The Seven Awakening Factors, Part 2

This talk continues a review by April of the Seven Awakening Factors, focusing on how Mindfulness supports the full development of Tranquility, Concentration, and Equanimity.  The recording and notes from the previous presentation are found in the archives.  This talk includes questions and comments from those attending the meeting.

Here are the notes prepared for this talk:  Orlando Insight Meditation The Seven Factors of Awakening part 2

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Seven Awakening Factors Review, Part 1

During this talk, April provides her research and insights regarding the Seven Awakening Factors, emphasizing the importance of the factors of Mindfulness, Investigation of Dhammas, Energy and Joy.  Investigation, Energy and Joy activate the Wholesome Mind Conditioning Factors, monitored by Mindfulness.  Next week’s talk will provide Part 2 of the review, focusing on the moderating Awakening Factors, Tranquility, Concentration, and Equanimity, once again monitored by mindfulness.

Here are the notes prepared for this talk:  Orlando Insight The Seven Factors of Awakening

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Understanding Equanimity

Equanimity is the quality of present-moment awareness and behavior that is highly valued in all spiritual endeavors.  Theravada Buddhism has developed an extensive analysis of equanimity to support the process of Awakening conceptually, and this talk reviews those concepts, using the Visuddhimagga, translated as “The Path of Purification”, as a guide.  Two primary areas of practice that will be reviewed are associated with the cultivation of lovingkindness, compassion and sympathetic joy, along with the function of equanimity as one of the Seven Awakening Factors.

Here are the notes prepared for this talk:  Cultivating Equanimity

Next week’s talk will “Go back to the basics” with a guided training meditation focusing on mindfulness of breathing meditation, followed by a Dharma talk that will provide an insightful review of how mindfulness of breathing meditation beneficially affects the neural structures of the brain and the function of that practice for advancing the process of Awakening.

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Reviewing The Seven Awakening Factors, Part 1

Once the mind has settled because the Five Hindrances have been conditionally disabled, the full realization of Awakening becomes possible because of the effect of the Seven Awakening Factors: Mindfulness, Investigation of Mental Phenomena, Energy/Effort/ Persistence, Joy/Engaged Interest, Tranquility, Concentration/Unification and Equanimity/Balance.  This talk focuses on a review of the first three of the factors, the coordinated and integrated development of which enables the realization of the remaining four factors.  Upcoming talks will review the remaining factors.

Here are the notes prepared for this talk:  THE SEVEN FACTORS FOR AWAKENING Part One

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Review of the Seven Awakening Factors

This talk is part of an extensive investigation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse, and provides a review of how undeveloped characteristics of the Seven Awakening Factors within the Fourth Foundation can be identified while meditating, accompanied by a more thorough description of the mature manifestations of the individual factors.  Emphasis is placed on the role of the first four of the factors–Mindfulness, Investigation of Mental Phenomena, Energy/Right Effort and Joy/Enthusiastic Interest–in the manifestation and increasing power of the remaining three factors, Tranquility, Concentration and Equanimity.  Ultimately, all seven factors are integrated, with high levels of functioning in the practice of vipassana, insight into the impermanent manifestation of self-states that are interdependent with one’s environment.

This talk is intended to be complemented by “Contemplating the Seven Awakening Factors”, found in the Audio archives of this website.

Here are the notes prepared for this talk:  THE SEVEN AWAKENING FACTORS

The focus of the next talk will be on the final stanzas of the Satipatthana Sutta, the realization of the Four Noble Truths.

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