Meditation in Ordinary Daily Life

Bhikkhu Bodhidhamma
Dailylifecare
Meditation
In
Ordinary Daily Life
Bhikkhu Bodhidhamma
PUBLICATION
2002
An Offering of Dhamma
Not to be sold.

The Buddha’s Basic Advice:
In the Discourse on How to Establish Mindfulness, there is
the following section on Clear Comprehension:
A meditator when moving forward or backward is
clearly aware of what they are doing; when looking
ahead or behind, clearly aware of what they are
doing; when bending, stretching … when carrying
things , clearly aware of what they are doing; when
eating, drinking, chewing, savouring … when
passing stools or urine … when walking, standing,
sitting, falling asleep and waking up … when
speaking or staying silent, they clearly aware of
what they are doing.
That is, whatever the meditator is doing, that is what
they must be mindful of.
In other words, the sitting meditation is only a part of the
practice as a whole. The Buddha wanted us to develop a
meditative life. To know what we are doing at all times. A
life of fulltime awareness. The danger for meditators is to
raise the sitting meditation practice to the position of a
magical ritual as if all we needed to do was a little sitting
in the morning and in the evening (perhaps) and
liberation from suffering is assured. Too often meditators
think sitting meditation is the be-all and end-all of the
Path. I once met a meditator because of this. He had been
tremendously ardent, spending months in intensive
meditation only to come out and live the 'good life'. After
years of this so-called practice, achieving very little in
terms of inner peace, he had achieved little but sorrow
and despair. He felt the five years of so he had spent on
the meditation practice had been a great waste. So, it is
this dependence on meditation sitting as the one and
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only practice that leads to disillusionment and
disappointment. Eventually the meditator may abandon
the practice altogether as useless! So sitting meditation is
only part of the Buddha's path, though undoubtedly
necessary.
The Middle Path
The rules that guide the monastic life show clearly that
the Buddha wasn't teaching simply a meditation practice
but a way of life, a way of living day to day. The Middle
Path is a description of how life as a whole should be led
by someone eager to attain liberation from all suffering.
This Middle Path in its broader aspect means not to fall
prey to sensual pleasure, not to over-indulge in sensual
delights. Nor should we believe that self-mortification
such as long fasts will bring us anywhere nearer the goal.
Moderation in all things! Secondly, that we should be
careful not to transgress the basic moral laws for this
produces harmful affects for us and for others. Thirdly,
that we should make great effort to improve ourselves by
the practice of the Perfections. This is all put as the Four
Great Efforts of the Eightfold Noble Path - to eradicate
existing unwholesome habits and practices, and not to
allow any new ones to establish themselves; to introduce
new wholesome ways of thinking and behaving and to
develop what wholesomeness we already have.
Starting the Day
As an aid to this growth and as a part of the meditation,
we need to bring Right Awareness and Right
Concentration right into our daily lives. This is what a lot
of meditators find very difficult and confusing. So, let us
see what meditation in daily life might mean. The day
really begins with how we have slept for we often wake
with the mind that fell asleep. If I'm depressed or angry
before I go to sleep, sure enough the same emotions will
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overtake me when I wake or soon after. Therefore, we
need to fall asleep in a meditative way so that at least any
negative frames of mind are weakened and positive ones
reinforced. So we should try to go to sleep with the mind
in meditation. Just gently placing the attention on the
process of breathing or observing the sensations in the
body caused by our state of mind. Alternatively, a good
practice is to review the whole body, starting at the top of
the head and slowly working our way down to the tips of
the toes, observing all the sensations on or in the body.
Alternatively, following the instructions on how to
practise Metta, put a loving thought in the heartmind and
repeat over and over again. At some time, it is also
important to make a firm resolution to wake with the
alarm, to set the mind to wake up. The alarm is only an
aid. So that when we wake, we can sit up quickly and
observe the mind, catching the first mood of the day and
developing that watchful attitude. Once the mind is
clear, we can make the next firm resolution not to let a
moment of the day pass in mindlessness. All effort will
be put into achieving continuity of awareness. Resolute
determination plays a significant part in the meditative
life. It is, in fact a Perfection to be developed. We don't
have to become neurotic over breaking them. We need to
see such resolutions as attempts to recondition the mind.
Remember the Buddha's teaching that will is Kamma. We
need to strengthen the will, to make it strong enough to
carry through our skilful decisions. For instance, getting
up that little bit earlier to do the regulation forty minutes
or better one hour meditation is very difficult at first, but
if we persevere a new habit will be established. You may
also find as so many meditators do that the more
mindfulness is maintained, the less sleep is needed. So
we start the day with a decision to develop continuous
awareness. We resolve, we determine to do it and
eventually we will achieve it to a fairly high degree.
