Download mindfulness

This is the Chinese
character for
Mindfulness
This character, written in
bronze script,
金文
jin wen,
dates to the shang dynasty,
1766-1111 BCE.
Thus, from the history of Chinese writing we learn
that the concept of mindfulness
has been inherent in the language and lifestyle
for almost four millennia.
mindfulness
1
More than 90% of Chinese characters
Are a combination of
a phonetic 聲
a pictogram 形 .
In this ancient character for
mindfulness
the phonetic is at the top.
And a pictogram showing a heart/ mind is below.
mindfulness
2
古代人以心為思維器官,故後沿用為腦
的代稱 In ancient times, people
Bone oracle script
甲骨文 jia gu wen
guessed that the flesh heart was the
organ of thought and so the character
for heart 心 came to include the
functions of the brain [and by extension
the mind].
Bronze script
金文 jin wen
Seal script
小篆xiao zhuan
In the book
Illustrated Account of Chinese Characters,
compiled by Guang Hui Xie
the definition on page 164 notes:
Standard Script
楷体kai ti
Pictograms
of
heart/
mind
… In ancient writing systems 心
has the shape of a heart.
People in ancient times mistook
the heart for an organ for
thinking, so the character 心 is
also a cover term for thinking,
ideas, and feelings…
mindfulness
3
The Chan* School of Buddhism
禪
*Founded in China by
Patriarch Bodhidharma
during his time in Loyang
from 516-526 CE.
Chan, 禪,is part of the transliteration for
Dhyana, which means quieting thoughts.
The Japanese pronunciation of Chan is Zen.
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4
以心印心
以
yi
心
Using
the mind
印 yin
to seal
xin
心
xin
the mind
The method
by which
a Buddhist
Chan Master
transmits
his teachings
to a
qualified disciple
is
non-verbal.
mindfulness
5
This character for mindfulness is from
AN Inscription on a bronze cauldron
Named for the duke of mao, 毛 公 鼎,
dating from the Zhou dynasty,
828-782 BCE.
Although the top part of the character
is the phonetic, giving the character
its pronunciation, the phonetics
were chosen for their meaning
in addition to their sounds.
This phonetic’s meaning is
NOW.
NOW over the MIND
brings us to the concept of
MINDFULNESS.
mindfulness
6
Duke of Mao
bronze cauldron,毛
公鼎
The portion of the
inscription inside
The Duke of Mao
bronze cauldron,
毛 公 鼎, That includes
The Character for
Mindfulness reads:
夕敬念 王
…each evening
respectfully
be mindful
of the king.
Written by the Duke in
praise of King Xuan of
the late Western Zhou
period.
西周晚期的宣王時期。
mindfulness
7
Thus,
the classical Chinese concept of
Mindfulness
could be described as
deliberate focus on someone or
something out of a sense of duty
or social obligation.
For example,
 The citizen is mindful of his king;
 The child is mindful of his parents,
and so forth.
mindfulness
8
These few ancient characters and their verifiable dates
show that the
concept of mindfulness
dates before the advent of Buddhism in China.*
Thus,
*about 70
CE
when Buddhism’s
concept of mindfulness
was introduced into China,
there was already a character for it
and a classical concept of it.
mindfulness
mindfulness
9
9
A note on proposed dates when Shakyamuni Buddha lived.
The Mahayana Buddhist calendar is based on a Zhou
Dynasty (1122-255 BCE) text called Records of Unusual
Events , 異 記. That record described astrological events
that pertained to India and occurred both when the
Buddha was born and when he entered nirvana.
This period of time was the Zhou Dynasty in China.
Thus Shakyamuni Buddha’s birth is placed at about 1024
BCE, in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Zhao,
昭 王 (1052-1001 BCE) of the Zhou Dynasty thus
determining that
The historic Buddha, Shakyamuni
lived in the 11th century BCE,
making him more or less contemporary with
Moses and Ramses II.
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A note on dates when Shakyamuni Buddha lived. [continued]
The Theravada Buddhist calendar
calendar records that
Shakyamuni Buddha was born in 560 BCE, thus
determining that
The historic Buddha, Shakyamuni
lived in the 6th century BCE
making him more or less a contemporary of
Confucius (551-479 BCE).
