Refuges and precepts provide a field of conscience and concern that wards off carelessness, imbalance, distractedness and negativity – and helps in moving towards a true norm that won’t let us down.
From Harris Park. Death contemplation guided by Bhante Akāliko. Dhamma talk by Bhante Sujato: Carrion sutta (Snp 2.2) Amaganda: literally "raw stench". A (presumably) hard-core vegan ascetic challenges the Buddha about his eating a cooked meal with meat. The Buddha's response: a conduct of practicing the four Brahma Viharas is what a monastic / ascetic lifestyle is about.
Words like “central axis” and “periphery” help create a template for awareness of all the senses in a field rather than seizing on points or a particular sensory experience. This is citta / mind/ heart, an awareness of a psychosomatic field.
