How Is a Monk Mindful and Exercising Clear Comprehension?

And how, Monks, is a Monk mindful?

Here, Monks, a Monk resides reflecting on body as body, dedicated, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside craving and worry for the world.

He resides reflecting on feelings as feelings, dedicated, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside craving and worry for the world.

He resides reflecting on mind as mind, dedicated, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside craving and worry for the world.

He resides reflecting on mental objects as mental objects, dedicated, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside craving and worry for the world.

It is in such a way that a Monk is mindful.

And how, Monks, does a Monk exercise clear comprehension?

Here, Monks, a Monk is one who acts with clear comprehension when going forward and returning; when looking ahead and looking aside; when drawing in and extending the limbs; when wearing his robes and carrying his outer robe and bowl; when eating, drinking, chewing his food, and tasting; when defecating and urinating; when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, speaking, and keeping silent.

It is in such a way that a Monk exercises clear comprehension.

(Reference: SN 36.7)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares The Four Foundations of Mindfulness and that they lead to “clear comprehension” or clarity of mind.

It is through developing The Four Foundations of Mindfulness that a Practitioner is able to have “awareness of mind” to observe the arising discontentedness training the mind to cut it off and let it go to completely eliminate 100% of all discontentedness.

What Are The Four Foundations of Mindfulness?

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness are four aspects of awareness the mind needs to develop to have “awareness of mind”, then, actively and skillfully work with arising unwholesome thoughts, ideas, and feelings to eliminate them from ever arising again.

It is through developing awareness of bodily sensations, feelings, conditions of the mind, and mental objects that the mind can then eliminate unwholesome qualities and cultivate wholesome qualities.

Through developing The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, a Practitioner can then more readily and actively "cut off the thoughts" and "let them go" training the mind to eliminate discontentedness.

Rather than allowing the mind to become polluted with unwholesome feelings, conditions of the mind, or mental objects, a Practitioner can instead cut off and let go of any arising thoughts, ideas, and feelings when they are only bodily sensations.

This allows the mind to not experience the pollution of arising unwholesomeness and trains the mind so that unwholesome thoughts, ideas, and feelings no longer arise at all.

Without The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, a Practitioner would not be aware of the bodily sensations, or the resulting feelings, conditions of the mind, and mental objects to then be able to cut off and let go of the unwholesome thoughts, ideas, and feelings prior to polluting the mind so that eventually, they will never arise.

Through developing The Four Foundations of Mindfulness a Practitioner will be able to get to the point in their training that through the constant cutting off of unwholesome thoughts, ideas, and feelings that the mind can reside peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy because unwholesomeness will never arise.

It is the constant cutting off sooner and sooner that the mind can experience liberation through the non-arising unwholesome thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The mind will eventually get tired and will submit to never arise unwholesome thoughts, ideas, or feelings.

The non-arising of unwholesome thoughts, ideas, and feelings is experienced through a well liberated mind - an Enlightened mind.

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness

To develop awareness of mind, you should not allow the mind to be lost in daydreams, anticipation, indulgences, worry, or dwell in other discontent feelings. With awareness of the mind that the mind is not in the present moment during daily life, cut off those thoughts and bring the mind to the present moment.

Cultivating mindfulness or awareness of mind is accomplished through meditation practices and carried into everyday life through implementing awareness of the mind in each moment of your normal activities.

The Buddha describes to have full awareness of mind in all of our daily activities such as “when going forward and returning; when looking ahead and looking aside; when drawing in and extending the limbs; when wearing his robes and carrying his outer robe and bowl; when eating, drinking, chewing his food, and tasting; when defecating and urinating; when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, speaking, and keeping silent”.

It is through Right Mindfulness, or awareness of mind, that a Practitioner is vigilant and constantly aware of what exists in the mind. Through Breathing Mindfulness Meditation the mind is brought to the present moment training it to have clear comprehensive, awareness of mind, and concentration. Through having full awareness of the bodily sensations, feelings, condition of the mind, and mental objects a Practitioner can then skillfully eliminate unwholesomeness and arise the wholesomeness.

Through continuous awareness of mind through The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, a Practitioner is then “exercising clear comprehension”.

To cultivate mindfulness, you will need to learn Breathing Mindfulness Meditation in the positions of seated, lying, standing, or walking. Breathing Mindfulness Mediation and the four (4) body positions for meditation are described in the Chapter titled “Meditation: Developing Your Practice” (Chapter 11) of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1) of this same book series. Using Breathing Mindfulness Meditation, you can establish mindfulness or awareness of bodily sensations, feelings, condition of the mind, and mental objects while learning to “let them go” to eliminate discontentedness.