In our guided practice sessions, we are currently exploring 10 qualities of the heart as taught by the Buddha. (You don’t have to call yourself a Buddhist to benefit from this, it is being taught as a secular, non-religious practice and is relevant and beneficial for all human beings who want to create lasting sources of happiness and freedom).
Called the Paramis, these practices help us to bring Mindfulness into all aspects of our lives, individually and in relationship with others, both on and off the proverbial cushion.
I am using these sources as references:
Creating a life of integrity: in conversation with Joseph Goldstein Gail Andersen Stark 2020
Parami: Ways to cross life’s floods Ajahn Succito 2012 https://www.amaravati.org/dhamma-books/parami-ways-to-cross-lifes-floods/
A Whole Life Path: a lay Buddhist’s guide to crafting a dhamma-infused life Gregory Kramer 2017
“Wisdom is that force in the mind that illuminates how things really are, so that we see clearly”.
This fourth Paramita builds on our practices with the first three (Generosity, Ethical Conduct and Renunciation). I find it encouraging to be reminded that we all possess wisdom, and that it can become more available through practice.
As I read about this quality, I am reminded that Wisdom isn’t about book knowledge, but about being guided by our innate ability “to know” through our instincts and our embodied awareness. What is required is for us to pay attention in a deliberate, conscious way, rather than being pushed and pulled by each thought, impulse and reaction that crosses our minds.
This requires practice, and constant reminders to notice and to investigate what is underneath our surface habits and patterns of thoughts, words and behaviors.
For example, while we are sitting in formal practice, our minds can become lost in thoughts about what we have just been doing, what we are going to do when we finish sitting, how to handle a dilemma, a decision that is pending, whether we need to go to the market or can wait until tomorrow ad infinitim. We may think “once I figure this out I’ll be able to settle down and concentrate”, but it usually leads to the next thought, the next predicament, and we remain trapped in a never-ending spiral of thoughts.
Instead, with wisdom as our guide, we can choose to meet the thought with a curious, kind investigation of how it feels in the body, what is the energetic “felt sense” somatically, as we notice the thought and our present moment experience. Rather than being swept into the content of it, can we gain perspective by taking an interest in the awareness itself? And does this create more freedom?
Joseph Goldstein suggests we tune in to wisdom by noticing the difference in the quality of the mind when paying attention to whatever is arising (deliberate, focused, one-pointed), vs. the quality of mind when we are lost in the content of our thoughts (scattered, lost, has a life of its own).
In daily life, try inviting the wisdom factor by pausing and asking yourself “what do I understand here?” Allow space for investigation and for the wisdom to manifest, don’t try to force it.
By pausing to ask “what do I see clearly here in this situation?” we invite clearer seeing and understanding of the forces that are operating. We may see more clearly the forces of desire, ignorance, impermanence and reinforcing the concept of “self”. It can help us release our attachment to “I, me, mine”, and to recognize the law of cause and effect (karma) as it unfolds moment to moment based on causes and conditions.
The happiness that results from these wisdom practices isn’t limited to the ordinary, worldly happiness of getting what we want or avoiding what we don’t want. It can lead to the lasting, transcendent happiness that comes from recognizing the limitations of the conditioned mind, and realizing the freedom from suffering that is possible.
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Thank you.