The seventh branch of the Eightfold Path is “Right Mindfulness.”
It may be termed a ‘mindfulness’ of circumstances within and circumstances without (though truly, within is without, and without just within). Right Mindfulness of circumstances “within” includes being attentive to our inner mental-physical conditions, the causes and workings of the body-mind, emotions and thoughts..
We are aware so as to better understand ourselves by understanding mental origins and effects. By becoming aware of the processes, we may thereby gain a degree of acceptance, understanding and control over the mind.
Right Mindfulness of circumstances “without” is an awareness and understanding of the events that surround us in each moment, seeing clearly phenomena as they arise and how we perceive them. We experience how our inner condition, our thoughts and emotions, help create our experience of the world without. We learn to recognize the triggers and effects of greed, anger and ignorance as they arise in others and ourselves.
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“Within” and “without”‘ are not apart. We learn to discern the nature of samsara, impermanent, possessing self yet lacking self, so often dissatisfactory to our own inner “self” which judges it. But we also learn how a change to our inner condition, our emotions and thoughts, will change our experience of all that.
Remember: recording ends soon after the beginning bells; a sitting time of 15 to 35 minutes is recommended.
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