Dhyana factors and Hindrances

In the final week of the course we explored how each dhyana factor acted as an antidote to one of the 5 hindrances that characterize distracted consciousness (a.k.a. unmindfulness):

• Consciously cultivating or being open to the dhyana factor of one pointedness is an antidote to desire for sense experience.
• Enjoyment (piti) is an antidote to ill will.
• Aiming attention (vitakka) is an antidote to sloth and torport
• Peace (sukha) is an antidote to restlessness and anxiety
• Sustaining attention (vicara) is an antidote to doubt and indecision.

When you meditate if you notice a particular hindrance is weakening your mindfulness you can simply notice and re-aim your attention to the breath or other object of meditation. That might be enough and the first adjustment to try.

If the hindrance persists one thing to try is to consciously cultivate or encourage the appropriate dhyana factor to act as an antidote to the hindrance.

There are other ways to work with hindrances. This is one approach for your mediation toolkit.

here is the link from week 4 of the strength training course.

http://www.archive.org/details/StrengthTrainingWeek4

here is the audio from week three of the strength training series
led meditation, talk on the dhyana factors focusing on piti sukha and integration


http://www.archive.org/details/StrengthTrainingWeek3

Getting back on the cushion after the holidays

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Maybe there were a few moments when you felt fully present, engaged, alive, mindful?

If you are like many people, the holidays may have been a time when your routines were disrupted a bit and for some that might have meant that you didn't find the conditions to meditate. No worries. You can always pick up your practices again including strengthening your mindfulness.

Times when you lose routine or shift gears are good times to be vigilant and a little more disciplined about getting back on the cushion rather than giving up entirely.

A 10 minute morning sit can warm you up again to meditating and is do-able.

Or drop-in to the morning meditations Monday to Friday that start at 7:30am (arrive 5 min. early)

Wednesday night is always a good opportunity to pick it up again with the group meditation at sangha night.

Reflection/Meditation Journalling Questions

1. In my meditation, how did I experience any of the dhyana factors? (connecting with object of attention, sustaining attention, stability/equanimity, enjoyment, peace)
2. Is my general tendency to over-do or under-do? How does this show up in the kind of effort I make in meditation?
3. How can I apply intentional, appropriate effort in my meditation?

• Relaxation without dullness
• Effort without tension

Week 2 exercise to strengthen vicara/sustained attention

Working more with sustained attention with an exercise on the duration of the breath

Exercise (20 min.)

1. Using counting as an expedient: (10 min.)

a. Count at a consistent pace

b. Notice how long a breath is by the number you get to (1, 2, 3, …)

c. Notice how the breaths change (e.g., from a breath of a duration of three counts to a breath of duration of five counts)

2. Sensing the duration without counting (10 min.)

As in the 4th stage of the mindfulness of breathing, place and keep attention where breath first enters the body and intuitively sense the relative duration of each breath, without counting, using this one point as a reference point for the beginning, middle and end of each breath

➢ Does the breath feel long or short?

➢ What the duration of this breath feel like relative to the previous breaths?

Buddha’s instructions from the first two contemplations of the Anapansati Sutta

1. While breathing in long, one knows: "I breathe in long." While breathing out long, one knows, 'I breathe out long."

2. While breathing in short, one knows: "I breathe in short." While breathing out short, one knows, 'I breathe out short."