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Deliberately Purposefully Intentionally
What form does continual awareness take? Firstly it is
awareness of all the tasks we normally complete in a day,
especially the normal ones, the habitual ones. The ones
we would normally do on automatic pilot. These range
from brushing the teeth, to drinking a cup of tea, to
routine tasks at work. Anything manual and physical
needs to be done with awareness. Done deliberately,
purposefully, intentionally. Even closing drawers, opening
cupboards should be done as if for the first time. A good
technique to bring mindfulness to bear in our mundane
tasks is to do them just a little more slowly and with
careful deliberation. Another is to repeat the action that
was done mindlessly. This sort of practice brings
calmness and equanimity into our lives. This is more
easily done if we approach all actions and tasks as if they
were ceremonies, as if we were doing them clearly aware
of what they are doing in front of someone we respected.
I often like to imagine the Buddha himself just sitting
somewhere unobtrusively in the room. How mindful I'd
be if he really were!
Ceremony
Drinking tea is a national habit if not neurosis, but it can
so easily be turned into a real meaningful act. Instead of
rushing through the preparation, filling the kettle up with
the tap full on, splashing water everywhere, banging the
kettle down, plugging it in, grabbing the cup and saucer,
banging the cupboard door shut. Same routine at the
fridge for the milk. Pouring the boiling water into the pot
as quickly as possible. Tapping your fingers, eating cake,
gulping it down while we wait for it to brew. And then,
what we've been longing for all along, in two short gulps
the tea's gone. Our minds here, there and everywhere.
Not actually tasting a drop. Two, three cups go down and
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not a single drop is truly tasted. The whole fandango is
finished of with a hurried wash up. No wonder we forget
whether we've had a cup of tea or not! Doing all this
mindfully, deliberately, carefully, taking one’s time,
drinking the tea as if for the first time in our lives, lifts
this ordinary mundane activity into a meditative exercise
which not only increases our mindfulness, but fills that
moment with order and beauty. In Japanese culture,
this sort of idea produced the famous and beautiful Tea
Ceremony, but it runs like a motif through a lot of how
the Japanese behave, even to the ceremonial bowing
before martial arts. To us, it might seem a little over the
top, but if we do ceremonise our lives, we shall see it
beautifies all our actions.
The Art of Listening
The second area we need to look at in our daily activities
is our relationships and communication with other
people. Again it is especially the usual, the ordinary, the
habitual communication that needs to be de-robotised
and made meaningful. We have to observe how we are
communicating with our spouse, children, friends, people
at work, neighbours, and compare this to the
attentiveness we devote to what the boss says or to the
diagnosis of the doctor. We need to cultivate the art of
listening.
When we listen attentively, giving our whole attention to
what is said, we also become aware of the opinions and
conditioned responses in our own minds. Sometimes
we can achieve a concentration in our listening so that
these are subdued. For listening to someone means to
hear what they're saying as if for the first time. If this is
really happening, there will always be a break before a
response while the mind assimilates what has been said
and thinks of an answer.
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Too often our conversations are fencing matches. My
concern is to get the other to acknowledge what ‘I’ am
saying and to get ‘that’ person to agree with ‘me’. The
other person is doing exactly the same. There's no
listening to what the other is actually saying, only as to
how it affects 'my' position in the so-called 'discussion'.
No wonder there are so many misunderstandings and
mistaken assumptions.
When we converse with each other, there's no need to
respond immediately. What is really needed is to be truly
aware of what the other is saying. In counselling, there's
a technique used by a counsellor to show the client that
they have understood what's been said. To show the
client they’ve really been listening and also to find out
whether in fact they’ve understood the client's situation.
At the end of the client's complaint or explanation, the
counsellor will say something like: ‘so what you’re saying
is ...’ It is always a wonderful moment when the client's
face brightens up and relaxes.
Finally, someone who's really listening to what they're
saying. Someone who's understood. We communicate to
understand each other. To know each other better. At
deeper levels, it’s sharing experiences, supporting and
comforting. This is all impossible for someone who can't
listen. Such a person always starts from the wrong
premise and usually puts a foot in it. Listening is an art
and the base line of any relationship. People, who can't
listen, can’t relate. To listen properly is to be fully aware
of what the other is saying and feeling.
Creating Space 1
The next important practice, once we are clear of what it
generally means to be aware in our daily activities and
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relationships, is to create a space. Our society with its
accent on time passing, punctuality and dead lines,
creates a rush, a race. Everyone’s running every which
way. Everyone's speeding. If you can do four jobs at
once, that’s good. Five, that's better. No wonder there's so
much pressure about, so much stress. So much
straining. No wonder the greatest killers are heart
failure, blood pressure, strokes and so on.
