Developing mental freedom from our thoughts and feelings is a valuable skill.The ability to set the mind free and know that there are no excuses for unhappiness is a wonderful thing.The way to freedom in this article gives a lot of skills to be able to let go and build happiness.This is a way to develop it from the 8-fold path of Buddhism.The Buddha was the source of the collection as we know it, but these factors are not exclusive so anyone can practice them and gain benefit from them, as they are relevant to us all.
Step 1: This will be an ongoing activity.
Freeing the mind is a continuous action that requires the right understanding, thought, speech, action, effort, livelihood and concentration.The eight-fold path is also known as the right path and is used to mean skillful or beneficial.As you read through the list, consider how you can apply them to your lifestyle as well as cases from your own experience where they can be used.It's like a recipe, with the right ingredients you get the desired result, but when the mix is wrong or missing important parts it never really makes the mark.Many of the ingredients interact with each other to support the goal.One important point is that flipping it over implies that there is a wrong effort.This means that effort, concentration, andMindfulness on their own are not enough.According to the Buddha's biography, he practiced the 8 components in different forms, combinations and styles, but only when the application was right did they work together to give a solution.
Step 2: Consider the first of the 8 and how you can apply it.
This is mostly exploring and understanding the 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism, but it is also developing awareness that all things change.We can't depend on them, expect them to be perfect or give us lasting happiness, because they change without our consent.Being a good person, practicing mental development and developing wisdom are three aspects of the 8 fold path that are understood by right understanding.
Step 3: Where you can, start applying "right thought".
Right thought abandons greed, hatred, views, beliefs and delusions while encouraging goodwill, understanding and non-greed.Without understanding, there is no basis in knowing the difference between skillful and unskillful thought chains.The four "divine abodes" of goodwill, compassion, appreciation and acceptance are good for balancing the mind in a practical sense.The knowledge of the four noble truths may make life dry, sterile and unhappy, but virtue as a support and applying the divine abodes will counter unhappy feelings, and create happiness and well-being.When you feel hungry, consider appreciation of what you already have, and look at compassion.The use of opposites makes it so effective.In mathematics, a negative emotion can be balanced with a positive in order to regain well-being.
Step 4: " Right speech" is something to practice.
When harsh thoughts are abandoned, harsh speech does not occur as it doesn't have the mental intention to be so.A person can give more skillful and positive speech when there is a positive mental state.In a practical sense, it also includes times when it may be inappropriate to discuss certain issues, so right speech takes this into account.
Step 5: " Right Action" is the third to be analysed.
Right thought leads to action of the same theme if we have thoughts of anger.Right action and speech should be directed towards letting go of stress.Right action is letting go of things that cause stress in the mind.It is not enough to just think about abandoning something harmful or practicing something beneficial, you need to actually step in and do it, because right action builds and supports right thoughts and also right speech.The path components engage and build other parts of the same path.
Step 6: " Right Effort" should be considered carefully.
The jobs that are not easy to do are what the right effort is about.It is a middle ground focus, not an over kill effort to force the mind or a violent attempt to destroy aspects of it, nor is it its opposite - no effort.The goal is to not cause harm.Right effort is applicable to all the other path components.It's much easier to do nothing and let the mind run wild without effort.Efforts are easily misapplied and unbalanced.
Step 7: Take a look at "right livelihood" and compare it to your own experiences.
Right livelihood is avoiding going into a job where you have to be brutal and harsh towards people and other living things, or in any work that will compromise virtue, mental skills and wisdom.It is fortunate that they have jobs that are harmless and have a choice in the kind of career they choose.Right livelihood is not a livelihood that "owns" you or that you claim to own.When you consider that there is still slave labour in parts of the world and that you have a good job, right thought comes into play.If you can leave your work and troubles at the door of the office and goof off, then that is the minimum to work for.Being a good employee who earns their wage and doesn't involve themselves in office politics or shirking their duties is related to right effort and right action.
Step 8: Consider the right "rightness" when making a decision.
The awareness of day to day activities as well as what's happening in the biological body and its feelings and the mind and mental feelings as and when they happen is called Mindfulness.Mindfulness is an ongoing activity that may involve mental noting or just bare awareness and observationWhen you see something and know what to do with it, you will do it.It does not remove the problem.It is almost impossible to apply right action if you can't see what's happening.You can learn to distinguish stress and potentially harmful thoughts with the help ofMindfulness.The practice of these components is dependent on understanding and effort to do.
Step 9: The development of the mind is called "right concentration".
It can be in a variety of activities.There is no effort without concentration.It is developed with time and right understanding, but also with right effort.Concentration can be linked or limited to meditative absorption known as Jhana.It's important to remember that absorption doesn't do the job in isolation.It can cause many more problems such as addiction to that peaceful state, more delusions and even panic or despair that the peaceful states doesn't last, or that absorption is never attained even with much practice.The majority of people will never experience it.Jhana can be used like a magnifying glass to see into the mind, but only with lots of time and dedication, and this insight can also be done in non absorption meditation.Insight meditation is often called dry because it doesn't give deep lasting peace, but its other virtues are that it deeply calms the mind for extended periods that are not developed in non absorption meditations as deep or long.It can lead to higher mental developments, depending on the right understanding.There are many people who have attained the absorptions but are not free of their problems, so it is a skill to develop but still a component.It needs the right amount of effort and understanding.Buddha taught those who can do Jhana to praise and respect those that can't, as they need strength, diligence, commitment and deep understanding to be able to put down the burden.People who can't do Jhana were taught to respect and praise those who are able because it is not something everyone can do.
Step 10: Take note of this group and think about how each section can be used for your own benefit.
The proof is always in the pudding, but many of them seem logical and common sense.Without understanding, the others aren't as effective, so the important thing to remember is that we always end up at the right understanding.
Step 11: If you want to see how these work for you, start incorporating them into your day to day experiences.
When you start to measure them against your own past and present experiences, you can see if it makes a difference.This increases the speed at which they begin working, but also makes them easier because you understand their benefit again.There is no "right culture" or " right traditions, rites and rituals" in this group as they are the "wallpaper" of life.It adds colour and interest, but it can be a big disadvantage if handled wrong.The main reason so many miss the mark is that they are still attached to culture and identity, teachers, lineage and interpretations of things without either being willing to let them go or actually examining if these attachment or things would ever have led to mental freedom in the first place.The Buddha said that after people have crossed the river, they don't carry the boat on their heads.If you have crossed the river but are still attached to the boat on the other side, you won't ever step off.If you stay in the boat that lands on the beach, you won't be able to get anywhere.You have set your mind free by usingMindfulness to understand and recognise things so that you are no longer hoodwinked by our experiences and letting go of the ones of no value.