November 15, 2007
Mindfulness & the Skandhas
I presently see Satipatthana or the foundations of mindfulness as introspective observation of the first four skandhas by the 5th, which is consciousness itself. Much of this tentative, and only my take at the present time. There are some holes in my take, and it may or may not resonate with others.
The First Skandha is Form or rupa-skandha, which corresponds nicely with mindfulness of body or kaya. This is, I think, to pay attention to our actions, including our posture and body language. The second is vedana-skandha, which I suspect gets confused with emotion because it is perhaps mistranslated as "feelings." The word feeling can refer to the textile sense, which is certainly one of the senses. However, 'feelings' is often employed figuratively to refer to emotions. My present take is Vedana refers to only to sensation, or the 18 sensory realms, and not to emotions. The 18 fields of sensation are rather simple, Each sense has a structural organ, a function, and an object it recognizes:
- The Eyes - vision or sight - form, color, shape, size, depth, position, etcetra
- The Ears - Hearing - Sound vibrations
- The Nose - smelling - odor or aromas
- The Mouth - taste - flavor
- The Body - touch - texture
- The Mind - perception / recognition - phenomenon
Vedana-skandha matches right up with mindfulness of vedana or sensation. It appears to mean paying attention to incoming sensations, as opposed to operating on in a distracted or heedless manner, or on 'auto-pilot.' Note that the mind as the sixth sense; perception or recognition of phenomena is what I call mano-vijnana, it does not refer to abstract conceptual cognotion; mush less something like precognition, It allows us to have presence of mind, and multi-task; without being distracted by the 'trees' of individual sensory inputs. It gives us the big-picture or the 'forest.'
So far so good. The first two mindfulnesses or frames of reference match up quite nicely with the first two skandhas. It gets a little more vague and dicey with the next two mindfulnesses; those of citta and dharmas. Those two terms can mean different things in different contexts. Citta generally means mind, but so can mana and vijnana. I usually take Citta to mean manas {cognition}, alaya, and amala. Mana is then the brain organ. Vijnana is specifically any of the 6 sensory processes. But all three are used as synonyms in some contexts. Moreover, Citta can also mean will; while vijnana can also be a general term for consciousness, inclusive of non-sensory aspects. There is similar ambiguity with 'little d' dharmas. This can mean phenomena, or the perceived objects of the 6 physical senses. It can also mean abstract cognition or conception; perhaps noumena? In the context of the 4 frames of mindfulness, the meanings of citta and dharmas seem to be seem to be:
citta: Emotions {caitta} and other mind-states. Soooo, is conceptual cognition included here?
dharmas: Mental objects, divided into 5 categories; the 5 hindrances, the 5 skandhas, the 6 senses, the 7 factors of enlightenment, and the 4 Noble Truths.
I am trying to match these with 3rd and 4th skandhas:
3. Samnja-skandha: Sources are inconsistent. All agree this refers to abtract conceptual cognition. Is emotion od desire {caitta} included? I am not sure. Emotion could go more to the 4th Skandha. Some place emotion with the 2nd, because it so similar to sensation, or is often a gut response to incoming sensations.
4. Samskara-skandha; This is translated as mental-formations; and variously clarified as volition, will, motives, impulses, habits, opinions, and so on.
Briefly, the 5th skandha is consciousness itself, which is, perhaps, the observer of the other 4. This skandha rather clearly overlaps the others, as it includes the 6 sensory consciousnesses, manas or mental conception {7th C,}, alaya-citta {8th C }, and Amala {9th C,}.
If I go in order, then mindfulness of citta could be mindfulness of abstract cognition; which could include both emotion or desire and conception. There would be emotive cognition, and rational or conceptual cognition. Then that would leave mindfulness of dharmas as mindfulness of motives impulses, etcetera. However, the 5 categories look like concepts to contemplate, so that does not work so well. I suppose these could mean contemplating those in terms of how they affect motives or impulses? So that it is the level where the reformation of the hindrances and impairments of the body, sensation, and cognition occurs? That might work. So I tentatively go with that, for now.
To summarize, for the practice of Satipatthana, I tentatively see the 4 foundations, frames, cornerstones, pillars, or spheres of mindfulnesses as paying attention to:
1. The Body and its Actions; to include demeanor, body language, consideration, etcetera. In basketball, this kind of mindfulness is called "Body Control."
2. Sensation, especially coordinated to get the big picture. In basketball, this level or facet of mindfulness is called "court awareness;" in football, "seeing the whole field"
These first two are likely what is called sati {pali} or smrti {sanskrit}; or mindfulness in the general sense. This is the opposite of acting in a spaced out, distracted, thoughtless, careless, heedless, or reckless maner. The next two, for
present convenience, could be:
3. Mental Cognition, including conscious conceptual thinking {I think this, my take is that, I understand this, that confuses me }, and conscious emotion {I am happy, I am sad, I like, I hate, I want, I do not want; and so on}.
4. Motives or Impulses; the usually subconscious ingrained habits, conditioned responses, and animal instincts that drive our behavior. This can also include volition, free will, or choice that over rides impulses.
That is where I am with this right now, subject to change without notice. In the next entry, I want to see how mindfulness of body, sensation, cognition, and motive might relate to vipassana, insight meditation, kanjin, or direct perception of the reality of our perplexing human existence. I might also get into how dealing with this relates to three different sets of 4 Bodhisattvas who attend the Buddha. Or I might first get into how mindfulness makes us more acutely aware of dukkha, and how, without practice, this can lead one to depression, anxiety, frustration, and anger. Another aspect of all this is the distinction between a sudden, unattained or non-dual awakening; and Buddhahood that is acquired via the gradual cultivation of merits. These all tie together; as Buddhism in general is, perhaps, a cure for dukkha? The insights and views of others are more than welcome in the comments section.
Posted by rbeck at November 15, 2007 01:47 PM