Setting the sitting, The Seven Points of Posture

 Setting the sitting, The Seven Points of Posture

The Centered Path, Part 5 of Buddhist Basics  (Ref:  Mahasatipatthana Sutta)

Thus I have heard. 

An anchor to contemplation and mindfulness is sitting in meditation posture.  Although there is no one posture that is ‘right’ for everyone, it is generally agreed that this is the best way to achieve progress in meditation practice.  Making your position0 a constant ‘habit’ will help you. 

You should be stable in your position, like a mountain.  Your head is the peak, you can observe the universe from there.  Sitting gives you an excellent way to stabilize your mind as you do not usually sit in posture.  Your posture should emulate (unattached) confidence and calm. No matter what, comfort is key.  You may sit on the bare floor, on a mat, a zafu and zabuton, or a chair.  A folded big towel or a small cushion is totally acceptable.

Legs: should be in either Lotus (if you can get in and out of it), Half lotus, Burmese style (indian style with one leg forward), Zazen (kneeling on ankles), 

Back:  If you sit in a chair or on the floor, the back should be straight but not rigid.  Imagine your vertebrae are all stacked like coins, or that your head is attached by a string to the sky.. Your head will float on the neck.

Shoulders: SHould be relaxed and under the line of the ear from the side.  You may want to roll your shoulders around a couple times before you start so they are not tense. Shoulders may feel heavy as they relax and you begin to feel the weight of the arms.

Head: Not too far forward or back, just above the shoulders, the chin slightly tucked and relaxed. Lips should be gently closed, allow your face to soften, the brow to relax. 

Eyes: Optionally you can keep your eyes closed, focusing your gaze to the point between the eyebrows (this helps concentration but can also make you more sleepy and dull).  If your eyes are open, keep them about ⅓ open, gently gazing to about where your head will touch the ground if you were to lean forward. 

Tongue: The tongue should be relaxed in the mouth, to really keep energy and attention place the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth behind the teeth as if saying the letter ‘N’.  It can help you if you start to really relax and drool. 

Hands: There are multiple hand positions called ‘mudras’   For basic meditation we can stick to three; The mindfulness mudra, hands palm down on the thighs, the open mind mudra, hands palms up on the thighs, or the meditation mudra, right hand in left palm in the lap with the thumbs gently touching.  You can use the mudras as part of your intention when mediation begins.  Other mudras can help achieve and maintain mental states, such as the teaching, calming, and 

Is it OK to lie down for meditation?  You can, but it commonly becomes ‘sleeping meditation.  Walking or standing is a perfect posture as well, gentle calmness and comfort are key.  Be mindful when you move as in walking or if you need to change position or scratch an itch.  Feel free to adapt for any health issues you have, back, knees, hips, etc.  Remember comfort is more important than looking good in meditation. 0

The Noble Eight-Fold Path: The checklist to reduce suffering.

The Noble Eight-Fold Path: The checklist to reduce suffering.

For 2020 I have changed the format of our Sunday morning meditation intention. On the website www.thecenteredpath.org I have loaded some documents to help us study the basics of Buddhist philosophy, practice, religion and spirituality to be applied to our lives as we live them as 'householders'. We do not live like monks or ascetics. We don't have the ability to study like they do, to understand it and be so immersed in it that it becomes the very air we breathe. But we can get pretty close if we can realistically apply it all to our daily lives.

Each Sunday we sit for stillness, following the breath. Then we read a page or two to get an intent and reason to contemplate. This is a good way to apply this teaching for ourselves and to better understand it. I do this so that I can really 'own' the material. When I was in medic school (I was an EMT for over 10 years in Los Angeles) we would teach people by making sure they 'hear one, see one, do one, teach one' This way we get all parts of the learner's ability whether kinesthetic, visual or auditory learning.

I will be discussing these as well in my series on YouTube (the channel is also 'The Centered Path' Here is the second of many that we had for our class. Remember to go to the website and download the 'cheat sheet' as well as the paper we use for class. Perhaps you can follow along in spirit and intent on your own during your own practice.

You are always welcome to come by or contact me for more information. Come on by and sit with me!

Thus, I have heard…

The fourth part of the Four Noble Truths:  Known as the Path. The Buddha taught for 45 years, and this is the Buddhist guide for living a simpler life.  It was explained again and again, differently for different people and their situations. For a person to be in balance there are two qualities to develop equally; compassion (Karuna) and wisdom (Panna).   This is often viewed as the eight spokes of a wagon wheel. There is not one really above or before another, they all hold the hub and wheel together.

The ‘right’ or skillful way of. Often it is displayed as a Dharma Wheel with eight spokes relating to the path itself. There is also the insinuation that there is not one ahead or above another, and that it is all part of the cycle of practice.

Prajna/Wisdom)

1.       View, belief or understanding – Am I seeing what is there, or what I want to see?  “It is what it is”. Seeing things in their true nature, without name, judgement or label.  This is possible when the mind is free of impurity and developed through meditation. This is the process of understanding the Four Noble Truths.

2.       Intention /thought– Am I truly living compassionately and wisely? Offering thoughts of love and non-violence toward all beings with selfish detachment.  Unconditional. Making spiritual growth and having/making a good life our purpose.

