Investigation is the second Factor of Awakening, and is one
of three arousing factors as it has the quality of enlivening the mind. The
other two are Effort & Energy and Rapture & Joy. We’ll discuss those
two next week.
It is important to remember that these factors unfold
naturally in order; each is conditioned by the previous one. Well-established
steady mindfulness is the ground out of which investigation grows. With mindfulness, we become aware of what is
present, and with investigation, we look into the nature of what we find, the
truth of things, the dharma. Investigation requires bringing an open curiosity
into our meditation practice seeded with kind, nonjudgmental awareness.
“Investigation of the dharma means not settling for
second-hand knowledge or adopting someone else’s opinion. It says ‘I must see
for myself what is true.’ What makes a buddha is the courage and willingness to
look directly and honestly into the body, the heart, and the mind without
relying on or settling for what others say is true. Over the years of
meditation, it is this quality that keeps practice alive.”
-
Seeking the Heart of Wisdom,
The Buddha was very clear on this point of finding out for oneself what is true, that blind faith cannot
lead to full awareness into the truth of how things are. But it is through
investigation for oneself into one’s own
experience that insight and wisdom grow. Yet, the question remains. What is it
that we learn from investigating our experiences? What is the truth discerning
wisdom that arises? One of the core foundational teachings of the Buddha is
that of The Three Characteristics of Experience.
1.
Everything is always changing. That which has the
nature to arise has the nature to cease. Things come into being, stick around
for a while, then change into something else or disappear entirely. This is the
insight into impermanence, anicca in Pali.
2.
Life is challenging. For everyone. By its very nature,
life is full of joy and sorrow, gain and loss, good health and sickness, ease
and difficulty. When the mind is caught in the continual wishing for things to
be other, or the grasping onto what is, anguish, fear, stress, or
dissatisfaction develop. This is the insight into suffering, dukkha in Pali.
3.
Everything is dependent on everything else. Because of
this, that. Nothing, by nature is made up of only itself. Any structure is made
up of its component parts; the human body, a book, a tree, a flower, even
water. All are made up of parts that can
be broken down into smaller and smaller parts, and ultimately it becomes
impossible to locate an identifiable whole self or inherently solid object.
This is the insight into interconnection,
or more classically, not-self, anatta in Pali.
One of my teachers, Heather Sundberg, offers a delightfully simple
and clear way of understanding the experience of the three characteristics. She
says something like this, “Everything changes. Everything. When we hold on too
tightly and push things away too hard, it hurts. And please, don’t take life so
personally. It’s not personal. It’s just the manifestation of a whole bunch of
conditions intersecting at any given moment in time.”
We learn for ourselves through direct experience that
impermanence, suffering, and interconnection are universal, true for everyone
everywhere. With practice and through investigation we cultivate the capacity
to navigate our lives skillfully with wisdom, clarity, and discernment. And by
knowing what’s what we can make wise choices.
With wise choices, we have more ease, with more ease we have less
suffering, with less suffering, we are kinder, with more kindness, we
experience more peace. This is a self-supporting cycle. Each is dependent upon
and a reflection of the other.
Here is a meditation practice for working with investigation
from another great teacher, Martine Batchelor, from her book, Let Go; A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of
Habits.
Questioning
Meditation – “What is this? “
Settling in, assuming a comfortable posture, begin by tuning
in to your breath. Breathing in, be aware of breathing in; breathing out, ask:
“What is this?” When you ask “What is this?” you are opening yourself to the whole
moment. You are not asking anything specific. This meditation is about questioning, not about answering. The
questioning is open-ended. Feel the question in the body, the heart, and the
mind.
Try not to look for any answers. No analysis, no speculation,
just the internal gesture of inquiry. As you develop a sense of questioning and
curiosity, try to remain stable and alert. Focus on the question within a
wide-open awareness and allow yourself to be available to the moment fully.
Continue with the questioning for as long as you like. When you’re ready, let
it go and rest in the open space of inquiry.
No comments:
Post a Comment