Muni's PlayRemember that awareness alone is not enough!
There has to be wisdom present in the awareness.
Three Kinds of Wisdom
Where is that wisdom going to come from? There are three kinds of wisdom:
- Sutamayā paññā is information you get from reading, from listening to Dhamma discourses, or from discussions with teachers.
- Cintāmayā paññā is intelligence or knowledge acquired through thinking, reasoning, or intellectual analysis.
- Bhāvanāmayā paññā is insight or wisdom gained through direct experience.
In short, we refer to them as information, intelligence, and insight. The Buddha called it mindfulness and clear comprehension (sati-sampajañña).
Right Use of Thinking
You don’t stop all sorts of thinking! You should think about the Dhamma you have heard, information you’ve read here, and reflect on the work you are doing and consider how you are practicing. This kind of thinking will help wisdom grow.
Utilizing the good qualities of the mind (i.e. sati, viriya, paññā) and applying intelligence is the work of mindfulness meditation.
The Six Sense Objects
A wise yogi uses the six sense objects to develop awareness, stability of mind, and wisdom. For those who are not so mature, the same objects will only increase craving, aversion, and delusion.
The Five Spiritual Faculties
Awareness (sati), steadiness and stability of mind (samādhi), effort or ‘wisdom’ energy (viriya), faith and confidence (saddhā), and wisdom (paññā) are five spiritual faculties that work together in the process of meditation.
Mindfulness meditation is the work of cultivating or growing these spiritual faculties to work in balance.