Tag: Rapture

A meditation session begins with focusing the mind on a chosen object and keep it there. If the mind strays, the meditator notices this quickly, catches it, and brings it gently back to the object. Doing this over and over as often as is necessary, the mind eventually begins to settle. At this point the five hindrances are likely to arise in one shape or other. They may appear as thoughts, as images, as surges of desire, anger and resentment, as heaviness of mind, agitation, doubts, etc. At times, when a particular hindrance becomes strong, the meditator may have to leave his primary meditation subject and take up a meditation that directly counteracts the hindrance ... read more of Stages of Concentration 1 ...

The wholesome states of mind to be developed can be grouped in various ways. One popular way of grouping is into the set called The Seven Factors of Enlightenment, which includes Mindfulness, Investigation, Energy, Rapture, Tranquility, Concentration, and Equanimity.

The first enlightenment factor – Mindfulness - clears the ground for insight by revealing the phenomena as they are here and now, stripped of all subjectivity: commentaries, interpretations, projections, etc. Mindfulness is basically receptive.

When the bare phenomena are seen as they are, the second enlightenment factor - Investigation - steps in to ponder their characteristics, conditions, and consequences ... read more of What are The Seven Factors of ...

The ultimate truth can be reached only by contemplating and penetrating our own experiences all the way through to their foundations. Truth has to be known directly to become liberating. What makes experiences accessible to insight is the mental faculty called mindfulness. Mindfulness is bare presence of mind, attentive and aware, a detached observation of what is happening in the present moment. Right mindfulness is cultivated through a practice called "the four foundations of mindfulness" - mindful contemplation of body; mindful contemplation of feelings; mindful contemplation of states of mind; and mindful contemplation of phenomena ... read more of What is Right Mindfulness? ...

To make any progress on the Noble Path requires Right Effort, which is exertion of wholesome energy guided by Right View and Right Intention. Right Effort has two sides and is often divided into the 'four great endeavors':

The one side of Right Effort aims at overcoming unwholesome states of mind caused by latent defilements – the first effort to prevent the unwholesome states from arising and the second to get rid of unwholesome states that arise despite the first effort ... read more of What is Right Effort? ...