object, when your mind just drifts from one thing to another.

It is part of the sequence of
distraction→forgetting→mind-wandering→ awakening
from mind-wandering.

During mind-wandering, attention usually moves from one object to the next by association. When attention tires of one distraction, it moves to another.

This happens frequently in the early Stages because the mind produces all sorts of distractions that capture attention and lead to forgetting the breath.

Answer 47

An optimal interaction between attention and peripheral awareness.

This type of optimization requires increasing the overall conscious power of the mind. Fully developed mindfulness is a major objective of meditation practice.

Answer 48

An important aspect of mindfulness is being aware of what you are doing, saying, thinking, and feeling.

Mindfulness with clear comprehension also has two other important aspects.

The first is clear comprehension of purpose, which means being metacognitively aware of why you’re doing, saying, thinking, and feeling whatever it is that you are doing, saying, thinking, and feeling.

The second is clear comprehension of suitability—of whether or not what you are doing, saying, thinking, and feeling is appropriate to this particular situation, to your goals and purposes, and in accordance with your personal beliefs and values.

Answer 49

This is the first model presented that provides the foundation for meditation practice.

It describes the basic way we experience various internal and external objects through attention and peripheral awareness.

This model also explains how attention and peripheral awareness function, so you can work with them skillfully in meditation to generate mindfulness.

Answer 50

In the Moments of Consciousness model, the different types of mind moments coming from different senses can take the form of either attention or awareness.

Moments of attention have an exclusive area of focus, containing only one or a few objects, which undergo extensive mental processing.

Answer 51

Moments of peripheral awareness.

Answer 52

Discrete mental events or mind moments produced by the five physical senses, the mind sense, and binding consciousness, for a total of seven distinct types.

The traditional image of conscious experience is a string of beads in which each bead represents a single mind moment.

Answer 53

The second model of mind, originating with the Buddhist Abhidhamma.

This model presents conscious experience as being divided into individual moments of consciousness coming from the six different senses, including the mind sense, plus binding moments of consciousness.

These conscious mind moments occur one at a time, in much the same way as a motion picture film is actually divided into separate frames. Because the frames pass so quickly, and there are so many of them, the movement in the film seems fluid.

In the same way, these discrete moments of consciousness are so numerous and brief that they seem to form one continuous and uninterrupted stream of consciousness.

Answer 54

In the Moments of Consciousness model, the different types of mind moments coming from different senses can take the form of either attention or awareness.

Moments of peripheral awareness are open and inclusive, providing a panoramic representation of everything within its specific sensory field.

The many objects contained within each moment of peripheral awareness undergo only minimal mental processing.

Answer 55

A sub-mind of the discriminating mind in the Mind-System model.

The narrating mind takes in all the information being projected into consciousness by other sub-minds. Its function is to integrate all of this information appearing in separate moments of consciousness by combining, organizing, and summarizing it in a coherent and meaningful way.

Specifically, the narrating mind uses an “I-It” or “Self-Other” structure to bind together the different components of experience.
Self-awareness—that ongoing, intuitive sense of being a separate “self” in relationship with a world of objects—derives from the way the narrating mind combines separate conscious events from many different sub-minds into a story that it projects back into consciousness.

Answer 56

An entity defined by the shared receptivity and consequent exchange of information between its component parts.

Answer 57

Nimitta is a Pali word meaning “appearance,” as in “the appearance of the mountains is different in moonlight.”

In ancient Buddhist meditation literature, nimitta refers to the different appearances taken on by the meditation object in progressively deeper meditation states.

However, in modern usage, nimitta is taken to mean “meditation object” in general or, much more commonly, to mean the illumination phenomena used as an object for entering the luminous jhānas.

In accordance with common modern usage, when discussing the luminous jhānas, we also use the term nimitta to mean the illumination phenomenon.

Answer 58

Non-conscious awareness refers to that part of the content of awareness in the general sense that we are not subjectively conscious of, and that cannot be subsequently recalled or reported.

It is sometimes referred to as covert awareness—“knowing” something without consciously knowing it.

Answer 59

unconscious awareness and subconscious awareness.

Unconscious awareness is comprised of the contents of non-conscious awareness that can never become conscious.

The second kind of non-conscious awareness, subconscious awareness, consists of all those stimuli that register on your nervous system, and which can potentially be conscious of, but that you are not conscious of in the moment.

Answer 60

Low-energy, objectless mind moments.

