Seven Factors of Awakening 2: Joy, Calm, Concentration, Equanimity

Date: 2023-03-02 Thursday

The March 2 sit will be our second week exploring the seven factors of awakening. These seven are aspects of mind we may already be familiar with on the path, but they take on new light, and life, when considered in this context.

They are:

• Mindfulness (sati, Sanskrit smṛti). To maintain awareness of reality, in particular the teachings (Dhamma).

• Investigation of the nature of reality (dhamma vicaya, Skt. dharmapravicaya).

• Energy (viriya, Skt. vīrya) also determination, effort

• Joy or rapture (pīti, Skt. prīti)

• Relaxation or tranquility (passaddhi, Skt. prashrabdhi) of both body and mind

• Concentration (samādhi) a calm, one-pointed state of mind,[1] or "bringing the buried latencies or samskaras into full view"[2]

• Equanimity (upekkhā, Skt. upekshā). To accept reality as-it-is (yathā-bhuta) without craving or aversion.

For this second session we’ll be focusing on Joy, relaxation, concentration and equanimity, after exploring the first three in the last gathering.

Click here to listen to or download the talk on the Seattle Insight page.