According to Buddhist psychology, only one
consciousness arises at one time. The human mind is
capable of doing only one thing at a time. You can't be
conscious of two things at the same time. We think we
are. When we sitting the cinema, we seem to experience
all the five senses at once. We see the film. We hear the
music and dialogue. We taste the ice cream, smell the
smoke and feel uncomfortable in our seats. We seem to
be in bath of sensual pleasure all at once. But actually,
each consciousness, arising at vast speeds no doubt, is
aware of only thing, one incoming sense data at one time.
I am either seeing the film, or hearing the sound track or
eating the ice cream and so on. But such is the speed of
consciousness and such is the higher power of the mind
to relate and integrate all this that I believe it is all
happening altogether, all at once. But we have been
fooled, just like the celluloid film tricks us into believing
we are seeing one continuous action and not a set of
individual frames. So the important rule to establish in
the meditative life is to do one deliberate action at a time.
Of course, there are many things that have now become
automatic, such as walking. Here we are discussing
those actions that take deliberation, that have to be done
with a certain amount of awareness or thinking. Walking
is normally automatic, but it isn’t if we're crossing a high,
narrow mountain ridge. Then we are very much aware of
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how we are walking. And if when this walking ought to
be a conscious activity, we decide to look at the scenery,
we shouldn't be surprised to fall off. Here we are
concerned with deliberate action, actions that need our
attention.
In the morning, for instance, we might find ourselves
eating our meusli and cornflakes, talking to the family
and reading the gas bill all at once. No wonder we feel
confused. That things are getting on top of us. At work
or at leisure, it is good to organise the tasks ahead, but
accept limitations, accept the reality of what's actually
happening. Don't be confused by thoughts of what ought
to be happening.
Suppose the day is very busy and full of interruptions. If
we now view these interruptions not as disturbances and
nuisances, but simply accept them as the next thing to
be done, we shall free ourselves of a lot of anger and
frustration and stress. Suppose I'm doing some written
work, filling out forms or something and someone
approaches me for information. When they 'interrupt' me,
with’ excuse me' all I need say is, 'I'll be with you in a
moment'. In that moment, I recollect where I am with the
work I'm doing. To be aware is to remember. Then I turn
to the questioner and devote myself to that request.
Once the request is answered, I note I have completed
that task and go back to the written work where I have
left a marker. No disturbance. No anger. No stress.
Just moving from one job to another, creating a small
space to recollect. If the person approaching is full of
stress and bother, I don’t become involved in that. I keep
my attention to the problem and reassure the person.
It's the same in a family of children, all jumping up and
down for attention, just when poor old mum and dad
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were looking for a bit of peace and quiet. What an
opportunity to train! This way of working, one job at a
time with a small space in between, makes for
concentration and efficiency.
Creating Space 2
This small space has also another important function. It
stops the accumulation of emotional states. Missing that
alarm in the morning and over sleeping, Jack suddenly
wakes up and realises he's going to be late. Panic. From
that moment there's a world-shattering rush to get to
work on time. The morning wash at top speed, water and
soapsuds everywhere. The breakfast is shovelled in,
scalding tea gulped with a yelp. Jack then legs it to the
bus stop and spends the ride tapping his fingers and
biting his lip. Or driving like a madman, swearing at
friend and foe, prepared to run over man, woman and
child, cats and dogs. Finally, he arrives at work. Is that
the end of the panic? Of course not! Whether he's late or
early, he has set the pace for the day. The whole day
becomes a phrenetic onslaught with rush, anger,
frustration, anxiety, stress and so on. At the end of the
day, his only comfort a bottle of aspirin or worse!. All
this has now, of course, stopped. For Jack is an expert
meditator. Now when he's late, he notices the sense of
panic and anxiety. But he doesn't respond. He talks
himself out of rushing, accepting the fact he's late. He
puts effort into concentrating on what he's doing. He
may move faster, but not wilder. When he gets to work
late he accepts this fact and realises that from now on
there's no need to keep up the faster pace. He relaxes
back into his normal routine. No anxiety, no frustration,
no angry outbursts, no rush, no stress. This technique of
letting our reactions to events subside is of paramount
importance if we want to cultivate a general state of
calmness. This technique is enhanced by self reflection.
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Self-reflection
This is the process of self-monitoring throughout the day.
But not the self-monitoring of a Big Brother, full of do's
and don'ts and oughts and shouldn'ts, but of a nurse
who is caring for their patients. It is simply a matter of
recording the state of play and deciding on action to
remedy or enhance the situation. Just as a nurse takes a
constant temperature reading and acts appropriately.
This is another way of stopping emotions and moods from
snowballing.
Now Jill, Jack's wife, got to work this morning, early
enough, but feeling tired and depressed. As soon as she
walks in, her boss says something she didn't like at all.
