Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation (Shambhala Classics)

We confuse the concepts of the thinking mind with the reality of direct experience.

are, it is possible to arouse this quality of awareness. In the Satipatthana Sutta, which is the discourse the Buddha gave on the four foundations of mindfulness, four fields or areas of mindfulness are described.

experience. Most fundamentally, our life is composed of six experiences: sights, sounds, tastes, smells, physical sensations, and mental events. From this perspective, our life is very simple. Our whole complex world is only this: changing sights, sounds, tastes, smells, touch, and thoughts and feelings. In practice we make the effort to be aware o

the four foundations of mindfulness: awareness of the body, awareness of feelings, awareness of mental phenomena, and awareness of truths, of the laws of experience.

Zen Doctrine of No Mind,

Traditionally, this understanding grows through the development of three aspects of our being: a ground of conscious conduct, a steadiness of the heart and mind, and a clarity of vision or wisdom.

Be particularly vigilant with respect to the arising of the five hindrances: desire, aversion, sleepiness, restlessness, and doubt.

The five spiritual faculties—faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom—are our greatest friends and allies on this journey of understanding. These qualities are most powerful when they are in balance.

We attain wisdom not by creating ideals but by learning to see things clearly, as they are.