We use a meditation theme like mindfulness of breathing to bring about the factors of awakening. These factors are not things we can do, they come about under the right conditions. Tend to the heart and body energies, bringing them together to hold your ground against the hinderances and make way for the factors of awakening.
Breathing gets conditioned by how we live our lives – energy can be mottled and unbalanced. It is a signifier of the heart. We can take time during retreat to take samādhi as a way of life, unifying body, heart and mind to bring into fruition the factors of awakening.
To meditate refers to placing the mind on a conducive object. There are functions that support meditation: vitakka –applied thoughtfulness/consideration; and, vicara – reflective evaluating, taking in the effects of what we apply ourselves to. Various applications of vitakka-vicara are reviewed, from the 5 indriya to mindfulness of body and breathing.