She gets angry about it. All morning she is alternately,
depressed, tired or angry. She angry about being
depressed and depressed about being tired and tired of
being angry. When she goes for a break, everything
irritates her. She's really miserable and her colleagues
ignore her. Now sitting on her own, depression is fuelled
with self-pity. Her only consolation is to go home, shout
at Jack, and the kids, kick the cat and lock herself into a
room, sulk and in really bad times take Prozac!
Jill, however, is now an expert meditator too. She has
learnt the technique of living with moods and emotions,
of existing peacefully with them. She develops a friendly
attitude towards them, one of acceptance. She still
suffers from depression, but now she acknowledges it as
a fact, as a result of past conditioning. She tries to feel it
as it really is. She decides that though the depression is
going to hang about, probably make her less efficient, her
energy and attention will be directed to the job in hand,
to communicating with people, to raising the will to be
helpful, open and friendly. By doing this she knows the
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depression won’t dominate her life. She knows there
wont be reactions to it, like anger and self-pity and
anxiety. It may remain all day, all week, all month, all
year, but her attitude to it now is as to physical pain,
backache or headache. She's not going to let it highjack
her life. She knows these sorts of attitudes are allowing
the depression to lose steam, to lose energy. She knows
she is reconditioning herself, re-educating herself. It's
hard work. It's painful. But every so often she feels that
the depressions are passing away just that little bit
quicker, that they are never quite so deep, that she is no
longer so suffocated by them. The moods, once so solid,
now seem more soft. She feels a general lifting towards
calmness, peace and joy.
The Inward Glance
Unfortunately, the Buddha neither discovered nor offered
a quick magic cure. It's all hard persistent work. Jill
knows that this technique, based on awareness, has to
be regular and constant. She trains herself into the habit
of the inward glance. Moving from room to room means
opening and shutting doors. In that small moment, that
break in closing the door, she pauses to look inwards,
take stock and lets go of whatever mood was built up in
the room she's left. She clears her heart and mind,
returns to an equilibrium. Walking down corridors and
up stairs, during tea breaks and natural breaks, she sees
in them all occasions for this gentle self-monitoring. This
continual effort to let go of negative states of mind. This
continual effort to establish self-awareness. And then the
turning outwards to being aware of all that is around. Jill
knows now from personal experience that keeping this
awareness, making these sorts of decisions, leads to
equanimity and clarity of mind. Her depressions come
and go, but she's no longer depressed by them. In time
even her depressions will pass away.
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The Diary
An extension of this continual process of self-monitoring
which is simply a way of being in touch with ourselves
and of getting to know ourselves better is to keep a diary.
There are many ways to keep a diary, but the purpose of
keeping this diary is to heighten one's self-knowledge and
to use it to encourage oneself in spiritual training.
Writing can often get things off your chest. Writing about
an occasion that upset us, we can ask, what was it that
actually got me upset. Why did it do so? Was it a
rational response? Did the response help the other, the
situation, me? What would be a better response in the
future?
For instance, I knew someone who was having problems
with his child. He talked about how unruly and angry
the child was. As he talked he happened to mention that
he often got quite angry with the child. When we
discussed it, it occurred to us that maybe the child was
simply reacting to his anger and even modelling himself
on his father’s behaviour, as any dutiful child should! A
lot of the problems passed when he changed his
behaviour. Perhaps if he had kept a diary, he might have
been able to make this connection between the child's
behaviour and his own before it became a problem.
The Tough Nut
Now that we have established as it were, a basic
disposition towards daily life, we can be more proactive.
We can take the offensive. Wean search for techniques
which will enhance our lives the more. The first one is to
tackle the Tough Nut. Everyone has a habit or
personality trait they would dearly love to lose. It could
be a strong habit such a smoking or a social nuisance
such as a loud voice or always opinionating. The first is
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to make the resolution to change. Then we need to use
our self-observation techniques and here a diary is very
useful in order to observe when, where and with whom
the habit is likely to occur. As we come to know the
occasions of the habit, we can form strategies, firstly so
that we are not overcome by the habit and secondly so
that we can undermine its hold on us.
My father used to be a heavy smoker, forty cigarettes a
day and the full-blooded, thick tar stuff. He used to sing
in a choir, but had to stop for continual sore throats.
The doctor even then (this is over sixty years ago mind!)
advised him to stop smoking if he wanted a long singing
life. He did. And he hit the habit where it hurt most. The
one cigarette most difficult to abandon was the one after
lunch when he would sit and relax and perhaps doze.
Since he came home for lunch, he decided instead of
smoking and instead of getting irritable with others, he'd
take it out on the piano. Not only has he never smoked
since, but he also became a dab hand at the piano. This
is positive action. It hurts. We've got to work at it. But
it does work!