The energy level of the mind depends on the ratio of perceiving moments to non-perceiving moments. The greater the proportion of non-perceiving mind moments in a given period of time, the more dullness will be present.

They also completely lack intention and thus are also non-intending mind moments.
Although non-intending, objectless and lacking vital energy (jīvitindriya cetasika), they still have the feeling quality of pleasure (vedanā cetasika).

Answer 61

A temporary quieting of the physical senses or sensory sub-minds during meditation.

It occurs mostly in Stage Eight, but can be a significant part of Stage Seven as well.

With full pacification of the senses, all but the most intrusive external sounds fade away, and auditory awareness is often dominated by an inner sound; all visual imagery ceases, and the visual sense is often dominated by an inner light (the illumination phenomenon); and the usual bodily aches and pains, itching, numbness, and other sensations are replaced by a pleasant feeling of stability and stillness.

Answer 62

the process leading to a drastic reduction in the number and frequency of mental objects being projected into consciousness by the thinking/emotional mind.

Eventually, mental objects fade so completely from consciousness that they rarely appear even in peripheral awareness.

The process begins in Stage Six and continues throughout Stage Seven. Complete pacification of the discriminating mind, or mental pliancy, is the defining characteristic of Stage Eight.

Answer 63

A general cognizance of sensory information; mental objects like thoughts, memories, and feelings; and the overall state and activity of the mind.

Any or all of these may be present in peripheral awareness simultaneously. Unlike attention, which isolates and analyzes specific objects within the field of conscious awareness, peripheral awareness is inclusive, holistic, and only minimally conceptual. It has more to do with the relationships of objects to each other, and to the whole, and provides the background and overall context for conscious experience—where you are, what’s happening around you, what you’re doing, and why.

Peripheral awareness is the product of very large numbers of serial processes occurring simultaneously in multiple sensory streams—what is called massively parallel processing.

The function of peripheral awareness is to assemble context and search for salience, monitor for flagged issues of importance, and initiate automatic motor responses when appropriate.

Answer 64

Allows a meditator to sit for hours at a time without physical discomfort, free from all sensory distractions.

This arises with complete pacification of the senses and is accompanied by the bliss of physical pliancy.

Answer 65

This refers to bodily pleasure and feelings of happiness.

The pleasure/happiness arising in meditation with increasing unification of mind, meditative joy, and pacification of the senses is known as the bliss of physical pliancy and the bliss of mental pliancy.

One of the five meditation factors.

Answer 66

A slight degree of dullness that eventually progresses to strong dullness and, if unchecked, into sleep.

See also stable subtle dullness.

Answer 67

A natural process in meditation through which powerful memories, past conditioning, thoughts, and strong emotions surface in the quiet stillness of meditation.

Observing this charged material with the illuminating power of mindfulness leads to past events being integrated and accepted into the present reality, reprogramming of unwholesome conditioning, and purifying the psyche.

This purification process most commonly happens at Stages Four and Seven.

Answer 68

A very special mental state achieved through the cultivation of stable attention and mindfulness.

Śamatha has five characteristics.
- The first is effortlessly stable attention (samādhi).

- The second is powerful mindfulness (sati-sampajañña), which means being fully conscious not only of the immediate objects of attention, but of everything else happening in the mind moment by moment.

- The last three characteristics are joy (pīti), tranquility (passaddhi), and equanimity (upekkhā).

Answer 69

The dispersal of attention.

In meditation, attention can scatter to various other objects besides the breath in the field of conscious awareness. Dullness can also scatter attention from the breath to a void in which nothing is perceived.

Answer 70

The width or narrowness of the focus of attention. Learning to control the scope is a critical part of developing stable attention in meditation.

Answer 71

Basic mental representations of a stimulus perceived by the senses.

Examples are warmth, coolness, saltiness, sweetness, yellowness, and blueness. These basic sense-percepts are the material from which perceptions and concepts are constructed.

Answer 72

Within the Mind-System model, the sensory mind is one of the two major divisions of the unconscious mind.
The other is the discriminating mind.

The sensory mind processes information from the five physical senses. It generates moments of consciousness with sight, sound, smell, taste, and somatosensory information from the physical senses as their objects.

Answer 73

The ability to receive and give information.
Shared receptivity is an expression of the radical interconnectedness of everything, from quarks to cosmos.

Answer 74

The ability to select and maintain a specific object or objects of attention in the face of distracting or competing stimuli.

In meditation, this means you can focus on the meditation object to the exclusion of everything else. Attention no longer alternates back and forth from the breath to distractions in the background.

