When the Bodhisat failed to attain the goal -- freedom of the heart, liberation of mind -- by means of the formless concentration attainments and the extreme austerities and penances, he said to himself:
“I recall how, when my father the Sakyan was at work, I sat in the cool shade of a rose-apple tree and, aloof from the pleasures of the senses, aloof from unwholesome states of mind, I entered upon and reached the first absorption, which has applied and sustained attention, is born of aloofness, and has rapture and happiness. Could this, I wonder, be the way to wisdom?”
And there came to him the consciousness that follows truth: “Yes, this is the way to wisdom!” (MN 36)
After developing the four absorptions one after the other [and using it as a foundation for insight-meditation, tracing the links of Dependent Origination to discover the cause and solution to suffering] the highest wisdom was attained. He saw nirvana.
He accomplished the noble quest by following the method of serenity-and-insight (jhana-vipassana) as the way to nirvana.
But the only descriptions we find of the absorptions in the Discourse Collection come in a set of recurring formulas similar to the one given above concerning the first absorption. To follow the path to freedom today, we have to turn to the oral tradition for the actual practice. Experienced meditation teachers are not easy to find.
The formula for the first absorption has certain interesting and intriguing expressions. Chief among them are the phrases “aloof from pleasures of the senses” and “aloof from unwholesome states of mind.”
What does “aloofness” signify? In our work-a-day world surrounded by pleasing sense objects, we can imagine aloofness to consist of turning eyes away from a beautiful object or turning a deaf ear to a catchy tune. But how does one remain aloof amid the flood of thoughts when sitting in mentally secluded in meditation?
Far from the distractions of the world's sense objects, there are internal attachments and constant clinging we will not lay aside even long enough to become free.
We know of various things to do when unwholesome thoughts arise. As described in the Vitakkasanthana Sutra (Wheel No. 21, The Removal of Distracting Thoughts) it is possible to suppress, ignore, or replace them with wholesome thoughts. Or we might ponder over their unpleasant consequences, or try to remove the causes that give rise to them.
But to be aloof from them? A deeper study of the discourses shows that the word “aloofness” refers to a powerful psychological method of overcoming unwholesome tendencies.
The Buddha evolved a general approach for mastering some of the problems that arise on the path to nirvana. The attainment of aloofness in the first absorption is an example of this approach. The absorptions suppress mental defilements. That temporary purity of mind/heart enables insight-meditation to succeed.
Tibet's Potala Palace, overtaken and gutted by China, Lhasa, Tibet (Matteo Pistono)
This method can be understood by studying its application to the related subject of controlling the senses. But before any method can succeed, we must purify our attitude towards the world in general and sense-control in particular. How?
We must abandon all dogmas that hinder spiritual progress. Suppose one believes that there is a "destiny" that shapes all of our ends and at the same time recognizes the need to struggle to control the senses (a common combination of views). Further, suppose one encounters a particularly attractive object of desire.
It might be the path of least resistance to surrender to desire saying, “I was destined to do it.” Again one may have a theory that the attainment of an absorbed state is a sign of spiritual perfection. In this case, one would naturally put more emphasis on the methods leading to absorption. Then control of the senses would seem natural and good for this attainment.
But one may go to the other extreme: One may think that leading a good life and control of the senses are ends in themselves. The right attitude in these matters is to consider every attainment as a step to a higher one. The goal is nothing short of nirvana. Source
On 4th of July, Earth is Farthest from SunJoe Rao (space.com)
The weather forecast for this year's Fourth of July holiday in the United States calls for high temperatures across much of the country's central and southern states, with some places expected to surpass 100 degrees for the American holiday. So it may come as a surprise that despite this heat, the planet is actually about as far away from the sun as it ever gets. More- Damaging words in the Declaration of Independence
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