What are the factors involved? Firstly that insight into
the harm of any particular habit. Then the resolute
determination to change. Then the strategy. And most
important, the prize! Always make sure there's a present
at the end. My father returned to the choir he loved.
Developing Goodwill
But its not only against our negative side we must take
the offensive, we need also to put energy into the better
sides of our personalities. Firstly we need to set the mind
onto positive from the first moment of the day. After the
morning meditation practice, Metta should be practiced.
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Metta means goodwill, benevolence, open-heartedness,
kindness, care: a universal, impartial love. Again it is by
making this inner decision, talking to oneself, suggesting
to oneself a better way to be, convincing oneself, that the
ground for resolute determination is established. By
setting the mind at goodwill, once negative states have
been allowed to pass, that goodwill will automatically
arise. This goodwill then stands as barrier to any
habitual negative responses such as anger. It allows the
heart to feel things from the other’s point of view.
Now in this practice, it is very important to be able to
offer love to oneself. At first most people think this is
selfish. But actually it's self-care. It's the difference
between cooking a well-balanced meal for oneself, and
spending £50 on a beef Stroganoff a la nouveau cuisine.
Knowing the difference between self-care and self-
indulgence is crucial to undercutting any feelings of hate
we might have towards ourselves. Just as we can care
and comfort others, so we can care and comfort
ourselves. Just as we encourage and support ourselves,
so we should encourage and support others. In this vein,
it is good practice to take one of the Perfections as a
special practice.
Maybe it's patience. I'm impatient with others and
myself. I'm easily irritated and angered. So let this be my
special practice. As we develop one Perfection, we shall
discover that the whole personality is affected and all the
other Perfections are also enhanced. Since our
personalities and relationships are all interdependent
and interrelated, this bettering of me inside myself will
begin to better my relationships with others, allowing
others in turn to develop their relationship towards me.
Inclining towards Nibbana
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So far we have talked on a psychological and social level.
But how does all this lead to spiritual insight, to the
experience of the supramundane, of what there is beyond
the psychological and the social, beyond the body and
mind? This whole process, this continual effort is all to
do with purifying the mind. When the mind is pure, the
Spiritual Faculties can emerge and intuitive knowledge
arise. These faculties are confidence, effort,
concentration, awareness and wisdom. In fact, these
faculties can come together at any time whatsoever. That
momentary concentration of these factors, when they are
all balanced is known as Khanika Samadhi. It is a well-
known phenomena in the scriptures.
A laywoman became Sotapanna on intuiting anicca,
transience, in the crackling of her baking bread. Ananda,
the Buddha's attendant, attained arahatship, while
placing his head on the pillow to go to sleep. A modern
meditation teacher intuited anicca, the fundamental
impermanence of the universe, while watching a dog pass
by. This moment is beyond our personal control. It
simply happens when all the conditions are ripe. We
don't have to worry about it at all. It will arise of its own
at any time, while doing anything. The Nibbanic
experience is beyond conditions and arises when the
factors conducive to its arising are mature. We cannot
make it happen no more than we can make ourselves
forget something. It happens naturally as a consequence
of all our endeavours to train in the Perfections and to
remain mindful.
In this connection, let me add that to be aware and alert
is not necessarily to be self-aware. In Insight Vipassana
Meditation, once the concentration is high, all we know is
the process of the breath. Up until that moment we were
aware of ourselves being the objective observers. When
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that objective observer vanishes, and all we know is the
process of breath, then that is the sort of pure awareness
we need to achieve insight. This can't be brought about
by an act of will. The observer cannot make itself vanish.
It happens quite naturally once the concentration and
focus are developed enough.
So it is in ordinary daily life. I might be doing a mental
task, such a writing a letter or physical task, such as
mowing the lawn. At first, since I'm trying to do the jobs
mindfully, I might be aware of myself. But as I give
myself to the task, I lose this self-awareness, awareness
of a ‘me’. Sometimes when we’ve done a job, we're
amazed at how time has flown. It seems to have gone like
a shot. We end up cutting the whole lawn or writing the
whole letter perfectly and without once being actually
aware of a ‘me’ doing them. They were just done. This is
a highly developed state of concentrated awareness and it
is in such moments as these that the Factors of
Enlightenment can become developed and balanced
enough to give insight. No-one can manufacture this
moment, because the ‘one’ means that self, that ego
which is lost in such moments. So don't try, just do!
At the End of the Day
So now we are at the end of the day. A good practice is to
spend sometime before falling asleep in bringing the
whole day to mind. Here, the diary is useful. Note all the
times when mindfulness was lost - when, where and with
whom. See if anything can be done to put right any
unfortunate consequences of mindlessness if there are
any. If nothing can be done, then accept the
consequences totally. What's the point of worry and
sorrow? Acceptance is all that is needed and of course,
the resolution not let such a thing happen again.
