Mindfulness Guard of Mind

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 third Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of Mind, one can begin to work with this extension to the practice, "Mindfulness Guard of Mind."

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 Mind, within and beyond the context of formal practice.

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

• • Drawing back from evaluations or judgements of what may arise in one's mind, one simply connects with the basic experience of mind.

• • If emotions, ideas, or imagined or recalled images, sounds, or sensations naturally and uncontrivedly arise in one's mind--harmless, harm-seeking, of good will, of ill will, otherwise significant, or insignificant--one asks, "how is this not Harmlessness-Goodwill?"
    
    

  • The purpose of the inquiry is not to make oneself perceive something that is not there. The purpose of the inquiry is to look directly at one's perceptual experience and to consider for oneself whether expressions of Harmlessness-Goodwill are truly the 'signal' within one's perceptual experience and whether other expressions--harm-seeking, of ill will, otherwise significant, or insignificant--can be regarded as expressive 'noise.'

• • For a refresh on what is considered the basis of Harmlessness in Asheyana, see The Eight Renunciations. For a refresh on what is considered the basis of Goodwill in Asheyana, see articles on Asheyana ethics. 

• • Keep attending to the naturally and uncontrivedly arising perceptual experience of mind with a light touch as is bearable. Return again to the question, "how is this not Harmlessness-Goodwill?" Does the perceptual experience relax over time into open spaciousness? Or does the perceptual experience tighten into "for me," "against me," or "not me" ?

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

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

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

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

• When emotions, ideas, or imagined or recalled images, sounds, or sensations naturally and uncontrivedly arise in one's mind--harmless, harm-seeking, of good will, of ill will, otherwise significant, or insignificant--one asks, "how is this not Harmlessness-Goodwill?"

• If one becomes distracted or drowsy during this Mindfulness Guard of Mind 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 Mind in meditation practice--Be curious what might explain the difference between the two.
    
    

By practicing "Mindfulness Guard of Mind," one can begin to see through direct experience how one's interpretation of natural and uncontrived perceptual experience can be oriented to one's own framing. One can also begin to see for oneself the possibility that the 'signal' within the 'noise' underlying one's natural and uncontrived perceptual experience can be described as Harmlessness-Goodwill.

The fruition of Mindfulness Guard of Mind is called Gesture of Mind--inhabiting the mind with presence, with mind held neither too tight nor too loose, with light attention to perceptual experience, recalling the clarity of good purpose, fully embodied such that the mind appears light and well-intentioned in stillness and movement.

May these words help the purposeful Asheyana practitioner to kindly extend the Gesture of Mind, with full mindfulness. May it be of benefit.