Seven Factors of Enlightenment

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moody
i love this morning
my intention

is to talk about the seven factors of enlightenment
which i present periodically
i am
the first tour
i'm
try to bring this up
mindfulness and clear comprehension
so
now i know so
this is a year
seven factors of enlightenment sometimes called the seven limbs of enlightenment as if you were it were a enlightenment is a tree with branches
and the seven factors so called
our own
the attributes or juice which
the
ah motivates our enlightened deck activity
and many of you unfamiliar with these and a you know given that there are there is there's so many things to study in bodhidharma so many books so little time
and we keep
focusing on the simplest most a are easily accessible
fundamentals so i agree with that
and
i'm often people
students
i get involved in
count and complex
buddhist series without actually understanding the very fundamentals so i like repeating the fundamentals over and over because open l as somebody about the fundamentals and they've never heard of them even though they've been practicing for twenty years
what
so i'm going to
tell you what they are and then talk about each one
ah mindfulness of course is that the first one and investigation it's called
but i i like using a clear come
she was she wants to come in clear clear comprehension
and a mindfulness and clear comprehension go together they worked together as a kind of unit
and i'll explain that
the third one is called vittoria
like virility lot of sanskrit words let her are the foundations of english words
i think area is one of them but it means or ah effort or energy
oh
and his fortunes is or a calm mind
developing a combined
and and the fifth one is joy
i'm which
a of which happiness is a derivative
and then six when his concentration which if we usually costs some muddy
add a separate one is equanimity
equality or equanimity so those are the the seven
so the seven are somewhat independent but they all relate to each other
and they relate to each other sometimes as counter a qualities
for instance them
varia which is enthusiasm are great effort
kit as some often countered by ease are settled this because it's ah
a easy for effort to get out of control and easy for easy to fall into sloth and torpor
so the this this
qualities match each other and encounter and are interdependent when each other and each one of these qualities contains all the others so if i talked about one i can ah
talk about it in connection with each of the others
so out of their seven tractors
i'm
to each one contains the others of seven times seven is forty eight
twenty nine i learned that a long time ago when it's a bit minute reader to use it again
so much for this is am
ah you know nowadays
mindfulness is is really popular and so a mindfulness
can be used you know it is not necessarily when mindful i started becoming very popular outside of the dharma
a lot of dharma practitioners were
i felt didn't feel good about that they felt that it was cheapening the dharma
but you know mindfulness is universal and i knew about mindfulness before i ever heard of buddhism
and
ah
a thief is mindful not to be caught and be careful how we sneaked into somebody's bedroom it takes the jewels night so a mindfulness is a a kind of universal
quality
but buddhist mindfulness is how you be mindful of the dharma how your your mindfulness of
staying on the buddhist path
the buddha the dharma and sangha and to keep buddha dharma saga
as your guiding principle
throughout the night so that buddhist mindfulness to always returning to the dharma
the in a wig always getting caught by
ah
seduction
seduction is the name of the game
in this world of humans
in developing countries developed countries and i don't know better developed country probably the same were always seducing each other in one way or another we went as if we wanna sell somebody something
we seducing them they don't want it but we talk him by it
and that's called fair trade
and if we didn't do that without with we'd have we'd all be very poor according to the way things are set up anyway
so mindfulness is keep returning every time we get off the path we remember what we're doing we remember our vows remember our intentions and we get back on
and we don't have to blame myself we don't have to
a feel sad or bad we just say oh yeah i got up did we get back on so she called entering the stream
once we've entered the stream
that's our path
so michael is basically and stay recollecting is typical the practice of recollection
remembering what we're doing remembering what our intentions are and staying with it then
a investigation or clear comprehension is
a to take care of the details take care of ah
how to do something invest it implements investigation
it's really
yeah
to analyze it's a kind of analysis practice of analysis
and to investigate and find out with somebody who is worthwhile or not worthwhile to do or to take up or jailed or to reject
suzuki roshi used to everywhere
reminds me of suzuki roshi talk about the the a frog sitting on a rock
does the lake down there in the prague city and library still and then
ah a flag was by
the rug into sitting there
investigating without moving
and then just open totally open without moving and then when the flag was by the tangos catch the fly and then the frog investigates
do i want this or not
no
oh yes
that's investigation
clear comprehension
this i know i want this i know i don't want this fits with the dharma this doesn't fit with the dharma
for then or via is usually called energy but i like to think of it we don't produce energy energy is produced
we do act are engaged in activities which allow energies to our energy to arise but we don't produce it anyone who would produce anything else in our body the the way the fingernails grow right
don't grow them so but we do release energy with uncover ourselves so that energy can flow so
to practice ah various practices which release energy is
the mm
ah what this farcical that facto a factor is about so i always like to think of it as enthusiastic effort when we sit there then
ah oui
release energy
says in is called total dynamic activity total dynamic activity jinky so
i am
we assume the right posture for that them with effort big big effort
when we begin to practice we have to exert really big effort
and then as we become a practice because mature it's all about balance
an effort and we reduce the effort to just the right amount of effort to do the most work the conservation of energy you do
you re reduce the effort to just where is the best place where are the best places to allow me to sit up straight
and then we let go the rest
so this is also an aspect of clear comprehension
to understand and investigate
what we really what really where the energy is focused where the effort is focused
to do the right amount of a work and to be a legal of the rest which is called is
thus in is a combination of effort and is
but haven't either we do one of the other
we either don't work we we think of that meditation means to just kind of
relax
potentially one part of a dozen
the other part is to exert full effort
so when you reach the balance of full effort and is letting go that's when you can actually sit in loves uncomfortably
so this takes a long time
to develop that kind of maturity
we have to go up through various stages even other not exactly stages in order to get to that place where we can balance is with whatever
this is why i say to people
when you sit thousand you should give you a as an instruction every time
forbes has an instruction every time you sip then you know what you're doing that's called
an investigation
clear comprehension of what you're doing when we sit surgeon there's nothing else but doesn't
but love and covers everything
so i like to apply these seven factors to doesn't
this is what we experience of them this is a virgin
the factors of elgin basically mindfulness
good comprehension or investigation
great effort total effort total effort the but total ever doesn't mean to strain yourself it means that you're totally they're totally present with was nothing left out
and then and with enthusiasm
i can do the album
so is a a combined
ah gdp russia one of his favorite things to talk about was calm mind you should develop common otherwise it's hard to sit with effort and ease unless we have a combined
combine means not being bothered by anything
when not being bothered by anything means to let go of self-centeredness
because what it is it's bothered by thinks is herself

