Developing the 7 factors of enlightenment

[tiltbillings]

Jhana is essential, as I understand things.

I tend to think that satipatthana, as the awakening factor that's always useful, means that anapanasati is also always useful - not while driving or anything, but as a seated meditation method for all occasions.

It struck me that one way of looking at the function of the 7 factors is in terms of developing vipassana ( via the first 2 factors ) and developing jhana ( the last 3 factors ). And in terms of the 8-fold path this could be seen as parallel to Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.

Here are Joseph Goldstein's discussions of each of the factors in terms of actual practice and the Satipatthana Sutta:

1. Mindfulness (sati)
2. Investigation of the dhamma (dhammavicaya)
3. Energy (viriya)
4. a. Rapture (piti)
4. b. Rapture (piti)
5. Calm (passaddhi)
6. a. Concentration (samadhi)
6. b. Concentration (samadhi)
7. Equanimity (upekkha)

[Spiny Norman]

In the suttas the 7 factors are presented in a particular order. My assumption is that the order isn't of any particular significance, but I'd be interested to hear if there are any different views on this point.

[daverupa]

Some early coffee thoughts.

Judging by SN 46.53, unless we need to say that we're always going to be sluggish (2+3+4) and then restless (5+6) and then equanimous, we have to allow for some non-ordinal interplay between the factors. In a way, it's somewhat akin to the ennobling eightfold Path, whereby the factors have ordinal importance alongside non-ordinal interactions.

I want to translate piti here as 'zest', however; I see this as a factor of engaged-noticing, and therefore as phenomenologically betwixt persistent analysis (2 & 3) and calm composure (5 & 6). This puts 1-mindfulness at the front as always useful, 7-equanimity at the end as jhana, and leaves a dichotomy of factors that looks like this:

2+3 |piti| 5+6

Piti can be due to e.g. either seclusion or composure as jhana factors, or else be simple energetic engagement with the Dhamma. I see 2+3 as vipassana-like, and 5+6 as samatha-like, and see this as another way of framing up bhavana. In one respect both are to be developed, in another respect you need to pick up on the theme of your mind in each case and ensure that you don't run into anxious or drowsy extremes.

The interplay here is complex and intricate, and in my estimation probably comprised a significant portion of the extemporaneous discussions in the forests of the period, just as now.

[barcsimalsi]

In the suttas the 7 factors are presented in a particular order. My assumption is that the order isn't of any particular significance, but I'd be interested to hear if there are any different views on this point.

In the context of 1st jhana, they appear to be supporting factors but i wonder why sukkha is not include in the 7 bojjhangas.

[SarathW]

Hi Barcsimalsi.
See this post:

http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.ph ... 36#p282192

[Ananda26]

I would like to explore approaches to developing the 7 factors of enlightenment.

I think the first 3 factors are self-evident, but how are the other 4 factors to be developed? Is it by developing jhana, or are there other methods?

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .piya.html

Connected Discourses of the Buddha Chapter 46 Connected Chapter of the factors of Enlightenment is very helpful for the developing the 7 factors of Enlightenment.

When the mind is restless that is the right time to develope the tranquility, concentration, and equanimity factors of enlightenment.

When the mind is slack that is right time to develope the investigation, energy, and rapture factors of enlightenment.

As to mindfulness, Buddha has said that that is always useful.

[Spiny Norman]

Connected Discourses of the Buddha Chapter 46 Connected Chapter of the factors of Enlightenment is very helpful for the developing the 7 factors of Enlightenment.
When the mind is restless that is the right time to develope the tranquility, concentration, and equanimity factors of enlightenment.
When the mind is slack that is right time to develope the investigation, energy, and rapture factors of enlightenment.
As to mindfulness, Buddha has said that that is always useful.

Yes, thanks, Dave was talking about this earlier in the thread.

[Spiny Norman]

"Now, on any occasion when the mind is sluggish, that is the right time to develop analysis of qualities as a factor for awakening, persistence as a factor for awakening, rapture as a factor for awakening. Why is that? The sluggish mind is easy to raise up by those mental qualities.

..."Now, on occasions when the mind is restless, that is the right time to develop calm as a factor for awakening, concentration as a factor for awakening, equanimity as a factor for awakening. Why is that? The restless mind is easy to still with those mental qualities.

Dave, do you see this as applying both on and off the cushion, or primarily as applying to seated meditation?

[daverupa]

"Now, on any occasion when the mind is sluggish, that is the right time to develop analysis of qualities as a factor for awakening, persistence as a factor for awakening, rapture as a factor for awakening. Why is that? The sluggish mind is easy to raise up by those mental qualities.

..."Now, on occasions when the mind is restless, that is the right time to develop calm as a factor for awakening, concentration as a factor for awakening, equanimity as a factor for awakening. Why is that? The restless mind is easy to still with those mental qualities.

Dave, do you see this as applying both on and off the cushion, or primarily as applying to seated meditation?

Both. Mindfulness, as an awakening factor, is the baseline that is satipatthana. From this base, the other awakening factors are cultivated & hindrances allayed; anapanasati deeply develops this theme.

[Spiny Norman]

Both. Mindfulness, as an awakening factor, is the baseline that is satipatthana. From this base, the other awakening factors are cultivated & hindrances allayed; anapanasati deeply develops this theme.

Yes, that makes sense, particularly thinking of the reference to the 7 factors in the Satipatthana Sutta.
So do you see the 4 tetrads as a specific method for developing the 7 factors?

[daverupa]

So do you see the 4 tetrads as a specific method for developing the 7 factors?

More like arenas for the development of the factors.

At base, satipatthana is one's ancestral domain/the first awakening factor is always useful/etc. So this frames the practice, but isn't necessarily something I'd call a 'method' yet.

It's as though the awakening factors were gym equipment; you can go to any one of four gyms to correctly exercise, but the method on the various machines will differ in various ways according to the individual as well as the gym.

Nevertheless, chalking one's hands (sati) & going to the gym (-patthana) ought to happen first.