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Recall moments of mindfulness, of joy, of friendliness, of
handling a tricky situation well. Congratulate yourself.
Then bring tomorrow to mind and determine to continue
your efforts.
Finally, in bed, go to sleep with the mind rested,
contented on having done your best. What more can be
asked. And gently follow the breathing.
The Joy of Practice
So there we have it. The meditative life! Our objective,
full-time awareness, supported by the techniques of
creating space, self recollection, positive action and, of
course, our sitting meditation which now comes into its
true role of training the mind to develop effort,
concentration and mindfulness.
It is recommended to practise vipassana early morning in
order to establish our centre for the day and in the
evening to allow any unwholesome emotions to be
defused. Forty-five minutes will do. An hour is better.
But even ten minutes is better than none. These silent
times will nurture the whole day with their quiet
awareness.
When we live the meditative life, our view of living
changes. To live is to experience. Life is no longer a
sequence of successes and failures. Life is no longer
loaded with the heavy judgements of good and bad, right
and wrong. Since now we see life as experience, we are
looking at what is healthy, wholesome, skilful and getting
away from the unhealthy, the unwholesome, the
unskilful. We need to be athletes, training for the real
marathon - life itself. For most of us over 70 years and
over difficult terrain! What is more, each moment is not
just the training, but the testing ground too.
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The Buddha asked us to be an island unto ourselves, a
refuge unto ourselves. He wanted us to take the
Dhamma, the Teaching, the Truth as our refuge. We
have within each of us the potential to achieve the
highest peace and joy. Not simply the joy and peace of a
meditative life, but that peace beyond peace - Nibbana.
His final advice was:
Everything is transient, work diligently for your liberation.
Life is passing!
No time to faff about!
Our goals must be set.
All that's left is work.
So we'd better get on with it!
This is the real work of our lives.
The work of our own true liberation.
(cid:64)@
those meditators who delight in ever present mindfulness
and look with fear upon heedlessness
are not liable to fall into unskilful behaviour
they are in the presence of Nibbana!
(cid:64)@
DAILYLIFECARE
AIMS
Establish Satipanya in Sitting Meditation.
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Establish Satipanya in Ordinary Daily Life.
Develop the Perfections.
OBJECTIVES
Full-time Awareness
Be mindful of all activities, especially the habitual
- eating, toiletry, routine tasks
Do things a little slower and more deliberately
Be attentive to all communication, especially the usual
- partner, children, fellow workers
: no need to respond immediately
: when really listening, a pause occurs
naturally
Sitting Meditation – Morning
Put real effort into the Vipassana
- especially the opening attempt to be concentrated
Be sure to spend at least five minutes developing Metta
Before you get up:
acknowledge any negative attitudes
resolve not to allow them to highjack you
develop positive attitudes especially to the disliked
choose a negative mental attitude or state
you are going to 'let go of throughout the day
choose a Perfection or virtue you wish to work on
throughout the day
e.g. practice patience towards some one
Creating Space
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Do one job at a time
e.g. reading the mail in the morning, do it attentively
and make deliberate decisions about it
rather than eating your meusli and talking to
the family while you turn blue over the gas bill
leads to – concentration
Pause between every task or event
do a task or what you can do of it completely
stop! mentally put the finished task aside
create, if only for a moment, silence
allow the mind to settle
look within and know the mental state
then bring the mind to the new task
Make a conscious intention
Then do it.
leads to – efficiency
After an event, allow the reaction to subside
e.g. if you miss the alarm and get up late
watch your reaction of anxiety and haste
if the reaction continues throughout the day,
just know it is there and carry on attentively
leads to - calmness
Self - Recollection
use the inward glance to know
what state of mind you are in
and then respond a continual self-monitoring
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stops moods and emotions from snowballing
find regular times in the day to practice this
opening and closing of doors
walking along corridors, up stairs
tea-break and natural breaks
leads to - equanimity and clarity of mind
The Tough Nut
everyone has a particular habit or personality trait
they would like to change or eradicate
study it as it occurs - when, where, with whom
find strategies to cope so you are not highjacked
Positive Attitude
Metta meditation, not just at sitting time
wait for negative moods to pass
then direct Metta to the object, person or self
constantly set your intention at 'goodwill'
Khanika Samadhi
This is a moment to moment state of concentrated intuitive
awareness - Satipanya - which is able to perceive ultimate
realities. It can come at any time as it did to one of the
disciples of the Buddha who, while attending to the bread in
the oven, intuited the characteristic of transience - anicca -
in the crackling. We can't make this happen. It happens
naturally. It is the happy outcome of our effort to remain
simply mindful. When we are fully concentrated on our work
and have lost all 'self ' awareness, this also has great
potential for spiritual insight.
