[bezon]

Better it would be to consider the body as the ego rather than the mind. And why? Because this body may last for ten, twenty, thirty, forty or fifty years, even for a hundred years and more. But that which is called "mind, consciousness, thinking," arises continuously, during day and night, as one thing, and as something different again it vanishes.[42]

Such statements, however, are merely philosophical arguments through which one may intellectually accept this fact. Only by experiencing it as a living reality and by an impartial analysis of the self do we relinquish egotism. Thus in the Satipatthana Sutta, after each of the six body meditations and after each of the meditations on feeling, consciousness, and mental objects, the following passage occurs. (Quoted here is the section on feelings. The words "body," "consciousness," and "mental objects" are substituted for the word "feelings" in their respective sections of the sutta.)
Thus he lives contemplating feelings in himself, or he lives contemplating feelings in other persons, or he lives contemplating feelings both in himself and in others. He lives contemplating origination-factors in feelings, or he lives contemplating dissolution-factors in feelings, or he lives contemplating origination-and-dissolution factors in feelings. Or his mindfulness is established with the thought, "Feeling exists," to the extent necessary just for knowledge and mindfulness, and he lives independent, and clings to nothing in the world. Thus, monks, a monk lives contemplating feelings.

In the instance of anger, one would reflect: "This is anger." ... "It is a feeling." ... "I do not identify with it." ... "It will eventually be replaced by another feeling, which in turn will be replaced by still another." ... "I am a composite of various feelings; a changing aggregate of attitudes, values, and thoughts; no one of which is permanent." ... "There is no eternal I." As such objectivity and detachment increases, anger diminishes, for no longer is there an ego to be defended and no self which can be offended.

Except for a concluding section on the Four Noble Truths, we have now discussed all but two portions of the Satipatthana Sutta. These remaining two are included under the section on mental objects and are primarily intended to free one from sensual craving and the illusion of self:

Herein, monks, a monk thinks: "Thus is material form; thus is the arising of material form; and thus is the disappearance of material form. Thus is feeling; thus is the arising of feeling; and thus is the disappearance of feeling. Thus is perception; thus is the arising of perception; and thus is the disappearance of perception. Thus are mental formations (i.e. thoughts); thus is the arising of mental formations; and thus is the disappearance of mental formations. Thus is consciousness; thus is the arising of consciousness; and thus is the disappearance of consciousness."

Herein, monks, a monk knows the eye and visual forms, and the fetter that arises dependent on both; he knows how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be; he knows how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be; and he knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.

This latter passage is repeated five times with "ear and sound," "nose and smells," "tongue and flavours," "body and tactual objects," and "mind and mental objects" respectively substituted where "eye and visual forms" appears above.

We have thus completed the Satipatthana Sutta. In summary, it first prescribes mindfulness of breathing as a technique for quieting the mind and developing concentration. This same heightened awareness is then developed for all voluntary physical actions. Next are the meditations on repulsiveness, elements, and death, which are intended to free one from bodily attachment and lust; this is done by contemplating the temporary and changing nature of the body and by developing negative and unpleasant associations. The remaining three sections enable the practitioner to become fully aware of his thoughts, feelings, and emotions and to confront them impartially in their true nature. With each of these exercises, one also objectively notes that each facet of his own mind and body is temporary, compounded, and changing, and therefore there exists no immortal soul, unchanging essence, or true self.

One important fact should be noted. Neither in the Satipatthana Sutta nor in any of the other seven steps of the Eightfold Path is advocated the denial or suppression of feelings. It is a widely spread and inaccurate belief that Theravada Buddhism attempts to destroy evil thoughts by forcing them from the mind. Suppression of undesirable thoughts is advocated in only a few parts of the Pali Canon and is to be used only in special cases when other measures fail.[43]

In southern Asia it is becoming a common practice for both monks and laymen to enter a meditation centre for periods of from six to twelve weeks. Here one dons the white robe of an upasaka and is removed from all social contacts and material possessions. Previous social status and identity soon come to have little meaning, thus minimizing the effect of established habits and adaptations and thereby enhancing the opportunities for personality growth. The food is palatable but bland, and one eats and sleeps in moderation according to a strict schedule, and even eating and dressing become routine meditation practices. Virtually every waking moment is dedicated to meditation. Here progress is made at a rate impossible to achieve by setting aside an hour or two in the midst of a busy day. After his stay is over, the layman returns to family life and continues his daily one-hour practice. However, not all meditation centres are of high quality. Many are lax; a few are corrupt, and a few teach unorthodox meditations which are not truly Buddhist. Thus a person seeking entry should first make inquiries and would do well to avoid centres which make an effort to recruit Westerners for the sake of publicity and prestige. Satipatthana meditation centres exist in North America, and courses are given in England.

The Eighth Step
The last step of the Noble Eightfold Path is termed right concentration and concerns the attainment of the four absorptions or jhanas. These states are achieved by an extreme degree of concentration and mental quietude beyond that usually sought through mindfulness of breathing. Yet, unlike Satipatthana, the jhanas are not a prerequisite to Enlightenment. Some teachers say one may obtain Nibbana without reaching the absorptions, and they alone will not produce Nibbana. Also, there is the danger of one becoming enamoured with them and not striving for further progress. However, achieving the jhanas can facilitate one's progress.[44]

In these states all visual, tactile, auditory, and other sense impressions have ceased, while the mind remains alert and fully awake. The first jhana is described as having five qualities absent and five present. Absent are lust, anger, sloth, agitation, and doubt. Present are a mild degree of conceptual thought, a mild degree of discursive thinking, rapture, happiness, and concentration. With the removal of all conceptual thought and discursive thinking one enters the second jhana, which has the qualities of concentration, rapture, and happiness. Then with the abandonment of rapture, one enters the third jhana in which only equanimous happiness and concentration remain. The distinctive factors of the fourth absorption are equanimity and concentration. This last jhana is realized after giving up all joy and sorrow and is described as a state beyond pleasure and pain.[45]

The jhanas are obtained by mindfulness of breathing with a steady, progressive quieting of the breath.[46] They may also be realized through the kasina meditations and meditating on equanimity.[47]

At this point it is interesting to speculate on the phenomena of parapsychology. Despite the fraudulent and careless investigations which have been done in psychical research, there still remains a sizable number of reliable and carefully controlled studies (especially in England) which have demonstrated that people do, indeed, possess the faculties of telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition (i.e. respectively, the abilities to read another's thoughts, to see or know distant happenings beyond the range of normal vision, and to foretell future events). In addition some researchers claim to have established the existence of psychokinesis, the power of mind over matter, but the evidence for psychokinesis is inconclusive and most experiments have failed to demonstrate its validity. Of those parapsychology subjects who have been tested to date, even the best guess incorrectly as often as correctly and are unable to determine which of their guesses are correct. That is, while being tested, the ESP subject is unable to distinguish between guesses and true extra-sensory information.[48] One might wonder if the process of reducing sensory impressions and stilling discursive thoughts would enhance these psychic abilities.

According to the Pali texts there are five psychical powers which can be obtained through meditation. These five include psychokinesis, telepathy, and clairvoyance, plus two others. The additional two are the "divine ear" or clairaudience (the auditory counterpart of clairvoyance) and the ability to recall past lives.[49] Precognition itself is not listed among these but is mentioned in other sections of the Tipitaka. Reliable use of these powers is allegedly possessed only by those who have achieved the four jhanas either with or without Nibbana.[50] Thus, like more worldly talents, Nibbana alone does not produce them.[51]