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A note on dates when Shakyamuni Buddha lived. [continued]
Contemporary scholars place Shakyamuni Buddha’s
life in the 4th or 5th century BCE. For example, in Dr.
Peter Harvey’s Introduction to Buddhism, he suggests
dates of about 480-400 BCE, basing these dates on
historic records pertaining to King Asoka, thus
determining
The historic Buddha, Shakyamuni
lived in the 4th or 5th century BCE
making him more or less a contemporary of
Socrates 469-399 BCE
Plato 427-347 BCE.
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12
For the purposes of this brief exploration of
the Buddhist concept of
mindfulness,
we have chosen to consider that
this concept entered China
when the Mahayana
Buddhist sutras
began to enter China
and to be translated and explained
in the language of the people there.
The advent of the Buddhist concept of
mindfulness impacted the classical
concept and broadened the scope
of the practice of mindfulness.
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13
Confucius, 孔丘 kong qiu, respectfully called Teacher Kong,
孔夫子 kong fu zi, lived in China from 551-479 BCE.
An anonymously authored text called
Standards for Students,
弟子規 di zi gui about 450 BCE, is attributed to the
Confucian tradition.
In this text, mindfulness is described as
part of the process of learning.
The way to success in your studies 讀書法
Is to focus attention on three:
有三到
Trust to your eyes, mouth, and mind. 心眼口
Believe these are all that you need. 信皆要
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14
Mencius,
孟子 meng zi,
(about 370-280
BCE) was a
Follower of
Confucian
Philosophy
Mencius said,
Humaneness pertains to a person’s mind;
Righteousness pertains to a person’s path.
How lamentable is it
• to neglect the path and not pursue it;
• to lose this mind and not even know to
search for it!
孟子曰：「仁，人心
也；義，人路也。舍
其路而弗由，放其心 When people’s chickens or dogs get lost,
people know to go searching for them.
而不知求，哀哉！人
有雞犬放，則知求之； But when people lose their minds, they do
not even know to go find them again.
有放心，而不知求。
path of learning is nothing more than
學問之道無他，求其 The
seeking for our lost minds.
minds.’
放心而已矣。」
孟子
from Gao Zi Section 11 of Mencius.
告 子篇第十一章
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Here’s one that
he made up in the
Confucian style
about how to
maximize
mindfulness.
Master Hua, 1918-1995,
skillfully introduced
Confucian and Daoist
concepts in his
Buddhist teaching.
The Three On’s 三種在上
X
X
X
X
X
X
On the road. 在路上.
On the loo. 在廁上.
On the pillow. 在枕上.
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Another method of Mindfulness
in the Confucian tradition
focuses on stages of life.
When one’s vital energies are not yet settled,
the restraint is on sex.
As a
血氣未定, 戒之在色.
youth
When one’s vital energies are strong,
Prime of
the restraint is on fighting.
life
血氣方剛, 戒之在 鬥.
When one’s vital energies are in decline,
the restraint is on obtaining things.
Old age
血氣既衰, 戒之在得.
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Lao zi, 6th century BCE,
聖人不積.
既以為人己愈 .
既以與 人己愈多.
天之 道. 利而不害.
聖 人之道. 為而不爭.
-excerpt from the
Treatise on
The Way and Virtue,
道 德 經 Dao De Jing
A sage does not accumulate things.
The more he does for others, the more he feels he has.
The more he gives to others, the more he receives.
The Way of Nature is to benefit and not harm.
The Way of the Sage is to be as he is and not contend.
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The first Buddhist sutra
The translation of
this sutra marked
the beginning
translated
in China
of centuries of
gradually
bringing tradition
the Buddha’s
from
the Mahayana
teachings from India into China and getting them
translated into Chinese.
was the
It also
marked
the introduction
of the
About
70 CE
marked
the introduction
Sutra
in Forty-two
Sections,
Buddhist
perspective
on mindfulness
of
the Buddhist
perspective
on
into Chinese四
culture
and
十二
章language.
經.
mindfulness
In the Eighteenth Section of this sutra,
into Chinese
culture
and language.
