1. First on the references/notes when it says "Anālayo 2015e: 318 note 20" what is that referring to? Where is it and how do I find / read it? There's so many of them such as:
6 Anālayo 2013b and 2014d; on the same topic from the viewpoint of
the Pāli version see Anālayo 2003 and 2015g.
7 Anālayo 2015c.
8 Anālayo 2016f.
9 Anālayo 2017c.
10 The relevant publications are Anālayo 2013a, 2014b, 2014e, 2014g,
2015a, 2015d, 2015f, 2016a, 2016b, 2016d, 2016g, and 2016h.
2. What does the acrobat analogy mean?
3. Then he said
What are these conceptual labels?"Regarding the early Buddhist conception of mindfulness, a
point worthy of note is that the instructions for satipaṭṭhāna
meditation make use of conceptual labels to facilitate recognition."
The actual instructions for contemplation of feelings or of
states of mind, for example, use direct speech to formulate the
conceptual labels to be used when practicing
What is direct speech? You say during meditation
"I am thinking of what I'm going to buy for groceries now."?
4. Then he said
How is Early Buddhist conception of mindfulness different from Theravada mindfulness?"The early Buddhist conception of mindfulness also differs
from its Theravāda counterpart. Mindfulness constructs in this
tradition are often based on a theory of mind-moments and a
definition of mindfulness as invariably wholesome."
What does "mind-moments" and "wholesome" mean?
5. Then Bhikku Bodhi said (in the reference/notes)
What does non-conceptual mean and non-discursive?Bodhi 2011: 28 points out that, from the viewpoint of the early discourses,
“it is … hard to see how mindfulness can be essentially
non-conceptual and non-discursive.”
6. Then this quote
What does this all mean?Olendski 2011: 61 explains that, from the perspective of later Theravāda
tradition, “as a universal wholesome factor, mindfulness is
exclusive of restlessness, delusion and all other unwholesome
states, and cannot co-arise with these in the same moment.”
7. Then this quote
So correct me if I'm wrong, but he's saying that EB meditation studies say that mindfulness need to be part of a 4NT practice. (So he's saying for mindfulness to be authentically mindfulness, practitioners must be practicing Buddhism) And if mindfulness is practiced by people who are doing bad actions, then it's a wrong form of mindfulness.The perspective afforded by the early discourses gives a
different impression, as these clearly distinguish between right
and wrong forms of mindfulness. Mindfulness can be classified
as “right” when it operates from within the perspective of
the four noble truths, a perspective that can fulfill the role of
right view as a precursor to the noble eightfold path. In other
words, mindfulness needs to be part of a mode of behavior or
form of practice that leads to diminishing the cause of dukkha
in oneself and others in order to be directed ‘rightly’.
In contrast, when mindfulness comes in conjunction with
unwholesome actions and intentions, it will have to be qualified
as going in the ‘wrong’ direction, as it lacks the fundamental
insight that each of us builds his or her own affliction and
that continuing to do so is bound to lead to an increase of dukkha
for ourselves and others.
Even if that's true, how is the EB meditation studies different from the Theravada mindfulness of "wholesome" (see #4 above) "
8. To make matters more confusing he said this right after the above
Now he's saying unwholesome mental qualities are allowed when practicing mindfulness? Does he mean action is not allowed ("wrong") but unwholesome mental qualities are allowed?Besides allowing for forms of mindfulness that are “wrong”
and thus unwholesome, the early Buddhist discourses also
point to a possible coexistence of mindfulness and unwholesome
mental qualities.
9. What does contemplation of hindrances mean?
10. What does this mean?
These instructions give the impression that, from an early
Buddhist perspective, mindfulness of defiled states of mind
was not envisaged as merely retrospective.
11. Then he goes on...
What does "facilitate recognition" and "deliberate evaluation" mean?Another point worth noting is that, by describing the use of
conceptual labels to facilitate recognition, the instructions on
satipaṭṭhāna implicitly show that the presence of mindfulness
can coexist with an element of deliberate evaluation.13
12. What does "bare awareness" mean?
13. What does absorption mean?
14. The book said in the notes/references
Does that mean you can wash away your evilness by merely meditating?From the perspective
of the developed Theravāda theory that often underpins
conceptions of mindfulness in the vipassanā traditions, however,
the presence of mindfulness itself suffices to overcome a state of
anger; see, e.g., Olendski 2011: 65f: “if the wholesome attention
can be sustained moment after moment, the entire stream of consciousness
becomes purified … mindfulness … is transformative
precisely because the unwholesome quality … has been replaced
with a wholesome attitude.”
15. So many here
What do the following mean?In the Pāli version of the Satipaṭṭhāna-sutta, this refrain
describes three alternative modes of practice (qualified with
the conjunction vā, “or”) and one aspect that appears to be relevant
to any satipaṭṭhāna meditation (introduced with the conjunction
ca, “and”), which is the need to dwell independently
without clinging to anything. The first of the three apparently
alternative modes of contemplation requires contemplation to
be undertaken internally or externally (or both). The second
speaks of contemplating arising or passing away (or both)
-refrain
-three alternative modes of practice
-dwell independently without clinging
-contemplation to be undertaken internally or externally. what externally?
-contemplating arising or passing away
16. Not to get ahead of the book, but in your reading of this book, did you find that the Mahasi Sayadaw mindfulness training the closest (or identical to) Early Buddhist Mindfulness?
17. Reading my questions, do you have a book you could recommend for a beginner to understand a lot of these concepts, ideas, vocabulary terms? I'm already lost just on the first chapter. If I'm going to continue reading this book with my limited grasp of the concepts, perhaps there are preliminary books I should invest some time on first. Got any ideas?