END OF THE DAY
22

Sitting Meditation – evening
make a special effort especially after a hard day
important in order to let go of the day's
accumulations
and ensure restful sleep
Use a diary for reflection
write what comes to mind for 15 min. every evening
don't think about what you are going to write
just 'splurge' and then put it away
don't read it after you have finished
at the end of a week, read all the writings and
... draw your own conclusions
recall moments of mindlessness
note when, where, and with whom
note if anything can be done to put right
any unfortunate consequences
determine to do so
if nothing can be done
accept the consequences totally
recall moments of mindfulness
successes in dealing with tricky situations
and with negative states
congratulate yourself!
At bedtime
determine to fulfill your goals tomorrow
determine to wake with the alarm
maintain mindfulness from that moment onwards
put your mind upon the breath or body sensations
or practice Metta
23

P U J A
Buddham pujemi
Dhammam pujemi
Sangham pujemi
I bow to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha
VANDANA
HOMAGE
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa!
Homage the Blessed, Noble and the Fully Self-Enlightened One!
TISARANA
THE THREE REFUGES
Buddham saranam gacchami
I go to the Buddha as my Refuge
Dhammam saranam gacchami
I go to the Dhamma as my Refuge
Sangham saranam gacchami
I go to the Sangha as my Refuge
Dutiyampi Buddham saranam gacchami... (repeat)
For the second time I go the Buddha.... as my Refuge
Tatiyampi Buddham saranam gacchami.... (repeat)
For the third time..... as my Refuge
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PANCA S1LA
THE FIVE TRAINING RULES
Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the training rule to abstain from killing any living being
Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the training rule not to take that which is not freely given
Kamesu micchacara veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the training rule to abstain from sexual misconduct
Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the training rule to abstain from wrong speech
Sura meraya majja pamadatthana
veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the training rule not to take substances
that cloud the mind
Vipassana Gatha
VIPASSANA VERSES
All conditioned things are impermanent
When this is perceived with wisdom
One becomes disenchanted with what cannot satisfy
Just this is the Path of Purification.
All conditioned things are unsatisfactory
All conditioned things and the Unconditioned are
insubstantial
[Dhammapada 20 v5-7]
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Those meditators who delight in ever-present mindfulness
And look with fear upon heedlessness
Are not liable to fall into unskilful behaviour
They are in the presence of Nibbana.
All conditioned things have the nature to decay.
Work diligently for your liberation.
[Last words of the Buddha - Parinibbana Sutta]
I determine to make this day
a day of moment to moment mindfulness.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
(Well-done!)
Metta
Goodwill
Offer worldly and spiritual blessing to:
someone whom you have warm regard for
those who are near and dear
friends, people at work, neighbours …
oneself
Having established metta, begin to radiate it outwards to:
all those in the room/house
all in the surrounds
the whole country
all people on earth
Putting a phrase in one’s heart which most expresses
the quality you wish to develop and share,
radiate it outwards to all beings in all directions.
26

VIPASSANA
GUIDELINES
Whatever the sitting posture, it should be comfortable
and fulfill three conditions - an energised spine with
its natural curvature, the rest of the body relaxed and
the head poised on top. The hands are placed on the
lap and the eyes are gently closed.
Then the attention is fixed on the process of breathing
- just the normal and natural breath. It is the
sensations at the abdomen caused by breathing which
are to be observed. And a noting word is used to focus
the thinking mind onto these sensations. As the
abdomen rises, the word 'rising' is repeated. As it falls,
'falling'. And in the gap before the in-breath begins
again, a feeling in the body is felt and observed, using
the noting word 'touching’.
When the mind is somewhat steady, the attention
should be allowed to observe whatever draws it within
the field of awareness - sensations and feelings,
moods and emotions, mental images and thoughts.
Using a simple word to note and without any
interference whatsoever, all these passing phenomena
are to be directly experienced and carefully observed.
Should the mind wander, let it be brought back gently
but firmly to observe sensations at the abdomen in
order to cultivate a sharp attentiveness.
27

In this way, right awareness with intuitive intelligence
- SATIPANYA – becomes established.
This bare attentiveness –
simply watching all that arises and passes away
This choiceless awareness –
that does not control or manipulate
This impartial observation –
that does not judge or question
This intuitive introspection –
fully experiencing each physical, emotional and
mental event as it really is,
leads to the realization that everything is
impermanent and insubstantial and that to
identify with or to become attached to anything
whatsoever, will bring dissatisfaction.
These VIPASSANA-INSIGHTS into the Three
Characteristics of Existence, impermanence,
unsatisfactoriness and not-self - ANICCA, DUKKHA,
ANATTA – lead to the complete liberation from all
suffering, the experience of the Unborn, the
Unbecome, the Uncreated, the Unconditioned; Refuge,
Harbour and Home; Perfect Contentment and Peace.