some of the qualities of a is our tranquility and serenity
a tranquility is like a lake
who had no ripples
and serenity is like a sunset
very quiet calm sunset the sun goes down and everything comes down with son and goes to rest at night
so those are two qualities of a
settled for is to have a settled practice
and then
joy
it is a product it's not a thing you can create a joy i mean we can create some kind of joy you know we can it do so certain things that make us happy
but am does a fleeing joys
fundamental joy
is always present
so the factors are not gaining something they're revealing what's already had our what we already have
our basic nature is to be joyful
and when the conditions are right we feel that joy in one way or another but to joy is not dependent on conditions
no matter whether we really happy or said
there is joy in a deep
very deep
streams that's not disturbed by happiness or unhappiness or like or dislike
or pain or pleasure
an ad joy to to mine that joy or allow that joy to arise is ah
i'm
a constant state
in that way
we can take up things and let them go
without attachment
and whatever happens that's or touchstone

and then a number six is concentration
in various walks of life concentration you know yeah
highly developed
but this is concentration
that a selfless concentration called samadhi the difference between ordinary concentration which is them can be very highly developed
and samadhi is that somebody is concentration without self
without self-centeredness selfless can selfless
a concentration concentration is a an aspect of samadhi
but ah samadhi his state of oneness
there are many different somebody's you know the history of buddha dharma there any different somebody's that is a cameo saw somebody which means a summary of
a infinite light or a summary of
i am radiant light
in which
i am
is this samadi
right
it it's it's very difficult to explain is because it's not like a light
it's not like
it's a metaphor
we shouldn't think of it as a white light tolkien says it's not white light or some blue light or simply or the lead to a firefly
it's
thing says it is is like
everything that we see is light everything that we experience is light
some
enlightenment it's like notice the slight is and unjust is experiencing to lead of the universe ah
without self-centeredness
a service them some olive a various meanings
but dog and talks about juju you sabai sabai mean somebody meaning
self
illuminating or self
ah
i'm enjoying himself into the somali himself enjoyment basically
and then there's that juju you and it is tied you you which means other
the the somali which is experienced by others so basically it means through your practice you develop the samadi
and then you offer it to others
you like you a
offer the experience or the possibility of this to others phyllis called teaching it's called teaching without teaching it just being you teach through your samadi the teachers through big who you are
there's also teaching which is learning things
when we think about teaching we think about learning things and
sometimes people students will
say well
didn't it time for me to start teaching
things but this somebody is teaching
through who you are just being who you are
which is rare more rare but we're always teaching through who we are anyway
you know when you start to practice with others everybody knows who you are so you're teaching something we're always teaching something
when we have a conversation with somebody or we meet somebody we teach each other how to relate to each other even though less we don't think that's what we're doing but we do so
when we meet someone have a conversation
we notice how the other person acts and we take our q and a pet person sees how we act and it and that's their q so we're trading cues and and finding a middle space in which we can act so we're always teaching were all
is this is who i am this is what i'm doing so person who has always in somebody in this way
when people meet that person that they have an influence so at any one of us who has a mature practice when we meet somebody
that we influence that person knowingly or unknowingly
and that's basic teaching
suzuki roshi always used to say you come to the zendo and said thousand and then you just leave into your activity without thinking about it but
then you carry that somebody a practice with you and that's how you keep people you teach people the way through the way you interact with them
cillizza we have to be very careful and mindful practices
