The constant factor that accompanies all mental states and activities is awareness- the ground of citta. Citta gets conditioned by sankhara of intention, attention and contact. Widening past these we return to awareness.
The 7 factors of enlightenment present a trajectory that begins in the personal domain but moves beyond self. This is because it is based on disengagement (viveka) ripened beyond self.
Key points- ground, safety; resonate with body as textures until breathing becomes apparent. Sample the feelings of breathing and enjoy it. Absorb the ‘sigh’, the felt impression
Use pointing (vitakka) and “tasting/feeling” (vicara). Energy comes with enthusiasm. Use the imaginative faculty to generate useful perceptions and images. Firm up mindfulness to supervise and protect the heart.
Recognizing that our lives and practice depend on conditions-not self- how do such conditions arise? Placing citta within the Refuge allows for intuitive commitments.
Citta is awareness, heart and mind. It experiences involuntary and voluntary modes. In the involuntary is release, but the path to that is through intention, disengagement, and discernment.
Find ground in the body as a gift, not worked for. This opens space around the body. Breathing is another given that flows through that, establishing rhythm = natural time.
Use of one’s voice and of giving it to the sacred. Through merging one’s voice and giving into the communal field, citta can rise out of the isolation of personhood.