It was
co-translated,
同 譯,
the Buddha defines
about 70 CE during the Eastern Han, 後 漢,
by two monks from India—
Master Kashyapa-matanga, 迦葉摩騰尊者, and
Master Gobharana, 竺法蘭尊者.
MINDFULNESS
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TheBuddha’s
Eighteenth meaning
Section of was:
the Sutra in Forty-two Sections:
The
aspects
of mindfulness
are
basically
empty.
My All
method
is not
being mindful
that
you are
mindful
念
等本空
mindfulness
mindfulness
and even the thought of that “not being mindful” is
not there. My Dharma
is called
a mindfulness that is
The Buddha
said:
that
mindfulness
mindful and yet
not is
mindful.
that
is both
both
佛 言 .mindfulness
My method is mindfulness
that is both and
mindfulness
and non-mindfulness.
and non-mindfulness.
non-mindfulness.
吾法念無念念.
It is practice
that is both practice and non-practice.
行無行行.
It is words
that are
words and
non-words.
My method
of both
practice
is effortless.
言 無 言 言.
Attachments become
empty. Even that
It is cultivation
emptiness
is empty. Even the shadow of
that is both cultivation and non-cultivation.
“non-cultivation” 修
does
not
remain.
無
修
修
.
mindfulness
念
念無
無念
念念
念 ..
20
All aspects of mindfulness are basically empty, 念 等 本 空. [continued]
Those who understand are near to it;
會者近爾.
those who are confused are far from it!
迷者遠乎.
It is not accessible by communication in language.
言語道斷.
It is not grasped through concrete examples.
非物所拘.
If you miss it by a hairsbreadth,
you will lose it in an instant.
差之毫釐.失之須臾.
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No small task that—
“not to be mindful that you are mindful.”
That definition of mindfulness requires a method—
some directive on
“how to.”
Here’s a modern verse on “how to.”
But for most, this verse is as cryptic as the
Buddha’s definition!
Whether walking, standing, sitting, or reclining,
Never be apart from this.
行住坐臥
不離這個
If we depart from this.
離了這個
We have gone amiss!
-by Master Hua 宣 公 上 人
mindfulness
便是錯過
22
During the Tang Dynasty, 618-907 CE, a four-year-old
lad from Wen county (later renamed Yong Jia) entered
monastic life. In his formative years he studied and
mastered the Buddhist teachings and he meditated
regularly. Upon awakening, he needed to have his
enlightenment certified and so he sought out
Venerable Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch.
After the Patriarch verified his awakening,
Great Master Yong Jia
composed a
Song of Certifying to the Way.
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The following stanzas of the Song of Certifying to the Way
reflect the Buddha’s description of mindfulness.
Do not seek the true,
Do not cut off the false.
Comprehend that both dharmas are empty;
they have no attributes at all.
Without attributes there is no emptiness, either,
and yet emptiness is not negated.
That is the absolutely true attribute
of all Buddhas.
不 求 真, 不 斷 妄,
了 知 二 法 空 無 相.
無 相 無 空 無 不 空,
即 是 如 來 真 實 相.
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Elder Master Hsu Yun, 1840–1959,
a contemporary sage, also composed a song.
His is called Song
of the Skin Bag,
皮袋歌
Elder Master Hsu Yun’s
Song of the Skin Bag,
reflects the great vigour and
inspiration that he applied to
developing mindfulness,
and echoes the Buddha’s
description of mindfulness
and what results it can bring.
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Song of the Skin Bag, 皮袋歌
Doubt not the Buddha.
Doubt not the Dharma.
Inherent insight lets us know clearly
what we see and hear.
Bore through the paper.
Pierce the cowhide.
Make your mind perfectly bright
and free from error.
佛不疑。法不疑。
了了聞見是良知。
穿紙背。透牛皮。
圓明一心莫差池。
亦返源。亦解脫。
Return to the origin.
還元返本天真兒。
Reach liberation.
Go back to the source and
retrieve your inherent innocence.
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Song of the Skin Bag, 皮袋歌 [continued ]
Open your heart.
Be truthful to all.