Silla/Morality or virtue

3. Speech – Am I saying anything behind anyone’s back I would not say to them directly?  This includes any talk that would bring about suffering; slander, harsh, ide, useless, gossip… Sometimes the only answer is ‘noble silence’

4. Action – Do I practice what I study and preach?  Promotion of honorable, moral and peaceful conduct. Avoid taking what is not given, destroying life, harmful sex actions, speech and thought.   We realize our actions have consequences.

5. Livelihood- Have I lost sight of my calling?  Am I living my calling? Avoid a profession that harms; weapons, war, killing animals, making intoxicants or poisons, cheating…

Samadhi/ Concentration

6. Effort -Am I pushing myself too hard or not hard enough?  Prevent evil and unwholesome states of mind, get rid of those already arisen, promote and cause good to arise in the mind and action.  The action of holding onto good and avoiding bad in mind, body and spirit.

7. Mindfulness/Meditation- Am I fully aware of this moment?  Diligently aware of our minds, attentive to the body (Kaya), sensations (Vedana), mind and thoughts (Citta) and things (Dhamma).  Being aware of one’s own mind is key. This is where you really can have control of your mind and its processes.

8. Concentration- Am focusing on the right things? This leads naturally to the four stages of Dhyana or trance.  1. Passionate desires and unwholesome thoughts are discarded, and happiness is maintained, even in daily life. 2. Tranquility and one pointedness of the mind, with joy and happiness remaining from 1.  3. Joy as an active feeling also subsides and equanimity is maintained. 4. All sensation, happiness and unhappiness, joy and sorry disappear and pure awareness remains. It is a feeling that you have awakened from a dream, the dream and delusion of being (independent).

Meditation practice and classes

Meditation and Mindfulness:  One of the best solutions to better manage stress and learn to adapt and overcome all sorts of mental and physical troubles!  We offer group classes each week and individual sessions by appointment.  Each week a different aspect of meditation will be focused on.  These can help you make your life better and reduce your personal suffering, whether it is physical, emotional, or spiritual.

Learn the basics of meditation practice and the when’s, how’s, why’s and what’s of meditation and mindfulness practice. 

Benefits of meditation and mindfulness...

Benefits of meditation are cumulative and does not lose effectiveness over time.  This means you can pick up right where and when you left off.   Meditation is a practice that it takes effort and time in order to see improvement.  It is just like practicing to worry.  Many of us do that on a daily basis and we become very good at it. 

ü  Reduces stress and worry

ü  Reduce anger and resentment

ü  Decreased muscle tension

ü  Improved performance on all levels

ü  Control emotions and recognize feelings

ü  Slows the aging process

ü  Builds compassion and wisdom

ü  Deepens understanding of the self

ü  More self-control

ü  A sense of connectedness

ü  Reduced heart rate and blood pressure

ü  Increased ability to concentrate

ü  Harmonizes the endocrine and neurological systems

ü  Helps in healing

ü  Greater spiritual and mental calmness and confidence

ü  The realization that now is your greatest gift

ü  You decide…

Services/meditation class topics:

Metta. Loving Kindness

Gratitude

Mantra for personal use

Silent sitting

Bigger thinking

Healing body scan

Pain and suffering

Death and dying

Pranayama and specialty breath work

Vipassana insight meditation

Mala work

Beginner’s meditation

Success and accomplishment

Tactical mindfulness for first responders

Half day workshop on Meditation and Mindfulness:

Eating meditation

Sitting meditation

Walking meditation

Body scan for healing and wholeness

Chakra balance

Movement meditation

Mantra meditation

What can meditation and mindfulness help?

Depression, anxiety, nightmares, over active mind, worry, aggression problems, recurrent troubling or bad thoughts, pessimism, loneliness, and mood disorders, poor self-esteem, Chronic pain, impulsiveness, fear, stress, lack of focus, scattered mind, memory, ADHD, PTSD, IBS, High blood pressure, rapid heart rate, inflammatory disorders, Panic disorder, loss of focus, asthma, PMS, menopausal symptoms,  chronic disease processes…

Why meditation and mindfulness? 

In practice for over 25 years, I have been able to dramatically change not only my own life but the lives of every student that has continued with personal and group practice.

Check us out on line for more!  We post daily somewhere and send out videos and emails to help you in your personal quest for great health.

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Twitter (@centeredpath)  

Dr. Sean H. Thompson (Reverend) has taught meditation and mindfulness for over fifteen years. 

Founder and board member of the International Order of Buddhist Ministers as well as a Delegate of the United Nations Day of Vesak Conferences, he began his practice in martial arts over 35 years ago and continued on to a more philosophical approach which lead him to mindfulness and meditation practice and his Buddhist journey on the Centered Path. 

He is a fully ordained and classically trained Buddhist Minister, Dharma name: Dhammajivaka.  He practices a non-denominational Buddhist practice of ‘Chan’ which is the precursor to modern Zen.  His teachers are: Ven. Bhante Chao Chu, LABU Abbot of Rosemead Buddhist Monastery (Mahayana), Ven. Dr. Walpola Piyananda, (Theravada) Abbot of Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara, and Rimpoche Jigme Dorje, Abbot of Khawalung Monastery (Vajrayana)