we have to be very mindful of what our practice is because when wherever will whoever we meet and where and wherever we are where
influencing people one way or another
so this is a world of influence influences
if you look at how people are influenced to do various things which is sometimes a fixer people are really crazy
so he teaches other crazy things but we don't want it people crazy things will teach them to dharma
and sometimes we do it through teaching
you know ordinarily what we owed nearly called teaching but mostly we do it through our are who we are so desolate so important we may think that we have this or that understanding but when we actually interact with people we see actually who we are and what i understand he is what it lacks that's
called investigation
so ah
samadi is like the still point
when we know how to reach the still point and everything comes out from the still point because the still point is the fundamental
that's why we sit doesn't we say dabo get your posture sit up straight
balance your body
think that thinking
which means thinks the thought of zazen
and don't move don't move means find the still point
of the universe when you find the still point of yourself your at the still point of the universe and all the teacher comes out from there
it's a very simple practice less or we don't like to mix it up too much with other things
the only thing we teach is still point
and people been made i get it
that's that's where everything comes from so it is still point and the activity it's like
ah sometimes called the vm and wobbling pivot
this confusion is computer you said this but we also
the the unraveling pivot is like a pillar
that is totally balanced and nothing happens because it's totally balanced
you know the world this world is not a circle is the kind of circle but it's not perfect is an oblate spheroid that my third grade teacher said
i've always remembered that the mobile experience and so it doesn't go concentrically it has the kind of wobble
and because we're human beings are part of that this world we also have a wobble but the wobble is what makes everything work so when something is perfectly still nothing is working
it's not dead
it totally alive but the the the liveliness of it is
a totally encapsulated so that energy is like an atom
when you bust the atom all that energy flows out
so
but when the paul liens then starts going around and when the shots going around and that's an activity starts
that's called eccentric all our activity is eccentric but it's eccentric southern or actor buddhist activity is eccentric within concentricity
because we don't lose the pillar we don't lose the one that the still point it was in our activity that's got somebody
we don't lose still point wherever whatever our activity is still point is always there even though we may lose it we know where to go to get it back
want to get back to it
so i'll like we can do whatever we want but we do it
based on stillness or emptiness or whatever you want to call it
stillness like stillness emptiness has other meanings
emptiness means independence
so ah
that's the reason we should tell them if they get to the still point and realized that all activity once we start moving comes out of a still point and the still point is the center of activity
edwards we come over becoming a going or whatever activity it
then
after that leads us into equanimity
ah so
samadi equanimity or concentration equanimity are
a very close to each other
cause equanimity is like the activity
samadi
equal equal
so our ego
so-called diego the seventh level of consciousness in the model of conscious buddhist initiative
is
a false sense of self is a false sense of self because we think that it's it or something but it's not everything it thinks is wrong because it's based on
activity which is not anchored in stillness
when a when somebody is when our activity is based on stillness then ah
it's true activity but when as free of a stillness or foundation for ego is without foundation basically and so that's why it's always false
but when that's who
ah turned on its basis when our ego is turned around it becomes wisdom it's no longer call an ego it's called with them
so ego turns with a turns into but am a maybe
this a way of speaking
it becomes wisdom and it becomes wisdom of equanimity or equality
so
practices practice of transformation and a transformation is to let go of ego and them
that is
sucked up by ego
i work as a equanimity or equality
please

