The First Noble Truth
The Truth of Suffering - Life is Suffering
The Second Noble Truth
The Truth of Sufferings Cause - Suffering is caused by craving
The Third Noble Truth
The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering - it’s possible to stop craving, therefore stop suffering
The Fourth Noble Truth
The Truth of the Noble Eightfold Path - If we live life according to the Eightfold Path, we find nirvana (liberation from the Three Fires)
The Eightfold Path
Right view
Right intention
Right speech
Right action
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right mindfulness
Right concentration
The Three Fires
Greed/lust
Hatred
Confusion/delusion
The Three Fires - Greed/lust
Desire to hoard or prolong pleasant experiences
The Three Fires - Hatred
Aversion to anything unpleasant
The Three Fires - Confusion/delusion
misperceiving how life works in regard to happiness/wellbeing vs. sorrow/strife
Five approaches to dealing with unskilled ( 3 fire) thoughts
- Refocus on something else (e.g. Breath) (Inhaler)
- If continue to arise, scrutinize the drawbacks of the unskilled thought, knowing these thoughts are “unskilful, blameworthy and result in stress” (magnifying glass)
- If continuues, pay no mind to the thought and let it subside (gun)
- If continues, focus of source of unskilled thought in a relaxed way, breaking it down to the root. (ginger)
- If continues: “clench the teeth” and “subdue and beat down the (evil) mind by the (good) mind” (teeth)
The Five Clusters/Aggregates/Khandas
Cluster 1. Body Sensations/Materiality/Rūpa
The five physiological senses plus the mind, which give us our sense of the world
Cluster 2. Feeling tones/Feeling/Vedanā
The general tone of pleasant, unpleasant or neutral that emerge from the raw unprocessed sensation/experience. Every feelings/emotion we experience has some tone.
Cluster 3. Perceptions/Saññā
The processing of the object as such and such. E.g. A noise as a dog bark.
Cluster 4. Reactions/mental formations/conceptual fabrication/Saṅkhāra
Our reactions/responses. The thoughts, judgements and narratives that are habitually associated with these sensations and concepts. Including the Eight Worldly Winds
Cluster 5. Consciousness/Cognizance/Viññāṇa
The conscious awareness of the other 4, and the mind activity we create and allow in response to that.
Eight worldly winds
Triggers for reactivity:
* Loss and gain
* Obscurity and fame
* Praise and blame
*Pleasure and pain
The Four Divine Abodes
- Warm Friendliness: Or loving kindness. A feeling of kindness and good will toward all beings.
- Compassion: understanding, empathy and care towards all others in their moments of suffering, and a desire to help.
- Empathic/sympathetic joy: genuine happiness at others joy and good fortune.
- Equanimity: a calm emotional balance in the face of both pleasant and unpleasant experiences
The Five Hinderances
- Sensual desire
- Aversion
- Sloth and torpor
- Restlessness and Worry
- Doubt
The Four Cankers/Taints (Asavas)
- Sensual desire - craving
- Becoming/selfing
- Views/perceptions - Holding to tightly to a view point (glasses and binoculars
- Ignorance of the true reality of nature (child looking at landscape)
Overcome the four cankers/asavas by:
- Seeing - understanding the four noble truths (glasses)
- Restraining - Guarding the 6 senses (handcuffs)
- Using - Using practical things to avoid suffering (e.g. a coat to avoid the cold (syringe)
- Enduring - putting up with until passes (wrist support)
- Avoiding - Staying away from situations that invoke suffering (gloves)
- Removing - actively removing/destroying thoughts that cause suffering (tweezers)
- Developing (mindfulness) (roll of film)
The ten fetters (saṃyojana)
- Self-identity view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi) The thinker
- Doubt (vicikicchā) Biting nails
- Attachment to rites and rituals (sīlabbata-parāmāsa) Fire
- Sensual desire (kāma-rāga) Jessica rabbit
- Ill-will (vyāpāda) Pasty figure
- Desire for form existence (rūpa-rāga) - Desire for existence in other realms - Vishnu
- Desire for formless existence (arūpa-rāga) - Desire for existence in higher realms - Empty box
- Conceit (māna) - pride - comparing yourself to others- Yuppy
- Restlessness (uddhacca) - Itching powder
- Ignorance (avijjā) - Child
Universal Unwholesome Factors
- Delusion (moha): Ignorance or misunderstanding of reality (village idiot)
- Shamelessness (ahirika): Lack of moral shame (Naked figure)
- Remorselessness (anottappa): Lack of moral dread or fear of consequences (assassin)
- Restlessness (uddhacca): Agitation or distraction of mind.
Greed Unwholesome Factors
- Greed (lobha): Excessive desire or attachment (Green goblin head)
- Wrong view (diṭṭhi): Misperception or misunderstanding of reality (mirror)
- Conceit (māna): Pride or an inflated sense of self (yuppy)
Hatred Unwholesome Factors
- Hatred (dosa): Aversion or ill-will
- Envy (issā): Jealousy of others’ success or possessions (shrek)
- Stinginess (macchariya): Stinginess or unwillingness to share (coin)
- Worry (kukkucca): Anxiety or regret about past actions
Delusion Unwholesome Factors
- Sloth (thīna): Mental dullness or sluggishness (sloth)
- Torpor (middha): Drowsiness or lethargy (bed)
- Doubt (vicikicchā): Sceptical indecision that hinders progress (knight)
The seven factors of awakening
- Mindfulness/awareness
- Curiosity
- Energy
- Delight
- Tranquility
- Mental integration
- Equanimity
The Four foundations of Mindfulness
- Kāyānupassanā (Mindfulness of the body)
- Vedanānupassanā (Mindfulness of feelings)
- Cittānupassanā (Mindfulness of mind/consciousness focused on overall state of mind, e.g. Lust, aversion, delusion, distraction, etc.
- Dhammānupassanā (Mindfulness of mental objects/phenomena focused on specific mental factors, e.g. The hinderances, aggregates, six internal and external sense bases.)
Which list of parts of consciousness is practical?
The four foundations of mindfulness
