Posture and Factors of Awakening
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008On posture:
When the body posture is well refined, it has a great effect on the mind. Conversely, when the body is not elevated and not refined, when the body is slouched over, the effect on the mind is great. We’ve discussed at length what the conditioning effect on the breath is, when the body is in those slumped-over positions. When the body is slumped over, the breath becomes shallow. The shallow breath then conditions the mind and the emotions to produce states of agitation, anxiety, it could even be depression. But mostly, short, shallow breaths are associated with the mental affliction of irritation.
Seven Factors of Awakening:
The Buddha actually gave these instructions about the Seven Factors of Awakening a few months before he died. He realized he would be dying soon, so he gathered his closest disciples around and this was part of the last instructions that he delivered. They were based on his own deep experiences. He said, ‘Let me give you some instructions about what it is that you’re going to need in order to stop suffering. You’ll need these seven things.’ You notice that these instructions are all about the best way to practice meditation. He didn’t give a philosophical lecture. That’s what I want you to hear more than anything else in this narrative, that what the Buddha offered as his most precious advice, given when on the point of his death, was seven experienceable qualities that are most important for realization, not a deep philosophical treatise, as you might expect. It’s those Seven Factors of Awakening that we’re practicing here.
