Saññamo
Saññamo is a spiritual teacher focusing on promoting and sharing the teachings of The Buddha.


WHAT ARE THE SEVEN FACTORS OF ENLIGHTENMENT IN BUDDHISM?
The seven factors of enlightenment are qualities of mind that the Buddha said were conducive to good practice and essential to master on the path to nirvana, or awakening; they are primarily taught in the Theravada tradition. The seven factors are: mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity.
Mindfulness is the first factor of enlightenment. Mindfulness is complex, but in its basic form it refers to staying aware of body and mind in the present moment. (Right mindfulness is also the seventh area of practice on the eightfold path.)
Once mindfulness is established, the practitioner can engage in investigation and clearly see the details of the present moment.
Energy means applying oneself to the task at hand, while being attentive to the details one has investigated.
Joy comes from the application of mindful energy. Finding joy in the practice is essential for maintaining a steady practice—who wants to persist in a joyless endeavor? (Joy is also one of the four immeasurables, another list of virtues essential to awakening.
Tranquility comes with the confidence gained from the work put into earlier efforts.
Concentration is the ability to fully focus on the task at hand, blocking out distractions and overcoming fatigue.
Equanimity, the pinnacle or conclusion of the seven factors, is not the same as tranquility. Instead, it refers to a balanced mind, one that is not swayed this way and that by desire and aversion, one that can weigh feelings with reason and exercise sound judgment. A mind in this state is ready to practice more advanced meditation or face the many challenges that arise in life. (Equanimity is also one of the four immeasurables.)
Using the analogy of a roof, the Buddha said that just as all rafters slope toward the peak, so the seven factors of enlightenment lead toward awakening. The seven factors are progressive, constituting steps along the way to culmination in enlightenment. Practicing mindfulness, for example, leads to investigation and so on.
Buddhist texts note that cultivating the seven factors weakens the five hindrances. This is another way they can aid us in our practice.

Let us all cultivate and manifest loving-kindness! May your day be filled with thoughts of love towards all beings in all galaxies. 🙏❤

The rock seems as though it is permanent. Yet, scientifically, we know this to be untrue. It has existed for thousands of years virtually unchanging. But, in actuality, it is changing...just very slowly. But, like the energy of this rock, you have existed forever. Both your body and the rock will one day cease to exist. But the energy of you both will endure until the end of time. You are timeless. You are infinite. And you are beautiful. 🙇♂️❤

Really miss seeing all of you at our weekly meditations. We've had several small meditations these past several months. But we hope to have a big one outside here very soon. ❤

Teacher of gods and of men, to he whom taught beings of many realms, including planets and of celestial levels, we pay homage to the triple gem. May the teachings of the dhamma be learned by all beings that their suffering be ended and nothing but happiness and joy be their path.
❤❤❤ NAMO TASSA BHAGAVATO ARAHATO SAMMA SAMBUDHHASA ❤❤❤

Through the mud, though the water, arriving in light, the lotus finds the sun. So, too, do we do the same when confronting our fears. We recognize, just as The Buddha did, that fear has no power over us. And then, our lives are boundless.
🙇♂️❤

Spending summer afternoons painting pictures of The Buddha is always a nice time. It is a meditation of color, brush, easel and breath. ❤🖌

THE BUDDHA SPEAKS
I see men of wealth in the world-
acquiring property, from delusion they give not away;
out of greed a hoard of wealth they make,
and hanker sorely after more sense pleasures....
Heirs carry off his wealth;
but the being goes on according to kamma.
Wealth does not follow him who is dying,
nor child or wife, nor wealth or kingdom.
Long life is not gained by wealth,
nor is old age banished by property.
"For brief is this life," the wise say,
non-eternal, subject to change.
Rich and poor feel the touch of death,
fool and wise are touched alike.
But the fool, as though struck down by folly, prostrate lies,
While the wise, touched by the touch, trembles not.
Wherefore better than wealth is wisdom
by which one here secures the accomplishment.
Majjhima Nikaya ii.72-73, Rattapala Sutta

This new series of events that has required isolation has truly effected the world at large. If you need someone to talk to, please reach out as I am offering my counseling services at no charge. I've a very busy schedule and can only speak to a few people at a time. But I will do everything in my power to speak with you as soon as possible! Send me a private message and my assistant will respond and forward your messages to me. Tell me as much as you're comfortable with and I'll do what I can to respond as quickly as possible. I love all of you very very much. Your heart and mind are stronger than you realize. But just like plants, they have to be nurtured with regular positive energy.
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Did you know that if you text 741741 when you are feeling depressed or suicidal, a crisis worker will text you back immediately and continue to text with you?
Many people, especially younger folks, do not like talking on the phone and would be more comfortable texting. It's a free service to ANYONE - teens, adults, etc. - who lives in the U.S. It's run by The Crisis Text Line.

At a time when so much uncertainty plagues us, it is very easy to slip into the clutches of anxiety, anger, sadness, fear and mental illness. But many are seeing the other side and venturing into true possibility. They are travelling down a path towards their original self...that of a light being cultivating a boundless heart. If you truly believed that you had the power to do anything at all and you absolutely could not fail, what would you seek? Remember, just as a drop in the ocean is the whole ocean, you, too, are energy interconnected with the entire cosmos. If you were so busy before that you had no time...to stop...and seek to manifest the virtues of your higher self, then perhaps the universe is calling out to you now! Now is the time. Learn to value silence and isolation so that you can better hear the universe knocking at your door with it's instructions. Many feel like there is no spiritual guidebook for them to follow the steps and proceed forward. But this is 100% untrue. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. By this scientific fact, you, being consciousness in a human form, have existed forever. So if you were to sit and listen, you can literally do as The Buddha did and discover your higher self and re-familiarize yourself with the seemingly infinite amount of wisdom you've acquired from infinite past lives.
So take the time...to remember. You forget that you are not a part of nature. You are nature. 😊🌳❤

Evening snack before meditation. Carrots, yellow pepper, red pepper, orange pepper, plum and a pear. 😄❤
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