Lojong 5) Settle in pure awareness (samadhi - enlightenment / sabbodhi - awareness of things as they are)
Saturday, August 15, 2009 2. Formal Practice (2-10)
5) Settle in pure awareness (samadhi - enlightenment / sabbodhi - awareness of things as they are)
On the surface this seems to be to be a high aspiration. However, this saying clarifies that this is not an achievement to be strived for, but rather it comes from releasing. This is the key to the meaning of this one. It is not about striving, but about letting go. As I let go of the chatter of my everyday thoughts, I begin to settle into pure awareness of the present moment. When I achieve awareness of the present, I begin to see things as they really are. This means seeing things without the filters of my judgments such as "ought to be", "is good or bad", etc. Direct experiences of my emotions are most often in the present moment; it is those pesky thoughts that are the trouble!
As a Behavior Analyst have been accused of being "mindless" in the past. I hope I'm not being misunderstood again. This is why the Buddhist have appropriated the less pejorative "mindful". I believe a "mind" capable of direct experience and goal directed thought is "an establishing condition" for release from suffering. And back to the point of this saying: simply settling into pure awareness.
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