20111119 white lotus sutra and art of attention

Updated Mar 2010

加拿大佛教會湛山精舍　

禪修學佛入門 Introduction to

Buddhism and Meditation2011/11/19

Buddhist Association of CanadaCham Shan Temple

Updated Mar 2010

Buddhist Association of CanadaCham Shan Temple

ná mó fó tuó南無佛陀

Namo Buddha

ná mó dá mó 南無達摩

Namo Dharma

ná mó sēng qié南無僧伽

Namo Sangha

加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

Buddhist Association of Canada

1. An art brings clarity and an intelligence that sees the “true nature of things”.

2. This is a common practice in all Buddhist schools.

3. What is the fundamental teaching in Buddhism?

4. Most people tend to functions in a rather inattentive, unfocused way. Do you?

5. “Bare” attention is to simply register the predominant object in one’s experience as it arises without preference or interference, as a witness.

The Meditative Art of Attention



Passive and Active Attention A strategy of being fully aware of all

your activities through a conscious orientation to the five senses and the sixth sense.

The practice is to be consciously attentive at the predominant door.

Being on guard at the eye-door allows you to notice the effects of the contact between the eye and the visible objects.

By being attentive “Presence of Mind” is developed.

Bare attention is just registering what is happening in a receptive state of mind without reaction.

An Orientation to Six Sense Doors



1. Where is your attention?2. What sense impression is predominant

now?3. Is it the eye-door as you are viewing the

page, the ear-door attracted by sounds or the touch sensations of the body’s contact on the chair your are sitting on?

4. “The Present Moment” is the time to establish the habit of being consciously present at a sense door and notice what is happening during a sense impression.

5. Choose a sense-door and be attentive.6. What feeling is present? Is it pleasant,

unpleasant or neutral? 7. What thoughts are associated with it? Do

you notice of any changes?

Exercise in Orientating to a Sense-Door



Bahiya made a long journey to visit the Buddha at Savatti and reached the monastery just as the Buddha was about to go on the daily alms-round. Bahiya, asked the Buddha three times to teach him the Dharma Before the Buddha agreed to teach at such an inopportune time.

The Buddha then gave these brief instructions: “Bahiya, you should train yourself in this way. With the seen, there will be just the seen, with the heard, there will be just the heard; with the sensed (touched, tasted, smelt) there will be just the sensed; with the cognized, there will be just the cognized.”

Buddha’s Instruction



1. Ignorance as a condition volitional actions arises2. Volitional Actions as a condition consciousness

arises3. Consciousness as a condition mentality/

materiality arises4. Mentality/Materiality as a condition the six

sense bases arise5. The Six Sense Bases as a condition contact

(sense impressions) arise 6. Sense Impressions as a condition feeling arise7. Feelings as a condition grasping and clinging

arises8. Grasping and clinging as a condition

attachment arises9. Attachment as a condition Becoming arises10. Becoming as a condition Birth arises11. Birth as a condition old age and death arises12. Old age and death as a condition ignorance

arises

Dependent Origination



A useful device to support meditative attention is naming the various objects during the observation of your own mind and body.

Noting is done by repeatedly making a mental note of what ever arises in your body/mind experience.

When hearing, say I am hearing in your mind.

When angry, say I am angry in my mind. Mental noting can be combined with the

practice of orientating to your sense impressions.

Be careful not analyse what is being ovserved, just register or note it without reaction.

Technique of Mental Noting



www.ChamShanTemple.org

www.shengguangshi.blogspot.com

[email protected] Shi 釋聖光Tom Cheung 張相棠Kam Cheung 張仁勤Dennis A. Yap 葉普智

Questions and Comments 討論



yuàn xiāo sān zhàng zhū fán năo

願消三障諸煩惱We wish to rid ourselves of the three hindrances and all klesas.

yuàn dé zhì huì zhēn míng lĭao

願得智慧真明了We wish to gain wisdom and real understanding.

pŭ yuàn zuì zhàng xī xiāo chú

普願罪障悉消除 We wish all sinful hindrances to be totally eradicated.

shì shì cháng xíng pú sà dào

世世常行菩薩道In one life after another we always follow Bodhisattvas’ paths.

回向Parinamana (Transfer of Merit)

20111119 white lotus sutra and art of attention

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