Practice as a Process of Alignment
When we examine our experience, we can notice that it has a “composite” feeling much of the time: There are different parts, regions, or levels of experience that are occurring together in an interactive way. There is body and mind; there is what is already present, what is arising now, and what is ceasing now; there is individual and interpersonal experience; there are objects and the space around them. We find also that we can be aware of various levels. Sometimes we are aware of several levels at once and sometimes just one level.
One way to view Dharma practice is as a process of getting all these levels aligned and non-conflictive. In one sutta (Itivuttaka 4.112), the alignment of mind, speech, and body is stated to be a quality that characterizes the Buddha. That is, complete harmony of mind and action is achieved only at full awakening.
However, we have all experienced times when we were able to act in line with our aspiration, or to speak clearly from our present-moment experience. These episodes have a sense of clarity, freshness, ease, and simplicity to them – a glimpse of how life flows when there is no dukkha. (It is interesting to note that one meaning of dukkha is a wheel with a misaligned axle. Such a wheel does not ride smoothly).
How can we practice toward greater alignment? Most methods of Dharma practice will serve this function, but it can be helpful to be explicit about cultivating alignment. Here are a few ways.
It is important to begin from a wholesome intention. When we are not fully in touch with our heart, it is possible to “align” around unwholesome aims. This eventually becomes impossible because at some level, such aims are painful. But until we have that clear ethical connection, it is important to consciously direct the mind well. Intend toward some form of non-harming or letting go, then do the practices below.
Often there is some disconnect between body and mind. Practices that align these two are immediately fruitful. We might start with the mind, even surface-level thought, such as thinking about a teaching or reading a sutta. Then we connect those words directly to the body. Allow the concept or words to drop away, leaving the impression of the Dharma teaching on the body, then rest in that. This is the process of spiritual contemplation, and it can go quite far.
We can also accomplish deep integration of mind and body through meditations that center on the body – especially breath meditation. The sixteen steps of Anapanasati meditation (Mindfulness of In-and-Out Breathing, MN 118) begin with bodily awareness and progress through connection to feeling tone, mind state, and awareness of deep Dharma processes like impermanence. This meditation alone can develop full alignment.
A different approach to cultivating alignment is to realize that intention is what links the mind to the world of speech and action. Intention, too, is composite, with many interactive layers and parts. Practicing in this realm will also facilitate deep connection through our whole being.
One teacher I know describes three broad levels of intention: Momentary, episodic, and overarching. Momentary intentions come and go all day, preceding literally every (karmic) action. Often, we are unaware of these habitual intentions, which are quite mixed between wholesome and unwholesome. Here, it is good just to pause and notice all the different components influencing an action, aiming to act more from the wholesome side than the unwholesome.
Episodic intentions can carry the mind through an event that has a beginning, middle, and end, such as a conversation, a meal, or a hike. We can set an intention to “flavor” this whole time period, such as being kind or patient or open to hearing new perspectives.
Overarching intentions shape our life, and often take the form of vows, values, or long-term aspirations. They can get lost amidst the press of short-term engagements, but can also exert incredible power over time, the way water wears a channel in rock.
As we come to be aware of the interpenetrating intentions we carry on each of these three levels, we will feel also the power that emerges when they are aligned. How can this very action – say, getting a cup of water from the kitchen – simultaneously fulfill a wholesome momentary, episodic, and overarching intention? It is great practice to aim toward aligning our many intentions, even if we cannot think like this every moment in a conscious way.
We can also reflect on which overarching intentions are strong and clear enough to lead all the way to awakening. Do our practice and life have a backbone strong enough to fulfill our full human potential? (Don’t worry if not; just read this now and see if it wants to emerge at some point.)
In the early Buddhist teachings, there are four “strong avenues of cultivation” that are offered as paths leading all the way to freedom. This does not mean they are the only ones, but they are ones the Buddha offered (and hence worthy of reflection).
They tend to relate to wisdom. Note that they must be taken to completion:
Of course, they are interrelated. We may have myriad particular versions of these for our own life. It is interesting to consider these as overarching intentions we could adopt, then align our episodic and momentary intentions to these.
As a specific example, opening to the current news related to the pandemic, racism, or other political issues can be done from the profound overarching intention to understand dukkha, aligned with an episodic intention to bear witness without falling into reactivity, and a series of momentary intentions to stay with the body and be mindful of arising thoughts.
Relating the four overarching intentions to the three wise intentions named in the Eightfold Path (renunciation, non-harming, and non-cruelty), we see that all four are about relinquishing distortion.
In the coming weeks, you might see if it is useful to think in terms of alignment. We are in a time when many previously “settled” aspects of life have become unsettled. Things are in motion, and where they are headed is quite unclear. It’s a good time to create more internal alignment, especially of our intentions, so that we’ll have some sound guidance for how to act as the pieces come back together.
