Day 8:  Right Concentration

"With no concentration there is no wisdom, with no wisdom there is no concentration. But with concentration and wisdom one will come near nirvana" ~ The Buddha (Dhammapada 372)

The final part of the discipline group of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right [Meditative] Concentration. This specifically refers to focus the mind and settle your distracted body so you can cultivate yourself. If you cannot concentrate, you will let Mararun rampant in your mind and control your actions.

With right concentration, you begin to settle your mind of distractions, lead yourself from ignorance, clarify the mind, and attain peace. Through right concentration you can discover your true self (Buddha nature), and lead towards the state of awakening.

During the pandemic, right concentration may feel particularly challenging. However, through right effort, you will begin to see yourself grow stronger in your ability to concentrate and apply that towards all the rest of the steps. By practicing Right Concentration, you will become calmer, and able to handle situations correctly.

Focus

• While you have been meditating these past few days, now is the time to deepen right concentration. You will work on developing this skill which will allow you to have better insight into Buddhist teachings and concepts.
• What is your true self? The Buddha said, upon his awakening, that all sentient beings have the capacity for liberation just like him. However, Mara would like to lead us to believe otherwise. Through right concentration, we begin to see through Mara’s fog of delusion and see our true self. And then we can live in our natural state, just like the Buddha did, which is Nirvana. Wouldn’t you like to be calmer in the situations that are occurring?

Practice

• Continue to recite the Five Remembrances.
• Continue to Meditate,  at least once a day, starting with being mindful of the breath. For today, begin the practice of settling your mind. This does not mean you will be attacking stray and random thoughts like a video game, but instead to acknowledge them and let them go. Focus on your breathing as an anchor of stability, rather than what Marais trying to do to you.
• New   Practice: Work on right concentration as much as possible. This can, of course, be during sitting meditation, but also walking meditation and even in everyday life! As you develop, you will find your concentration grows deeper, and you can apply it towards mindfulness, effort,  and the rest of the path. This may take time, but you will gradually grow your ability.

Learn more about the Eightfold Path: https://alanpeto.com/buddhism/understanding-eightfold-path/

Free 14 Day Buddhist Planner for Buddhists:  https://gum.co/BuddhistPlannerCOVID

View all 14 days on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BxlqwF6P6GE

More on Alan Peto: https://alanpeto.com/about

More on Sanathavihari Bhikkhu: https://www.casadebhavana.com/

#Buddhism #BuddhistTeachings #Dharma #Buddhist #COVID #COVID19 #buddhistwisdom #Buddhists #buddhismteachings