The energy we use to think about things and get things done is conditioned – it can put us in conflict when we want to be comfortable and kind but keep getting caught up in irritation and defeat. This energy can be purified. Change the mental approach and repel distractions. Beautiful qualities arise on their own.
After establishing a firm and comfortable posture, expand awareness across each dimension of the body. The details become less, the whole body becomes a unity in harmony. In this state hindrances and discomforts have much less possibility to occur.
Hindrances take us away from ground. Groundedness is an absolute requirement for skillful cultivation. Standing posture gives access to feet touching the ground to create a firm and steady foundation.
Meditation is about penetrating the roots of mental behavior. The primary doing is to settle and clear distracting influences so the mind becomes unified in purpose. A happy, firm mind leaves less traction for hindrances to take hold.
Dukkha is a natural part of our experience. When internalized it manifests as constricting and disjointed somatic states. When met from a clear and settled center, our responses can be guided by harmony and wisdom.
With a heartful attitude, set aside what is not necessary and make a continued deliberate practice around your Dhamma aspirations. Tuning into embodiment with interest and sensitivity, we can locate the missing piece, where harmonization of the mental and somatic domains occurs.
It’s natural for us to step out of our daily scenarios from time to time and take a break from suffering. Ask: “What’s most important now?” Find the hidden grooves that move towards destinations that don’t exist – permanence, sustained agreeable feeling, being in control – and establish ground in embodied awareness instead.
It’s possible for citta to review the 5 aggregates, not be stuck in them. Practice with sustaining a quality of awareness that’s open and receptive to shifting and changing. This awareness can be applied to your world.