Because “single-pointed” may seem to imply that your focus is narrow or small, or that peripheral awareness is no longer present, neither of which is correct, the preferred term is exclusive attention.

Answer 75

Someone who has achieved the two major objectives of meditative training: stable attention and mindfulness.

Mastery of Stage Three, the first Milestone, is the start of being a skilled meditator. The completion of Stage Six, the second Milestone, marks the completion of acquiring basic meditation skills.

Answer 76

Movements of attention controlled by “bottom up,” unconscious mental processes.

Attention moves spontaneously in three different ways: scanning, capture, and alternating.

Answer 77

The ability to intentionally direct and sustain the focus of attention, and to control the scope of attention, is one of the two major skills developed in meditation. The other is mindfulness.

Answer 78

A slight degree of dullness that doesn’t progress into strong dullness.

See also progressive subtle dullness.

Answer 79

A significant lack of mental energy that often manifests as drowsiness.

In meditation, attention still clings to the breath, but the focus is diffused and weak, and sensations are vaguely perceived. Details aren’t at all clear. It’s like trying to see through a dense fog. Often, the breath becomes distorted, transformed by dreamlike imagery, and nonsensical thoughts start drifting through the mind. Eventually, this leads to falling asleep.

Answer 80

Non-conscious awareness is of two kinds: subconscious awareness and unconscious awareness.

Subconscious awareness consists of all those stimuli that register on your nervous system that you can potentially be conscious of, but which you are not conscious of in the moment.

For example, the sensations in your left big toe when you are not consciously aware of them fall in this category.

Answer 81

Autonomous units that have their own specialty and function to perform within the mind-system as a whole.

Within the sensory mind, there are five sub-minds, each of which has its own sensory field corresponding to one of the five physical senses.

One sub-mind works exclusively on phenomena concerned with vision, another exclusively on phenomena concerned with hearing, and so forth.

The discriminating mind is also composed of many different sub-minds. There are, for instance, sub-minds responsible for abstract thinking, pattern recognition, emotions, arithmetic, and verbal logic, to name only a few of the higher-level activities of the discriminating mind.

Other sub-minds of the discriminating mind are responsible for emotions, such as anger, fear, and love. The narrating mind is yet another sub-mind of the discriminating mind.

Answer 82

Brief moments of attention directed to distractions in the background of peripheral awareness, while the meditation object continues as the primary focus.

See also alternating attention.

Answer 83

A slight dullness that makes the meditation object less vivid and intense and causes peripheral awareness to fade. This type of dullness has a pleasant quality and is therefore easy to overlook.

Answer 84

The ability to maintain a consistent attentional focus over time.

Attention may become fixated on an object due to fear, desire, or other strong emotions. However, in the context of meditation, vicara refers specifically to intentionally sustained attention, not to fixation of attention.

One of the five meditation factors.

Answer 85

The sub-minds of the discriminating mind that are involved in conceptualizing, abstraction, imagination, and creativity collectively constitute the thinking mind.

Other discriminating sub-minds involved in generating specific mental states and emotions constitute the emotional mind. The combination of these two sub-minds is the thinking/emotional mind, and accounts for the majority of the sub-minds of the discriminating mind. The other major sub-mind of the discriminating mind is the narrating mind.

Answer 86

A serene state of happiness and pleasure arising specifically as a result of meditation.

One of the five characteristics of śamatha.

Answer 87

Non-conscious awareness is of two kinds: unconscious awareness and subconscious awareness.

Unconscious awareness is comprised of the contents of non-conscious awareness that can never become conscious.
Examples of awareness that can produce effects but never become conscious include subliminal stimuli—stimuli that are too weak or too brief to reach the threshold of consciousness; the so-called “blindsight” phenomenon in people who, due to injury to the part of the brain responsible for visual processing, are perceptually blind but still demonstrate the ability to respond to visual stimuli in a forced-response or guessing situation; and various physiological parameters such as blood pressure, arterial O2 and CO2 concentrations, the quantities of available nutrients in the circulating blood, and the relative degree of hydration of the body.

In the latter case, you may become conscious of feelings of hunger or thirst, but never of the specific stimuli that give rise to those feelings.

Answer 88

Intentions that produce automatic actions, before becoming conscious.

All intentions originate in the unconscious mind. An intention becomes conscious when projected into the conscious mind, where it can be acted on, modified, or blocked entirely.

