Mindfulness Guard of Emotions

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

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 Emotions, 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 emotional expression of mind.

• • If what arises in one's mind is accompanied naturally and uncontrivedly by strong repelling emotion such as anger, hatred, or disgust; by strong attracting emotion such as lust, greed, or desire; or by diffusive emotion such as indifference, impatience, or boredom--one simply asks, "how is this not Satisfied Joy?"
    
    

  • 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 emotionally expressive experience and to consider for oneself whether expressions of Satisfied Joy are truly the 'signal' within one's emotionally expressive experience and whether other expressions--strong repelling emotion such as anger, hatred, or disgust; strong attracting emotion such as lust, greed, or desire; or diffusive emotion such as indifference, impatience, or boredom--can be regarded as expressive 'noise.'

• • Keep attending to the naturally and uncontrivedly arising emotionally expressive experience with a light touch as is bearable. Return again to the question, "how is this not Satisfied Joy?" Does the emotionally expressive 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 Emotions practice extension, one briefly returns to the general Calm Abiding instruction until they are ready to continue working with this Mindfulness Guard of Emotions practice extension.
  
  

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

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

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

• When what arises in one's mind is accompanied naturally and uncontrivedly by strong repelling emotion such as anger, hatred, or disgust; by strong attracting emotion such as lust, greed, or desire; or by diffusive emotion such as indifference, impatience, or boredom--one simply asks, "how is this not Satisfied Joy?"

• If one becomes distracted or drowsy during this Mindfulness Guard of Emotions 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 Emotions practice extension.
  
  

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

By practicing "Mindfulness Guard of Emotions," one can begin to see through direct experience how one's interpretation of natural and uncontrived emotionally expressive 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 emotionally expressive experience can be described as Satisfied Joy.

The fruition of Mindfulness Guard of Emotions is called Gesture of Emotions--inhabiting the emotions with presence, with emotions held neither too tight nor too loose, with light attention to emotionally expressive experience, recalling the benevolence of good self-knowledge, fully present such that the emotions appear grounded and organic in stillness and movement.

May these words help the good willed Asheyana practitioner to benvolently extend the Gesture of Emotions, with full mindfulness. May it be of benefit.