Moment-to-Moment Practice: Session 3

Moment-to-Moment Practice

Session 3

AVMC English Study Group

SESSION 3 PROGRAM

01.

02.

04.

05.

06.

03.

Chanting

Let’s fold our palms in anjali to venerate the Buddha.

Paying Homage to the Buddha

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsambuddhassa

(Homage to Him, the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One. )

(Three times.)

Taking Refuge in the Triple Gem

Buddham saranam gacchami.

Dhammam saranam gacchami.

Sangham saranam gacchami.

Dutiyampi Buddham saranam gacchami.

Dutiyampi Dhammam saranam gacchami.

Dutiyampi Sangham saranam gacchami.

Tatiyampi Buddham saranam gacchami.

Tatiyampi Dhammam saranam gacchami.

Tatiyampi Sangham saranam gacchami.

Taking the Five Precepts

1. Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami.

(I undertake the training to refrain from killing living beings.)

2. Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami.

(I undertake the training to refrain from taking what is not given.)

3. Kamesu micchacara veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami.

(I undertake the training to refrain from sexual misconduct.)

4. Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami.

(I undertake the training to refrain from false speech.)

5. Sura meraya majja pamadatthana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami.

(I undertake the training to refrain from intoxicants that cause carelessness.)

Session 2 Review

Depersonalize and Investigate

Wisdom: RADICAL

D = Depersonalize | I = Investigate

1. Letting go of identity-view:

How do we practice

depersonalizing with experience?

2. Seeing cause and effect:

How do we practice investigation?

Discussion of Homework

(~10 minutes)

Depersonalizing and Investigating feelings during meditation and while eating

How did it go? Where you able to apply R-A-D-I?

Session 3: Wisdom – RADICAL

Contemplate Impermanence

Review of Course Structure

Method Meditation Subject At Home Practice

Session 1 RADICAL Bodily sensations • Meditation: Body scan

• Daily life: Mindfulness of walking

Session 2 RADICAL Feeling • Meditation: Feeling that comes from

bodily sensations & pain/pleasure

• Daily life: Mindfulness of eating

• Session 3 • RADICAL • Mental states &

emotions • Meditation & daily life: Mental states &

emotions

Session 4 RADICAL All arising objects • Meditation: Pick a subject

• Daily life: Whatever arises, use handout

1. What is Impermanence ?

2. In terms of RADICAL = what does it mean to contemplate impermanence?

3. How do we practice contemplation of impermanence?

4. What are the benefits of contemplating impermanence?

Wisdom: RADICAL | C = Contemplate

Impermanence (Anicca)

- Inconstant, arising and passing away

- The Five Aggregates are impermanent in nature because of their four intrinsic properties:

i. their state of rising and falling, ii. of change or alteration,

iii. of temporariness,

iv. of lack of permanence or lasting quality

(according to the commentary of Alagaddupama Sutta: The Simile of the Snake - MN 22)

Contemplating Impermanence

1. Repeatedly paying “wise attention” (yoniso manasikara) to see the : - vanishing, falling away,

- change, alteration, or

- disappearance of phenomena

(a physical sensation: pain, itchiness, heat, etc., or a feeling: pleasant or unpleasant, or a mental state:

greedy mind, anger, jealousy, fear, sloth & torpor, restlessness, etc.)

2. Three phases in the life span of an object:

arising, abiding, and cessation

How to practice

Contemplation of Impermanence?

Relax the mind …

With mindfulness

- first recognizes the phases of arising and abiding (sustaining), and then - guides the mind to see the cessation (

wisdom

- Note and label all arisen mental/physical phenomena as “vanishing, vanishing”

or “impermanent, impermanent” or “gone, gone”

Why one FAILs to see impermanence:

put emphasis on arising rather than passing away

Benefits of Contemplating Impermanence

1. To resolve the distorted perception of permanence embedded in the mind, which prevents the mind from seeing phenomena as they actually are

2. To harmonize the mind with reality

3. To avoid the arising of grasping and craving that leads to suffering 4. To train the mind to let go of clinging to what is passing

1. What are mental states ?

2. Why should we contemplate mental states?

3. How do we contemplate mental states in meditation and in daily life?

Wisdom: Contemplating mental states

Brief Q&A

(~5 minutes)

Bringing C into meditation

Start with mindfulness (RA):

1. Become aware of your mental state (happy, sad, angry, bored, tired, restless, sloth &

torpor, worry, peaceful, etc).

2. See the mental state just as it is.

Contemplate impermanence (C):

3. Watch the mental states, thoughts, and emotions rise, abide, and pass away. Note:

“impermanent, impermanent” or “vanishing, vanishing” or “gone, gone”

Meditation

Contemplate Impermanence

(30 minutes)

Bell Ring Meditation Bell Bell Tone

Breakout Sessions

(15 minutes)

Discussion questions:

• RA-Were you able to recognize your mental state as just a mental state?

• C-Were you able to see the phases of arising, abiding?

• C-Were you able to see the “passing away” (Impermanence) of the mental states?

Whole Group Discussion & Sharing

(30 minutes)

Daily Life Practice Homework

Bringing the practice of contemplating impermanence into the

sitting practice and daily life

At Home Practice

• During Meditation:

C – Contemplate impermanence as the feeling & mental states pass away, and note

“impermanent, impermanent.”

• Daily Practice:

Contemplate the Greedy Mind with Mindfulness and Wisdom

Sharing of Merit

Idam me puññaṁ āsavakkhayāvahaṁ hotu.

(May this merit of mine be a supportive condition for the eradication of my defilements.)

Idam me puññaṁ Nibbānassa paccayo hotu.

(May this merit of mine be a supportive condition for my attainment of Nibbana.)

Mama puññabhagam sabbā sattānaṃ bhājemi;

(I share my merits with all beings.)

Te sabbe me samaṁ puññabhagam labhantu.

(May all beings get an equal share of the merits.)

Aspiration (Patthanā)