Intentions that have been repeatedly acted on as conscious intentions can subsequently produce action without first becoming conscious. In the case of these automatic actions, if the intention becomes evident to consciousness at all, it is only after the action has already been performed.

Answer 89

The largest component of the mind-system.

The unconscious mind consists of the sensory mind and discriminating mind. Each of these minds are further made up of many distinct sub-minds.

Answer 90

The bringing together of a large number of diverse, independent, and unconscious mental processes or sub-minds in support of a consciously chosen intention.

One of the five meditation factors.

Answer 91

Refers to introspective peripheral awareness that is clear, alert, and ready to detect anything that threatens stable attention and mindfulness.

Like a vigilant sentry, awareness is purposely watchful.

Answer 92

The life-force contained within a moment of consciousness. This energy is one of the seven attributes of mind moments.

Answer 93

Vividness is a quality presented to an observer by a perceived object.

Visually, vividness is a function of brightness and intensity of color.

When applied to memory or imagination, it denotes a freshness and immediacy of experience.

Tactilely, as with the perception of the breath at the nose, it indicates similar qualities of both sensory intensity and immediacy.

In terms of the Moments of Consciousness model, vividness of perception depends on how many moments of attention represent a particular object in consciousness.

Vividness, clarity, and intensity are overlapping terms used to describe the qualities associated with greater mindfulness.

Answer 94

The pursuit of, delighting in, and clinging to any of the pleasures related to our material existence. This also means the desire to avoid their opposites.

One of the five hindrances.

These desires include:
- gain/loss
gaining material objects and preventing their loss

- pleasure/pain
having pleasurable experiences and avoiding pain

- fame/obscurity
achieving fame, power, and influence while preventing infamy, subjugation, and impotence

- praise/blame
attaining the love, praise, and admiration of others while avoiding blame or hatred.

Opposing meditation factor: unification of mind–a unified and blissful mind has no reason to chase worldly desire.

Answer 95

Step One—Establish an open, relaxed awareness and attention, letting in everything, but give priority to sensations over thoughts.

Step 2—Focus on bodily sensations, but continue to be aware of everything else.

Step 3—Focus on sensations related to the breath, but continue to be aware of everything else.

Step 4—Focus on sensations of the breath at the nose, but continue to be aware of everything else.

Answer 96

Go through this list every time you meditate to help prepare your body and mind for a smooth transition to the meditation object.

Motivation
Review your purpose for meditation. Be honest! Don’t judge your reasons. Be aware and accept them. Example: I want more peace of mind.　

Goals
Decide what you hope to work on in this session. Set a reasonable goal for where you are in the Stages. Keep it simple. Keep it small. Example: not to get annoyed when my mind wanders.　

Expectations
Bring to mind the dangers of expectations and be gentle with yourself. Find enjoyment in every meditation, no matter what happens. There is no such thing as a “bad” meditation.　

Diligence
Resolve to practice diligently for the entire session. Recall that the best way to overcome resistance is by simply continuing to practice, without judging yourself.　

Distractions
Perform a quick inventory of things in your life that might come up to distract you. Acknowledge these thoughts and emotions and resolve to set them aside if they do arise. You may not be wholly successful, but at least you have planted a seed: the intention not to let them dominate your mind.　

Posture
Review your posture and get comfortable. Attend to your supports, your head, neck, back, shoulders, lips, eyes, and breath. Relax and enjoy yourself. All the activity of meditation is in the mind, so the proper state for the body is like a lump of soft clay—solid and stable, but completely pliant.

Answer 97

There are two goals for Stage One.
First, you’ll learn how to prepare for practice (6 Point-preparation), and to use a simple method to enter meditation gradually (4 step-transition to the meditation object).

Second, and more important, is to establish a consistent daily practice where you meditate to the best of your ability throughout every session.

To succeed, you’ll need to recognize the obstacles that stand in your way and create solutions.

Answer 98

There are two primary goals for Stage Two: shortening the periods of mind-wandering, and sustaining attention on the breath for longer periods.

You will address mind-wandering with positive reinforcement, learning to truly appreciate the moment you “wake up” to the fact that attention strayed. You achieve longer intervals of sustained attention by learning to actively engage with the breath.

The obstacles at this Stage are forgetting, mind-wandering, monkey-mind, and impatience.

When you start this Stage, most of your meditation time is taken up by mind-wandering, interrupted by brief periods of attention to breath. By the end of this Stage, you’ll experience the opposite. Most of your time will go to attending to the breath, and you’ll only have brief periods of mind-wandering, or “interrupted continuity of attention.”

