Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena

In the Asheyana path, Calm Abiding practice is supported by one's work with the Eight Renunciations, having developed some space of mind in stepping back from bivalent perceptions.

Having worked with Calm Abiding within the context of the sixth Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of Phenomena, one can begin to work with this extension to the practice, "Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena."

The purpose of this Mindfulness Guard is to highlight particular qualities both conducive to progress along the path and available within the aspect of one's experience related to Mindfulness of Phenomena, within and beyond the context of formal practice.

During a session of Calm Abiding, one begins to focus on the fifth Point of Practice, that of the Mind:

• • Drawing back from evaluations or judgements of what phenomena may arise in one's mind, one simply connects with the phenomenal expression of mind--knowing the objects of one's experience.

• • If what phenomena naturally and uncontrivedly arise in one's mind are accompanied by emotion, by thinking or analysis, or by dullness and detachment--one simply asks, "how is this not Luminosity arising within Emptiness?"
    
    

  • The purpose of the inquiry is not to make oneself perceive something that is not there. The purpose of the inquiry is to look directly at one's phenomenally expressive experience and to consider for oneself whether Luminosity arising within Emptiness is truly the 'signal' within one's phenomenally expressive experience and whether other elaborations--emotion, thinking or analysis, or dullness and detachment--can be regarded as expressive 'noise.'
    
    

  • Seeing phenomena as mind-generated models of the objects of one's experience, one can look at the nature of the model, including its inherent error and fit, and ask, "how is this not Luminosity arising within Emptiness?"

• • Keep attending to the naturally and uncontrivedly arising phenomenally expressive experience with a light touch as is bearable. Return again to the question, "how is this not Luminosity arising within Emptiness?" Does the phenomenally expressive experience relax over time into open spaciousness? Or does the phenomenal experience tighten into "for me," "against me," or "not me" ?

• If one becomes distracted or drowsy during this Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena practice extension, one briefly returns to the general Calm Abiding instruction until they are ready to continue working with this Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena practice extension.
  
  

Following a session of Calm Abiding, one can extend Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena into daily life by:

• Bringing the Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena developed during practice to the periods of one's day--waking, preparing for the day, morning, noontime, afternoon, evening, nighttime, releasing from the day, sleeping.
  
  

• Bringing the Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena developed during practice to one's own activities during the day, as well as transitions between activities.
  
  

• Bringing the Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena developed during practice to activities involving others during the day, as well as transitions between activities.

• If what phenomena naturally and uncontrivedly arise in one's mind are accompanied by emotion, by thinking or analysis, or by dullness and detachment--one simply asks, "how is this not Luminosity arising within Emptiness?"

• If one becomes distracted or drowsy during this Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena practice extension, one can return to the mindfulness and awareness of daily life until they are ready to continue working with this Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena practice extension.
  
  

  • Notice if one's habits of sensory experience in daily life reflect one's Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena in meditation practice--Be curious what might explain the difference between the two.
    
    

By practicing "Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena," one can begin to see through direct experience how elaboration upon one's natural and uncontrived phenomenally expressive experience can be oriented to one's own framing. One can also begin to see for oneself the possibility that the 'signal' within the 'noise' underlying one's natural and uncontrived phenomenally expressive experience can be described as Luminosity arising within Emptiness.

The fruition of Mindfulness Guard of Phenomena is called Gesture of Phenomena--inhabiting one's phenomenally expressive experience with presence, with phenomenal expression held neither too tight nor too loose, with light attention to phenomena, recalling the balance of good knowing and good unknowing, fully present such that phenomena appear beneficially relatable and workable in stillness and movement.

May these words help the balanced Asheyana practitioner to beneficently extend the Gesture of Phenomena, with full mindfulness. May it be of benefit.