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.

“Om Mani Padme Hum.”

the Kalama Sutta.

Ryokan,

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

To understand karma, it is essential to see how the motivation or intention preceding an action determines the future karmic result of that action. Thus, if an act is motivated by true kindness, it will necessarily bring a positive result, and if an act is motivated by aggression or greed, it will eventually bring an unpleasant result. Because karm

it this way as she was washing the lunch dishes: “Isn’t it strange that we prefer the quicksand of somethingness to the firm ground of emptiness?”

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.

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.