I continued to read from The Buddhist Tradition: In India, China and Japan edited by William Theodore de Bary. The following are notes on a passage about Right mindfulness, which is part of the Noble Eightfold Path (mentioned in earlier post). The last sentence in the last quoted passage below particularly is just beautiful—that was my experience of it, anyway, as I read the passage at lunch this afternoon. Felt like a gust of wind.

Right mindfulness

All material forms, past, present, or future, within or without, gross or subtle, base or fine, far or near, all should be viewed with full understanding—with the thought ‘This is not mine, this is not I, this is not my soul.’

And further, not only material forms, but also: sensation, perception, the psychic constructions, and consciousness.

Concentration on inhalation and exhalation is productive and helpful

Develop concentration on inhalation and exhalation, for when this is developed and increased it is very productive and helpful.

Personal elements

The individual is composed of personal elements:

  • Earth: hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, and so on.
  • Water: bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, and so on.
  • Fire: that which warms and consumes/burns up and produces metabolism.
  • Air: the wind in the body which moves upwards or downwards; the winds in the abdomen and stomach, winds which move from member to member (not sure what “member” refers to here), and the inhalation and exhalation of the breath.
  • Space (in many Buddhist texts, this is not admitted as a fifth element; more common in “orthodox Hindu theory”): orifices of ears and nose, door of the mouth, channels whereby food and drink enter, remain in, and pass out of the body.

We should develop a state of mind like earth, water (all manner of clean and unclean things are thrown onto or into both; they are not troubled or repelled or disgusted), fire (burns all things, clean and unclean), air (blows upon all things), space (nowhere established).

Cardinal Virtues of Buddhism

The first four below are the four cardinal virtues of Buddhism.

Develop a state of mind of.. As you do, this will grow less:
Friendliness Ill-will
Compassion Vexation
Joy Aversion
Equanimity Repugnance
Consciousness of the corruption of the body Passion
Consciousness of the fleeting nature of all things Pride of selfhood
Ordering the breath <See passage below>

Concentration on inhalation and exhalation is productive and helpful

Develop a state of mind of ordering the breath … in which the monk goes to the forest, or to the root of a tree or to an empty house, and sits cross-legged with body erect, collected in thought. Fully mindful he inhales and exhales. When he inhales or exhales a long breath he knows precisely that he is doing so, and similarly when inhaling or exhaling a short breath. While inhaling or exhaling he trains himself to be conscious of the whole of his body … to be fully conscious of the components of his mind … to realize the impermanence of all things … or to dwell on passionlessness … or renunciation. Thus the state of ordered breathing, when developed and increased, is very productive and helpful. And when the mind is thus developed a man breathes his last breath in full consciousness, and not unconsciously.