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Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Ten forms of mindfulness

From today's reading/study of Working Toward Enlightenment, by Master Nan Huai Chin, pg.116 ff.:
The ten forms of mindfulness are: mindfulness of the Buddha, mindfulness of the Dharma, mindfulness of the Sangha, mindfulness of discipline, mindfulness of giving, mindfulness of heaven, mindfulness of stopping and resting, mindfulness of anapana--that is, mindfulness of breathing in and out--which is the same thing as present day Esoteric Buddhist and Taoists method of refining the breath.  When Chinese Taoists talk of the channels of the ch'i, (the breath or vital energy) it is always because they have been subjected to the influence of the Buddhist method of anapana.  Next of the 10 forms of mindfulness include mindulness of the body, and the last one is mindfulness of death.  These ten forms of mindfulness include all methods of cultivating practice.  Mahayana Buddhism has Hinayana Buddhism as its basis: if you cannot manage Hinayana, don't even speak of Mahayana!