Before Talking To The Teacher: Observe Yourself

[Mark Foote]

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

      And the mome raths outgrabe.

[Mark Foote]

On 4/20/2025 at 1:17 PM, Mark Foote said:

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

      And the mome raths outgrabe.
 

 

 

Carroll was a mathematics don at Oxford, so you know he had to talk nonsense once in a while...

Gautama's great insight was that mindfulness of thought is only one of four pins kept up in the air in mindfulness, the other three pins being mindfulness of the body, of the feelings, and of the state of mind. 

 

Gautama described the mindfulness that made up his way of living, both before and after his enlightenment:

 

… Setting mindfulness in front of (oneself), (one) breathes in mindfully and mindfully breathes out.

 

As (one) draws in a long breath (one) knows: A long breath I draw in. [As (one) breathes out a long breath (one) knows: I breathe out a long breath.] As (one) draws in a short breath (one) knows: A short breath I draw in. As (one) breathes out a short breath (one) knows: I breathe out a short breath.

 

Thus (one) makes up (one’s) mind:

 

I shall breathe in, feeling it go through the whole body. Feeling it go through the whole body I shall breath out.

 

Calming down the bodily aggregate I shall breathe in. Calming down the bodily aggregate I shall breathe out. 

 

 

Thus (one) makes up (one’s) mind:

 

Feeling the thrill of zest I shall breathe in. Feeling the thrill of zest I shall breathe out.

 

Feeling the sense of ease I shall breathe in. Feeling the sense of ease I shall breathe out.

 

 

(One) makes up one’s mind:

 

“Aware of all mental factors I shall breathe in. Aware of all mental factors I will breathe out.

 

Calming down the mental factors I shall breathe in. Calming down the mental factors I shall breathe out. 

 

 

Aware of mind I shall breathe in. Aware of mind I shall breathe out.

 

(One) makes up one’s mind:

 

“Gladdening my mind I shall breathe in. Gladdening my mind I shall breathe out.

 

Composing my mind I shall breathe in. Composing my mind I shall breathe out.

 

Detaching my mind I shall breathe in. Detaching my mind I shall breathe out. 

 

 

(One) makes up one’s mind:

 

Contemplating impermanence I shall breathe in. Contemplating impermanence I shall breathe out.

 

Contemplating dispassion I shall breathe in. Contemplating dispassion I shall breathe out.

 

Contemplating cessation I shall breathe in. Contemplating cessation I shall breathe out.

 

Contemplating renunciation I shall breathe in. Contemplating renunciation I shall breathe out.

 

 

(SN 54.1, tr. Pali Text Society vol V pp 275-276)

 

 

My summary:

 

1) Relax the activity of the body, in inhalation and exhalation;

 

2) Find a feeling of ease and calm the senses connected with balance, in inhalation and exhalation;

 

3) Appreciate and detach from thought, in inhalation and exhalation;

 

4) Look to the free location of consciousness for the automatic activity of the body, in inhalation and exhalation.
 

 

The sense of ease is the ease of automatic activity by virtue of the retention of consciousness with the singular point of "embodied self-location".

 

 

Edited 21 hours ago by Mark Foote