Encourage people
to guard what is proper.
Don’t think my words are idle.
Don’t fail to pay attention.
Great cultivators will surely
see their own natures.
mindfulness
瀝心腸。披肝膽。
奉勸世人應守正。
莫當閒言不記心。
大修行人必見性。
27
無不無。空非空。
Nothing is not nothing.
透露靈機妙難思。
Emptiness is not empty.
As our magnificent potential reveals itself,
its wonder is hard to imagine.
When you arrive,
You will not have toiled in vain.
The impacts from your
planting of causes will be over.
到這裡。不冤枉。
因地一聲是了期。
Then you truly will be
A Great Hero.
All ten titles will fit perfectly
As you become a teacher
of many generations.
方才稱。大丈夫。
十號圓明萬世師。
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The Buddha’s methods
on the practice of
mindfulness
are found in many teachings.
One set of lessons is
shared by all Buddhist traditions.
Thirty-seven
Aspects of the Way
三 十 七 道 品
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Thirty-seven
Aspects of the Way
三 十 七 道 品
Four Dwellings in Mindfulness
四 念 住*
1.dwelling in mindfulness of the body 身念住
Contemplate the body as impure.
觀身不凈
2.dwelling in mindfulness of feelings 受念住
Contemplate feelings as suffering.
觀受是苦
3.dwelling in mindfulness of the mind 心 念 住
Contemplate the mind as transitory.
觀心無常
4.dwelling in mindfulness of dharmas
法念住
Contemplate dharmas as being devoid of self.
觀法無我
* Also rendered as 四念處
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Thirty-seven
Aspects of the Way
Five Roots 五根
1. root of faith
2. root of vigour
3. root of mindfulness
4. root of concentration
5. root of wisdom
Four Bases of Psychic Power 四神足
1. zeal
欲神足
2. vigour
勤神足
3. mindfulness 心神足 (心神專一)
4. reflection
觀神足
信根
精進根
念根
定根
慧根
Five Powers 五力
1. power of faith
2. power of vigour
3. power of mindfulness
4. power of concentration
5. power of wisdom
Four Types of Upright Diligence 四正勤
1. Evil that has not yet been done is kept from being done.
2. Evil thoughts that have already been generated are cut off.
3. Good roots not yet grown are caused to grow.
4. Good roots already grown are caused to grow further.
mindfulness
信力
精進力
念力
定力
慧力
未生惡法令不生
已生惡法恆令滅
未生善法令出生
已生善法令增長
31
Seven Limbs of Enlightenment 七 覺 支
Thirty-seven
Aspects of the Way
1. choosing a method (dharma)
2. vigour (diligent in practice)
3. joy (in practice experience)
4. rejecting (afflictions)
5. giving up (letting go of thinking and attachments)
6. samadhi (concentration)
7. mindfulness
擇法覺支
精進覺支
喜覺支
除覺支
捨覺支
定覺支
念覺支
Eightfold Upright Path 八 正 道
1. upright views (looking)
2. upright consideration (listening)
3. upright speech (saying)
4. upright occupation (doing)
5. upright living (being considerate of others)
6. upright vigour (doing what is proper)
7. upright mindfulness (being aware)
8. upright concentration (being stable)
mindfulness
正見解
正思惟
正語言
正行為
正業（正命）
正精進
正意念
正禪定
32
The Seven Limbs of Enlightenment
七覺支
provide a practice centering on
Mindfulness
shared by all traditions of Buddhism.
This practice is an effective
means of psychotherapy
applied by oneself to oneself.
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The Seven Limbs of Enlightenment 七 覺 支
Method of Practice
7. being mindful
念
so that upon becoming aware that one is
mentally depressed, 心沈時, one applies
these three limbs:
2. choosing a method,擇
3. being vigorous in practicing it, 進, and
4. experiencing the outcome of joy, 喜
2, 3, 4 are proactive and positive
七念：心沈時，念用擇、進、喜以起之.
to give impetus to practice
(when depressed
or lackingmindfulness
motivation)
34
The Seven Limbs of Enlightenment 七 覺 支
Method of Practice
7. being mindful 念
so that upon becoming aware that one is mentally
flighty, 心浮時, one applies these three limbs:
4. letting go, 除 (getting free of negative emotions)
5. concentrating, 定 (samadhi)
6. renouncing, 捨 (giving away positive benefits)
4, 5, 6 are quelling and quieting
to place
restraint on habits (when hyper)
七念：心浮時，念用、除、定、
so that concentration and wisdom
捨以攝之，覺令定慧均等。
develop equally.
