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The Door of No Birth
Mindfulness is the energy that helps body and mind to be in harmony, dwelling peacefully in the present moment. All phenomena, whether of body or mind, are formations (samskara) arising due to conditions, and are impermanent. Mindfulness is the capacity to recognize other formations, and itself is also a formation, impermanent, always directed toward an object—whether it is a physical formation, bodily formation, or mental formation—and is only present when there is an object.
Practicing mindfulness through the breath: breathing in, know that you are breathing in; breathing out, know that you are breathing out; maintain unbroken mindfulness throughout the duration of the breath in order to give rise to concentration (samadhi). From mindfulness and concentration, insight (prajña) into impermanence arises. Insight manifests right in the present moment when we see clearly the continuous arising and passing away of a cloud, a flame, or an emotion.
There are four basic contemplations in the Anapanasati Sutra:
- impermanence
- non-craving
- non-birth
- letting go