7 Factors Of Awakening
Waking up is ‘a noble aspiration’, but the path is not easy. There are moments of true joy, celebration, and appreciation, and there are moments of doubt and despair. But we welcome the challenge of emerging from a habit-driven, compulsive life into a way of being and inhabiting this life where we flourish, are creative and engaged, and where we feel free. So what allies in this journey support and nourish us, inclining the heart toward awakening?
The Budda offers us 7 tools known as the 7 factors of awakening which serve as a frame of reference on the path, and offer the practitioner deeper insight into what is here now, in order to awaken the mind. Here is a little background on these tools:
The Pali word bojjhanga—describes the seven limbs, factors, or supports of awakening. “bo” derives from “bodhi,” wakefulness or liberation, and “anga” or “limbs.”
These limbs are present in our consciousness;
they are seeds of potential reality that we are invited to nurture, identify, appreciate, and strengthen;
They protect us against pain and adversity, by inclining the heart toward awakening;
they free the mind and heart from all forms of bondage and suffering;
they incline the mind toward liberation or nirvana;
a list of practice instructions or tools that we can actually take out of our toolbox and bring into use in our everyday life;
The 7 factors are:
mindfulness
investigation
energy
joy
concentration
tranquility
equanimity
How do these tools come into play on a daily basis? Within the framework of Yoga practice the playground is our body and the gateway the Asana, breath, dristhi. Through the application of mindfulness we can train our attention to be on the breath, in the posture, in the eyes, so the body and the application of mindfulness are at the foundation.
You want to develop wisdom? Stop being in your mind and make the mindful choice to be here in your body now. Notice the presence of pleasure(for example), or the presence of displeasure or their absence. When you walk, walk; when you’re tired be tired; when you’re eating, eat; when you’re angry, feel your anger. Be with what is, with the open awareness of consciousness being touched by that which you are experiencing.
7 factors give us the skills we need to be in our best mind.
If I'm in conflict I want the best mind to navigate that; if I am moved by something beautiful, I want to the best mind to take that in.
Here is a beautiful analogy shared by Pascal Auclair:
“Imagine rain falling down on a mountain. The rain falls down on a mountain and very naturally the water will come down and join a little spring. Very naturally the spring will join a river and very naturally the river will at some point join with the ocean. Very naturally. In the same way, if you bring mindfulness, or attention to something, very naturally in time curiosity will arise with the quality of contact that is happening and the mind will get intrigued. Very naturally a mind that is intrigued and curious will get energized. It’s only natural. When there is curiosity in the mind, it brings vitality in the system, which raises the factor of energy. And then very naturally, as the rain falls on the mountain, to the river, and then to the ocean, very naturally a curious, energized mind will become joyful; enthusiasm will come very naturally. A mind that is joyful, that is experiencing contentment, naturally will settle. Very natural because it’s contented with that is there. Its full of presence. So very naturally calm arises. The mind is gathered, it’s not looking all over, it gets very naturally concentrated. And then equanimity very naturally arises.
The mind becomes unified, stable and then becomes balanced. When all these come together, very naturally the mind will see more clearly and insight will arise.”
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