https://suttacentral.net/an9.1/en/sujato“Mendicants, if wanderers who follow other paths were to ask: ‘Reverends, what is the vital condition for the development of the awakening factors?’ You should answer them:
‘It’s when a mendicant has good friends, companions, and associates. This is the first vital condition for the development of the awakening factors.
Furthermore, a mendicant is ethical, restrained in the monastic code, conducting themselves well and seeking alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, they keep the rules they’ve undertaken. This is the second vital condition for the development of the awakening factors.
Furthermore, a mendicant gets to take part in talk about self-effacement that helps open the heart, when they want, without trouble or difficulty. That is, talk about fewness of wishes, contentment, seclusion, aloofness, arousing energy, ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, and the knowledge and vision of freedom. This is the third vital condition for the development of the awakening factors.
Furthermore, a mendicant lives with energy roused up for giving up unskillful qualities and embracing skillful qualities. They are strong, staunchly vigorous, not slacking off when it comes to developing skillful qualities. This is the fourth vital condition for the development of the awakening factors.
Furthermore, a mendicant is wise. They have the wisdom of arising and passing away which is noble, penetrative, and leads to the complete ending of suffering. This is the fifth vital condition for the development of the awakening factors.’
It then goes on to say that once these factors have been established, next the monk or nun should develop 4 further things
What is interesting then is that for there to be stream-entry there needs to be the following:They should develop the perception of ugliness to give up greed, love to give up hate, mindfulness of breathing to cut off thinking, and perception of impermanence to uproot the conceit ‘I am’. When you perceive impermanence, the perception of not-self becomes stabilized. Perceiving not-self, you uproot the conceit ‘I am’ and attain extinguishment in this very life.”
Initial Practice
- Good friends, companions, and associates.
- Morality and sense restraint.
- Regular discussions about the Dhamma.
- Effort to abandon what is unwholesome and maintain what is wholesome.
- The wisdom of directly knowing arising and passing away, which is another way of saying they directly know paṭiccasmuppāda.
Development
- Perception of ugliness to give up greed.
- Love to give up hate.
- Mindfulness of breathing to cut off thinking.
- Perception of impermanence to uproot the conceit ‘I am’.
Perception of foulness of the body > loving kindness > mindfulness of breathing > jhāna > perception of impermanence to uproot the conceit ‘I am’
Thoughts?