Notes : An Apprenticeship on Signs & Matters

_{Notes on “Protecting Oneself and Others Through Mindfulness — The Acrobat Simile in the Samyukta-āgama by Bhikku Analyo. Sedaka Sutta translation by Bhikkhu Sujato}

“[Y]ou should look after yourself, and I’ll look after myself. That’s how, guarding and looking after ourselves, we’ll display our skill, collect our fee, and get down safely from the bamboo pole.”

Acrobatic performance is known for its pushing of physical limits, its potential danger, and for requiring the acquisition of a level of skill, strength and flexibility. The cognitive capacity of mindfulness while executing the complex interpersonal activities, it is suggested, allows one to execute these tasks in a way that is sustainable, safe, reliable and maximizes ones ability to be successful at them. In the sense that one performs acrobatics to receive recompense, and well executed performance increases the probability and quantity of recompense, one might presuppose that any similarly posed objective would do well to be mindful (sati) of the nature and quality of execution.

The simile presents two type of complexity that the mind must juggle: 1) a performance or execution complexity that incompasses both the physical– as mentioned above, strength, conditioning, flexibility, coordination and balance–, somatic –e.g. spatial awareness–, and the mental –such as concentration, focus, the sharp modulation of fears and risks, and memorization; and 2) social and/or interpersonal complexity –as exemplified in verbal and physical communication, co-ordinative and co-operative tasks. This entails a “looking after” both of ones inner and external being, as well as a looking after of others. We should look after ourselves as others benefit from us being looked after.

Self/Other

“It’s just as Medakathālikā said to her teacher. Thinking ‘I’ll look after myself,’ you should cultivate mindfulness meditation. Thinking ‘I’ll look after others,’ you should cultivate mindfulness meditation. Looking after yourself, you look after others; and looking after others, you look after yourself.“

A weak way that this could be interpreted is that we should look after others as we would benefit from others looking after us. A stronger, less atomistic, way to see the “looking after yourself, you look after others” is to see it as denying separation of self and other. This appears to be the correct way of interpreting it as it aligns with with the Anattalakkhaṇa, Śūnya and Mahānidāna Suttas.

The Gatekeeper

Having deductively deconstructed the notion of self in the the Anattalakkhana Sutta, used causal deduction in the Mahānidāna Sutta and analytical logic, causal reasoning,and empirical inquiry to demonstrate the nature of the five aggregates underlying notions of self in the Śūnya Sutta, one comes to understand that the protective, gatekeeper function of mindfulness is at once both spontaneous and reflexive one the one hand, and something capable of great cultivation and development on the other.

Ñāṇaponika (1968/1986: 35 and 23) explains: “Just as certain reflex movements automatically protect the body, similarly the mind needs spontaneous spiritual and moral self-protection. The practice of bare attention will provide this vital function”. “The non-violent procedure of bare attention endows the meditator with the light but sure touch so essential for handling the … evasive and refractory nature of the mind. It also enables him to deal smoothly with the various difficult situations and obstacles met with in daily life”.

Alanyo p. 4

The spontaneous capacity and function of mindfulness which protects us, and wakes us up in moments when states of mental accuity and wakefulness become critical for the body’s survival, is for the first time in these Suttas presented in its full capacity for also allowing the human to course correct, develop in extensive ways, and remove the causes of its restless, ceaseless dis-ease –its’ state being ill-at-ease.

In making one aware of what is happening in the mind, we come to see head on, the “unwholesome”, unproductive, and harmful thoughts, fixations and reactions passing through. Without establish mindfulness, the three poisons of confusion, greed and aversion/hate can cause limitless damage with no hinderances, they can disguise themselves, and find limitless justifications and rationalizations, existing unimpeded in our lives, as is unfortunate inevitabilities.

At an initial stage mindfulness allows us to catch them in the act, masks on, excuses in the process of being uttered or acccepted. “I am angry.” “I am craving”. “I am not seeing things as they are”. Bare attention directed to myself reveals and acts as a sort of doorman/bouncer at the entrance of the sometimes raucous club, sometime tranquil garden of the mind.

At an elevated state this same capacity of mindfulness can facilitate a deepening of the activities of mental cultivation, through tranquility and insight, to attain realization, to halt dis-ease and the outward damage these impulses of greed, aversions and confusions (in all of their many guises) cause for others.

Protecting Others

In order to protect others well, one must first attain a handle over ones own mental afflictions, ones own poisons of confusion, greed and aversion/hate. Only then can one be sure that ones help is actually help, that ones protection actually protects. But equally, they who have looked after their minds, bring to themselves somewhat a protection in the form of the disarming nature such a mind has on external violence meeting no mirror, confusion, green and aversion meeting no mirror.

References

• Bhikkhu Anālayo 2011: “Protecting Oneself and Others Through Mindfulness – The Acrobat Simile in the Saṃyukta-āgama”

• Ñāṇaponika Thera 1968/1986: The Power of Mindfulness, Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society