Those who are mindful are in the presence of Nibbana.
The Buddha
SADHU! SADHU! SADHU!
28

ESTABLISHING
SATIPANYA
• Posture
Sit comfortably. Energise the spine. Sit tall. Let the rest of
the body relax. The head gently poised on top. Natural easy
breathing. If you change posture in a sitting, do so mindfully,
slowly, noting all the movements, or it will disturb your
concentration. If you find yourself sagging, put more energy
into the spine. If the neck or back begins to ache, check the
posture, but also that you're not putting 'wrong effort' into
the practice, causing tension. You may use a cushion or a
meditation stool, but only those with physical problems
should use a chair.
• Breathing Process
Observe the rising and falling of the abdomen. Should
you be concentrating elsewhere e.g. at the nostrils,
please make sure you receive instruction. Concentrate
on the exact beginning of the inbreath, stay steady
throughout the whole middle process and catch the
exact end. Concentrate on the exact beginning of the
outbreath, stay steady throughout the whole middle
process and catch the exact end. In the gap before the
inbreath begins, become aware of a particular feeling or
the feeling of the whole posture and again concentrate
on the abdomen as soon as the inbreath starts again.
• Feelings and Sensations of the Body
Do not search for them. Allow them, whether from the
outside (such as hearing) or from the inside to draw your
attention and observe them with the same acute, energetic
watchfulness with which you observe the sensations caused
by the breath process, using appropriate noting words.
29

• Emotions and Moods
These are felt in the body as feelings. As with all sensations,
note and observe them carefully.
• Wandering: Talking: Fantasising Mind
As soon as you wake from a daydream, acknowledge it with a
noting word and plunge into the body and see if you can feel
the emotion which is causing the restlessness of mind. If it is
too subtle to catch, then resolve to stay with the breath
process. If the whole day is spent doing this, it is not wasted.
This is the training we must do with calm but firm
perseverance.
• Walking Meditation
Use the first 15 minutes or so as exercise, walking as fast
as you wish, noting - left ... right. Then begin to walk
slowly, noting - lifting ... moving ... lowering. Continue to
slow down, noting - lifting ... moving ... lowering ... placing.
Return to the sitting posture at a speed that will not
undermine the strength of concentration you've developed.
Attention is to be placed on the feelings in the foot. And
don't forget to note the intention to walk and turn. If you
are going very slow indeed, note - intending to step - before
each step.
• Daily Activity
It is very important indeed to keep up continuity of practice
and to note your intention before doing anything is a
powerful aid. Then complete the action slowly and
deliberately. The slower you go, the more you will notice.
This technique is a great aid to concentration and
mindfulness. Practice this all the time, even when opening
and closing doors, during toiletry and while eating.
Moment to moment awareness is the secret of success.
The Maha si Sayadaw
30

Discourse on Metta – Good-will
If you are wise and want to reach the state of peace,
you should behave like this:
You should be upright, responsible, gentle and humble.
You should be easily contented and need only a few things.
You should not always be busy.
You should have the right sort of work.
Your senses should be controlled and you should be modest.
You should not be exclusively attached to only a few people.
You should not do the slightest thing
that a wise person could blame you for.
You should always be thinking: May all beings be happy.
Whatever living beings there are, be they weak or strong, big
or small, large or slender, living nearby or far away, those
who have already been born and those who have yet to
be born,
May all beings without exception be happy.
You should not tell lies to each other.
Do not think that anyone anywhere is of no value.
Do not wish harm to anyone, not even when you are angry.
Just as a mother would protect her only child
at the risk of her own life,
So you should let the warmth of your heart go out
to all beings.
Let your thoughts of love go through the whole world
with no ill-will and no hate.
Whether you are standing, walking, sitting or lying down,
So long as you are awake you should develop
this mindfulness.
This, they say, is the noblest way to live.
And if you do not fall into bad ways,
but live well and develop insight,
And are no longer attached to all the desires of the senses,
Then truly you will never need to be reborn
in this world again.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
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THE TEN
PERFECTION
D A I L Y A F F I R M A T I O N S
1. May I be generous
and be of service to others.
(dana)
2. May I be morally correct
and self-disciplined.
(sila)
3. May I not be selfish and possessive
but selfless and sacrificing.
(nekkhamma)
4. May I be wise and be able to give others
the benefit of my understanding.
(panna)
5 May I be willing and energetic.
(viriya)
6. May I be patient and quick to forgive.
(khanti)
7. May I always be truthful.
(sacca)
8. May I be resolute and keep my word
(adhitthana)
9. May I be friendly, joyful and compassionate.
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(metta)
10. May I be calm and peaceful.
(upekkha)
NOTES
33

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The Buddha
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Meditation in Ordinary Daily Life

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