Answer 99

The main goal for this Stage is to overcome forgetting. To do this, you’ll use the techniques of following the breath and connecting to actively engage with the meditation object and extend periods of uninterrupted attention; and you’ll cultivate introspective awareness through the practices of labeling and checking in.

These techniques allow you to catch distractions before they lead to forgetting. You will also learn to deal with the pain and drowsiness that often arise at this Stage.

Answer 100

The primary goal at this Stage is to overcome the scattering of attention caused by gross distraction and strong dullness. To accomplish this, you need to develop continuous introspective awareness, allowing you to detect these problems, correct them, and return your full attention to the meditation object.

While you want to completely overcome the coarser forms of distraction and dullness, you will learn to tolerate and even make use of subtle distractions and subtle dullness. They will help you navigate another important challenge of this Stage: learning to identify and sustain a balance between an over-energized, easily distracted mind and a dull, lethargic mind.

As your mind grows calmer and more stable in this Stage, you will experience a deep purification. Stored unconscious residues from the past well up to the surface and are released. The result is a profound healing.

Answer 101

You’re free from both gross distractions and strong dullness. Physical sensations, thoughts, memories, and emotions still arise, but they no longer draw attention away. Dullness no longer leads to drowsiness, nor causes perception of the breath sensations to grow dim or take on hypnagogic distortions. By the end of Stage Four, you can direct and sustain your attention at will. This is a unique and powerful ability.

The strength of your mindfulness has also reached an important threshold. Attention can precisely examine every part of the breath with little effort. Your perception of the meditation object has become non-verbal and non-discursive. Also, awareness has grown more powerful, and can clearly discern how the breath changes over time.

Answer 102

you can consistently maintain your focus on the meditation object for minutes, while mind-wandering lasts only seconds.

Answer 103

when forgetting and mind-wandering no longer occur, and the breath stays continually in conscious awareness.

This is a whole new pattern of behavior for your mind. The mind still roams, but it’s “tethered” to the meditation object, never getting too far away; the unconscious mental processes that sustain attention never entirely let go of the meditation object.

Because attention no longer shifts automatically to objects of desire and aversion, you can purposely hold your attention on an emotionally neutral object like the breath for extended periods of time.

The ability to continuously sustain attention on the meditation object is remarkable, so take satisfaction in your accomplishment. You can now do something that most people can’t—something you may not have thought you were even capable of. Congratulations, you have reached the first Milestone Achievement and the real beginning of skilled meditation!

Answer 104

You have mastered Stage One when you never miss a daily practice session except when absolutely unavoidable, and when you rarely if ever procrastinate on the cushion by thinking and planning or doing something besides meditating.

This Stage is the most difficult to master, but it can be done in a few weeks. By following the basic instructions and cultivating the right attitude, you will develop joyful effort and diligence and establish a regular daily practice.

The time and effort put into mastering this Stage will pay off far beyond anything you can imagine.

Answer 105

Your goals for this Stage are to completely overcome the tendency to slip more deeply into stable subtle dullness, and to heighten the power and clarity of consciousness. In other words, you want to develop more powerful mindfulness that includes vivid attention and strong peripheral awareness.

To achieve this, you’ll learn to recognize when subtle dullness starts to deepen.

Then, you’ll learn to correct it and restore your mind to its previous alertness.

Finally, having recognized and corrected for subtle dullness, you’ll increase the power of your mindfulness even more.

Answer 106

attention is much more stable. You’re free from gross distraction, but still experience subtle distraction. You’ve also overcome strong dullness and progressive subtle dullness, but remain in a state of stable subtle dullness.

Answer 107

you’re able to consistently sustain a high level of intense and clear perception—of both attention and introspective awareness—during most or all of your session.

Attention will gain intensity, making all the details of the meditation object quite vivid. It will also gain in clarity, so you can experience the actual arising and passing away of individual breath sensations.

You’ll naturally abandon abstract concepts like “inhale” and “exhale,” which you were in the habit of using to follow the breath. Even though attention is extremely focused, you remain extrospectively aware.

Your introspective awareness detects and automatically corrects for any subtle dullness.

Mastering this Stage doesn’t involve reaching any particular level of mindfulness. Your mindfulness will continue to grow stronger through all the later Stages. Rather, it is the ability to consistently sustain and increase your overall mindfulness in each meditation session. Your meditations will steadily improve with each sitting.