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7 limbs of enlightenment
7. Mindfulness (aware of one’s
moods)
1. choosing a method (dharma)
2. vigour (diligent in practice)
3. Joy (in practice experience)
4. rejecting (afflictions)
5. giving up (thinking and
attachments)
6. samadhi (developing
concentration)
mindfulness
7. Mindfulness at
all times to perceive
what is needed
1, 2 and 3. Proactive
and positive to give
impetus to practice
(when depressed)
4, 5 and 6. Quelling
and quieting to place
restraint on habits
(when hyper)
36
The Seven Limbs of Enlightenment 七 覺 支
Method of Practice
Mindfulness
remains
the constant
in this method
of practice,
which enables and
empowers
practitioners to
maintain mental
balance.
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Moral Aspects of Mindfulness
found in the
Thirty-seven Limbs of Enlightenment
mesh with the
Confucian tradition.
Yan Yuan asked how to be humane.
顏淵問仁，
Confucius answered:
Restrain yourself and return to
propriety.
子曰：「克己復禮。」
Analects Book 12, Section 1
Online link: http://ctext.org/analects/yan-yuan
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Moral Aspects of Mindfulness
found in the Confucian tradition
If it’s not proper, don’t look at it.
If it’s not proper, don’t listen to it.
If it’s not proper, don’t speak about it.
非禮勿視、非禮勿聽、非禮勿言
This means to discipline yourself. It means to be mindful
 in keeping your mind free of improper thoughts,
 in keeping your body from acting in improper ways, and
 in keeping your mouth from uttering improper speech.
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39
More popularly depicted as…
mindfulness
40
Moral Aspects
of
Mindfulness
correlate among
Buddhism
Confucianism
Daoism
mindfulness
41
BUDDHISM
Five Precepts
不 殺 生 Refraining
from killing
不 邪 陰 Refraining from
Confucianism
Five Constants Five Primal
Energies
仁 Humaneness
禮 Propriety
inappropriate
sexual
behaviour
不 妄 語 Refraining from
信 Trustworthiness
false speech
不 偷 盜 Refraining from
stealing
義 Righteousness
不飲酒
Refraining from
intoxicants,
drugs, etc
DAOISM
智 Wisdom
mindfulness
元性
Primal nature
元神
Primal spirit
元氣
Primal breath
元情
Primal emotion
元精
Primal essence
42
And, finally, in the
Buddhist practice of mindfulness,
we look to the sages, who serve as awesome role models.
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In the Ten Samadhis Chapter of the
Avatamsaka Sutra*
Bodhisattvas’ practices of mindfulness
are described.
A brief quote is included here.
*The Avatamsaka, 華 嚴 huayan, Sutra was the first teaching
Shakyamuni Buddha gave upon his Awakening. What he
said was so profound that most did not understand it initially.
So the Buddha then began gradually to use analogies,
parables, examples, and stories, 公案 gong an, as appropriate,
to explain fundamental truths.
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The Bodhisattva performs the work
以 憶 念 作 佛 事.
of the Buddhas
為 清 淨 眾 生 故…
through mindfulness,
for the sake of purifying living beings…
He performs the work 以 方 便 覺 悟 作 佛 事.
of the Buddhas
為 令 眾 生 不 矢 念 故.
through skillful enlightenment,
for the sake of keeping living beings
from losing their mindfulness.
He performs the work 以 夢 中 現 相 作 佛 事.
為 令 眾 生 恆 正 念 故.
of the Buddhas
by appearing in dreams,
for the sake of ensuring that living beings
will eternally maintain proper mindfulness.
Excerpt from the Ten Samadhis Chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra,
describing functions of mindfulness used by Bodhisattvas.
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