the village called non partiality
because there's no for south
nonpartisan what partiality is is is a product of a self self centeredness so in we say there's no self right even though there is so it's not as so the self that we think it's herself is not as though but anyway in a box talks
and eats and does other things but it's ah
when when the self is transformed
is still done for things
but it's not better
what was the center of those activities is no longer in the center of those activities
buddha is the center of those activities
so that's called enlightenment when good is the center of all those activities is called enlightenment so where do we do with their ego
ah i like to think that we enter practice and offer up are eager to buddha who will take it
and transported
into a beneficial action
so
so those and seven
a little bit about the seven factors
i'm awakening or enlightenment
the do you have any question
yeah
a little bit about how the buddha
go when we say buddha image reality that not some guy will be a gold buddha
but
and say it's a way of saying that am
oh
reality will support us
if we actually let go of the fossa we have tackled called face we have them fit that reality will support us
that's the hard part
do we actually
the hard part is let it go you know this is colin about climbing up to the top of one hundred foot pole and then stepping off a
basically that means that supplied to somebody who thinks that they are enlightened and they claim up to the top of you see here i am i'm a lightened and then we'd say well you take another step up and ah
i see where you go you have to have fish that the universal pick you up
so ah
reality well support you

now is that
what things
you said something like
activity on
sense of sound
this is
me
well it depends on what you have to run run to do and why
and if it is something

yes
the prices of wanted to go
yes
i thought that was sense of style
even if i say oh
maybe could be a false sense of style
me
if something goes
that way
yes
you know
that's what makes your life difficult ideally we know what to do but practically with before were faced with these difficulties of a compromise
so ah
given our responsibilities
makes it i will not even harder
family
living space all the things you know make it difficult that's what makes it really difficult once it i mean that definitely makes a difference so there has to be some compromise
but within their compromise data we have to find yourself
even let you take a job that
you don't like rather baba you the i'm compromising so the in a fool yourself but i have to do this and i'll do it willingly
for now right until i find what works best for you should go get a job
and then from there you can figure it out because as long as you know that it's not even not attached to that and added it's expedient the and then you treat everybody who helped you with love
because
simply put
damn a letting go of self is
ah
universal love
though
you can you don't think about figuring out
both very simple know ah
unequivocal even know you made hate or dislike somebody it's still there it's just like joy is still there loves his the isabella at a bucket in l a river that flows
right beside joy is no matter what's happening
so that's leave the touchstone
and so you always have even though you have a
ah
a pessimism it's all written by optimism
so let's see had okay one more
two more
a
on this book it's it's called the way of mindfulness
well if by it's the sadie potential future and commentary with other things like seven
but really hard to study i have to say the language is so anyway

well they're very closely related combined is a quality of equanimity and equanimity a works
best with a calm mind so those two there are that there are the to passes
i'm factors and the active passive factors the peasant a m
ah
as
let me just look at the summit
i will mindfulness is is like the fulcrum it's in the middle and it's that is mindfulness in every
wholesome state of mind
and other one side is is and a equanimity and ah
that is a concentration so nothing like
somewhat passive to active words or investigation
effort
and joy
so that the the passive was balancing the active ones interactive ones bounce passive month
is that what you're asking
yes a com why mind and equanimity or the and side
no
i'm that you can you get you can study them and they're easy to find
iberia his effort
but i am
i can give you a i could look it up and take too much time we were were over so
carrie

ah

by say except
ah yes yes

well yes and accepting means to see as it is
it doesn't mean you like or dislike it that means you see as it is that when you see self as it is you see that it isn't

yes no self man's know
i'm a permanent itself no inherent so it doesn't mean it's like you hear there but you there is not permanent is does not it's just a bunch of a collection of dharmas
at this moment
as some history and maybe some future
that's what it means mean yes that there is this changing
constantly changing entity called gary
kit passes
it was passing through
and nobody knows where it's going
is
nobody knows where it's going
so that's accepting

and he was there are many meanings to to sanskrit words but they're pretty much universally accepted meanings
i'll make any map i might make some up tempted to make up