Mindfulness Guard of Senses

In the Asheyana path, Calm Abiding practice is supported by one's work with the Eight Renunciations, having developed some space of mind in stepping back from bivalent perceptions.

Having worked with Calm Abiding within the context of the second Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of Senses, one can begin to work with this extension to the practice, "Mindfulness Guard of Senses."

The purpose of this Mindfulness Guard is to highlight particular qualities both conducive to progress along the path and available within the aspect of one's experience related to Mindfulness of Senses, within and beyond the context of formal practice.

During a session of Calm Abiding, one begins to focus on the third Point of Practice, that of the Senses:

• • Drawing back from evaluations or judgements of what one's senses may contact, one simply connects with the basic experience of sensing.

• • If one feels contact arising naturally and presently with a sensory object--alluring, repulsive, remarkable, or ordinary--one asks, "how is this not Appearance arising within Emptiness?"
    
    

  • The purpose of the inquiry is not to make oneself sense something that is not there. The purpose of the inquiry is to look directly at one's sensory experience and to consider for oneself whether Appearance arising within Emptiness is truly the 'signal' within one's sensory experience and whether additional interpretations--alluring, repulsive, remarkable, or ordinary--are merely interpretive 'noise.'

• • Keep attending to the naturally and presently arising sensory contact with a light touch as is bearable. Return again to the question, "how is this not Appearance arising within Emptiness?" Does the contact relax over time into gentle perception? Or does the contact tighten into "for me," "against me," or "not me" ?

• If one becomes distracted or drowsy during this Mindfulness Guard of Senses practice extension, one briefly returns to the general Calm Abiding instruction until they are ready to continue working with this Mindfulness Guard of Senses practice extension.
  
  

Following a session of Calm Abiding, one can extend Mindfulness Guard of Senses into daily life by:

• Bringing the Mindfulness Guard of Senses developed during practice to the periods of one's day--waking, preparing for the day, morning, noontime, afternoon, evening, nighttime, releasing from the day, sleeping.
  
  

• Bringing the Mindfulness Guard of Senses developed during practice to one's own activities during the day, as well as transitions between activities.
  
  

• Bringing the Mindfulness Guard of Senses developed during practice to activities involving others during the day, as well as transitions between activities.

• When one feels contact arising naturally and presently with a sensory object--alluring, repulsive, remarkable, or ordinary--one asks, "how is this not Appearance arising within Emptiness?"

• If one becomes distracted or drowsy during this Mindfulness Guard of Senses practice extension, one can return to the mindfulness and awareness of daily life until they are ready to continue working with this Mindfulness Guard of Senses practice extension.
  
  

  • Notice if one's habits of sensory experience in daily life reflect one's Mindfulness Guard of Senses in meditation practice--Be curious what might explain the difference between the two.
    
    

By practicing "Mindfulness Guard of Senses," one can begin to see through direct experience how one's interpretation of natural and present sensory contact can itself affect one's experience of sensory contact. One can also begin to see for oneself the possibility that what underlies natural and present sensory contact can be described as Appearance Arising within Emptiness.

The fruition of Mindfulness Guard of Senses is called Gesture of Senses--smoothly inhabiting the senses, with senses held neither too tight nor too loose, with light attention to sensory contact as a recall to equanimous repose, fully embodied such that the senses appear steady and well-timed in stillness and movement.

May these words help the equanimous Asheyana practitioner to gently extend the Gesture of Senses, with full mindfulness. May it be of benefit.