Answer 108

a clear sense that your attention is much more stable and continuous—and compared to previous Stages, it certainly is!

However, your attention still alternates, shifting almost imperceptibly fast to a sound, thought, or feeling, then returning to the breath. The meditation object always remains in attention, but not exclusively.

Answer 109

longer periods of sustained attention to the breath. The mind still wanders sometimes, but not for as long.

Just keep practicing what you learned in Stage Two, and mind-wandering will eventually stop completely.

Answer 110

a more energized mind, so objects of attention are clear and vivid. Peripheral awareness is also brighter and more open.

Just as turning up the light in a dark room illuminates objects in the shadows, your heightened conscious power reveals thoughts and sensations previously too subtle to detect.

It may even seem like there are more subtle distractions than before, but you’ve just become more aware of the ones that were already present and scattering your attention.

Answer 111

to subdue subtle distractions, particularly those produced by the discriminating mind.

The first step is to achieve exclusive attention, also called single-pointed attention.
When you can focus exclusively on the meditation object despite competing stimuli, attention no longer alternates to subtle distractions. Next, you must sustain exclusive attention long enough that mental objects start to fade from awareness.
Then, you’ll have subdued subtle distractions. Make no mistake: while exclusive attention is a valuable skill, it’s only a means to subduing subtle distractions, not an end in itself.
Also, subtle distractions are only temporarily subdued. They will return if you stop exerting effort to ignore them. You won’t overcome distractions completely until Stage Seven.

Your second goal, which you’ll work on at the same time, is to develop metacognitive introspective awareness, an awareness of the mind itself. You accomplish this by holding a clear intention to continuously observe the state and activities of your mind, while still maintaining exclusive attention.

Answer 112

Once you have subdued subtle distractions, and can sustain a high level of metacognitive introspective awareness.

Your mindfulness is quite strong, and you perceive the meditation object clearly and vividly. You also have complete control over your scope of attention, allowing you to examine any object with as broad or narrow a focus as you choose.

When you sit, it takes a little while for attention to stabilize, but after that, subtle distractions are more or less completely absent. Thoughts may intrude once in a while, but are often absent even from peripheral awareness.

Sensations and sounds continue in peripheral awareness, but only rarely become subtle distractions. When they do, they are quickly and automatically corrected for. Remember, you’ve only subdued subtle distractions. You haven’t permanently eliminated them. Therefore, you must stay continually vigilant to keep subtle dullness and distractions from returning.

You have reached the second Milestone Achievement: sustained exclusive focus of attention.
This is quite an accomplishment. You have now completed the development of Skilled Concentration. In Stage Seven, you will make the transition to the practice of an adept. The most rewarding and joyous aspects of meditation await you.

Answer 113

The four paths are known as sotāpatti, sakadāgāmi, anāgāmi, then arahant.

Answer 114

The Avataṃsakasūtra refers to the following ten bhūmis.

The first bhūmi, the Very Joyous. (Skt. pramuditā), in which one rejoices at realizing a partial aspect of the truth;

The second bhūmi, the Stainless. (Skt. vimalā), in which one is free from all defilement;

The third bhūmi, the Light-Maker. (Skt. prabhākarī), in which one radiates the light of wisdom;

The fourth bhūmi, the Radiant Intellect. (Skt. arciṣmatī), in which the radiant flame of wisdom burns away earthly desires;

The fifth bhūmi, the Difficult to Master. (Skt. sudurjayā), in which one surmounts the illusions of darkness, or ignorance as the Middle Way;

The sixth bhūmi, the Manifest. (Skt. abhimukhī) in which supreme wisdom begins to manifest;

The seventh bhūmi, the Gone Afar. (Skt. dūraṃgamā), in which one rises above the states of the Two vehicles;

The eighth bhūmi, the Immovable. (Skt. acalā), in which one dwells firmly in the truth of the Middle Way and cannot be perturbed by anything;

The ninth bhūmi, the Good Intelligence. (Skt. sādhumatī), in which one preaches the Law freely and without restriction;

The tenth bhūmi, the Cloud of Doctrine.(Skt. dharmameghā) in which one benefits all sentient beings with the Law (Dharma), just as a cloud sends down rain impartially on all things.

Answer 115

In Buddhism, a being who has developed a spontaneous wish and a compassionate mind to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Answer 116

The truth of dukkha, "incapable of satisfying," "painful," is the basic insight that life in this "mundane world," with its clinging and craving to impermanent states and things" is dukkha, unsatisfactory and painful. We expect happiness from states and things which are impermanent, and therefore cannot attain real happiness.

"Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering."

Answer 117

The truth of samudaya, "arising," "coming together," or dukkha-samudaya, the origination or arising of dukkha, is the truth that repeated life in this world, and its associated dukkha arises, or continues, with taṇhā, "thirst," craving for and clinging to these impermanent states and things. This clinging and craving produces karma, which leads to renewed becoming, keeping us trapped in rebirth and renewed dissatisfaction. Craving includes kama-tanha, craving for sense-pleasures; bhava-tanha, craving to continue the cycle of life and death, including rebirth; and vibhava-tanha, craving to not experience the world and painful feelings. While dukkha-samudaya, the term in the basic set of the four truths, is traditionally translated and explained as "the origin (or cause) of suffering," giving a causal explanation of dukkha, Brazier and Batchelor point to the wider connotations of the term samudaya, "coming into existence together": together with dukkha arises tanha, thirst. Craving does not cause dukkha, but comes into existence together with dukkha, or the five skandhas. It is this craving which is to be confined, as Kondanna understood at the end of the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: "whatever arises ceases."

"Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to re-becoming, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for becoming, craving for disbecoming."

Answer 118

The truth of magga, refers to the path to the cessation of, or liberation from dukkha. By following the Noble Eightfold Path, to moksha, liberation, restraining oneself, cultivating discipline, and practicing mindfulness and meditation, one starts to disengage from craving and clinging to impermanent states and things, and rebirth and dissatisfaction will be ended. The term "path" is usually taken to mean the Noble Eightfold Path...

The well-known eightfold path consists of the understanding that this world is fleeting and unsatisfying, and how craving keeps us tied to this fleeting world; a friendly and compassionate attitude to others; a correct way of behaving; mind-control, which means not feeding on negative thoughts, and nurturing positive thoughts; constant awareness of the feelings and responses which arise; and the practice of dhyana, meditation. The tenfold path adds the right (liberating) insight, and liberation from rebirth.

The four truths are to be internalised, and understood or "experienced" personally, to turn them into a lived reality.

"Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: it is this noble eightfold path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration."

Answer 119

The truth of nirodha, cessation, or dukkha-nirodha, the cessation of dukkha, is the truth that dukkha ceases, or can be confined, when craving and clinging cease or are confined, and nirvana is attained. Nirvana refers to the moment of attainment itself, and the resulting peace of mind and happiness (khlesa-nirvana)...

Answer 120

our actions have consequences, death is not the end, and our actions and beliefs have consequences after death.

Answer 121

Peaceful renunciation, into an environment of non-sensuality, non-ill-will (to loving kindness), away from cruelty (to compassion).

Such an environment aids contemplation of impermanence, suffering, and non-Self.

Answer 122

no lying, no rude speech, no telling one person what another says about him, speaking only that which leads to salvation

Answer 123

no killing or injuring, no taking what is not given, no sexual acts, no material desires.

Ahimsa: the force unleashed when desire to harm is eradicated.

Answer 124

beg to feed, only possessing what is essential to sustain life

Answer 125

guard against sensual thoughts; this concept aims at preventing unwholesome states that disrupt meditation.

Answer 126

in the vipassana movement, sati is interpreted as "bare attention": never be absent minded, being conscious of what one is doing. Yet, originally it has the meaning of "retention," being mindfull of the dhammas ("teachings," "elements") that are beneficial to the Buddhist path.

mindfulness encourages the awareness of the impermanence of body, feeling and mind, as well as to experience the five aggregates (skandhas), the five hindrances, the four True Realities and seven factors of awakening.

Answer 127

practicing four stages of meditation (dhyāna) culminating into equanimity and mindfulness.

Answer 128

higher virtue (adhisīla-sikkhā)
higher mind (adhicitta-sikkhā)
higher wisdom (adhipaññā-sikkhā)

Answer 129

is an important Buddhist concept, commonly translated as "suffering", "pain", "unsatisfactoriness" or "stress". It refers to the fundamental unsatisfactoriness and painfulness of mundane life.

It is the first of the Four Noble Truths. The term is also found in scriptures of Hinduism, such as the Upanishads, in discussions of moksha (spiritual liberation).

The word dukkha is made up of the prefix du and the root kha. Du means “bad” or “difficult.” Kha means “empty.” “Empty,” here, refers to several things—some specific, others more general. One of the specific meanings refers to the empty axle hole of a wheel. If the axle fits badly into the center hole, we get a very bumpy ride.