When we examine our experience, we can notice that it has a “composite” feeling much of the time: There are different parts, regions, or levels of experience that are occurring together in an interactive way. There is body and mind; there is what is already present, what is arising now, and what is ceasing now; there is individual and interpersonal experience; there are objects and the space around them. We find also that we can be aware of various levels. Sometimes we are aware of several levels at once and sometimes just one level.
One way to view Dharma practice is as a process of getting all these levels aligned and non-conflictive. In one sutta (Itivuttaka 4.112), the alignment of mind, speech, and body is stated to be a quality that characterizes the Buddha. That is, complete harmony of mind and action is achieved only at full awakening.
However, we have all experienced times when we were able to act in line with our aspiration, or to speak clearly from our present-moment experience. These episodes have a sense of clarity, freshness, ease, and simplicity to them – a glimpse of how life flows when there is no dukkha. (It is interesting to note that one meaning of dukkha is a wheel with a misaligned axle. Such a wheel does not ride smoothly).
How can we practice toward greater alignment? Most methods of Dharma practice will serve this function, but it can be helpful to be explicit about cultivating alignment. Here are a few ways.
It is important to begin from a wholesome intention. When we are not fully in touch with our heart, it is possible to “align” around unwholesome aims. This eventually becomes impossible because at some level, such aims are painful. But until we have that clear ethical connection, it is important to consciously direct the mind well. Intend toward some form of non-harming or letting go, then do the practices below.
Often there is some disconnect between body and mind. Practices that align these two are immediately fruitful. We might start with the mind, even surface-level thought, such as thinking about a teaching or reading a sutta. Then we connect those words directly to the body. Allow the concept or words to drop away, leaving the impression of the Dharma teaching on the body, then rest in that. This is the process of spiritual contemplation, and it can go quite far.
We can also accomplish deep integration of mind and body through meditations that center on the body – especially breath meditation. The sixteen steps of Anapanasati meditation (Mindfulness of In-and-Out Breathing, MN 118) begin with bodily awareness and progress through connection to feeling tone, mind state, and awareness of deep Dharma processes like impermanence. This meditation alone can develop full alignment.
A different approach to cultivating alignment is to realize that intention is what links the mind to the world of speech and action. Intention, too, is composite, with many interactive layers and parts. Practicing in this realm will also facilitate deep connection through our whole being.
One teacher I know describes three broad levels of intention: Momentary, episodic, and overarching. Momentary intentions come and go all day, preceding literally every (karmic) action. Often, we are unaware of these habitual intentions, which are quite mixed between wholesome and unwholesome. Here, it is good just to pause and notice all the different components influencing an action, aiming to act more from the wholesome side than the unwholesome.
Episodic intentions can carry the mind through an event that has a beginning, middle, and end, such as a conversation, a meal, or a hike. We can set an intention to “flavor” this whole time period, such as being kind or patient or open to hearing new perspectives.
Overarching intentions shape our life, and often take the form of vows, values, or long-term aspirations. They can get lost amidst the press of short-term engagements, but can also exert incredible power over time, the way water wears a channel in rock.
As we come to be aware of the interpenetrating intentions we carry on each of these three levels, we will feel also the power that emerges when they are aligned. How can this very action – say, getting a cup of water from the kitchen – simultaneously fulfill a wholesome momentary, episodic, and overarching intention? It is great practice to aim toward aligning our many intentions, even if we cannot think like this every moment in a conscious way.
We can also reflect on which overarching intentions are strong and clear enough to lead all the way to awakening. Do our practice and life have a backbone strong enough to fulfill our full human potential? (Don’t worry if not; just read this now and see if it wants to emerge at some point.)
In the early Buddhist teachings, there are four “strong avenues of cultivation” that are offered as paths leading all the way to freedom. This does not mean they are the only ones, but they are ones the Buddha offered (and hence worthy of reflection).
They tend to relate to wisdom. Note that they must be taken to completion:
- Understanding conditionality
- Understanding inconstancy or impermanence
- Understanding dukkha (ie, the four noble truths)
- Understanding not-self/emptiness
Of course, they are interrelated. We may have myriad particular versions of these for our own life. It is interesting to consider these as overarching intentions we could adopt, then align our episodic and momentary intentions to these.
As a specific example, opening to the current news related to the pandemic, racism, or other political issues can be done from the profound overarching intention to understand dukkha, aligned with an episodic intention to bear witness without falling into reactivity, and a series of momentary intentions to stay with the body and be mindful of arising thoughts.
Relating the four overarching intentions to the three wise intentions named in the Eightfold Path (renunciation, non-harming, and non-cruelty), we see that all four are about relinquishing distortion.
In the coming weeks, you might see if it is useful to think in terms of alignment. We are in a time when many previously “settled” aspects of life have become unsettled. Things are in motion, and where they are headed is quite unclear. It’s a good time to create more internal alignment, especially of our intentions, so that we’ll have some sound guidance for how to act as the pieces come back together.