Answer 130

In Buddhism, the term anattā (Pali) or anātman (Sanskrit) refers to the doctrine of "non-self", that there is no unchanging, permanent self, soul or essence in living beings. It is one of the seven beneficial perceptions in Buddhism, and along with Dukkha (suffering) and Anicca (impermanence), it is one of three Right Understandings about the three marks of existence.

The Buddhist concept of Anattā or Anātman is one of the fundamental differences between Buddhism and Hinduism, with the latter asserting that Atman (self, soul) exists.

Answer 131

(also called Anicca, Aanicca, Anitcha or Anitya)
The doctrine asserts that all of conditioned existence, without exception, is "transient, evanescent, inconstant".

All temporal things, whether material or mental, are compounded objects in a continuous change of condition, subject to decline and destruction.

is one of the essential doctrines and a part of three marks of existence in Buddhism. The concept of impermanence is also found in various schools of Hinduism and Jainism.

Answer 132

Reality in Buddhism is called dharma (Sanskrit) or dhamma (Pali). This word, which is foundational to the conceptual frameworks of the Indian religions, refers in Buddhism to the system of natural laws which constitute the natural order of things. Dharma is therefore reality as-it-is (yatha-bhuta).

The teaching of Gautama Buddha constituting as it does a method by which people can come out of their condition of suffering (dukkha) involves developing an awareness of reality (see mindfulness). Buddhism thus seeks to address any disparity between a person's view of reality and the actual state of things. This is called developing Right or Correct View (Pali: samma ditthi). Seeing reality as-it-is is thus an essential prerequisite to mental health and well-being according to Buddha's teaching.

Answer 133

Dependent arising is a key principle in Buddhist teachings, which states that all dharmas ("phenomena") arise in dependence upon other dharmas: "if this exists, that exists; if this ceases to exist, that also ceases to exist".

According to Peter Harvey, Pratityasamutpada is an ontological principle; that is, a theory to explain the nature and relations of being, becoming, existence and ultimate reality. Buddhism asserts that there is nothing independent, except the state of nirvana. All physical and mental states depend on and arise from other pre-existing states, and in turn from them arise other dependent states while they cease. The 'dependent arisings' have a causal conditioning, and thus Pratityasamutpada is the Buddhist belief that causality is the basis of ontology, not a creator God nor the ontological Vedic concept called universal Self (Brahman) nor any other 'transcendent creative principle'.

The Pratītyasamutpāda ontological principle in Buddhism is applied not only to explain the nature and existence of matter and empirically observed phenomenon, but also to the nature and existence of life. In abstract form, according to Peter Harvey, "the doctrine states: 'That being, this comes to be; from the arising of that, this arises; that being absent, this is not; from the cessation of that, this ceases'." There is no 'first cause' from which all beings arose.

Answer 134

1. The belief in a permanent personality / ego.
2. Doubt / extreme skepticism.
3. Clinging to rites, rituals, and ceremonies.

4. Attachment to sense desires.
5. Ill-will / anger.

6. Craving for existence or existence in the Form World.
7. Craving for non-existence or existence in the Formless World.
8. Conceit.
9. Restlessness.
10. Ignorance.

Answer 135

Meditation is a science, the systematic process of training the mind. It is the science of meditation that allows people from all walks of life to experience the same amazing benefits.

Answer 136

A regular sitting practice has been shown to enhance concentration, lower blood pressure, and improve sleep. It is used to treat chronic pain, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Meditators develop valuable insights into their personality, behaviors, and relationships, making it easier to recognize and change past conditioning and counterproductive views that make life difficult. They have a greater awareness and sensitivity to others, which is enormously helpful at work and in personal relationships. The calming and relaxing effects of meditation also translate into increased emotional stability when confronting the inevitable stresses of life.

Fully-developed meditation skills also give rise to unique and wonderful mental states characterized by physical comfort and pleasure, joy and happiness, deep satisfaction, and profound inner peace—states that can open the mind to an intuitive appreciation of our interconnectedness and dispel the illusion of separateness created by our egos.

While bliss, joy, tranquility, and equanimity are delightful, they are also transitory and easily disrupted by sickness, aging, and difficult life circumstances. They also offer no protection from the corrupting influences of lust, greed, and aversion, nor their consequences. Therefore, these states are not an end in themselves, but only a means to a higher goal.

That higher goal is Awakening.

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